Model Railroading > Live steam log train in gold rush country

A friend has a nice private track near Fiddletown CA in the Sierra foothills, so I brought my 3" scale log train out to play.

The locomotive is a heavily modified MEG Wendy, and in the picture of the two of us, his is built to stock plan as a European industrial engine, mine has been Americanized as a sort of Baldwin tank engine. (it is very similar to the Baldwin plant switcher)

The railroad has 6% grades in spots so it was fun keeping on top of the coal fire to get my 2,000lb+ train (not including riders) up the grades.

I have a riding gondola I am finishing up, and then I am going to build a tank car and then I think call it a day for this train. The engine is getting some cast, spoked drivers to improve the looks, and a valve gear rebuild at the same time. (It's Hackworth)

-M

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/17 00:42 by Harlock.

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A few more including driver's eye view. Since I'm the guy with the camera most of the time, not too many pics of me running.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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Wow, you have assembled a fine little train there.

I would hate to have the train come apart on a 6% grade! Can you tell us about the brake system? Is it similar to the air brake system, actuated on a decrease in pressure, similar to what is used in standard gauge railroads in the USA? Seems like I have heard of live steam guys using various systems.

6% grade----------ugh.

What is the gauge of your railroad? 9" gauge? Thanks in advance! wag216 (I am a former 12" gauge hogger)

Looks 7 1/2" to me

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hotrail Wrote:
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> Wow, you have assembled a fine little train
> there.
>
> I would hate to have the train come apart on a 6%
> grade! Can you tell us about the brake system?
> Is it similar to the air brake system, actuated on
> a decrease in pressure, similar to what is used in
> standard gauge railroads in the USA? Seems like I
> have heard of live steam guys using various
> systems.

The brake system is straight air with safety chains. So no worries about coming apart. The engine and all cars up to the log cars are braked.

Straight air meaning more pressure = more brake. Very, very few people use a triple valve system per prototype because it is very complicatedto set up and maintain. You need a reservoir on each car, etc. Instead, to make up for that fact that any part of the train that separates would have no brakes, we just use safety chains between the cars so the train does not separate in the event of an unscheduled decoupling.

Here is a little video about the brakes on each freight truck. The brake valve looks and works similar to a full size valve with a release-lap-apply-big hole setup.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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wag216 Wrote:
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> What is the gauge of your railroad? 9" gauge?
> Thanks in advance! wag216 (I am a former 12" gauge
> hogger)


It is 7.5", so 30" gauge in 3" scale.

I do operate another train at a private 9" gauge railroad in southern California, it is the only one of its kind left in the US. It is also 3" scale, so 36" gauge prototype in that case.

Best,

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

Beautiful stuff.Is it open to the public .My daughter lives not far from there,I would love to take a look while visiting the US.Any close-up's of your log cars?
Regards,dK



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/17 16:30 by DKay.

American Flat RR is not open to the pubic, but Sacramento Valley Live Steamers nearby in Rancho Cordova has monthly public ride days. You just missed their big spring meet unfortunately. http://www.svlsrm.org/

The log cars are a sort of generic skeleton log car. I received one mostly completed body and built two more on the same design with some improvements.

There is a steel spine hidden underneath that also holds the draft gear for the couplers.

They could use some brake rod / handbrake wheel etc. detail in the future to flesh them out, maybe some steel guard plates where the tops of the wheels contact the frame in the case of a derailment - I've seen those on full sized items.

All my cars are 5 feet long. They are 'shorties' in my scale, 20ft cars in full size.

This car can be made entirely from wood and metal from the local home depot.

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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Here's some pictures before painting. The spine is three 2X4s milled down significantly to a scale lumber size and also eliminates the rounded edges and cleans it up. I milled a slot all the way down to recess the steel rectangle tubing up inside to hide it. Pretty basic and works, the point of the log cars was to provide filler between the more precision scale cars.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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Clever design Mike.Thanks for the info.
Regards,DK

I like the log car design.

Nathan

I like it live steam with steam!
Luke

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