Dave Taylor said:
And yet another video of slogging up the 4% hill in the rain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elUE8dzTyzU
Dave, . . . Fantastic video. I loved the footage of the start out in the Chama Yard.
Iām in the cab, Firing.
Beautiful video Dave. You were really working that engine up the grade. THAT is not easy to do and it IS a lot of work. Real show leaving Chamaā¦gave me goose bumps! Steam guys love this stuff.
Wow, gorgeous video! Very well done. And those telephoto shots really make that 4% grade stand out.
Just a quick link to the Durango Railroad Historical Socity WEB SITE. Newly posted end of year stuff that we finished up before the snows shut down Silverton.
Dave
Dave . . . fantastic progress. I just love that the old freight cars are being restored. If i can get enough advance notice of when work will be done on the oil shed I can attempt to schedule a trip over there to help for a week or so. Iād LOVE to do it !
Found a few minutes this week to run thru a few pics of recent train stuff. I was hired to host a photo shoot for the D&S, As I was putting the shoot on, I didnāt shoot pics myself, but I did pull out my phone and snap a couple.
482 hot on the turntable.
And another.
Iām rather surprised how good a job the phone did for a low light shot.
Yet another video I found. Iām not in the cab at all. This is up the 4% climb from Chama to Cumbres. I took over in the cab at Cumbres.
Dave . . . . whut wuz the āmechanical issueā ?
Welllllllll Embarrassing train moment #27. 1st off, the guy tying off the cars after we stopped is none other then āThe John Bushā. Head kahuna of the C&T. He was our brakeman/conductor for that run. BTW I was NOT in the cab at the time.
When the 315 was hauled to Chama from Durango, the tender and the engine was separated to be loaded onto separate flatbeds. To separate the two halves you pull the pins (2) from the drawbar and unhook the safety chains. The crew at Chama put the drawbar and the pins back together so they could move it around the yard. The draw bar pins are different length one about 4 inches longer then the other. The 315 crew knew that the short one goes into the engine side and the long one goes int the tender the crew at C&T got them reversed.
The short pin only had to come up about 3 inches and then it released the drawbar. The front pin canāt come up and out because of the decking covering it. The long pin would have to come up above the floor about 5 inches before releasing and would be easy noticed, and would be āWack-A-Moledā back down. Never happened in the past.
To repair trackside, All we had to do was put a bar under the drawbar where it was hanging down, lift it up as the engine was backed up, putting the drawbar back into the slot and drop the pin back in. It took me 2 tries to get it in. the rest of the trip we keep a sharp eye on the pin and if it started to come up, we wacked it back down. Normally if it would come up a little, when slack with no pull, it would drop back down ( gravity thing ) The long hard continuous uphill pull, never gave any slack to let it settle back down. That night when we got to Antonito I pulled both pins and drilled them for safety pins and put them back in the right order, and safetied them. No harmā¦ Just an embarrassing moment. And the safety chains did their job and prevented total separation.
Dave . . . . Thanks for the reply . . . . gud to know about these things. . . . . great video ! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
I havāt been to āNarrow Gauge Countyā in ages. And I āitchā to get over there. I do hope work on the Oil Shed in Silverton is timed whur I can make it over there and spend a week. Do some work. Ride the train.
From mid April to mid/ late June I am pretty open except for one weekend when Iām one of the sponsors of a big āWestern Whin Digā here at the movie Ranch. But I do not know what weekend that will be scheduled for . . . .
We do this . . . . . ( video from 2015 )
White Horse Ranch . . . Hootenanny
At one minute 18 seconds into that video Iām seen at the end of my āBuffalo Bill Codyā act.
The draw bar pins are different length one about 4 inches longer then the other. The 315 crew knew that the short one goes into the engine side and the long one goes int the tender the crew at C&T got them reversed.
So I guess they didnāt read the assembly instructions. As I recall, for that kit, on page 385, the assembly instructions point out that the pins are different lengths. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
So the safety pins will hold them in place then? Thatās a good idea. I wonder why it wasnāt done in the past. Oh yea. If the pins are placed in their proper locations, its a non issue. You just whack the tender pin when it misbehaves. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)Just like my Ex used to do with me. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)
Found a couple more pics in editing thru stuff.
The East end of the C&T is Antonito CO. Little town with little non RR history that probably wouldnāt be there if not for the D&RGW. Here is were the line cut off to Durango from the line to Santa Fe (The Chilly line).
This is the Palace Hotel in Downtown. Built in 1890. Interesting stone work, and window treatment. Small town Hotel to model.
Did make me think of Ray Dās work. Especially the depot.
This is the Depot, which is located about 1/2 mile from the C&T yard. There is SG tracks there now, with a spur to the C&T.
This is the back side, sorry but the front was in split shade, sun. Itās in the final stages of restoration by a bunch of locals. The unique cut stones are volcanic and were quarried several miles from town.
It does have what I think are some really neat corbels on it. They would be tough to model ( make a master and cast the rest).
Real old line craftsmanship there. Also note that they set on a carved stone pedestal set into the wall.
Come spring when Iām back in Antonito Iāll do a complete pictorial on this neat station, Inside is restored also.
Like those corbels ! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Been a while since I last posted on 315.
She is resting peacefully in the Antonito Engine House on the Cumbres & Toltec for the winter. We were making plans to awaken our sleeping beauty in Early May.
In the mean time, a friend sent me this. Im driving 315 on the C&T.
Trust me guys, This is a lifelong bucket list kick in the a&s!!
I think Iād have that picture blown up, framed and hung over the fireplaceā¦(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Dave,
Wow you look good up there. Hey we all know a guy who can do a canvas print for you! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
I bet Ray could model the particle board in this photo!
Ya Sean, but thatās not particle board. Itās OSB, Oriented strand board.
Tomato, tormatoā¦ you get the just! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
I just got the gist.