So I went down to Arroyo Grande, home of the Bitter Creek & Western, the finest 7.5" gauge railroad in California, in my opinion. On Sunday April 20, there was a fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum, so I decided to take my new locomotive there to run for the event.
All went well even though there were problems with the new propane burner. Sunday afternoon I wound up putting the coal grates in the #1 and throwing black diamonds with a tablespoon. Man! that was tough... but I got through it and the engine ran fine.
The Union Pacific Directors Special came up the coast route today with DDA40X #6936 in charge. This locomotive has the distinction of being the largest diesel ever built. Called a "Centennial" because the first batch of these locomotive were built in 1969, the 100th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike on the Transcontinental Railroad. #6936 is a little newer being built in 1971. It homebase is Cheyenne, Wyoming and is store with the UP steam locomotives and historic E-9 units. The train came into Watsonville Junction about 4:45 PM and boy was it windy! Anyhow I took a short video of it and managed a single still picture of it as it passed by.
Here is the video...
Also this week I have finished work on my newest live steam locomotive. It now carries the Big Trees Flume & Lumber Company Logo.
Here is a closeup of the saddle tank with the logo...
I also finished up installing a new propane burner in the firebox. This one should really work better than the old.
I also added a spatula, hurricane lamp, and coffee pot for the engineer.
On Friday, we finally got my nephews car painted. This has been a two year restoration project that will hopefully be finished for his high school graduation this June. Gary, my painter did an excellent job and finished the buffing today. Man this car shines!
Well April is here and lots of stuff going on. If you haven't read my post over on the Pacific Coast Railroad blog, go here to find out about my recent booming around various railroads. On Easter Sunday I fired on the old Heisler #2 at Roaring Camp. Man alive that loco is a beast. I have wrenched on her before with Tom Shreve, but never run. Four trips on that loco is brutal to say the least. Here is a picture of her shortly after being lettered for the Big Trees Flume & Lumber Company, a name that I use today to keep her memory alive.
My new locomotive is receiving the lettering I designed for the railroad of the same name.
Yes it is the route of the Badger! Here is a picture of my sister Jannell, dad Marty, and myself taken in 1968 on our first trip behind the Heisler.
Who knew 40 years later I would actually fire the locomotive. Of all the geared steam locomotives ever built, the Heisler was designed by a mechanical engineer named Charles Heisler. The way these locomotives are put together just doesn't make practical sense. And since the oldest regularly operating one gets a workout whenever she runs, you can only imagine the work thats needed to keep it operable. It is just a pain in the you know what! Tom Shreve, Roaring Camp's head engineer and mechanic tells me the story of Charlie Heisler's purgatory and how he can't enter into the pearly gates until the last one dies. Well there are a few left running so Charlie may be there awhile. Here is a picture of Tom on the #2.
Thats all for now... no April Fools Jokes from me. I already got suckered today from Ed Kelley about the beast in question. He got me good. What goes around, comes around...
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