Attention 4-3/4" gauge enthusiasts

[jeffsmith]

To all 4-3/4" gaugers. Is there interest in forming a group to help fund and build some 4-3/4" track at Train Mountain?
I know there isn't much interest in the smaller gauges on the West Coast but hopefully we could find enough support from around the U.S. to try to get something started. Chime in if you would like to see this happen.

Jeff Smith

[cp4449]

Well being that there is NO one inch lines in Oregon, I might be interested. Of course I would assume it would have the same restrictions on fuel for steam as the 7.5" stuff. Also where would it go?

Matt Mason-care to respond?

[jeffsmith]

Yes the same rules and restrictions would apply. As to where it would go, that would be up to the current management of TM.
The L.A.L.S has a active 4-3/4" track. I know there are many 1" scale equipment out there that is sitting idle that Grandpa built, that could be brought back to life. Maybe a 4-3/4" track at TM would spur some of the grandsons and granddaughters to resurrect Granddads locomotive and cars.
Respectfully,

Jeff Smith

[Harlock]

I would think that you would have to have at least one local person on board that could take care of it and maintain it periodically. Without that it may quickly fall into disrepair.

All the area at the top is fairly well spoken for, especially when the camping areas go into full use at big events, although circling the tent camping area while leaving it in-tact in the middle is an idea. Then everyone departing on all routes except for K&W will see it on their way out, it would get good exposure.

Down below in the RV campground vicinity there is a lot more room, and is nice and shady on hot days. But you would be isolated from everything else up top. I think that's a big part of what prevents the G-gauge from being more popular.

It would be interesting to see if the current TM management would go for something like that. I know a few people that might make use of it. Randy Uecker, Matt Mason, Ray Cadd. We are all together running 4 3/4 on a temporary track at Hillcrest & Wahtoke, trying to get a permanent track put in there eventually alongside the 15" gauge. I have a 3 1/2" engine but not a 4 3/4, so my interest is only tangential. I do like and support that gauge and its scales though.

-M

[jcbrock]

I'd like to see it, as I have a LE Pacific and am moving to Oregon sometime in the next year or so. I'll be about 3.5 hours away, so not next door but a lot shorter tow than to the St Croix. I'd been debating whether to put a small loop in at my house or not. Mike is right about the maintenance concern and needing local people. In my opinion the effort is understated, especially during the initial construction phase and for some time thereafter as things settle in. I would guess we put in 20-25 person-days on the 4.75" ground track at the St Croix yearly just for ballast, tie replacement and vegetation control.

Even a short elevated dual-gauge 3.5"/4.75" somewhere would be fun. That might fit around the 6-Acre Campground, and certainly there is all kinds of space down the hill.

[johnpenn74]

I have a 4.75" Gauge Narrow Gauge 2-6-2 and would really like to help build some track to run on. I would really like to see ground level 3 rail like Gil Gish's layout. 3 rail might be a very quick way to add some trackage on the main and still keep separate gauges in the steaming areas.

JP

[Joe Tanski]

Great idea but How many guys would use this track. A much better idea would be for guy's who own
3 1/2 & 4 3/4 engines to haul them out to the existing tracks that have facilities on the west and east coast and use them.here on the East coast,we have many clubs with both 3/4 and 1" facilities (and they are great tracks in nice shape) but turn out to spring and fall meets is poor !!!for the small gauges !! this is why many clubs have little help maintaining these tracks Maybe we need to have
Small scale designated Meets or conventions to get the 3/4 - 1" growing again ,I know there are a lot of great engines out there that were build back in the 50's -60's -70's ( just look at the old live steam magazines). Where are they,let's see if we can get them out again which would help promote the small scales again,after all that's where the live steam hobby started way back when.
Joe

[cp4449]

Joe, I could not agree more about meets for the small scales. Matt Mason has been doing this for years, and the will be the National Small Scales meet in July at LALS. Next year we are planning to move it to St. Croix.

So if you can come in July to LA with a 3/4 or 1 inch train, please do. Or plan for 2016 in Wisconsin!

[jcbrock]

Ahhh, Chris spilled the beans about the St Croix (although Mr Culver has given the green light to start promoting our 2016 event). We are planning on the weekend after July 4, four days Thur-Sun July 7-10, 2016. Jim has an idea about only running 1" scale or smaller on Thur & Fri which I am trying to talk him out of, but his idea is to recreate the ambiance of small scale meets of old. I'd at least like to let small-scale narrow gaugers run.

Ground level 4.75", about 4400 feet of mainline to the top of the "mountain" and back. Elevated of about 1200 feet. Currently 2.5", 3.5", and 4.75" in the air but we are going to try to add a 5" rail before then for our Canadian friends.

We're hoping for a good turnout being halfway more or less from both coasts. I am not sure if that makes us a halfway house for small scalers? I'd like to think so. The late Dave Gumz regularly made the drive twice a year, you can too! If you haven't visited, we have a nice track that is pretty fun. The members...well, ya can't have everything now, can you?

Again, this is 2016, not this year.

[James Powell]

I'm not retired yet...so long distance traveling with engine is still really in the future. Even given that my Brit is the most traveled coast-coast of any engine in Canada that I know of. it's the only one to run "near" both mile 0's, at the curling rink in Victoria & Dr Lockwood's track in St John's, and has run on a portable track here at my house.

This is with a 3/4", 3.5" gauge loco.

I know VIME has 4 3/4" gauge, which has seen very little use. We had 5" on the ground with 7.5", and it has been removed due to lack of use. (gauges available: 1.25, 3.5, 4.75, 5" raised, 7.5" ground). There has been talk (and limited action) at BCSME on building a 3.5" & (5" ?) gauge raised track, with the talk going back to 2000. Aldergrove (to the east of Vancouver) has a 2.5"/3.5"/5" gauge line of about 1800 ft.

"one day" I will start planting 4 rail track here, it will end up with 2.5/3.5/4.75 & 7.5 on the ground. There's about 200 ft of grading done for it, and a 9 year old and a 5 year old to hold me back from productive engineering works...

James Powell

[gwilson0704]

I think it's a great idea to added a small scale layout at Train Mountain. Another system on the West Coast is needed being I may have to drive up there since I can't get LALS club to answer my membership request.

[mattmason]

As for Train Mountain, I'm not really interested in a track there for myself. Would I help, absolutely. But I maintain the 1" track at SVLS, have to maintain my own 400' track at my house in Sacramento, and am putting in a 2500' track about an hour NE of Sacramento. My track plate is full.

The restrictions on fuel, which many 1" steam locos are, would help prevent many from bringing equipment there. My own 2500' track will have to have coal restrictions in the summer meaning my on loco won't be able to run some months as I cannot afford the costs of air tankers to put out a fire I started. But TM has fuel restrictions year-round, and one of the reasons my Chole won't be making it again.

Lastly, TM is a 7.5" focused railroad. Going there for that size is why you go. Could 4 3/4" make it better, sure. But maintaining it would be a chore without a contingent on site, and they right now are 7.5" focused as they should be. Not trying to be a downer, just trying to point to real challenges.