I scanned some from our trip of about 5 years ago. Loco looks like a little live steam model next to the tree. People riding in gons look like midgets.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
No, but here is a link to Henry Cowell State Park (which is adjacent to Roaring Camp) showing the size of trees over there.
http://www.virtualparks.org/scenes/ZkbuaC3yv3MY-QFaoXK07CA.html
Mark
More Roaring Camp....
We had a student "fireman" on the Dixie Shay that day. Thanks to that, I had the experience of seeing and hearing the safety valves blow. I think the job of the fireman is more challenging than an engineer.
I had been hoping to drive the Heisler instead. I climbed on it as a kid when it was still in Tuolumne.
Garry,
You mean the Roaring Camp's "Dixie Shay."
Engineer-for-a-day Mark because of a retirement gift from co-workers
Alex you lucky son of a gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9 days left of school! aw man I wish I could speed up time! To got me out of school! a weeks worth of snowdays has put us this far into June. Not too menchion that I've been working on my layout and not running trains has put a damper on the clenlyness of my track. and the cleanest thing in my room is usually the track.
Garry--
It was the Roaring Camp and Big Trees in Felton, outside of Santa Cruz, probably. My old college buddy and his wife live in Santa Cruz, every time I go down there to visit, Mike and I sneak away and ride it. His wife, who is a Social Science prof at the University down there says it's "Time for the guys to go play with the train," LOL!
These days, you can catch a train at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and ride up the San Lorenzo River canyon to Felton and catch the Big Trees RR. They time the trains pretty well. Really pretty ride and lots of fun.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Californina ?
We had a neat ride on behind a narrow guage Shay in the redwoods south of San Francisco a few years back. I think it was Roaring Camp RR or something like that.
Mark--
The St. George is pretty fascinating, and Volcano is in a really pretty setting. And if you want a really good dinner--and LOTS of it--try the restaurant at the Jackson Rancheria Casino. GREAT rib steaks--a little 'pricey' but worth it. There's also a little railroad running between Jackson and Ione--inactive, but the tracks are still there--and it has some pretty stiff grades and interesting trestles. It largely parallels State Route 88 on the 14 or so miles between the two towns.
Thanks Tom.
The trip is my girlfriend's birthday present to her, so I need to keep that in mind.
I've been to the Sierra RR facilities at Jamestown already. I'll only be going as far north as Jackson. I think the hard-rock gold mine tour there would be interesting. Also, the St. George Hotel in the village of Volcano would be a nice overnight setting. http://www.stgeorgehotel.com/pages/home.cgi
Though I haven't been there in a couple of years, the State Railroad Museum at Jamestown, near Sonora is a pretty interesting place to visit. I believe they still have the roundhouse tours, where one can see the restoration of Sierra Railroad #3 in progress. It's not that far from Columbia--which is kind of 'touristy', but still pretty fascinating.
How far north on State Route 49 are you planning to travel? Old Town Placerville is pretty interesting, and there's also a fascinating stone-arch former RR bridge across the North Fork of the American River between Cool and Auburn. And if you head further north, there's always the Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley and the restored 'Victorian' down-town area of Nevada City--which now has a railroad museum devoted to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, and also their restored #5 locomotive. Some good bed and breakfasts in that area, also. I'd definitely recommend the "Red Castle" in Nevada City, but you'd have to phone ahead for reservations, since it's really popular.
Enjoy the trip. The 'transitional' country between the Valley and the Sierra can be very pretty this time of year. And the further north you go on 49, the more spectacular the scenery gets.
I'm planning for an overnight road trip into California Gold Country. Several spots I want to hit are Columbia, Railroad Flat (where there was never a railroad), and Martel. (I've got the $100 cash for the gas.) Does anyone have any recommendations on other sites to see in the area, or can recommend a good Bed & Breakfast in the area of Railroad Flat -- West Point -- Pioneer area? Thanks.
Especially for Gavin
Have a great week-end
Johnboy out.....................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
just dropped in quickly before i go off duty and go out boozing
because
IT'S FRIDAY
jIM DOING ROOM CHECKOUTS ON THE LITTLE CHERUBS SO THEYRE BEHAVING THEMSELVES
SEE YOU ALL MONDAY NIGHT
Gav
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Good Morning, Zoe - I'll have a cinnamon roll,
and a cup of coffee, please.
Thanks! Oh, yeah, and it's Friday and payday!
And if any of tho other Diners would like one, the rest of the cinnamon rolls are fair game...
Nice pics on the weathering, Jeff. I would agree that if I'd know earlier (and if Don Z had transition era freight cars), I would've liked some of those, too. Good additions to your KCS's freight fleet!
Ryan, you have my mouth watering already with your menu - I'm sure Monique will enjoy that meal tonight.
BridgeTom, I'm glad our pollen doesn't (quite) get to your levels out there. I don't have major hay fever like my older brother does, but sometimes I get the sniffles and runs, and I know it's that ol' pollen, likely. How's that newly painted loco of yours running, by the way?
JR, keeping you and the adjusters in mind and this morning. Good to hear your layout didn't sustain major damage. Will you need to move any of it out while they're rebuilding (So nothing gets something dropped on it, or nothing comes up missing, etc.)?
Duke, nice photos of the 'Caged Dragon.' It's been a while since I was around the real thing (up at the Transportation Museum in St. Louis County), and it's easy to forget how huge those steam locos were (even the 'smaller' ones besides the articulated ones).
Gav, hope you have a quiet day (and night) with the dear ones...
Lee, hope you get your switch/wiring problem figured out. I may have some of those things (once I get the layout wiring in, that is...).
I got the next 2' X 4' plywood sheet and my turntable template paper out last night, and started trying to figure placment for the mainline and turntable. I also got out a couple of Peco turnouts I have, to try placment for where the passing track ends and the cutoff to the turntable goes. I'll see about posting an image of the design tonight after I get home. One thing I'll have to figure out is, on the current layout, I have a track next to the (2-stall) enginehouse for a RIP track/work train car storage. With where the turntable will be on the adjacent 2' X 4' section, I could connect that to the turntable for a second entry track, but then I have to find somewhere else to put the work train cars. Hmm...
I'll be at the corner booth, chewing on my cinnamon roll. Hm, Zoe, let me get a second one of those, please. Thanks!
Blessings and prayers for those in need of them (wouldn't that be all of us?),
Jim in Cape Girardeau
afternoon all
just a quick coke please
getting hotter overhere nice sunshine
oh well got to dash
Good morning all,
Cleveland / CuyahogaLat: 41.58 Lon: -81.48 Elev: 902Last Update on Jun 6, 6:45 am EDT
Partly Cloudy79°F(26°C)
Humidity:
74 %
Wind Speed:
SW 7 MPH
Barometer:
30.05"
Dewpoint:
70°F (21°C)
Heat Index:
82°F (28°C)
Visibility:
7.00 mi
They say 88F, hot & steamy for today.
Lee
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Good morning folks!
I'll have a Cafe au Lait and some Beignets please Chloe! Thanks!
J.R. Good luck with the adjusters, sorry to hear about the staging area.
Nice images Duke!
Off to run a bunch of errands this morning, and then I'm cooking a three course dinner for Monique tonight in celebration of her birthday! I'll share the menu with you guys too!
Appetizer
Crabmeat en Crute
Lump crabmeat, artichoke bottoms, and supreme sauce in a puff pastry dough and baked to perfection
Entrée
Sautéed Chicken Favorite
Boneless skinless chicken sautéed and served on a bed of creamed spinach with wild rice and topped with a mushroom cream sauce
Dessert
Chocolate Crepes Foster
Chocolate mousse filled in fresh crepes topped with a Bananas Foster Sauce
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Good Morning All,
A regular coffee and a danish please Zoe. Could you put it ion the grill to warm it a bit too please? Lots of rain this morning I got soaked twice getting gas this morning, once at the island, the second time inside at 4.50 per gallon. I dread getting diesel as it's over 5.00 per as well. I'm pretty sure we have close to the highest prices nationwide here in Ct.
Tom - I see you have one of those massive bridges with the unpronouncable name. How is it holding up? If you are really running 5 pound locos over it then I'm really impressed. Do you have a speed restriction on it?
Trains - We always looked forward to the Festival in Portland. We used to do the IMSA races in Portland that were traditionally around that time and got there early enough a couple of years to see the actual festivities.
We meet with the contractor and insurance people in charge of structural repairs this morning - wish us luck. This is where we will really find out how good our deluxe coverage is and how much out of pocket we're going to be. For those who asked, the layout and trains are ok. I have everything stored in plastic containers now and the anti cat door back up to the layout area. I lost my staging yard to water damage (it was outside the layout room and beneath the stairs and hall for the second floor where the actual fire and water was). The water also took out all the basement insulation and ceiling over the swing bridge but there is no discernable damage there save for the swelled up 2 x 4 frame for the bridge. I washed that down and sprayed it with Lysol just in case. The adjacent ceiling and insulation over the hobby bench and computer area was soaked and I lost my desktop computer and wireless router for the house, and the tile floor may need attention, but the layout room seems to have recovered very well from the water that pooled there. One valuable lesson I learned is that all the train stuff needs to be in water tight plastic boxes as all the cardboard boxes wicked up water, and the flip top totes all leaked from the top. My good New Haven stuff which was for the most part put away in Sterlite and Rubbermaid plastic two piece totes all survived unscathed both the stuff in the train room on the floor and the stuff in the w..kbench area that got showered on.
Gotta run, lots to do yet before the meeting at 10am. CUL, (as in Cee U Later) J.R.
Good Morning from Tipton IN !
The Longest Day~June 6, 1944
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Hi All!!
Well it's time again for the portland Rose festival here Portland oregon, AND YES it's suppose to rain Saturday on the Rose Parade, ahwell we are used to it, anyway my wife says hello to everyone here, and she wants one of Zoe's burittos to go, How are things with everybody? I will be back later. take care all
morning all
just a tea to go please
on days today so wont be in later have a good night all
LSWrr wrote: TWHITE,My LHS has pads that snap on any rolling stock axel. All they are is white padded cloths mounted to a small plastic board that drag along the top of the rail. LHS said if they get dirty you toss them in a sock, tie a knot and wash them and re-use them. I want to say Marklin made them. They were on a blister card (I think 8 for $7).Well I'm glad I don't have pollen on the rails, just house and pet dust. Like flash said a rotory snow plow might be good too, lol.Lee
TWHITE,
My LHS has pads that snap on any rolling stock axel. All they are is white padded cloths mounted to a small plastic board that drag along the top of the rail. LHS said if they get dirty you toss them in a sock, tie a knot and wash them and re-use them. I want to say Marklin made them. They were on a blister card (I think 8 for $7).
Well I'm glad I don't have pollen on the rails, just house and pet dust. Like flash said a rotory snow plow might be good too, lol.
Those only work so far. I saw a hopper car once tyhat had oneof those. It tobogganed along the track, the pad had prevented the wheels from hitting. Some of them are prone to breaking the hooks too. But they're great for boxcars if you aren't gonna remove them. They SHOULD be able to pick up the pollen.
I'm leaving now, see you in a week.
-Morgan
twhite wrote: LSWrr wrote: Hello all,TWHITE: I bought a centerline track cleaning car and it works great. It uses handy wipes cut into strips. It's all steel construction and the center roller is solid brass. I've been using goo-gone then I switch to a dry handy wipe, then I use it to apply the metal preservative. The Rail-Zip metal preservative prevents dirt from sticking to the rails and the locomotive wheels. So far the only drawback: the rail-zip is slippery when wet, once you apply it you have to wait overnight for it to cure or you locomotives will start spinning their wheels. I know of the track cleaner you are using and its abrasive. This centerline car is a good "soft" alternative. Lee: Actually, the car I'm using is a twin-motor revolving pad-car that I bought through Walthers--it's not the actual Walthers one with the 'brite-boy' center-slung abrasive pad. I use a hard, leather like non-abrasive material on the pads. I had a center-line track cleaner, and if my layout was insulated, it would be a Godsend, but as I said, I really can't use any liquid due to the conditions in my garage--only two walls are insulated. It's not that dust per se accumulates on the track thorugh the cracks in the garage, it's POLLEN--this area of California is infamous for its high Pollen count--and any liquid track cleaner just turns it into mush on the rails. Thankfully, as the Pollen count goes down during the summer and I run my trains more frequently, the rail problem goes pretty much away. But during this time of year, I have to run the dry-pad rail cleaner pretty frequently. Ah, SunnyCal in the Sacramento Valley, LOL! You kind of learn to live with it. My sister, who lives 50 miles east of here in the mountains, where the air is MUCH cleaner, says she gets a headache every time she comes down here. Seriously, the Sacramento Valley is NOT Model Railroad Heaven if you have a garage layout Tom
LSWrr wrote: Hello all,TWHITE: I bought a centerline track cleaning car and it works great. It uses handy wipes cut into strips. It's all steel construction and the center roller is solid brass. I've been using goo-gone then I switch to a dry handy wipe, then I use it to apply the metal preservative. The Rail-Zip metal preservative prevents dirt from sticking to the rails and the locomotive wheels. So far the only drawback: the rail-zip is slippery when wet, once you apply it you have to wait overnight for it to cure or you locomotives will start spinning their wheels. I know of the track cleaner you are using and its abrasive. This centerline car is a good "soft" alternative.
Hello all,
TWHITE: I bought a centerline track cleaning car and it works great. It uses handy wipes cut into strips. It's all steel construction and the center roller is solid brass. I've been using goo-gone then I switch to a dry handy wipe, then I use it to apply the metal preservative. The Rail-Zip metal preservative prevents dirt from sticking to the rails and the locomotive wheels. So far the only drawback: the rail-zip is slippery when wet, once you apply it you have to wait overnight for it to cure or you locomotives will start spinning their wheels. I know of the track cleaner you are using and its abrasive. This centerline car is a good "soft" alternative.
Lee: Actually, the car I'm using is a twin-motor revolving pad-car that I bought through Walthers--it's not the actual Walthers one with the 'brite-boy' center-slung abrasive pad. I use a hard, leather like non-abrasive material on the pads. I had a center-line track cleaner, and if my layout was insulated, it would be a Godsend, but as I said, I really can't use any liquid due to the conditions in my garage--only two walls are insulated. It's not that dust per se accumulates on the track thorugh the cracks in the garage, it's POLLEN--this area of California is infamous for its high Pollen count--and any liquid track cleaner just turns it into mush on the rails. Thankfully, as the Pollen count goes down during the summer and I run my trains more frequently, the rail problem goes pretty much away. But during this time of year, I have to run the dry-pad rail cleaner pretty frequently.
Ah, SunnyCal in the Sacramento Valley, LOL! You kind of learn to live with it. My sister, who lives 50 miles east of here in the mountains, where the air is MUCH cleaner, says she gets a headache every time she comes down here. Seriously, the Sacramento Valley is NOT Model Railroad Heaven if you have a garage layout
What you need is a rotary for the yellow snow.
I see my morning post didn't make it.
Flash, nice video a little dark but it was nice, I see your layout has giant hands too, lol! i look foward to more videos. maybe I can figure out how and post some of my own.
Well I have one switch that shorts the #2 mainline when it's thrown, not sure what is up with that but I see it's feeding power to the #3 mainline. I have insulated rail joiners between the 2 mains. I guess I need to replace those.
I had to buy a pair of Kay-Dee pliers today to adjust some of the coupler ‘hoses". I did pick up a yardmaster series (Branchline trains) 40' boxcar kit with knuckle couplers for $9. Not bad looking kit. I liked the fact it had the proto type year printed on the end of the box. Built 1940 reweigh 1954. When Alex comes over he has trouble putting cars on the tracks so I bought a RIX ramp. I also bought a drill and tap set to install the new couplers on some of my older rolling stock.
ED good to see you back in the diner, when can we expect more oranges?
GMT wish you the best of luck on the repair work, hopefully you can move in well before the end of the summer.