Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

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LVRR2095
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by LVRR2095 »

Ray Cadd wrote:Jack- when you say set up for high line running, can you expand on that a bit?
I wouldn't presume to answer for Jack, but I suspect what he may be referring to is where the engineer sits. Many engines set up for running on the ground have the engineer sitting on the tender with foot pegs on the locomotive. If you try running in that position on an elevated track you will be very top heavy and should you need to get off quickly, you are likely tip everything over and dump your locomotive on the ground.....and from a couple of feet up in the air. For running on an elevated track I personally prefer riding astride with extensions on the controls that reach over the tender to a riding car coupled to the tender.
Keith
Ray Cadd
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Ray Cadd »

LVRR2095 wrote:
Ray Cadd wrote:Jack- when you say set up for high line running, can you expand on that a bit?
I wouldn't presume to answer for Jack, but I suspect what he may be referring to is where the engineer sits. Many engines set up for running on the ground have the engineer sitting on the tender with foot pegs on the locomotive. If you try running in that position on an elevated track you will be very top heavy and should you need to get off quickly, you are likely tip everything over and dump your locomotive on the ground.....and from a couple of feet up in the air. For running on an elevated track I personally prefer riding astride with extensions on the controls that reach over the tender to a riding car coupled to the tender.
Keith
Ah- ok, that makes sense, the tender thing. My rigs (4.75-3.5) are both 0-4-0 tank engines, so this would probably not affect me.
Ray Cadd

2.5" scale Allen Chloe saddle tank
2.5" scale RMI switcher
2.5" scale LE "Crab"
4.75" ga. O.S. "Koppel"
3.5" ga. "Fanny"
asst. ga1...
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Keith is correct and I couldn't have said it better myself. Running on a high line sitting on top of the tender would not be good. With a small loco like Ray's, you can sit on a flat car and reach over the tender quite easily. This is when a little tank engine with no tender would be most convenient. To answer JDPRR's questions I have only one 3/4" scale engine that's runnable, and thats a tiny Invicta that was built by Christopher Leggo of the Golden Gate club. But I have a few projects, a 3-1/2" gauge Hunslet narrow gauge engine project that I picked up. The running gear is done ( beautiful stainless steel motion ) and the boiler is about half done. Then I have a completed New York Central Hudson chassis and boiler which I also picked up. These things just seem to find their way to me. And then there is the Coventry 0-6-0 that I started a few years ago and I'm ashamed to say I haven't touched for a couple years. This was made from beautiful castings and drawings provide by John K at Yankee Workshop, and I can highly recommend this project. When I get moved and finish building the high line I hope to get back to it. As to a Kozo A3 on a grade, I don't know. My grades will be limited to 1-1/2 percent. You will just have to finish the engine and bring it on up and have a go. That's the only way to find out.
See you in the funny pages..
Jack
Cary Stewart
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Cary Stewart »

I have ridden on both straddle cars with long rods with peddles for the feet and on flat cars ridding side saddle. The former is preferred as your legs act to keep a very low center of gravity centered over the track. I am at that age where back aches and pains would make side saddle for any length of time hurtful. Things get complicated if you use the straddle method and have switches. Careful design of the layout can make side saddle work.
Cary
Ray Cadd
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Ray Cadd »

Sounds good. Jack, will you be providing straddle cars (i.e. with outriggers) or anything like that for visitors?
Ray Cadd

2.5" scale Allen Chloe saddle tank
2.5" scale RMI switcher
2.5" scale LE "Crab"
4.75" ga. O.S. "Koppel"
3.5" ga. "Fanny"
asst. ga1...
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
To answer Ray's question, yes I plan on having some straddle riding cars for guests. The concrete uprights have attachment points for the supports for the anti tip rails. These anti tip rails will be a lot of extra work, but the plan is to have a safe railroad that anyone can ride. Unfortunately there is a lawyer behind every bush these days and my worst nightmare is someone getting hurt and hollering, " Call me an ambulance and a lawyer ". I don't really worry about one of my live steam friends doing this, but when things get busy you can have the un invited come wandering in. Engineers will have the choice of side saddle or straddle, but all others will be riding the straddle cars. Now on to a positive note, the valley division cut is finished up except for a bit of fine tuning, the big fill, about 400 feet long, has about 100 feet left to do and the mountain division cut is 50% done. The cuts have been quite a chore as the dirt here isn't really dirt but rocks with dirt, and in some places just rock. Bang away with the back hoe and then muck out. In the rocky places it can take all day to go a couple feet! But the railway is looking really cool, last night I wandered around until dark just looking and planning, imagining what will go where, and all the fun we will be having running tiny engines and pointing and talking. Too much fun!
Jack
Hudson Honey
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Hudson Honey »

Can you say blasting oil.....like they used to use for just such an occassion


Pamela :lol:
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
It's been a while since I posted anything so here is an update on the high line. The grading is about four fifths done now and the trees are doing well. The valley division is mostly planted with quaking aspen, poplar, several varieties of maples, dog woods, birches, honey locust, and a gaggle of hybrid willows between the railway and the road. The willows will hide the railway from the road, and also the road from the railway. The railway is supposed to wander through the wilderness, so if you can see the road it sort of ruins the effect. The mountain division cut has 60 feet done and about 40 feet remain to be cut. About 110 feet of fill remain with about 70 feet done. As with the valley division cut there are some serious rocks making things difficult. The mountain division has most of it's tees in place with Doug fir, Italian stone pines, Austrian black forest pines, giant thuja, giant sequoias, one dawn redwood, and several Colorado blue spruce. There are over 100 trees in place and they range in size from 12 inches to 8 feet. Big trees are expensive! Here are a couple photos of the turntable pivot. The turntable will bolt to the top disc. The bottom disc will mount to the concrete base with threaded rod through five holes. This will allow for leveling the turntable.
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Pivot1.jpg
Pivot2.jpg
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Here are a few more snaps. The turntable has to have the road name on it so here is how I went about that. The first photo shows a paper layout pattern. As there are vertical bits of angle iron riveted to the turntable sides, the lettering had be arranged to wiggle around them. So the paper spacing guide was developed. Much erasing and fiddling about was needed to get the spacing right. Once this was figured out the pattern was set on the turntable next to where the lettering was to be. 1/4" masking tape was stuck on to define the top and bottom edges of the lettering and then the lettering was free handed with a china marker, (grease pencil) as shown in the second photo. I wanted real hand painted lettering and not vinyl. The last photo shows the hand painted letters. The lettering is a bit cattywhompus, my hand isn't as steady as it used to be. When I was younger and still thought I had all eternity before me, I would have taken hours to do this lettering and tried to get it as near perfect as possible. Nowadays….get er' done! From ten feet away it looks just fine, and it's done! Tomorrow I'll flip it over and letter the other side. A little tip, the lettering is grey, not white. White letters look too stark, grey looks better. Next weekend, load it in the truck and take it up to the railway. Then I can start the Waushakum style switch to get you off the main and into the steaming bays. That will be the first actual bit of the railway to be set in place and the track will proceed in both directions from there. The switch will determine the location of the turntable and steaming bays. Once I know where the steaming bays will be located I can plant the trees that will shade them and run the air electricity and water lines. Look out, railway coming through! Too much fun!
See you in the funny pages..
Jack
Attachments
Letters1.jpg
Letters2.jpg
Letters3.jpg
jcbrock
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by jcbrock »

Jack, have you given much more thought to your anti-tip rails? We're rebuilding the St Croix RR highline and want to add them too. I am curious what others are thinking about material dimensions. It seems like they can be fairly lightweight - just a touch is needed on the back of the trolley and you want something that can be formed in the field to the track curvature without being rolled in my opinion. Fellow modelers with tracks that have them, chime in with your experience!
John Brock
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hi John
Funny that you should ask about the anti tip rails. As I was driving home from Tehachapi to Grover beach today I was thinking about them. I thought that something like 1" x 1/4" hot rolled might work, but as you suggest, I would like to hear what others have used. The rough grading is just about complete. About 15 feet remains to be hacked out of the rock, and the mountain division cut is done. About 90 feet of fill remain to be put in place and then the valley division, which has settled through a winter of rain and snow can have the final grading done to get it within an inch or so. This big fill settled between two to four inches. I will be starting the switch to get from the mainline to the turntable lead soon. Once the switch is in place it will be time install the turntable and to start building steaming bays, casting concrete uprights and assembling track. No shortage of things to do!
Jack
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is an update on the high line. The mountain division cut is finally done. The rough grading is mostly done, only 80 feet of fill remains to be completed. Fill is easy, cuttings are the hard part and all the cuts are now done. The turntable is finished up and the next thing will be the Wuashakum style switch to get from the main line to the turntable. Here is a photo of the turntable approximately where it will live along with an old Bozo.
See you in the funny pages..
Jack
Attachments
Turntable.jpg
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