Erskine Tramway

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rkcarguy
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

Seems like it's a lot more track than 728' ! Nice work and thanks for the inspiration:)
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

rkcarguy wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:01 pm Seems like it's a lot more track than 728' ! Nice work and thanks for the inspiration:)
Thanks. Well.....I thought I had 560 feet at the end of last season, with the 168 feet we put down in the 'track campaign' week before last, it adds up to 728 feet. I guess if it stops raining, I'll have to get out the 'wheel' and check to make sure. :D

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
rkcarguy
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

You're doing good regardless. I have 40' so far.....stacked in my garage.
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Is there a plan for a turn around loop at the car barn and storage end in the future, or has the plan always been to do a back-and-forth with a run around siding at each end? I guess that's why it's a tramway, huh. It sure does look nice and smooth. I'm just thinking that if/when you get something like a 3 3/4" scale 3-truck shay, then you might want a little bit more run-around on each end!!!
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Pontiacguy1 wrote: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:17 am Is there a plan for a turn around loop at the car barn and storage end in the future, or has the plan always been to do a back-and-forth with a run around siding at each end? I guess that's why it's a tramway, huh. It sure does look nice and smooth. I'm just thinking that if/when you get something like a 3 3/4" scale 3-truck shay, then you might want a little bit more run-around on each end!!!
I thought about a table at each end, but there's really no room at 'Underhill House' terminal, unless I put in a switch above the Loco Shed into the corner of the lower retaining wall. Besides, neither of my motors need turning. Sparky has the controls in the middle, so you sit facing the way you're going. The 'Lister' is a sit-sideways loco, so all you turn is your head to see where you're going. I'm not entirely sure that my feet sticking out on the side of Lister would clear the block wall if I turned it around anyway :D

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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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Hi Folks.....

I got a nice present in the mail today. It doesn't directly relate to the Erskine tramway, but it's a nice addition to my "Minimum Gauge" hardware collection. It is an 1895 Heywood cast iron sleeper from the Eaton Railway, along with a couple pieces of original rail and spring clips. It will go nicely with my "1895 D" Eaton Railway wheel and journal box.
6-30-18 ER 1895A sleeper.jpg
Enjoy,

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
jcbrock
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by jcbrock »

That's an interesting piece of history Mike, I am surprised it wasn't bullhead rail.
John Brock
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

jcbrock wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:27 am That's an interesting piece of history Mike, I am surprised it wasn't bullhead rail.
I don't know if they rolled bullhead rail that small back then. Besides, he was trying to 'compete' with outfits like Decauville for adoption by the Army, and they all used 'regular' rail.
rkcarguy wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:01 pm Seems like it's a lot more track than 728' ! Nice work and thanks for the inspiration:)
I finally got out and measured the other day, and somewhere along the way, I 'lost' five feet. It's actually 733 feet of main track, and about 175 feet of siding and 'inside' tracks. I've got some frog castings, I'm thinking of building a passing track at the end of track for running around the train. I'll build the switches on the jig, so that the 'through track' joint offset will be the same as a panel. That way, I can 'move' the siding by just lifting the switches and replacing them with panels, without having to cut any rails. The siding track will have to be 'cut to fit', but if I keep the offsets the same, I can lengthen it when I get to 'Erskine Terminal' with regular panels.

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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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Well, I finally got the roof on 'Sparky'. First chance I get, I'm going to paint it with some weatherproof white paint I have. That's mostly to reflect the hot sun.
8-5-13 roof on.jpg
I noticed that Sparky 'rumbles' going down the track now. I guess the sounds that were escaping into the atmosphere are trapped under the roof, but that's OK. It makes it sound more like a big car.

Enjoy,

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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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Today, I worked outside while the Electricians were replacing our meter box. One of the contacts had corroded, badly enough that we were sometimes only getting two legs of the power, so half the house and garage were out.

Anyway, it was a nice day for painting, so I got the first coat of paint on Sparky's roof. It'll take two coats, so I'll try and get the second one on about Thursday, when it's supposed to be warm enough again. It looks pretty 'white' from above, but at ground level all you'll see is the 3" camber.
8-27-18 first coat roof paint.jpg
So, that's the news for today...…..

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 »

Yesterday, I went into town and picked up one of those plastic pouring spouts which snap onto the rim of a paint can, and a disposable roller. The first coat of paint had brush marks and dried pretty shiny. So, the final coat, I poured out some, and rolled it out. When the whole roof was covered, it had a little 'texture' which cut down on the reflections.
8-30-18 finished.jpg
Here's a shot of the other side from above.
8-30-18 from above.jpg
This morning, I took him for a run in the 91F's sunshine, and it was reasonably cool inside.

The last thing I had to do was drill through the controller handle set screw hole and 'dimple' the shaft. I was having a little trouble with the handle slipping, now that's solved. So, after all these years, I'm going to call 'Sparky' finished.

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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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

I've been hauling down and re-splitting firewood to a better size for our 'Finnish Heater'. I've got a trainload stored in the Engine Shed, and today, I parked another two loaded bulkhead cars in there. Even if it snows a lot, I can plow the 'pad' between the house and garage so that I can haul dry wood in from there. I've got two more train loads stored in the Car Shed, and about 3 more cords to split. We've burned about a half train load so far this season. The plan is to get as much wood as possible under cover, and bring it down as needed when the track is clear...to avoid shoveling as much as I did last winter :shock: With a little bit of luck...and weather...I want to get all the wood split before it snows again, so that I'm not splitting in the cold.

Here's the two bulkhead cars before I re-split them:
10-18-18 two loads.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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