I finally finished organizing the photos from my 2015 Nevada/Mojave trip and getting everything posted to my website! The report on my trip begins here:
http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2015_Part_One.html
I had some car trouble again this year, and definitely need to find another SUV before my next trip. Also had a very scary near-wreck. But mostly I had a really great time and saw a lot of amazing stuff, including mines, mills, mining camps, pioneer ranch buildings, and a huge steam tractor. Here's a list of some of the places I visited this year:
Mazourka Canyon, CA
Black Eagle and Alhambra Mines, CA
Kearsarge, CA
Sylvania, NV
Sylvania Mine, NV
Four Aces Canyon mines, NV
Four Aces Mill, NV
White Wolf Mine, NV
Grantsville, NV
Nevada Cinnabar Mine, NV
Ione, NV
"White Ranch", O'Toole Ranch, "Adobe Ranch", Hess Ranch and others in the Reese River Valley, NV
Diamond Tunnel and Diamond Camp, NV
Eureka, NV
Willow Creek, NV
Keystone Canyon, NV
"Ground Zero" at the Project Faultless nuclear test site
Two mills in Eden Creek Canyon, NV
Clifford, NV
Tonopah, NV
South Klondike Hills, NV
Brannigan Mine, CA
Paymaster Mine, CA
I also added a lot of new reference photos to my Modeler's Resource pages:
http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Modelers_Resource.html
Enjoy!
I always enjoy these trip reports, Ray. Thanks for sharing.
Rob Spangler
Great stuff Ray! Enjoyed it, just like last years. I wish more people would share their adventures with us.
I saw a project in that bridge made out of flat cars. I was going to do it years ago until someone said to me that " there's no way you would see that in real life".
Looking forward to next years chapter.
I have found my Ford F-350 with its 7.3 LTR Diesel and off road package ideal for ghost townin. The skid plates have seen quite a bit of use in some off our very off road adventures. We have even slept in the back on an inflatable airbed. Beats settin up a tent.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Terrific photo's,Ray. 'Glad your "High Speed Off Roading" ended well.
Mike
Ray,
Wow, going to take some time to get through your extensive report, but I can tell it will be quality time already from the first page.
BATMANWe have even slept in the back on an inflatable airbed. Beats settin up a tent.
Brent,
This is where we "rough it" in the back of our LandCruiser when we're out exploring old grades, etc...
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mike, tell your wife, I think you should start using a tent. That way you could build a little model railroad layout on that beautiful bit of benchwork in the back of the Landcruiser. That way you won't go through withdrawl.
I have a platform in the back of the truck that sits above the wheelwells. It allows for a whole lot of storage for the rest of the gear underneath.
Do you or Ray ever go far enough off the beaten path that you carry extra fuel? On one trip, we took three 20 LTR. cans with us. After we got to the lake we wanted to fish at, we were disappointed, so we then decided to go a little further on. I did some quick calculating and decided we could just make it. The fuel light came on as we hit pavement again on the return trip. It was another 48KMS to the gas station. I always wonder how much diesel was left in the tank when I got there.
I bring a 2.5 gallon can of gas with me for emergencies. Most times I don't have to use it.
Now though, with some of the smaller stations going belly up, it's getting to be a real stretch between fill-ups. Also, I'm having to go farther off the beaten path to find places I haven't been before, so between those two factors I may have to look into hauling more gas.
BATMANMike, tell your wife, I think you should start using a tent. That way you could build a little model railroad layout on that beautiful bit of benchwork in the back of the Landcruiser. That way you won't go through withdrawl.Laugh
I think she'd probably veto that idea. Having her bed in the truck is up above critter level, which helps make the whole idea of "roughing it" in the wild plausible to her.
Maybe if I ever have enough to dabble in Z, I can squeeze in a suitcase layout, though. We do have most of the comforts of home, in some form or fashion.
The bathroom is on the left, our trailer holds the washing up part of the kitchen, as well as outdoor prep area, and under the canopy is the living room/kitchen. The bedroom is in the truck of course.
BTW, you might recognize the trailer. It's a Canadian Forces surplus M101 CDN 1/4 ton that I applied custom fenders to and repainted, along with some other minor mods.
As for fuel, elsewhere the 80 series LandCruisers have a factory option 13 gallon subtank that fits above the spare under the rear cargo area. Bigger ones that require relocating the spare are also available. Unfortunately, Toyota didn't offer this option in the North American models, but with considerable effort and no small expense you can import the needed parts and install yoruself. The wiring harness is already set up to make that part plug-n-play.
When we go to Colorado, I've always found the gas station close enough together. My old FJ55 wagon had an oversized 50 gallon tank, so never a problem with it. Get to Utah and Nevada and as Ray does, a very good idea to carry spare fuel.
And I hope we eventually get to take a long planned trip to Newfoundland looping through Labrador on the Trans-Labrador Highway that opened about 5 years ago. Lots of old RR grades in NF and they're even narrowgauge Another possibility is the road to James Bay. Long term, I'd like to do the Alaska Highway, too. All really require some extra fuel capacity for peace of mind.
Buying the M101 CDN seemed to be more practical upfront than simply adding capacity in the truck itself. I've got enough NATO fuel cans to fit more than is necessary, but have thought of adding a built-in tank in the trailer with a pump to make things less labor intensive. My back ain't getting any younger.
You'll see that I did allocate space in the truck itself for something even more vital offroad than fuel out West -- water, in the brown US surplus can on the left in my first pic. If you do explore RR grades and places in the backcountry, it pays to be properly supplied and equipped, as you're a long way from help.
On Page 5 of your photo report is a photo of a "Steam Tractor - Goldfield NV" with a caption that you did not know the origin of the item and a discussion of the use of such traction engines in farming.
I suspect that this is the remains of steam tractor "Old Dinah", built 1894 by the Daniel Best Co. in San Leandro, CA. This was a 110 hp machine, and was owned by Francis Borax Smith. It could haul three more tons of ore than the 20 mule team and in less time than with animal power. It was prone to mechanical problems, apparently needed constant attention, and was put into storage after about a year.
Phil Serpico's book Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad: The Nevada Short Line (Omni Publications, 2013) contains photos of this contraption in operation (page 19) and derelict (page 249). The text puts the item on display at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley in the 1950's.
I haven't done a minute comparison of your photos with those of Dinah, but they appear to be strikingly close.
Bill
I don't think it's Old Dinah. It's been a few years, but last time I checked Old Dinah was still on display at Furnace Creek, and it doesn't seem likely that the park service would give it up.
According to this site....
http://www.rootsofmotivepower.com/tractor-daniel-best-steam
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Thanks for the info and links. After comparing it to several photos of other Best steam tractors, I've come to the conclusion that the one in Goldfield is definitely a Best.