Erskine Tramway

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NP317
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by NP317 »

boaterri wrote:
NP317 wrote:Mike:
That's a really fine setup you've created.
I'd like a similar firewood hauling rail line on my 5 acres of woods, but the 10% grades and 4 driveway crossings might lead to disaster.
(Or fun.)
I've enjoyed your postings as you've built your line.
Thanks for sharing.
~RN
Sounds like a Western Maryland #6 Shay logging loco would conquer most of those problems. :D

Rick
Yea. A Shay probably would work, and a Heisler (my favorite geared loco) would also do the job.
However, I'm "stuck" with a 90-ton logging Mike... when I get it completed.
Smile.
~RN
(Sorry for the thread hijack, Mike. Although another "Mike" would look good on YOUR railroad.)
tomc
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by tomc »

Sounds like a Western Maryland #6 Shay logging loco would conquer most of those problems. :D
Rick
Rick, Any Shay would work. Ours tackles 7%. Just need to watch water level.

Mike, Shed looks nice. I was wondering where the window was as I had to check a few picks before it showed up.

Tom C.
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A student of the Southend RGS!
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Yesterday, in between trains of wood, I hauled in some more rock and finished the tracks inside the Shed.
11-5-16 tracks finished.jpg
By the end of the day, I finished splitting the 'ready' stacks and started on filling up the train with pre-split wood. I've got two more cars to fill, and I'll get to that today. Here's a look, split wood loads 'tighter' than un-split, so I get more on a car.
11-5-16 wood train.jpg
Tom, tell Jack that it pays local rate, account spotting cars for loading and unloading :lol: Note the 'Blue flag' on the motor's 'generator field' switch, courtesy of a friend on the UP :)


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
boaterri
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by boaterri »

Mike:
Looks good, I like it when our railroads haul revenue loads.

Rick
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NP317
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by NP317 »

Here's an unusual one:
My wife just looked at your pictures of wood hauling by train, and said: "We should have that too!"
She's helped me drag future fire wood around our property and immediately sees the possibilities!
Oh Goodie!... How often does THAT happen?
Green light.
~RN
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

NP317 wrote:Here's an unusual one:
My wife just looked at your pictures of wood hauling by train, and said: "We should have that too!"
She's helped me drag future fire wood around our property and immediately sees the possibilities!
Oh Goodie!... How often does THAT happen?
Green light.
~RN
Congratulations, RN.......

Even if all you do is "hand tram" a carload or two at a time, it beats dragging it on the ground, or like I used to do, pulling a cart through the snow :D

See if you can find a half-way level start, from where you want the wood, to the nearest "supply" and go from there. Industrial and logging railways were/are always moving the track to get closer to the wood/peat/gravel or whatever. You don't need a fancy "mainline", just solid, reasonably cross-level track. For starters, you can just "clean off" the ground by mowing low, or with a trimmer, like Laurence Johnson in Illinois does. Then, lay the track on that, and put a little 3/4" clean rock around the ties. If you're building 7-1/2" gauge, I use 18" long ( actually about 17-7/8", to get 8 out of a 12-foot stick ) treated 2x4's lying on their 4" sides, 10" to a foot or so apart. If you use short (18"-20") wheelbase cars and a 4-wheel gas or electric engine, a little twist, or "humps and hollers" in the track won't hurt a thing. Here's a shot of my mainline, complete with "humps and hollers", and even it is fancier than you need :wink:
8-14-16 rail level view.jpg
My electric loco is a custom wheelbase chassis from Roy Stevens at http://ridetrains.net/mmc-chassis.htm with a plywood body. Your best bet for track info is Laurence's book on building track: http://discoverlivesteam.com/books/track_building.htm My under-construction gas-mechanical loco is kinda' fancier than it needs to be to do the work, but I'm kind of copying an English "Lister" brand Industrial loco. Here's a shot when I was test fitting the end weights on the chassis. You can see, it's mostly just a riding mower power deck mounted on a 4-wheel chassis.
3-20-15 weight bolted on.jpg
Here's an old video of a log train on the Tramway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTEjuJSHqG4




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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NP317
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by NP317 »

That's a fun wood-hauling method. My wife also watched your video and like it.
If we do decide to lay track, it will be in woods requiring brush to be cleared, and about 12" of chipped wood to be removed to find the ground!
Last February we had a forestry crew (4 people) spend 2 weeks clearing the woods around our home of burnable fuels, to meet Oregon's recommended fire-prevention suggestions. We now have a much safer fire environment, but the ground is very spongy from the chip material returned to the forest floor. At least the mushroom crop next year should be extreme!
The entire area is on a slope that will require some careful layout for track. I've seen some extreme mountain railroads people have created in 7.5" gauge. I just need to keep any project within my capabilities. 'Getting old-er.
Who knows...
~RN
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Hi Folks......

In between the 'huny dooz' I've been getting some work done on the Tramway. I had a bunch of salvaged treated 4x4 fenceposts, so I milled them into the frame material for three wagons. There is one set of 'Heywood' castings for a flat wagon, and I'm building two more 'freelance' bulkhead flats. After I did the joinery work, I assembled a couple of frames to check the fits.
6-5-17 test assembly.jpg
This weekend, I cut and fitted the deck boards to the 'Heywood' frame. Today, I started to paint the frame and ironwork.
6-11-17 Deck wagon #4.jpg
6-12-17 primed frame.jpg
6-12-17 painted iron.jpg
When these wagons are finished, I'll have four 'Heywoods' and two bulkhead flat wagons. 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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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by tomc »

wondered what u were up to, been quiet for a while.

Tom C.
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

tomc wrote:wondered what u were up to, been quiet for a while.

Tom C.
Oh, I've been doing lots of stuff, including drawings for an upcoming Heywood book, but most of it didn't warrant conversation :D

Anyway, this morning, I primed the bottoms of the deck boards, and when they'd dried after lunch, I turned them over and screwed them down. Then I opened out the center hole for the 'timber forks'. Now, I'll prime the top, and I should be able to put the finish coats on tomorrow. This morning, I also put the finish coats on the iron parts.
6-13-17 deck on.jpg
And......proof that I didn't forget to put in the pedestal bolts before I screwed the deck down :lol:
6-13-17 pedestal bolt.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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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Hi Folks........

I put the new wagon together today.
6-16-17 new wagon.jpg
Then, I took it up to the Car Shed and pulled out the other three wagons with the track panel on them. I shoved the train out to the end of track and laid the panel on the sub-ballast.
6-16-17 panel on curve.jpg
6-16-17 panel off train.jpg
The main reason for taking the panel out was to check if it matched the old panels. When I was stacking rails this spring, I discovered that some of my rails were an inch shorter than the others. Kind of like the way 'real' rail is delivered with '10% shorts'. So I built a panel to see if I'd been using 'matched' rails on the old panels, or if I'd accidently mixed in some short ones. Turns out the old panels had, at least, matched rails, so everything is OK.

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
tomc
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by tomc »

isn't retired life great. hobby time anytime we want or when the wife lets us!

Tom C.
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A student of the Southend RGS!
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