Cliff;
Perhaps an eyelet on the underside of the wood slide. Secure a thin blackened wire to the eyelet, then stake the opposite end of the wire into the ground with a 20-penny nail (paint the nail head flat black or some earthy shade). That way should the wood slide blow off, it won’t get very far.
Just a thought, David Meashey
Thanks Dave, yeah, I’m vaguely thinking something like that needs to happen, otherwise the slide will become a sail.
I’m also considering a removable connection with the trestle, where I’d release and remove the dump when leaf blowing. But between those times, I wouldn’t want the entire trestle to be ripped away for a Dorothy ride…
So, yeah, maybe letting it freely fly, on a leash, is the better approach. 
Before work I sanded the foundations and then drained them of excess resin.
On my lunch break I sprayed 50:50 linseed oil / denatured alcohol on the trestles (2 rounds), and painted the foundations.
Need a couple days for everything to dry now.
You honestly think we believe that?
The oil / alcohol seems to be penetrating / evaporating nicely.
Hollywood, BD, do you think I should give it another round tomorrow?
That’s kind of what I do on Cedar. I mix the ebony stain and the linseed oil and apply liberally. This is what it looks like after a few years out in the weather. It even survived the move!
Rick,
Basically IMO this is the way to do it and one of the HUGE key factors here is the “type” of wood as well. When I originally stated “quality of wood” it was a 2 way thought.
The 1:1 still use good old oak or locust around here then treat/soak in creosote. This basically comes from the same place “oil” does just in a different way.
Now this is the rub…If you are modeling old worn hard steam era mining stuff them boys constantly worked the line replacing ties and maintaining it. However Cliffs trestle will probably never see the layout so the point is mute.
Looks like that is what BD recommended Cliff. And with spray coating it I’d be heavy handed
Swings by and picks up the old man for a midnight run to MD. They arrive at their destination about 2am.
Then lights a cigarette lets Hollywood take a drag, then flicks it down the hill towards a basement window vent and they drive away into the night rapidly but quietly in the darkness. Only to feel the heat and the wind at their backs.
Mixing stain with the oil, there’s a thought. And it looks great!
I mixed the alcohol with the linseed oil so that it would spray from a spray bottle. A little stain in that mix would probably be just fine.
For sure, it’s days like this that I’m thanking God that I quit smoking in 2010!!!
The whole house could go, to use a word from Mad Magazine, “Fa-GROOON.”
[edit] Reminds me, I need to turn on the exhaust fan…
Sounds good, thanks Hollywood. Yeah, I sprayed until everything was dripping. But I suppose if the wood can soak in more, keep it coming.
Thanks for bringing Rick’s post up again Rooster.
Rick, your statement of “bring up” the trestles for re-treatment made me really want to plant these things on (hopefully) reliable foundations, and be able to do similar.
Jon, Rooster, I sure get the creosote black thing. It’s tough stuff; my dad had me re-creosote his fence, and I let it drip all over my arms. Top layers of skin sloughed off…
The V&T had a thing about the “fireproof” nature of their paint, and they used it everywhere. It was “tuscan red,” which can mean a lot of things. But it was definitely reddish. A huge retaining wall was built from timpers from the famous Crown Point Trestle, to build a parking lot next to the (still functional) Buck of Blood Saloon in Virginia City. That wall is still reddish in tint.
Ergo, the “barn red” or whatever for these trestles.
I really don’t like Linseed oil for outdoor projects.
For finishing a piece of indoor furniture or a gun stock it works really great, outdoors not so much because it is an organic product. But this is just my experience and opinion.
However Google does say, and we must all listen to Dr. Google, this about it.
Overview
Linseed oil, while offering some benefits for wood finishing, also has several notable drawbacks. It’s slow-drying, susceptible to yellowing over time, especially in sunlight, and requires frequent reapplication as it’s not very durable or water-resistant. Additionally, it can support mildew growth and is vulnerable to water rings and stains.
that might have been something with copper in it. (in german: Kupfer Vitriol)
that stuff hems the burning of wood. (btw, your trappers and pioneers used that on their huts/blockhouses, as defense against fire-arrows)
Rick, and Hollywood, thanks again for your recommendations.
It finally dawned on me that motor oil breaks down more slowly that plant-based oil. So I mixed motor oil 3:1 with denatured alcohol and slathered it on for my 2nd coat.
It seems to be soaking in nicely, and not attacking the painted bits.
Hi Korm,
That may well have been an ingredient. The V&T bought products such as this from the H. W. John’s Mfg Co., which seemed to use asbestos as the main “fire proofing” agent.
Here’s an early paint chip card for this:
Ah, those were the days when you could eat a single small flake of paint and injest your daily dose of both lead and asbestos. And, if you took a sip from pretty much any stream in the Comstock, mercury! 
Cliff;
Aw heck! I prefer to get my mercury from swordfish steaks. (Except I can only afford salmon!)
Regards, David Meashey
Dave’s mention of Mercury got me thinking about the old Altoona Mine in Trinity County CA.
You can look into it here along with a lot of other sites.
https://thediggings.com/mines/usgs10040731
This mine operated up into the early 1960’s, in fact my step Dad hauled mining timbers to their site on several occasions. He worked for several years hauling mining timbers to mine sites all over the West. I went with him several times to mine sites in the California desert, Nevada and Utah. Pretty exciting stuff but not relevant here.
I did a lot of exploring, hunting, fishing in the area around the old Altoona mine and mill site back in the day. Lots of old shafts, drifts and retorts scattered through those hills. Of course we would always go down to the old mill site and dig mercury out of the cracks in the concrete slabs.
Now days it is an EPA Super Site.
Everybody thinks of the Sierras when talking about gold mining in California but Shasta and Trinity counties in the far north of the state was one of the biggest gold producing areas in the state.
A quick look here.
https://westernmininghistory.com/library/49/page1/
OK, back to the scheduled programing
You’ve got quite the colorful past, Mr Marty!
Someone needs to do a proper biography of you. Or at least a decent series of video Interviews!
