The Home Machinist!

During the weekend of May 17-19, the White Creek Railroad owned my Russ Eldred hosted the first switching operations meet for 2012. After getting permission from the yardmaster to enter the yard, trains are usually broken in two so "deliveries" can be switched into the middle of the train ahead of the caboose and any rear end train crews. Waybills are checked to insure you have the proper paperwork for your consist...and off you go. The basic plan...set one car out in a town...pick one car up. When all the original cars were delivered, return to the yard so those cars can be classified and sorted for their next movement. Get some more cars and repeat. It's a 1/8th scale sized puzzle!

Things were going well until various mechanical problems popped up. While out making deliveries, friend, Chris, had been keeping his eye on some tree trunks that were cut down since our visit to the WCRR last September. Russ granted Chris permission to remove some timber...Chris models 2.5" scale equipment and wanted something that would look good on a flat car or logging disconnect. Russ loaned us a chain saw...and off we went.

The first log was retrieved and returned to the loading hoist via a 1.5" scale flat car. After that, Chris pulled out his 2.5" scale flat cars from the trailer and those were used to haul more "tonnage". All in all, (8) logs were extracted in the 5 to 6 foot length and loaded in the back of the pick up truck. 2.5" scale flat cars are approx. 20" wide. In the one view...the log extended at least 1" over both sides of the car. Each log run probably took about an hour...all the while trying to clear the mainline for passenger trains running on schedule.

We still had fun. This was something new and different. Perhaps the best way to sum up this trip...we'd rather log than switch! Carl B.

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Sooner or later, you have to take the bull by the tail...and face the situation!
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just know where some of the stepping stones are!
When it's all said and done...there's nothing left to say or do!