7 January, 2019
Location - Ridge Live Steamers, Dundee, Florida
Yesterday, we completed the Ridge Live Steamers First Ops Session of 2019. We’ll have 2 more this Winter/Spring. One in 2 weeks and then another in March. These are great fun and lots of good camaraderie. Always room for interested train buffs.
22 February, 2019 - The Ridge Live Steamers is having their Winter Meet this weekend. Great fun! Over a 100 people were at the pot luck this evening. Over 40 RV’s and better than 30 - 7 1/2 inch, 1/8th scale steam engine, plus lots of diesel/electrics, battery powered and many gas powered unit are here for the annual event. So sitting on a hill, waiting for track to clear, while running a Pennsylvania H-10, owned by “Long Island Bob”. A problem about 500 feet up the track had a number of trains stopped. So 2 trains up, a guy gets off one of the trains and starts walking back. I know that face. Nick Armana (sp?, I’m sure I’ve screwed up the spelling of his last name), as sure as the day is long, the “Aristo Bear” is walking straight at me. Had a great talk while waiting for the track to clear and continued our reunion later back at the station. Yes, its a small World and better with all the great friends we’ve made through this hobby of trains.
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Nick says he may make it to York. I asked him to try to swing by the “Drag and Brag”.
People are making it home or moving on to the next railroad from Ridge, after the Winter Meet and pictures and videos are getting processed. One of my thrills every year is to improve my steaming skills by operating a 1.5 scale H-10 owned by Bob Wattacamp of Long Island. Here is a you tube video of the H-10, operating around the entire mainline of the Ridge Live Steamers in Dundee, Florida.
Enjoy -
i enjoyed the video, Ric. Thanks for putting it out there. And thanks for the assist, Ken. I love to see the really large scale equipment running. Do you know by chance if that H-10 was manufactured by Wayne Godshall of Godshall’s Custom Machining in Sherman’s Dale, PA? They are awesome locomotives!
Yes, that’s one of Wayne’s engines. If he’s involved, good things happen.
Cool. There is a private railroad in Coshocton, Ohio called Mill Creek Central that Wayne frequents. On YouTube one can search for Mill Creek Central and view videos from last year of his H10s running. They put together a 100 car train with two of his H10s doubleheaded in the lead, one in the center and one towards the end. It’s a cool video to watch. He told me that next year they are going to attempt a 150 car train.
Mark Betlem said:
Cool. There is a private railroad in Coshocton, Ohio called Mill Creek Central that Wayne frequents. On YouTube one can search for Mill Creek Central and view videos from last year of his H10s running. They put together a 100 car train with two of his H10s doubleheaded in the lead, one in the center and one towards the end. It’s a cool video to watch. He told me that next year they are going to attempt a 150 car train.
Mill Creek Central is on our bucket list. So many railroads, so little time. Bob called me the night after that 100 car run and was still hyped about it.
The skill of keeping all those engines pulling together is probably still above my pay grade, but confidence grows with each turn at the throttle. The H10 is just now really getting loose and is running better every year. Great engine.
25 March, 2019 - Winter is officially over! Spring is here, we are back in Carlyle and planning the Summer Adventures. Had a great time traveling to York, Pa. from Florida and got to visit with both Ken and Bev and Bruce and Jean, plus all the guys and gals at the ECLSTS. Traveled up I-95 from Florida to Fredericksburg, VA. and then took the pickup over the Chandler’s to experience DC Traffic. Wow!
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Ken got us from Fredericksburg to West Grove, PA without getting on I-95. Wonderful ride and traveled through areas of our past with crossing over the Bay Bridge in Annapolis that we sailed under so many years ago. Truly crappy weather and the Bridge was totally in a cloud.
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York is always fun and “the Diner” will always be in our memories. Yep, the stuffed flounder was back on the menu. Somehow I don’t think this was our last visit to this great establishment.
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The “Drag and Brag” was a great success and Jan pulled off another party. Little bitter sweet that this may be the last one, but that’s for the future to be written. Even the weekend of the ECLSTS had conflicting activities that we could have attended and I just wish they could advance this cloaning stuff, so we could be in more than one place at a time. 
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Had a long day of road time on Saturday driving from Ken’s to Richmond, Indiana. It was uneventful and that’s just fine.
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Home by 1300 CDST, yesterday (Sunday), and now come the unloading and adjustment to home life for a couple of months. Family obligations and local events to pass the time, plus that continuous list of “PROJECTS”.
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Still living the dream.
Glad you guys made it home OK. Would have been nice to have had some decent weather, but we enjoyed your visit just the same.
24 May, 2019 - camping along the tracks of the Michigan Central Railroad in Metamora, Michigan. We got here Wednesday, after the Bluestone Southern’s first OPs session of the year. This is a great place to spend Memorial Day Weekend. Had a chance to get the “Tram” to pull down the tracks with the installation of a front coupler pocket. May try to get it under steam today.
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Plans are to be back below Nashville, Illinois by the 31st to participate in the Second Bluestone Southern OPs of 2019. The Michigan Central Railroad is also holding their first CarCard/Waybill OPs, that same weekend. So much to do this time of year to be playing with trains.
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Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of Summer in most of the USA, but its also the time to remember those that protect us and gave the ultimate sacrifice, so we can do such enjoyable things as just play with toy trains.
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We are very blessed to “Live Our Dream”
27 May, 2019 - Jan and I rode the Huckleberry Railroad today, riding behind engine number 152. This was at Crossroads Village on the outskirts of Flint, Michigan. Great day, that included a ride on the Genesee Belle on the Flint River. A great experience with great weather. Engine 152 came from the White Pass Railroad and replaced 464, which is in the shops for rebuild. Even an EBT hopper still in original colors on the yard tracks.
I’ve know of the Huckleberry Railroad for years. But not being from this area, I didn’t realize it was so close I’d recommend this railroad ride, Stern wheel riverboat and early American park for anyone. Very enjoyable!
Double post
Ric Golding said:
Mark Betlem said:
Cool. There is a private railroad in Coshocton, Ohio called Mill Creek Central that Wayne frequents. On YouTube one can search for Mill Creek Central and view videos from last year of his H10s running. They put together a 100 car train with two of his H10s doubleheaded in the lead, one in the center and one towards the end. It’s a cool video to watch. He told me that next year they are going to attempt a 150 car train.
Mill Creek Central is on our bucket list. So many railroads, so little time. Bob called me the night after that 100 car run and was still hyped about it.
The skill of keeping all those engines pulling together is probably still above my pay grade, but confidence grows with each turn at the throttle. The H10 is just now really getting loose and is running better every year. Great engine.
Ric, I was out at Mill Creek Central this past weekend for their card order meet Fun stuff at a great railroad. Their attempt to break the 100 car/ four loco train with 125 t0 150 cars being pulled by four H-10s will take place at their Large Engine Meet which will be held August 8 - 11. Mill Creek is a private railroad but I am sur that the owner Dick McCloy would be very happy to have you and Jan attend. He welcomes all railroad enthusiasts. It is sure to be an exciting weekend with lots of really large 1 1/2" scale coal fired locos taking center stage. I know that it’s on my bucket list.
20 June, 2019 - This morning finds us along the tracks of the Finger Lakes Lives Steamers. It is raining here and has been a very wet Fall/Winter/Spring. The Finger Lakes Live Steamers Spring Open House has been cancelled, because the area normally used to park the large volume of guests is too wet to mow or even think of parking cars. We arrived here Tuesday evening. Our original plans were to get here a couple of weeks ago, but the weather was so great back home we stayed an extra 10 days.
20 June, 2019 - This morning finds us along the tracks of the Finger Lakes Lives Steamers. It is raining here and has been a very wet Fall/Winter/Spring. The Finger Lakes Live Steamers Spring Open House has been cancelled, because the area normally used to park the large volume of guests is too wet to mow or even think of parking cars. We arrived here Tuesday evening. Our original plans were to get here a couple of weeks ago, but the weather was so great back home we stayed an extra 10 days.
Glad Spring in Illinois was nice. As you have found out, not so hot out this way. Looks like you brought the nice weather East with you if today was any indication!
23 June, 2019 - Weather has continued to be great temps in the Finger Lakes area. Enough rain and water has been around to force the Finger Lakes Live Steamers to cancel their Spring Open House. Weather is good, but the fields, where we park cars are so wet, you can’t hardly walk in them. Let alone park cars that may have to be towed out with all of their plastic bumpers and fairings that even challenge tow trucks, let alone a tractor. There will be another open house on the 4th weekend of September. All is well, life is good!
Hey Ric
You weren’t eastbound on 90 around Utica today about 1230, were you? Saw a Seneca with a truck in tow…
Yep, I think that could have been us. We left the Finger Lakes Live Steamers about 1040, so that kinda works to the timeframe. Did see a number of Super C’s in the area, some of the trailers had motorcycle graphics on them. They all got off around one of the rest stops. We are headed to the Lake George area for the weekend for a look at a 1 inch railroad owned by Joe Cavanaugh. This is kind of out of your territory. You running away?
Waters too high at home, temps and humidity are both too close to 90 all the time, grounds hot at 3 in the morning and AndyC gets grouchy.