Erskine Tramway

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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

jcbrock wrote:Mike, is your crawler one of the little guys the military dropped by parachute?
No, JC......

It's a 1976 "Struck" brand kit-built, that I bought from a new neighbor down the road. After he dragged it up from Colorado, he decided he really didn't need it. I've wanted one since I saw the ads in Popular Mechanix, and I got a good deal.
10-21-14  kittypillar moves.jpg


Now that I'm done moving rocks for the year, I'll bring it down and put it away in the garage.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by jcbrock »

That's a neat little rig, thanks for the details.
John Brock
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Hi Folks......

I made a track profile drawing today.  The lowest spot in the photo is about 57 inches below the current EOT.  The Terminal location is about four feet above current EOT.  There is a raise of almost 5% between Station 4 and Station 4.5, but I'm thinking of cutting the Terminal area down a couple feet to level it out, and bringing that dirt down to Station 4, and cutting the top off Station 4.5, to bring the grade down.  I also ran the mower out and cleared another, straighter, route.  I'll run the levels on it next week and see if it's an improvement.

Here's the new picture.......
10-21-17 two routes.jpg
Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by tomc »

you might think about a bigger S curve off to the left in the pic. I take that is the west?

Tom C.
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

tomc wrote:you might think about a bigger S curve off to the left in the pic. I take that is the west?

Tom C.
Yup, that's west. I'm going to keep trying routes until I can come as close as possible to just scraping the grass off :D I'm for sure going to cut the Terminal area down so it's level, and wide enough for two tracks and maybe a little shack for a depot.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

I ran the levels on the straight route this afternoon, and plotted them in my CAD program. The two routes diverge at Station 1.5, and come back together at about Station 4.25 on the old line, but the new one is about 30' shorter. After the straight one turns left, it drops less than the other line, and stays almost level for 200 feet. It comes into the old line about 24" further up the hump at Station 4.5. So, all in all, it's pretty much just scrape the grass off out to there. Then, If I dig the Terminal area down about 24", and pull that dirt out to about Station 4.0, it will lower the grade at the far end. I can live with that. I checked a couple places out by Station 4.5, and there is no particular benefit by curving out to the West.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

I decided to curve to the right, and end up on a flatish spot below where I intended to go. So, I mowed a curve and measured it. The point of curvature will be at about Station 3.75 on the left-hand route. You can just see the orange paint where Station 4.0 is located in the picture.

The dozer guy will be out first of next week, and he figures two or three hours to grade it out and flatten the terminal area. The new design will cut the length back to 500 feet, saving a hundred feet of track to build, and cost less machine time.

I'll put the Depot/storage shed at the left end of the 'yard', and maybe run some 'Decauville' style portable track from behind it with a push car to haul targets and such over to the 'butts'.
10-24-17 new curve.jpg
Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

Are you using anything to figure elevations, or just eyeballing it?
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

rkcarguy wrote:Are you using anything to figure elevations, or just eyeballing it?
Hi rk........

I've got a DeWalt laser level, that I also use for raising and levelling track.
7-14-15 track raising.JPG
I used it to 'run the levels' on my various routes. That's how I picked out the best route. It's pretty hard to see 2% by eye :wink:

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

I figured you were using something, was just curious. The old standby string and a level with a handful of tall wood stakes always works too haha
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

rkcarguy wrote:I figured you were using something, was just curious. The old standby string and a level with a handful of tall wood stakes always works too haha
That's true, But.....walking from mark to mark, writing down the reading on the rod and plugging the numbers into my Cad program, gives me a printable profile, Shazaam 8) The dozer guy will use his laser to do the dirt work too.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

We just got CAD at work, been staying late some nights and enjoying it!
Aside from being able to send DXF files to the laser cutter and have them plop the parts right into a nesting, I'm going to be able to print some radius's full size(in 3-4 sheets) to make a turnout fixture. I'd like to make it so I can just load some ties into it, screw some guide rails into place, and run the router along them in one shot and I've got a turnout ready to drop flat bar into......well then there is the frog and the points, wish it was that easy.
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