Never enough time

[NP317]

lets see, you could start with the sub memorial at richland wash, and then a tour of a reactor at Hanford, head on up to the railroad museum in Snoqualmie, then the flight and rock,n,roll museums in seattle. stop by McCord air base for there military museum, down to fort vancover then the railroad museum in Portland. would make a fun excursion. over a few days.

any other suggestion anyone???

Well...since you asked...
One hour south of Portland Oregon in McMinneville is the Evergreen Air Museum, the home of the Spruce Goose. http://evergreenmuseum.org/
It is World Class like the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and not to be missed.

And just east of Portland, don't forget to stop at the Pacific NW Live Steamers (7.5" gauge) in Malalla: http://www.pnls.org
Continuing east up the Columbia River about 1 hour east of Portland is the most-unlikely (phenomenal) Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in upper Hood River, Oregon:
http://www.waaamuseum.org/
With over 110 classic planes and over 140 classic road vehicles, it is a mind blower. Over 90% of all their collection can legally fly or drive. Serial #1 planes of: Stearman biplane, Piper Cub, Curtis JN-4D, all flyable ... the list goes on:
http://www.waaamuseum.org/collections/airplanes

And the Mt. Hood Railroad, still hauling freight and tourist passengers up/down the Hood River on one of the few remaining USA switchback railroads in commercial service: www.mthoodrr.com

Not to mention the nearly constant parade of rail traffic on both sides of the mighty Columbia River. BNSF on the north, UP on the south.

... And heading 5 hours south to south-central Oregon is Train Mountain.

And people ask me why I build steam locomotives...
So much to do, so little time...
~RN

,

[steamin10]

Ya, I just pushed a bunch of leavings and small items into storage and cleaned the 9 inch SB lathe. Got those peski slivers in my right hand again, you know, the ones that take weeks to rust and pop out. So much fun.

I have chased around Wisconsin, and Michigan, but they are flat lands compared to the Pacific NW, and the relics are few. Even traces of the Indiana and Illinois coal roads are hard to find. Too easy to clean out I think. Hammond has Railroad park, with a Burkshire I think, without most of the jacketing, it is ugly last I saw, and 'tagged' with gang stuff. Gary has a heavy switcher from Gary works (EJ&E). My Dad worked there during the war years, being 4F. There are few traces of the once vibrant Gary Railways trolley system, that flowed through the area. One of the South carbarns and service hoist buildings still remains along Taft street, near 61st avenue. But it is unrecognizable, having been used by a concrete block company for years. A few cracks in the pavement here and there show where rails are still under the street, making ghost turns, but thats about it. The revamped South Shore line still runs, But Samuel Insulls North Shore line is gone from the 50's. Both are juice lines with overhead, South Shore having gone to Diesel for freight, after retiring the heavy Russian locomotives. The substation destroyers, that handled coal trains for the coal fired generator still in Michigan city. I live next to Griffith IN that once boasted 9 railroads crossing around town. We have 2 now I think. They have a coupla pitiful but well painted cars in town.

I gotta pull the shafts from a right angle gearbox, and weld up the snouts that are 3/4 back to original 1 inch, and refinish it for the 60 inch mower. I intend to reheat it to a light red color, and oil quench it. Will be using 7018 rod for the buildup. It will get a woodruff key, but drilled through as set screws wont hold in this use. The universals are pinned with 1/4 inch gr 5 bolts, and the threads peened so they stay put. If the shaft uncouples, it whips around and destroys the universal joints and whatever else it hits. 650 rpm drive. This is a new box, being modified, as it is heavier than the other boxes I exploded. New these things are rediculous in price. I sniped this one new on Fleabay for a mere $35. I will make it work or hang up my wrenches.

A property nearby has a strange looking field house, that reportedly was used for migrant field hands years ago. It has a silly looking hip roof as the building is only some 8 feet or so wide, and maybe some 45- 50 ft long. and the window arrangement is much like a baggage car. The property has changed hands recently, so I will try to get pics and find out what I can about this thing. Before 1940, there was a car salvage yard that broke up old RR cars for the timber, and many houses and additions have the siding and weird 3x6 lumber from that salvage yard, now long gone.

[JackF]

Lots of interesting things still hanging around this country.

Just bringing up old memories here, but in 1953 we moved to Belmont, Ca. south of San Francisco and there was nothing between our house and the SP tracks, two blocks away, than open field. That was the main line between LA and SF. SP was still using steamers for some of their hauls, the ones that were huge, to us kids at least, and they ran backwards with the cab in front. They were still running the the Coast Daylight passenger service, until 1957 I believe, and that Streamliner was beautiful to see. In the late 60s to early 70s I rode the commute train between Sunnyvale and SF and they were still using the old Pullman cars in addition to the double deckers.

Jack.

[JackF]

Just looked it up, they used class GS-4, 4x8x4s during the time period I saw them.

Jack.

[steamin10]

I remember in dim memories a switcher that took a small block of cars down a branch line from East Gary yard, along the New York Central double track, (the older Michigan Central ROW) It was exciting to see it huff and Mom run for the laundry hung out, C/O the shower of coal ash that would dirty her work. It had to be around 1955 or 56, making me a wee one born in 52.

In '59 a broken tank car wheel forced a wreck across the main at Ripley street. HWY 51, and the liquid Malt flooded the lumberyard there. About 30 cars went off, and over, shutting down the traffic mainline. A big 100 ton Wrecker was brought in, and they cleared the line with full service in three days, but for a kid like me it was a super circus with all the sights and sounds, and pounded up cars.
In high school I bummed engine rides, as they switched out their trains, usually because the Porter IN. yard was too busy.

The only other wreck I ever witnessed the cleanup of, was when the Monon had a Wreck on their high speed mainline, and some 40 cars, mostly auto racks, did a cornfield turn. Early 70's, dont remember the year, but was a 4 million dollar wreck with the automobiles turned to scrap at a local yard. The railroad paid to cut them apart for the metals only, no salvage.

NYC, Monon, Penn Central, and many more major names, all ghosts now. Griffith has the trails and scars of railroads gone.

[steamin10]

Had a good warm day today, so friend John and I got to repair the fascia blown off the house. Made 2 new 10 foot pieces. Used one full one on the front. The South side has a piece blown away too, and gutter, but is on 16 ft high side. Takes long ladders. I still messed up, as I tacked the ODE strip to the fascia in 3 places, which will make slipping the gutter under the edge impossible unless those nails are pulled. (Ooops! thinking error.) Used my siding brake to make the single bend from flashing.

Got lots of bits and things done today. felt good until the wind picked up and temps dropped sharply towards dusk.

Playing with batteries. Ordered a new one for Mom's Ranger. I will get it Wed. And the band plays on.

[steamin10]

Now that the front bedroom bow window is dry, it is a total loss. The head panel has warped and separated in that it is some kind of MDF board. The right pane had cracked the inside glass so the thermal is gone. Pretty much toast as a window. I will have to figure a replacement come spring.

Have had a coupla inches of rain this last week, after a few days of hard freeze. What that means is my ground has turned to soup. I know better but backed the Black Ranger in with a pile of chicken food bags, and left it overnight, where it drizzled and rained. Well, what an adventure, backing out next to the swollen drainage swale, and tearing up the fragile grass, in the now nearly liquid soil. The truck finally made it out being tugged on by the mighty Case Compact tractor. I feel embarrassed I got this thing stuck after knowing the risks and getting it wrong, with the damage to the side yard.

[spro]

Merry Christmas to you anyway Dave. Thank you for the posts over this year and we are closer by the trials and successes. I think back to another reason I had a loaded rear drive box truck or pickup and they fairly sank in the muck of the yard. Ruts so deep I was putting cinderblocks and bricks in them and scooping the clay over the top.
It was frozen and then it wasn't.

[steamin10]

The 20 degree weather is firming up the topsoil by getting this winters permafrost started. I have to venture to the back of the property to pull a trailer sunk to the axles, out of the muck where it settled. It will be a delicate balance between yanking it out before it freezes in solid and sinking the pull vehicle. It will be by remote control with about 80 feet of chains laid out to kick the trailer around at a 45 angle before the final pull. Oh, my achin' back. I can see it already.

We have flowing water in the swails here, and that is unusual, for this late. It is causing problems with drainage for the general area. I have already changed out a burned out sump pump, and it is being sorely tested with unusual cycling.

Mom Rose and I spent part of the day destroying a 4 high drawer chest, and matching dresser, clearing the way for wall standards and wide shelving, taken from the old Rescue site. (Long story, we suddenly lost control of an associated site, and got stuck with a huge bill). So we have been organizing what was to be my train room into a more efficient animal storage. I have one standard to go, that requires me to move some stored louver doors, that missed their project a coupla years ago. Too much stuff, so out with the old, and in with, uh, more salvage stuff. The new shelving will hold a bunch of totes for supplies and things used at meets, and events. Totes stacked up, crush the bottom lids, and fall over creating massed problems. The good news is the weekly pig count is dropping since the last hoarding disaster. (64 pigs in one go around! WOW!)

Really good thing, is gas prices have cracked $1.99 in my area. Whoo-hoo! Makes shipping little animals more cost effective. Those 30 mile rides add up.

Ooops! Mom just told me we are booked for an Ice Hogs hockey game in Chicago. They are usually up near Wisconsin border, 90 min away, so for $30 a seat, John and I will join the fans with Rose to get hoarse at a good hockey show. The 'farm team' for the Blackhawks. Last game I attended, they emptied both benches in a melee on the ice, and both Coaches were ejected for their participation. Now THATS hockey!

Still green ( or brown) here, but I waxed my shovel for the Voodoo effect. Laters..

[hammermill]

We are looking 0 tonite beer up early to check buildings

[steamin10]

Happy New Years Day Everyone, time to clear the head and make plans for the next 364 days.

A sortie to get a large funnel for the wine makins, shows local gas at an amazing $1.88. This is leading to filling up the trucks. Went to the oil change outfit, and the deadheads are closed for New years day, to recover I guess. Tehy are a bunch of young guys, so they probably need some recovery time. (Amateurs!)

As for me, mom and I had some pan fried beef steak, in Garlic Butter, w simple baked an sour cream. We ran fairly hard the last coupla days and did some re-arranging in the Pig room, destroying some old dressers, and putting up 8 foot by 19 inch shelving to absorb dry supplies and totes for the animials. We shipped out 5 more to homes today. Really cold in the breeze outside, but chores get done. Wind chill around 4 degrees. Doing the checklist to make sure all the water heaters and cold defenses are working.

I hope everyone has a safe year, and follow your joyful pursuits, whatever they may be.

[warmstrong1955]

Wow! $1.88!!

$2.35 here..... sure beats where it was though.

Happy New Year!

Bill