Long Time... No Post...

Yes, it's been a while...

Since the last posts back in 2016 (wow, has it been that long?) a lot has changed on the railroad.  The section from Tombstone to Redbud was getting in bad condition and needed new ties, so I made the decision to do some more downsizing... and abandoned that section of the railroad.  I did some re-arranging (again) and moved the Corkscrew Gulch Turntable down to a spot just below Tombstone Jct, close to the old, old Frisco Valley (long abandoned).  The turntable is once again on a platform that hangs off the side of a hill - there isn't much flat land around here!  The picture above shows #205 on the relocated turntable.

With the Corkscrew Gulch turntable in its new location, I decided that it would be possible to replace the track down to the Stansbury Lead Mine that was removed back in 2014.  The original lead mine track was built with small aluminum rail and ties cut from landscape timbers.  The ties were rotted and falling apart, and the small rail had a tendency to kink at the joints... things that can cause a rough ride at best and derailments at worst, hence the decision to abandon it back in 2014.  This time the track was re-laid with the big aluminum rail salvaged from the line up to Redbud and other places, and I used pressure treated 4x4 ties with the cut ends treated with a commercial preservative.  The lead mine track is now built to the same standards as the mainline up to Northview, so hopefully it will stay in good condition for many years to come.

It's good to be able to run trains down to the Stansbury Lead Mine again!

Old Number 4

Yes, Old Number 4 - this is the fourth steam locomotive to call Northview home.  Obviously, it will be a while before it runs... not too mention that there are other projects ahead of it.  However, it will make a nice engine, as it appears to be well proportioned and heavily built.  Unfortunately, we don't have any information about its age or the original builder.

Now... to get the International steamer running... 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  We have survived Christmas and the heavy rains and made it to 2016!  Although there was a lot of water from the storms - and a lot of flooding in Missouri - our little railroad survived without any water damage.  The 2015 rebuild at Redbud was successful, as there wasn't any flooding or track washouts there like we have had in past years.  The new Corkscrew Gulch turntable was high and dry, no problems at all.  As with any storm, there were a few small limbs to pick up, nothing serious.  

Since removing the wye last summer, the cars don't get turned once a trip like they used too.  So, it is now necessary to turn them around once in a while to even out the wear.  I decided New Years Day was a great time to do it, so I pulled out every car and spun them around on the Northview Turntable.  After that, I coupled them all into one train and took it to Redbud and back with the Boxcab Diesel.  The picture below shows the train on the mainline at Redbud.

Hope you all have a Happy New Year!

The New Corkscrew Gulch Turntable

The new turntable is finally in service at Redbud.  Built on an elevated platform, the turntable is accessed by a short trestle that connects it to the newly relocated switch on the mainline.  The switch was removed from the mainline at Cedar Flats and skidded up the rails to its new location.  The platform hangs off the side of the hill, keeping the turntable clear of any flooding that plagued the original turntable by the creek.  As you can see, the mainline still follows the hillside, wrapping around the turntable before crossing Bridge #8.

As a nod to the storied covered turntable on the Silverton Railroad, I have been calling this one the Corkscrew Gulch Turntable.  Unlike the one on the Silverton RR, this one will not be covered by a roof!

More news later...

Moving a Turntable... Again...

The turntable has been relocated - again - from Cedar Flats to Northview.  The old west leg of the wye was cut and moved to line up with the turntable.  The center of the turntable is actually resting on the old concrete footing for the original Northview turntable... back before the wye was built, a turntable was used here for a short time.  Now things have come full circle (so to speak) and the wye has been replaced with a turntable.  Next project - building a new turntable at Redbud!  But this time, it will be located far above any flood plain...

Running steam in the fall...

Friends visiting from California provided the perfect excuse to do some train sight-seeing on Saturday, as well as an opportunity to fire up #205 on Sunday afternoon:

Although I have done quite a bit of running on the new trackplan with the diesels, this was a good shake-down run with the steamer.  Although the actual trackwork performed just fine, the train operations left a lot to be desired.  With just one turntable in the center of the track, the train is backed downhill, the engine turned so it faces uphill the other direction.  In theory this sounds fine, but in practice it is a bit cumbersome.  The run is interrupted in each direction to turn the locomotive, plus backing the steamer long distances can be a bit touchy at times.  It was enough to convince me to rethink the trackplan.  Right now I am considering moving the turntable to one end of the railroad and building a new turntable at the other end... that way the steamer will run forward both directions and be able to make the trip each way without interruption.  I think it will make the operation much smoother.  Will I get it done? Time will tell...

A Flatcar comes home and is immediately put to work...

Last Saturday, I went to a run day at the C&H Railroad near Topeka, Kansas.  In addition to seeing a lot of friends out there and taking my turn at the throttle of two different Ottaway steamers, I also brought home a flatcar.  This is one of the cars that was part of the 2014 downsizing.  Since then, there have been a few times where I could have used another flatcar.  I had considered just building another one, but Mike offered one back since it wasn't currently in service.  I accepted the offer and brought home the heavy flatcar with the roller bearing trucks.  I put it on the rails yesterday, and today I rolled it down to Tombstone.  I stripped the machinery out of Brown's Sawmill, and loaded the shed on the flatcar.  Just think - Saturday it was in Kansas, and two days later it is in Missouri with a sawmill loaded up.  I hope to get the sawmill moved and set up in the next couple of weeks, until then, here is a picture of the shed loaded on the flatcar waiting to be moved to Redbud: