Narrow Gauge in the Rockies not quite

[popeye]

Nice job, will there be a platform?

[Mayner]

4 hours ago, popeye said:

Nice job, will there be a platform?

Not in the Irish or British sense. Basically a boarded area at track level at the front of the depot, similar to the existing decking. 

The replica Dolores depot is a mirror image of Orphir, it was built as a starter project by the local community (pop 900) before they took on the restoration of RGS Motor 5 and a short demonstration track.

Unfortunately we were running late on the day and did not get a chance to check out the museum, I will have to go back sometime and spend more time in the area.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Mayner

[popeye]

They don't build them like that anymore.

[Mayner]

Ran what was probably the last trains of 2018 yesterday, mainly because I needed to use the staging yard as a workbench for some work on a new N gauge layout, but that's another story.

I have been experimenting with JMRI Panel Pro ---Operations to create manifests and switch lists for freight trains in preparation for regularish operating sessions. Seems to work despite the limited number of cars with trains loading to 70-80% of capacity, one of the advantages of large scale is that its easy to read the numbers of the cars

Manifest for a way freight (pick-up goods) train spends a lon-ng time of the road!

 

Yesterdays schedule required 3 locos K27s 2-8-2 463 & 464 for the long distance freights, C19 2-8-0 for switching and trip working out of Jackson City and all available freight cars.

348 has cleared the yard and made up two freights for departure and waiting to depart with a caboose hop to collect stock cars and gondolas from towns further up the line.

463 has backed on to her train on the departure road 464 is coming off shed and will work the next westbound freight.

348 passing Arboles on caboose hop will pick up stockcars on return. I have got to sort our some screening between railway and grotty shed junk pile in background. 

Meanwhile 463 is working her way westwards with a train of stockcars and boxcars. Trains carrying livestock and perishable traffic had a higher priority than general freight traffic.

348 has turned and is now working back with a train of gondolas and a flatcar. The dwarf wall includes a large broken plant pot which looks a bot like part of an old furnace or coke oven.

The plantings in the background were added about 3-4 years ago, the large trees were supposed to be slowing dwarf plants!

348 has attached the 3 stockcars to her train which puts her well (60%)over the load limits for the high line in the background for the run to Placerville (the staging)

464 & 348 ready to depart Jackson City.

On arrival 348 uncoupled from her train, switched a cut of 4 cars stored on the main line to the departure road clearing the main for 464 to couple on to the recently arrived train.

464 then departed followed later by 348 (didn't want to chance leaving her outside overnight!)

The pattern of operation is similar to the DRGW Black Canyon line during its final years of operation, 2-8-0s were the heaviest power allowed through the relatively level Black Canyon section on account of light bridges and trestles with 2-8-2s workking trains at the eastern and western end of the line.

Starting to put the trains away! Large Scale staging tracks lower level, baseboards for 4mm Irish layout at intermediate level storage above and below. N Gauge baseboard plonked on top of large scale turntable.

[Mayner]

Oops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classical mishap while turning 348 yesterday just as 464 was waiting to be flagged into the yard.

348 just rolled forward as she was being turned, luckily she did not roll the other way and fall onto the floor.

[popeye]

I had one that hit the floor, i was afraid to look but it was brass and just one corner bent, easy done. 

[Mayner]

On 12/31/2018 at 1:53 PM, popeye said:

I had one that hit the floor, i was afraid to look but it was brass and just one corner bent, easy done. 

I guess its the greater mass but large scale locos and stock tend to be more fragile than OO or N. 

I had to re-build the pilot beam of 348 after she fell from a raised section of line about 7-8 months ago.

[popeye]

I find the more gentle you hold something the more chance there is of dropping it.

I dropped a wagon once but quickly grabbed it but i broke many bits in the grab, i should have let it fall. 

[Mayner]

I finally got around to ballasting the main line through Utah Junction following the track re-lay. Ballasting is basically a much more expensive scaled up version of small scale loose ballasting techniques using screened stone chips and 50% diluted concrete bonding agent. Glue applied using a large syringe and a length of clear plastic tube rather than an eyedropper .

Waiting for some rain to wash away the stone dust from the rails and sleepers.

Big improvement in overall experience , though I need to build up the ground around the water tower. There is a noticeable bump/change of level in the main running line opposite the water tower where I replaced a decayed section of decking/track support. I  improved cross levels on  a section of the main line in this area where the cross levels were badly off leading to excessive swaying and pitching as trains ran through at not quite speed.

The area in the background has started to revert to bush https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_bush  with self seeding shrubs and trees (including a Tasmanian Blackwood and a Sweet Gum) in the 10 years since a large gum tree in this area fell over fortunately not landing on the railway. The pencil pines by the water tower were planted about 5 years ago to provide more "scale" foliage, in the foreground a dwarf box hedge is taking over the area between the edge of baseboard and main line.

 

[Mayner]

After a long hot Summer it looks like Autumn has arrived with leaves falling, (probably more from drought than shorter days) the end of daylight saving is two weeks away and the beginning of this years Autumn stock rush on the Jackson County Narrow gauge with every loco in steam and stock car out on the line.

463 hauls in the empties on the 1st special of the season with an empty boxcar and a laden tank car to make up a full load for the K27.  A cut of cars for the Arboles Turn is stage in the yard in the background.

463 pulls into the yard while 348 waits to work the Arboles Turn and 464 waits on shed to work a Westbound freight. The turntable is a piece of decking timber pivoted on a coach screw and plate washer packers and really-really works.

I re-ballasted the main line and through tracks in this area over the Christmas.

348 takes water before leaving on the Arboles Turn a locoal working. The DRGW used small 2-8-0s on branch lines and lines with restricted axle loading concentrating its narrow gauge 2-8-2s on steeply graded lines with heavy traffic.

348 arrives at Arboles before switching the yard. I am hoping to tidy up the area on the right with better screening between the outdoor work area and railway.  Town is named after some trees planted 2-3 years ago.

Upon arriving 348 set back with her train dropping the caboose on the other side of the bridge so the conductor could get some sleep/do the paperwork while the rest of the crew (2 brakemen, engineer & stoker) switched the train.

The loco ran round the train via the siding to place the tank car on a dead end spur. I used JMRI Panel-Pro Operations Programme as a car sorting and dispatching programme. 348s cars came in on an earlier train behind 464 which included cars for Jackson City, Arboles and Utah Junction.

348 has completed her switching at Arboles , picked up her caboose and is ready to depart for her destination with a flat car, train manifest on the benchwork in the background.. The DRGW used box cars for metal ore trains on the narrow gauge (including gold-silver-zinc and radio active ores) so they can be used to serve many industries.

348 has dropped off he load and ready to depart her destination with her caboose, perhaps returning in a few days to collect her traffic.

Departure time at Jackson City 463 wait waits with the 1st laden stock special of the season, 464 waits with a manifest freight.

463 bites the dust having split the points at Utah Junction not an uncommon occurrence on the full size Rio Grande Southern.

Playing trains live steam Accucraft C16 passing Jackson City

[popeye]

Very nice, we are heading into spring ha ha.

More video's please. 

[Mayner]

 

The live steam loco has been challenging both in learning to drive because of the grades on my line and finding track defects. 278 turned out to be a good buy, although the loco was second hand she never seems to have been steamed running in nicely capable of hauling 6 cars and a caboose.

278 with slightly scorched smokebox door

278 is quite controllable by small scale live steam standards and not too hot to handle once you keep your fingers well away from the cylinders, smokebox and hot bits inside the cab.

The biggest challenge like Waterford's Jumbo is to avoid blowing off and wasting steam while switching.

On the trip that inspired the change to 1:20.3 the real 278 undergoing cosmetic restoration in a National Park Compound at Cimarron Colorado.

The C16s were basically a narrow gauge equivalent of the J15, but largely replaced by larger 2-8-0 and 2-8-2 locos. The DRGW  retained a few for lines with light axle loading, several sold to other railroads and industrial lines that fed the DRGW & RGS

The two surviving DRGW C16s  268 and 278 were preserved locally when the DRGW abandoned its narrow gauge lines in the Gunnison area in the mid 1950s in 268 in a Gunnison and 278 on a trestle in the Black Canyon.

278 has since returned to her perch on the trestle, unfortunately we did not have time to check out 268 at the Gunnison Pioneer Museum

https://www.nps.gov/cure/learn/news/pr18-22.htm

[popeye]

That's an unusual place to leave 278 but nice.

[Mayner]

We continue to experience beautiful Indian Summer or more rightly El Nino conditions, difficult to resist running trains despite the leaf fall. 

Still nothing to report on the small scale front although the work bench has been cleared and parts ordered to complete work on some J15s.

Although we have been running relatively short single engine freights, I could not resist running a 2 engine freight with a pair of leased K27 Mudhens in a similar to RGS.

In its final years the RGS relied mainly on pairs of leased DRGW K27 Mudhens to move freight traffic on its heavily graded Northern Division over Dallas Divide and Lizard Head Pass. The second loco was usually ran through from terminal to terminal, cut in as a mid train helper on the up-grades then running ahead light ahead of the train on down grades. (The crew of the helper were paid a higher rate when their loco was coupled to the train).

 

 

Arboles: Lead loco 463 about to enter the single track section to the next town, 464 has just crossed the bridge (lift out) 7 cars and caboose behind tender. 

The passing loop here is two short to pass two long freights without a saw-bye maneuver.

The train is nearly 30' long almost scale length for a RGS Northern Division freight, 7-8 freight close to the load limit for a single 2-8-2 over the grades on the more easily graded sections of my line.

Utah Junction. Junction with longest crossing loop on the main line and wye for turning steam locos. Station buildings have been removed for winter.

The train is longer than the longest passing loop or siding or spur so an interesting exercise in reversing the train  to run up the high line above the caboose.

Putting the trains away re-marshaling stock in the fiddle/staging yard, turning locos and putting them on charge can take almost as long as operating session.

 

[Mayner]

Winter arrived on time 1st June (Queens Birthday Weekend NZ) with rain and cold after a long Indian summer, but improved with dry cold sunny days for Matariki or the Máori New Year. I have not had much time to play trains since the last post with most weekends since Easter spent clearing & mulching leaves.

The cold weather has the benefit of nice plumes for live steam operation on the downside gas fired locos don't steam as well and use more fuel in cold temperatures even with a water jacketed tender fuel tank. I guess I will have to put hot water in tender tank next time.

278 on the 2% 1:50 grade from Utah Junction to Jackson City. 

The loco is on the most difficult curved section of the grade between the wye switch and the tunnel

Steaming rate improves as demand for steam decreases as alignment improves/grade eases once through the tunnel and trains tend to speed up as they climb towards the crest of the line.

The last section of the grade into Jackson City yard is also demanding with 278 almost slowing down to a crawl as it crests the grade, the loco and first caboose have just crested the grade the yard tracks on the left are level.

With about 30 minutes light left stage 278 was low on water and gas. I usually use a battery loco to haul in the train, allowing enough time to allow 278 to cool down to be handled for cleaning and servicing before being put away.

On this occasion things did not go to plan battery powered K27 461 refused to move forward for no apparent reason half way around the line and I had to call in my trusty Bachmann Connie 2-8-0 to haul the train in after clearing a space on the work bench for 461. At first I though that there may have been a gear box problem, but on closer inspection one of the leading crankpin bolts had worked loose and fouled on the rear of a cross head while running forward, but re-tightened while running in reverse.

 

[Irishswissernie]

Very Interesting!

My eldest daughter emigrated to Utah ca 2002 so I have an excuse to visit her and the grandchildren especially as they live next to the UP main line between Salt Lake City and Ogden. Best of all was her second husbands Father (She is now moving on to number 3 sadly!); anyway Father in Law No 2 had a 36 foot RV and the 2 of us did a week long trip to Mesa Verde, New Mexico etc including  Durango and Chama. This didn't go down to well with the off-spring but well "A man has to do what a man has to do"

The results are in this Flickr album 

I have converted the video to MP4 and the Cumbres & Toltec has 5 parts & the Durango & Silverton 3 parts at the start of the Album.

There are also views of the D&RGW operations in 1964.

Ernie

P>S> The video's don't all have 'thumbnail' icons, just a black bit with a little camera symbol but just click on them they are there!

Edited July 14, 2019 by Irishswissernie
more videos uploaded

[Mayner]

Spent a very enjoyable week in Colorado in 2016 for me the highlights was not quite getting caught in a snow storm at Trout Lake water tower and trestle while tracing the remains of the Rio Grande Southern between Telluride and Lizard Head Pass.

Daughter mainly interested in Thomas & Friends set ups at every museums & railroad depot we visited.

Holiday worked out mighty expensive when I replace nearly all my LGB & Bachmann stuff with 1:20.3 after seeing the sheer mass of full size American narrow gauge equipment

 

[Mayner]

Days are starting to get longer towards the end of Matariki with snow drops and daffodils starting to bloom.

We ran our second group operating session early in July with the end of leaf fall. Two train crews and a few lookers good sunny winters day kept us busy operating for 3 hrs though we started to run out of daylight while we were returning the trains to storage! 

This area is shaded for most of the year with a brief window of sunlight in late afternoon during winter time but well worth the wait. The train is a mixed freight returning to storage, the gondolas (opens) in the backrgound will be picked up by a clean up run.

463 with a stock train, this is close to the maximum load for this loco on the 4% grade to the shed.

A couple of weeks later 348 arrives at Arboles with a mixed freight (I planted tres arboles 3-4 years ago but they take time to become established). The track was laid on re-cycled ballast (fied with concrete bonding agent) on pond liner on 18mm treated ply and the moss takes over during the cooler, damper months (most of the year!) The train is a positioning run to deliver cars to this yard before I run the sequence.

The caboose waits on the main line while the loco positions the cars on the siding (loop). 

Grading and tracklaying finally started on the Utah Extension extending the tail of the wye track.

Not sure if it will go much further like a lot of planned extensions, but its already added another useful source of traffic and greatly simplifies reversing complete trains without a lot of time consuming switching.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Mayner

[Mayner]

Inspired by Cumbres & Toltec Rio Grande Southern re-enactment of a two engine freight with DRGW 463 pretending to be RGS 455, the Jackson County had to follow suit with one of the first trains of the Spring season in the humid Waikato rather than semi-arid  South West.

463 started slipping in light drizzle and actually needed 348s help to move its train over the road

My 348 is actually a DRGW C16 pretending to be a larger C19 similar to 315 so another element of pretence.  Must look at adding smoke units!!!!!!!!!!

 

Edited October 10, 2019 by Mayner

[Mayner]

Something unusual: more realistic derailments or the challenges of Large Scale modelling?

I sometimes run a train while I am working in the garden, after circuiting the main line several times this happened. The tank car appeared to uncouple from the rear of the train near the tree in the distance, then apparently de-railed at a facing point, partially de-railing a gondola before the train drew to a halt. The Tank Car (Bachmann Spectrum) had a tendency to rock from side to side on curves when running downgrade so further investigation was required to identify the initial point of the de-railment

 

The red tank car initially appears to have partially de-railed on the approach to the viaduct passed trough a tunnel and the facing turnout to the wye before totally de-railing on a trailing turnout.

The tank car had a greater tendency to rock from side compared to the Accucraft freight cars, which I tried to correct by fitting side bearing pads to one of the bogie, leaving the other to take up irregularities in the track which appeared to have largely eliminated the problem. The Bachmann bogie pivots on a sleeve secured to the body by a self tapping screw with a large washer, Accucraft originally used a turned bolt with a compression spring arrangement, but recently changed to a similar arrangement to Bachmann.

While I initially treated the rocking as a problem with the design of the bogie/tank car, wheel profile may be a factor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunting_oscillation although Bachmann use a similar bogie pivot arrangement for its Big Haulier range of G gauge stock hunting/oscillation is not a problem although the High Haulier coach freight car wheels are smaller dia than used with 1:20.3 stock. 

The next step is to inspect the tank car bogies and wheels and possibly swap wheel sets or bogies to see if it makes any difference

[Broithe]

At least you didn't have to cut it up on site - https://www.mainlinediesels.net/index.php?nav=1000619&lang=en&id=5428&action=shownews#.Xa7l9OhKjmE

[Mayner]

9 hours ago, Broithe said:

At least you didn't have to cut it up on site - https://www.mainlinediesels.net/index.php?nav=1000619&lang=en&id=5428&action=shownews#.Xa7l9OhKjmE

I was sorely tempted! That red tank car is definitely related to Thomas the Tank Engines Troublesome Trucks. Like the Ballymena Narrow Gauge we have had the odd freight car de-railing flipping over and getting lost in the shrubbery without anyone noticing until it arrived at its destination. There is a story of an ore car disappearing out of a train on the Ballymena narrow gauge somewhere between a mine and Larne without anyone noticing in NCC days, the ore car tipped over on an embankment and ending up in a field, the two parts of the train re-coupled the train crew did not notice a thing

[Mayner]

We decided to do a series of test runs under controlled conditions as the railroad and the freight car leasing company were blaming each other for the poor riding problems with the red tank car and the derailment and who would have to pay for the fix-up, the Jackson County Receiver in Denver was looking for an excuse to close the road, the Jackson County just about paid its operating expenses but would need money from the County or the State to bring the track up to standard. Meanwhile the Jackson County Shop Foreman claimed that the tank car wheels were out of tolerance, while the leasing company engineers and insurers claimed that the Jackson County track was defective.

1St run was with the red tank car on its original trucks.

Run 2 red tank car running on a set of borrowed DRGW trucks.

I had incorrectly focused on the bolster arrangement of the Bachmann Spectrum tank car and the absence of side rubbing plates as the cause of the hunting without considering wheel profile. Although the wheel back to gauge is within tolerance the flange thickness of the Bachmann wheels are wider than Accucraft resulting in insufficient running clearance which is likely to have contributed to harmonic rocking or hunting on curved track especially on a down grade.

Replacing the trucks and wheel sets would be an expensive solution, so I am planning to improve the running of the existing wheel sets by reducing the back to back gauge by  0.7mm. The Bachmann axles are shouldered so its basically a case of removing the wheels machining 0.35 off each end of the shoulder and re-assembling the wheel sets, the only snag so far is that I sheared the end off one axle, but machining a replacement should not take much longer than modifying an existing

[Mayner]

We had our first garden railway group running day in a long time on Sunday, combination of people getting older, moving out of the region, finding the time or the motivation to play trains! While several of us wanted to run live steam a visiting battery powered LGB loco turned out to be the most reliable on what turned out to be a hot sunny afternoon.

 

Visiting LGB Mogul on short freight

Running trains/ taking it easy on a "Sunny Afternoon"

 

Scratch built single cylinder oscillating tram loco chugs along.

Line up of railtrucks at the loco depot. I moved the shed back from its usual position for the line up but will probably leave the shed in this position as it works well both visually and operationally, though I will need to extend the supporting framework.

The K27 just about fits on the turntable which really works. My largest locos was a 2-8-0 when I installed the turntable.

The train is on one of the 1st sections of track installed in 2007, although I had to replace the sleepers or ties in this area the treated timber framing has stood up well to the weather and will probably last another 12-3 years.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Mayner

[Mayner]

A change from my imaginary stuff 12"-1' snow clearing on the 3' narrow gauge over Cumbres Pass in March 2020. I have a similar problem with Autumn leaf fall but a blower/mulcher usually does the job.

Cumbres Pass after the snow clears.

Fire control speeder at grade crossing at the beginning of the video.

Train approaching Cumbres Pass viewed from the crossing.

 

Windy Point railroad on shelf above highway.

489 at Cumbres Pass (10,015') highest point on the 3' Gauge in North America. 

[Noel]

That's an incredible snow machine, looks like something from a bond movie, with bond trapped in front of it but as usual makes a ridiculously improbable escape for being shredded. Think a bond baddie ended up on another type of snow machine in one of the Roger moore editions.

[Mayner]

Not sure whether it was the Spring weather or frame of mind I ran the first operating session since March rather than watching a train run round while working in the garden or sitting on the deck.  I used JMRI Operations to generate a Train Manifest which also conveniently marshals wagons/cars in station order for their destination.

The LGB switcher No 50 waits on the yard lead/headshunt after making up the train as K27 "Mudhen" 464 backs on to the train to couple up.

The yard lead is a recent addition and is useful both for making up trains and releasing locos off incoming trains especially when the train is longer than the storage yard.

 

464 arrives at the Junction before making its first set out for the "Utah Extension"

464 pushes two cars around the Wye onto the Utah Extension.

Like a lot of Western Railroads the Extension is a short branch that ends in the middle of no-where!

American model railroaders often treat a simple spur track as a branch or an interchange with another railroad as an operating ploy. The Wye and tail track is useful for turning locos and complete trains particularly at the end of an operating session, we will probably extend the extension as time and money permits during the next year or so.

Back on her train 464 arrives at Jackson City the main Town/Division Point on the railroad. 461 arrived earlier on a caboose hop.

464 has positioned the stock cars and a pair of cabooses on track 3 and is propelling the remainder of her cars onto track 2 in the Yard.

 

Bachmann K27 464 is showing the effects of age and wear & tear (planned obsolescense?) compared with the older Accuracraft (Brass & Stainless steel) 461.

461 was bought as a replacement when 464 was showing signs of wearing out, though I was lucky to find a replacement gearbox and tender trucks for 464 when the originals failed, but had to fabricate a new leading truck. The plastic body, leading and tender trucks became increasingly brittle with age, the trucks eventually failed, luckily there has been no sign (so far!) of metal fatigue in the cast mainframes and coupling rods and valve gear.

Not quiet a "Jackpot" (all tracks occupied unable to move) at Jackson City as RGS Motor 4 arrives at the Depot platform, 348 waits on the siding to switch cars to Track 3.

Motor 4 has set back along the Main Line allowing 348 to switch her cars to the Yard and Track 3 

Large Scale operation is pretty hands on with hand operated switch stands and coupling cut-levers and takes almost as long as the real thing.

American Caboose's are a bit more luxurious than Goods Brake vans.!

Nearly ready for evening departures? RGS Motor 4 , 463 & 464 have turned and are awaiting their next duties.

Tomorrows another Day!

[Mayner]

New Zealand's October "Labour Day" Weekend is in someways similar to the the Northern Hemispheres May Holiday weekends with people heading to the great great outdoors though we tend to stay at home on weekends and another excuse to play trains.

 

I haven't really looked at or taken a picture of the main yard from this view point as it was occupied by a play house until fairly recently.

General view of the yard with cars for a departing westbound freight incl Conco tank wagon positioned on the main line. K27 464 with two cars in right distance, had arrived with a freight the positioned the outbound cars from the yard on the main line, before switching her cars to the yard leaving the caboose on the main line and is about to couple two drop bottom gondolas (ballast or ash) on to the caboose on the departure road in the right distance.

C19 346 & K27 463 await their next assignments in the loco yard while Motor 4 hides behind and under plant pots on the loco yard lead in the far distance.

464 has completed her switching having coupled the caboose on to the departing Westbound freight and pulled the train clear of the siding switch allowing 463 to couple on and prepare for departure. 348 has turned and is waiting on the loco yard lead to couple on to her two cars and caboose once the departing train and 464 have cleared the east end of the yard.

348 finally on her way has uncoupled from her caboose and her cars and is about to couple on to the stock special on the siding.

348 pushes the gondolas on to a dead end spur before setting back and departing with the special.

This section of the railway uses the nearest to conventional baseboard construction with plywood on treated timber framing with glued ballast and ground cover using a concrete bonding agent with a waterproof membrane to protect the ply.  Station building is based on Pen y Mount on the WHHR.

464 waits in the Yard & Motor 4 at the Bay platform as 463 run through with a freight. Later 464 will turn and clear the yard and Motor 4 operate a Mail and Passenger until the next operating session.

"Cabbage" tree originally grew reasonably upward until forced to adapt to faster growing screening!

Re-locating the play house was an April Covid lockdown project, I just about managed to collect the material the day before the lockdown came into force.

348 and her train have turned on the Wye and reversed direction and are about to take the "High Line'

4 cars and a caboose are just about the limit on a dry day for 348. 463 & 464 both needed assistance with 11 cars while putting the trains way later in the evening.

Staging yard switcher No 50 has released 348 to back down to the turntable to turn and for charging.

Charging Stations! Locos are fitted with 2 NiMh 7.2V model racing car battery packs as standard and are good for approx 1hrs running on a standard charge. 

Charger & transformer  lives in a pocket under the staging yard lead is long enough to reach any point on the loco ready/servicing track.

[Mayner]

Just under a year since my last posting, it was a fine sunny day I had gotten the garden tidied up after the winter and though I might as well run some trains using April 2019 train manifests!

The first was a 'positioning run" with K27 463 for a Livestock Special with some general freight tagged on stopped for water at a rather green Utah Junction.

I had set up the water tower and Depot building just before the shot!

The jungle (New Zealand Bush) is starting to take over behind the railroad.

Train is approx. 20' long.

Climbing towards Jackson City (named after original 1924 owner of property). The curved upgrade from Utah Junction to the tunnel is one of the most challenging section of the railroad requiring full throttle to avoid stalling with a heavy train.

This area originally featured a pond and waterfall which was a major maintenance challenge, now a dry stream bed! Originally a 2 span truss bridge, visually works better as a piled trestle, have to add more trestle bents to reduce the span.

Arriving at Jackson City. Loco shed spent winter indoors which should help extend its life!

 

Switching the stockcars to the House Track, I will have to add a stock yard some day!

Meanwhile 348 worked another 'positioning run' with Gondolas for loading with coal traffic at Utah Junction and Boxcars for lumber loading at Arboles.

348 and her train have turned on the Utah Junction wye and reversed direction for the run to Arboles, having positioned the gondolas under the hopper.

In a way the train is a tribute to operations on the DRGW Gunnison division in the mid 1950s when small  2-8-0s handled coal and lumber traffic North and West Of Gunnison.

348 has placed the Gondolas under the hopper and is now ready to depart with the road site for the Arboles line, the track on the left is the "High Line" to the staging, a bit like Foynes Trains at Ballingarne crossing trains to and from the High Line involves a switching movement due to the layout of the Siding (Crossing Loop).

 

Arboles is starting to live up to its name 348 has dropped the Boxcars in the Siding  and now is now backing down to pick up the Caboose and head for Jackson City

Late afternoon K27 464 heads overnight symbol freight (scheduled) PL-JC 2 (Placerville (staging)-Jackson City) through Utah Junction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Mayner

[Mayner]

Ea

348 departs Arboles for Jackson City, outdoor workbench and toolshed in background

464 and Rail Motor 4 rest between duties, I still have to build the depot building.

The yard is approx 30' long from the deck to the end of the freight yard

The crews of 348 & 463 plan their next move, the Dispatcher in Ridgeway has decided that 348 will work the Stock Extra to Placerville and 463 switch places on the Freight Extra picking up cars at Jackson City, Utah Junction and Arboles.

463 pulled out the stockcars and placed them on the siding before departing for Utah Junction via Arboles.

348 has coupled on to her stockcars and picked up the caboose ready for departure, a meets planned with PL-JC 2 at Utah Junction.

464 on PL-JC 2 has set back into the Siding at Utah Junction to give 348 a clear run at the Highline with the Stock Special

Last photo of the day as the light fades, just before 348 disgraced herself by de-railing her pony truck and leading driving wheels on the facing switch at the East end of the yard.

Re-railed fairly quickly by reversing the loco through the switch 348 resumed her journey and just about made it round the curve onto the Highline with some wheel slip, 4 cars and a caboose is the normal limit for 348 on the High Line without assistance but just about made it in dry :Summer Rail" conditions. 

464 backed her train up the High Line to the staging while 463 picked up the cars from Utah Junction and Arboles by which time it was quite dark. Railmotor 4 required a carry home because of flat batteries, the original (second hand) set having just about given up the ghost.

 

 

 

[Mayner]

I finally caught up with the backlog of gardening and property maintenance after the winter and spring growth and had time for an operating session of the garden railway using Train Manifests I created using JMRI Operations in 2019!

The first task was to position some stock on the layout so there was the outgoing trains did not return with the same freight cars!.

K27 463 & RM 4 on shed stock cars positioned on Track 3. 463 had worked a freight from the staging to Jackson City with stock cars and General Manifest (Boxcars, Gondolas and a Tank Car the latter are positioned in the yard hidden behind the Engine House. No 4 worked an empty Mail/Passenger and will return with the next days scheduled train.

Caboose parked on Track 3 opposite the Depot. 1:20.3 stock has a lot of (easily damaged) detail

Manifest for Freight PL-JC4  The train number/designation follows American and New Zealand practice. Even numbered trains are usually South or East Bound

Placerville is a real place on the Rio Grande Southern, most Railroads in Colorado planned to reach the Pacific or at least cross the state line into Utah, Jackson has a family connection and the first person to occupy our house almost 100 years ago was a Jackson, hence Jackson County & Jackson City.

Train made up and ready to go, its easy to read the individual car numbers in 1:20.3! 348 is working the train as 461 is un-available & 464 is waiting for a new set of batteries

PL-JC4 arriving at Jackson City the train is approaching the summit of on a 2% grade which can be challenging with slipping by both 2-8-0 and 2-8-2 locos in greasy rail conditions.

The yard in the background is level, the boxcars are due to be spotted outside the Freight House (Goods shed) for loading with ore (silver or possibly uranium) Silver ore was transported loose in box cars (to avoid freezing) on the narrow gauge, the last box car may be transporting beer and other essential supplies for the local inhabitants. Beer tended to be transported in Reefers or refrigerated cars to avoid freezing in winter and over heating in summer the Colorado Rockies have a rather extreme climate!

348 pushing her train into the yard having already dropped her caboose on Track 3

Boxcars spotted for loading, American Railroads used removable gangway/bridges for loading boxcars on parallel lines.

781 is a drop bottom gondola (hopper) originally used to transport coke to the Durnago smelter but later used for transporting ash and ballast, while the DRGW modernised it steam motive power during the 1920s & 30s it continued to use wooden cars for coal and mineral traffic to the end of narrow gauge freight operations during the mid 1960s.

The next scheduled freight working is a "Turn" (an out and back run) worked by 348 that will collect a Box Car and Gondola from Utah Junction and work then to Arboles the next town (station) along the line before running to Utah Junction to turn on the Wye collect a Box & a Stock Car for Arboles before working back to Jackson City. The JMRI programme is not bothered by a train working its way around a circle or reversing direction en route.

Rail Motor 4 waits passengers, like the County Donegal the RGS turned to internal combustion in order to continue its mail and passenger services during the 1930s, being essentially bust the RGS turned to second hand car dealers and wreckers rather than building new. Passenger traffic was extremely light half a dozen passengers seems to have been a good load. Beeb and Clegg describe a ride on in an RGS Goose in Mixed Train Daily, a couple of enthusiasts, a Native American family outing and a decrepit ol timer going to Telluride for a shot or two of bourbon to break the monotony of a lone existence. Some day I got to model that Native American family with the Women and in their Sunday finest and a stoic Brave escorting the party.

Moving the stock out to the garden gave me a chance to change 464s batteries as after 4 years the batteries were no longer holding a charge and the loco was unable to haul a 8-10 car train up the 4% grade to the staging.

All locos use pairs of 7.2v RC car batteries the majority 3000mAh capacity.

There is no real equivalent of NMRA DCC plug and play in large scale battery RC, the nearest was a standard interface used by Bachmann on its K27 all my brass locos are hard wired. The object on top of the Bachmann board is a power regulator/speed and direction controller. The purple yellow brown and white leads connect to a Phoenix sound decoder hidden below the tank filler. The small "decoder" with the red antenna and the untidy leads is the actual radio receiver.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Mayner

[Mayner]

Its coming around to that time of year again days becoming shorter/cooler before leaf fall and winter more inclined to run trains than during the summer. Weather was good wasn't busy and I decided to run some trains Friday afternoon usual pattern a Way Freight or Pick up Goods to Jackson City the principal Town (railway depot/yard) on the line and a Stock Special to Arboles a small country Depot in the middle of no-where.

464 is on shed at Jackson City having worked in on the previous days freight. Almost drought conditions since before Christmas apart from the tail end of a tropical Cyclone in February which brought flooding and brought down trees, some damage to the Jackson County. The 'metal' fill in the Loco Yard has become nicely consolidated trying to avoid gluing, as glued ballast/paving tends to break up after 2-3 years.

 

348 arrived at Arboles with the Stock Special. Probably should change the name to Arbol as only one of the  trees planted is thriving.

The Caboose was uncoupled from the rear of the train before pushing the Stock Cars into the Siding for loading and re-coupling the caboose.

Smaller stock yards tended to have 1-2 loading chutes and the loco would have to stay on the train and position the cars for loading which could be a slow process.

The DRGW tended to use these small 2-8-0s for stock and freight trains on lightly laid branch lines until abandoned during the late 1940s -mid 1950.

Close up of the Accucraft Kuckle couplers. Which are basically a scaled down version of the prototype, uncoupling is by raising a pin with a lifting bars on the freight car, caboose or loco.

Departing Arboles tender first. 

464 waits to take over from 346 at Jackson City. The stock train is too heavy for the small 2-8-0 on the 4% grade to the staging in the Garage

464 awaits to depart with the Stock Train as 463 arrives with a Way Freight (West) and 348 makes up 463s train (East) for departure.

Nearly Tea Time! 463 has drawn her train into the clear to allow 464 to depart with the Stock Special.

The next move was for 463 to either reverse or draw forward clear of the yard to allow 348 to position her cars on the Departure Road (at left of 464). Unfortunately rain was forecast, it was getting dark,  and we had to abandon the session for another day!

463 pushed her train back to the staging, 464 returned picked up the cars that 348 had positioned and departed (in the dark) with 348 banking the train.

 

Natural Weathering. I tend to allow dust to accumulate of freight car roofs as its very time consuming to remove. The Stock Train was caught in a sudden shower yesterday and I allowed to dry naturally with a reasonable effect. 348 was dried in the traditional manner with an oily rag!

[Mayner]

Not another Autumn/Fall Stock Rush!

Apart from the Christmas Holidays these days the only time I regularly run trains on the garden railway is during the Autumn or what Americans call the fall. Very little running since the last post mixture of the weather and gammy knees as I get older.

I did a major leaf blowing/lawn mowing/leaf clearing exercise on Sunday after an arborist did some tree-removal/canopy lifting on Saturday, trees grow a lot faster in our region than in Ireland and the UK but also die off quicker.

I decided to run a couple run a stock train and a freight with K27 2-8-2s 464 and 463 on Sat. afternoon but had to postpone until Sunday afternoon after the coupler pulled out of the tender dragbox on 464 on the empty Stock Special.

464 had earlier rolled over on the High Line just like RGS 455 in 1944 https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/61596/ luckily without serious damage (landing in a bed of mulch), was re-railed and continued her journey until the coupling failed on the first stretch of level track! She managed to back her train up to the staging with some manual help, leaving only 348 a small 19th Century 2-8-0 and 463 to work the Stock Train and the Freight as opposed to the two 2-8-2s and the 2-8-0 as planned with the 2-8-2s as train engine on both trains and 348 as "Helping Engine" on the "Hill"

In the end it was decided to combine the two trains and run with a helper loco throughout and divide and "Double the Hill" with the return train, although it was dry the rails were greasy and 348 slipped and stalled with 5 cars and a Caboose even on a 2% grade.

C19 (16 actually!)348 departing Jackson City with stock cars with K27 463 cut in behind heading the general freight a reasonable representation of an RGS freight in its later days though usually hauled by a pair of hired DRGW K27s

348 is actually an Accuracraft DRGWR K16 bought second hand from the States, the owner had neatly re-numbered as a similar though larger K19. The RGS bought 3 K19s from the Rio Grand during the early 1900s but I am not going to bother changing the livery or running number! 

Passing the Summit section of the line with the locos on a 2% down grade the train is stretched out over 20'

The trees behind the train were bought as 'miniatures" about 10 years ago! 2024-2025 firewood weathering beside the railway.

Pulling into Utah Junction where the train will divide and revers before running up the 4% grades of the Highline to the Garage staging.

348 reverses her portion of the train on the Wye at Utah Junction, the recently cut back tail track is just about long enough for 348 and her train.

348 has pulled her train onto the Highline at Utah Junction as 464 pulls her train towards the Wye

464 has pushed caboose 400 onto the stock train before positioning 401 on the main track at Utah Junction

464 left the caboose on the Main Track before leaving her cars on the main leg of the wye before reversing and attaching to 348s train

348 departs with 463 as helper at the rear caboose 402 waits on the Main to be attached to the freight by the Pusher loco. Usually older wooden framed caboose were coupled behind the Pusher loco though some shorter caboose had reinforced underframe and could be coupled between the train and Pusher.

I tried to video 348 & 464 with the stock but it was not a success and the train stalled on the grade, 348 and 463 did just about made it with 348 slipping and 463  "digging in" on the hill. 348 tends to slip when overloaded, but with the "chuff' sensors on the tender axles just goes quiet, though 463s sensors are on a driving axle axle the loco just stalls when overloaded.

 

https://youtu.be/bCuaEICTlbM

 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

That's impressive.

[Mayner]

I haven't had time to do anything on the model railway front since July  as a result of a family crisis, though I finally made time this weekend to carry out an overdue inspection of the Jackson County.

I first started work on the Jackson County in 2007 using treated timber piles and track supports which have held up fairly well to local weather conditions (high humidity -high rainfall.

Most serious immediate problem was a 6"X2" splice plate had rotted right through at a trackbase joint on the High Line effectively severing the Staging Tracks in the garage from the rest of the railway. More long term problem is that some of the posts that support the garden fence are beginning to fail requirieng expensive replacement although the fence rails and boarding is still in reasonable condition. I originally fixed the track base directy to the fence rather than independent foundations to get something up and running quickly. I still have a good stock of treated 6X2 in stock, usually nail with annular gun nails, though the nicad charger for the the nail gun is kaput and replcements unavailable.

Two sections of track-base had rotted through above supports on the main line, though the supporting structure appears ok. Possibly installed the trackbase  with the grain facing upward trapping moisture.

Utah Junction looking scruffy, needs weed and moss treatment and hedge trimming. Once a sunny sport this area is in the shad for most of the day a small native shrub planted 15-16 years ago has grown into a medium size tree, because of our humid climate trees (and Grass) grows at a faster rate than the UK or Ireland, we have a 40' tall 15 year oak close to our house.

The Tunnel and bridge are holding up well though we gave up on the water feature because of falling leaves and tree debris

Though we would run RGS Motor 6 on the inspection trip though the motor appears to have overheated. The Motor is a Berlyn Locomotive Works Korean Brass rtr model bought mint second hand on e-bay for an eye watering price by Irish standards several years ago. Planning to convert the model to battery RC operation some time during the next 12 months after several years in a display case. Figures are Woodland Scenics nicely modelled though brittle Engineers (driver) right hand snapped off.

Motor 6 on the main line High Line in the background border shrubbery in this area died off shaded by a tree several a couple of years ago.

Into the "Jungle" this area was originally a Sun trap planned as the site for a large wooden trestle similar to those at Ophir on the RGS, but taken over by lillies during Spring before dying off during the Summer. Took the photos on a sunny Spring morning before heavy rain and thunderstorms in late afternoon evening.

Obstruction faced by Motor 6 ivy grew across the track during the last 2-3 weeks with new Spring growth, apart from trackbase repairs, trimming back the shrubbery, next big job is weedkilling (residual weedkiller backpack sprayer) depending on the weather forecast.

While the railway is 1:20.3 scale weather, vegetation and animals are all 1:1 scale and call the shots.