Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

Moderators: cbrew, Harold_V

User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4557
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by NP317 »

Jack's landscaping integration of his rail empire is in the best Disney Practice!
~RN
JohnK
Posts: 241
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:13 am
Location: Beverly-by-the-Boston & Maine, MA
Contact:

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JohnK »

Jack your layout plans, landscaping, track work etc. look great.
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

hello My Friends
Thank you Np 317 and John K for the compliments. The railway is going together much slower than I planned but I am having a lot of fun.
No shortage of things to do!
Jack
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Been working on the railway today and am taking a break right now sitting in the comfy chair in front of the fan. I am taking the entire month to work on the railway. Jumping around and doing a variety of things. Trying to finish up some of the grading that was last worked on two years ago. At that time I was so sick of grading that I just blasted through it and wasn't concerned about getting it too close. After checking things with the laser transit I found that it wasn't near as close as I thought. In some areas on the mountain division the fill is about 18 inches low, heavens to Betsy! In the mountain division cut there was some rocks I had forgotten about. Broke the back hoe again, I hate it when that happens! :evil: The back hoe frame that goes under the tractor broke in two for the second time. It's fixed now. The poor thing was never intended for the abuse I have subjected it to. I have moved the building that will eventually be the Station-engine-car shed and am working on the footing, which will be mainly red brick. I also finished up one of the drainage lines for the steaming bay area. One more to go. Lately in the hot part of the day I have been working in the shop assembling steaming bays. Here is one being welded together. Just a few left to assemble. Hopefully in a few days I will have a couple set in place. Along with them will be the trenching, ( more blooming rocks ) and associated air and water lines.
No Shortage of things to do!
Jack
Attachments
IMG_3816.jpg
User avatar
Trainman4602
Posts: 3482
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:26 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Trainman4602 »

Hi Jack All looks great. Question why did you use four rails instead of the common place three? just curious.
ALLWAYS OPERATING MY TRAIN IN A SAFE MANNER USING AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKES
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Hi David, to answer your question, these are the steaming bays. The turntable lead has sort of a frog and guardrail device that changes from three rails to four right before you roll on to the turntable. That way when you get to the turntable and steaming bays everything is symmetrical. When you have three rails it raises hob with a turntable and steaming bays as you have to fish around for the two rails you want. This three rail set up is the system they have at the railroad museum in Carson City, it's dual gauge. The back end of the Eureka's tender ended up on the ground one day because the turntable wasn't lined up for the two particular tracks needed. I'll post a picture of the frog set up tomorrow. So when you pull the lever and set the locking pins on the Alcalde turntable, everything lines up, both ends of the turntable lock into steaming bays, or one steaming bay and the turntable lead. I'm sure this three to four rail frog set up has been done before but I have never seen it. I have noticed that a lot of high lines don't have turntables. They have transfer tables and movable sections. I have watched a lot of videos of high lines and some are very elaborate with remarkable engineering. Some have spectacular scenery, like Waushakum. No beautiful forests with ferns and such here in the high mountain desert. Go with what you got!
Jack
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is a photo of the turntable lead where it changes from three rails to four. 4-3/4" gauge just rolls on through. 3-1/2" gauge is pulled to the left by the black guard rail far enough to catch the tapered second rail from the right. Once you are on the turntable, it and all the steaming bays have four rails as Trainman picked up on last night.
Major milestone tonight, the first steaming bay was propped up in place for a look. It looked good! :mrgreen:
See You In The Funny Pages....
Jack
Attachments
3 to 4 .jpg
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Jack,
Bright idea :!: which solves all the problems of 2 - gauge rails using both the turntable and the steaming rails!
I'm watching your progress with great interest - a lot of hard work!
Got those funny photos from Down Under just recently :)

All the best by
Asteamhead
Attachments
How they manage 4(?) gauges in Australia
How they manage 4(?) gauges in Australia
Closer look to one datail
Closer look to one datail
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Thanks for the very interesting photos Steamhead. Heavens to Betsy what is going on there? And I thought a simple (simple?) dual gauge switch was complicated. The turntable lead on the Alcalde & Coalfield will run straight across the turntable to a small yard with one or two dual gauge switches. This yard will be handy for assembling your train. Then you can hook up your engine and roll across the turntable and directly onto the main line. This little yard will also be handy for photography as the plan is to make some false front buildings for a back drop. A false front of the Baldwin locomotive works would be really cool.
The current task here has been laying down the herringbone pavers ( about five thousand of them ) in the steaming bay area and running air, water, drainage, and electricity lines. Where's my Tylenol! Trenching can be a real adventure here in sand canyon. For the life of me I don't know why it's called sand canyon as there really isn't much sand, mostly rock. I broke the back hoe frame where it goes under the tractor for the second time. I have blown hydraulic lines and ripped the teeth off the bucket. But the end is in sight, finally! I have also been trying to finish up the mountain division cut. There is a big red rock sticking up about four inches and was about two feet across. The back hoe won't even touch it I have been going at it with a four pound sledge and a big cold chisel. This rock looks just like red brick, but is harder. It's about half gone now. I have been described as patient, wrong! Im stubborn, oh well go with what you got.
Jack, with rocks in my head.
James Powell
Posts: 504
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:42 pm

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by James Powell »

Jack,

What about following the example of the Bowen Island railway, and using 40% to remove rocks? Nothing a little HE can't cure ?

Or if you are close in to houses, there are some water activated cracking agents, which you put into holes drilled via a SMS (Hammer) drill in the rock. It's not defeat to have to rent stuff from Acme to cure a rock problem, just remember not to copy Wil E's way of working with explosives !

James
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Thank you James for the tips on rock removal. The coyote's handling of explosives is definitely not to be recommended. I do have road runners here and also coyotes, but I have not seen Will E'. If I do I will ask him for some Acme dyno mite. There were times that I thought about renting a jackhammer, but there is not quite enough nasty rock to justify that. I just keep patching up the back hoe :lol: Here are a couple photos for you to look at so that you know I haven't just been goofing off. The top photo, taken at dusk, is looking towards the turntable area from alongside the future station. The station building, which is now just a shed was recently moved and a red brick and concrete footing was put underneath. The area in the immediate foreground is now covered with herringbone pavers. I have about 4500 pavers left to lay down, (what have I gotten myself into this time?). They will be surrounding the turntable and under the steaming bays. Currently I am trenching for drainage, air, water, audio, and electricity lines for the lamps. Nasty rocks, did I mention the rocks? Also compacting and preparing the site for the pavers, which is where most of the work lies. The second photo (also taken at dusk), is looking in the opposite direction. I am very pleased with the way the lamps light up the retaining walls. Most of last winter was spent building the walls. The inclined walk way leads up to the shop. I'm not sure what sort of surface treatment the walk way will get. It can be icy here in the wintertime, so pavers may not be the best choice, suggestions are welcome. The lamp posts were welded up from plasma cut pieces and four inch steel tube and are set on concrete footings. Most commercial lamp posts are powder coated pot metal and have a very limited life span. LALS has these and although beautiful when new, are disintegrating after a ten or so years. The top, lamp part of the lamps were just purchased at Home Depot. There will eventually be eleven lamps. The trees in the lower section are autumn blaze red maples, and in the upper area are silver maples. The autumn blaze trees have spectacular fall colors. Under the silver maples will be picnic tables and comfy chairs so the peanut gallery will have a nice spot from which to watch the goings on in the steaming bays. Too much fun! So that is what has been happening here at the Alcalde & Coalfield Railway. I am really looking forward to having friends over to run tiny locomotives and to point and talk about making things.
See you in the funny pages...
Jack
Attachments
Lamps1.jpg
Lamps2.jpg
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3855
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Just a little update on progress here at the Alcalde & Coalfield Railway. The first steaming bay has been installed, the concrete has been poured around the supports and it's there to stay. Six more steaming bays to go, the plan is to set another in place tomorrow. Then there will be five left to install. Today I made the bit where the Waushakum style high line switch lines up with the main line as it proceeds towards the mountain division. This is mainly 1/4" x 5/8" hot rolled for the rails with 1/8" x 1" x 8" hot rolled cross pieces that will stick down to the Trex tie material. Also made were some clamps that will be welded to the steaming bay uprights for vertical air and water pipes and valves. A break was needed from the pavers! There will be some photos later in the week. Here is something that I found in an old book on railway structures. A cool little branch line station. I have blabbed about the shed that was moved. Right now it's just an old shed, but it will end up looking like this little station. The footprint of the shed is just perfect for this little gem of a station. I really like some of the details of this little building. Things like the diagonal siding below the window belt line and the tall windows and the transoms over the doors. These tall windows and transoms had dual purposes. One was to let light in, as this little station pre dates the common use of electricity. Another was ventilation. The double hung windows would let the hot air out at the top and cool air in at the bottom. The roof and ceiling will need to be raised about 18 inches. Hand me that saws all! The four panel doors and sash windows will be a delightful little puzzle. Too much fun!
See you in the funny pages...
Jack
Attachments
Station1.jpg
Station2.jpg
Post Reply