Re: PCLS steamup at Tony's (SF Bay Area)

[Anthony Dixon]

David  and  Jon,
 What do  you expect  when  you are  visiting 
an  English  rose  garden  and  steamup!.
 May even get some  smoke  plumes!.
 Tony D.
 PS. If  it  is  too  "damp"  for  you  guys,  you  can always 
come  back Sunday.
 I hear  it is supposed  to  be  10 degrees  warmer  and  very sunny


At 03:19 PM 4/20/01 -0700, David M. Cole wrote:
>At 3:10 PM -0700 4/20/01, Jonathan Bloom wrote:
>>Who ordered this weather anyway?
>
>For those of you not in the Bay Area, the sky opened up a little while ago 
>and torrents of water fell out ...
>
>As a life-long Bay Area resident, I can tell you it *does not* rain in 
>April ...
>
>\dmc
>
>--
>^^^
>Dave Cole
>Gen'l Sup't:  Grand Teton & Everglades Steam Excursion Co.
>   Pacifica, Calif. USA  
>List Mom: sslivesteam, the list of small-scale live steamers
>   
>Editor:   TRELLIS & TRESTLE, the newsletter of the
>   Bay Area Garden Railway Society 
>   
>Webconductor: Pacific Coast Live Steamers 
>   
>^^^
 

Re: Steam Up - Saturday April 21st

[Anthony Dixon]

Hi  Mike,
  Take  San Mateo Bridge  to  880.
  North  on  880  to  580  East.  (towards  San Ramon/Pleasonton/Tracy).
   Follow  580  East  for  approx  20  miles,  passed  Pleasonton 
Bart  Station.
  As  you  get  near base  of  Altimont  Pass  and  the windmills, 
look  for  Vasco Road  South.
  Make  a right  onto  Vasco Road  South,
  Follow  Vasco  Road  South  through  two  lights and over  railway 
Bridge.
  Immediately  over  the  bridge,  turn  Right  onto Patterson Pass  Rd.
  Follow  Patterson  Pass  Rd  for  approx  2  miles  to  "T"  junction 
  at Mines  Rd.
  Take  a  left  at  Mines  Rd.  for  200yds. (2nd  light).
  At 2nd  light  turn  left  onto  Charlotte.
  After  200yds  make  a  right  onto  Marcella (2nd  on right)
  Follow  Marcella  to  3rd  street  on  left  Glady,s  Ct.
  We  are  #4986

  Pleased  to see  you  again.
   Regards,
Tony  D.
  At 01:27 AM 4/20/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Tony,
>
>I could use a refresher on how to get  there.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Mike
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[halfdan]

Robb and myself, Eric, both from Grand Rapids, hope to be there Friday
night.
 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Tom Eaton]

I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.
>
> Don
>
Don,

Diana has promised me that the first track will be set up by the time I get
home from work at 4:30 Thursday night.  The second (dual gauge) track should
be up later Thursday night.  By 8 or 9 Thursday night, both tracks should be
up and running.

Tom

 

Re: PCLS steamup at Tony's (SF Bay Area)

[David M. Cole]

At 3:10 PM -0700 4/20/01, Jonathan Bloom wrote:
>Who ordered this weather anyway?

For those of you not in the Bay Area, the sky opened up a little 
while ago and torrents of water fell out ...

As a life-long Bay Area resident, I can tell you it *does not* rain 
in April ...

\dmc

-- 
^^^
Dave Cole
Gen'l Sup't:  Grand Teton & Everglades Steam Excursion Co.
   Pacifica, Calif. USA  
List Mom: sslivesteam, the list of small-scale live steamers
   
Editor:   TRELLIS & TRESTLE, the newsletter of the
   Bay Area Garden Railway Society 
   
Webconductor: Pacific Coast Live Steamers 
   
^^^ 

RE: Hand laid track suplyes

[David M. Cole]

At 9:11 PM +0100 4/20/01, Susan Parker wrote:
>Do C&OC have email/web site?

[EMAIL PROTECTED]

+1-541-582-4104

\dmc

-- 
^^^
Dave Cole
Gen'l Sup't:  Grand Teton & Everglades Steam Excursion Co.
   Pacifica, Calif. USA  
List Mom: sslivesteam, the list of small-scale live steamers
   
Editor:   TRELLIS & TRESTLE, the newsletter of the
   Bay Area Garden Railway Society 
   
Webconductor: Pacific Coast Live Steamers 
   
^^^ 

PCLS steamup at Tony's (SF Bay Area)

[Jonathan Bloom]

Who ordered this weather anyway?
 

RE: Hand laid track suplyes

[Susan Parker]

Hi Gary,

Do C&OC have email/web site? 

... or do you have a non 800 number as we can't call toll free from England.

Many thanks.

Best wishes,
Susan.

P.S.
I'm back - computer repaired and returned at last.
S.

Message Number: 9
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 09:34:40 -0700
From: "Gary Broeder" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Hand laid track suplyes

While there are  suppliers out there that have a fair amount of goods I
would recommend a call to  C&OC in OR ( 800-866-8635) as they have a good
stock of rail in aluminum or nickel silver from code 215 to 332, many
different lengths of spikes,  tie plates, frogs and points, roller and 3
point gauges, turnout kits, however they no longer supply wood ties.

GaryB

 
 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Don Plasterer]

Diana,

I think that's excellent and I'm looking forward to attending.

DOn


>From: "Tom Eaton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: Multiple recipients of sslivesteam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: Midwest Steamup
>Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:54:27 -0500
>
>Don,
>
>We have about 45-50 people registered so far. I am sure some will just show
>up. I don't think this is too bad for the first year.
>
>Diana Eaton
>
>- Original Message -
>From: "Don Plasterer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Multiple recipients of sslivesteam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 8:40 AM
>Subject: Midwest Steamup
>
>
> > How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St
>Louis
> > next month?  I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.
> > Does anyone know how many people in total are expected to attend?
> >
> > Don
> > _
> > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
> >
>
>

_
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Mike Eorgoff]

>>How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St
Louis

I'm expecting to be there from Friday night on.

Mike  Eorgoff
Glen Ellyn, IL
 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Trent Dowler]

Don,

  I'll be there, but perhaps for only Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
  I haven't heard the expected number, or even a current number of
pre-registrants.
  Looking forward to the big event!

Later,
Trent


Don Plasterer wrote:

> How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St Louis
> next month?  I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.
> Does anyone know how many people in total are expected to attend?
 

laying track

[Jerry Barnes]

I used Sunset Rail(Was Garich back then!)  code 250 and their tie strips. I
set up my bender outside on a sawhorse. Once I had the rail set, I went to
a flat area and slid the rail into the ties, or ties on the rail, whichever
worked best.

 I used the whole tie strip, did cut out the end of a tie where ever there
was a joint. Then, carried the whole 6' section over and installed it. I
used the Hilman type clamps on the joints.

I like the look of the code 250 a lot, but wonder if the larger profiles
aren't better to use outside, little stronger maybe?  Ties look heftier
also.

I"m not sure if they still have it, but they had two rail tie
configurations, main line and narrow gauge-which had fewer ties, spaced
more apart than the main line.

I used crushed gravel that the local gravel pit grinds up to put in their
asphalt mix. It's quite granular and really tamps down nice and hard, don't
use 'pea gravel' or anything that has round edges for the ballast. I used
2000 lbs of it this year, so buying the chicken grit could be expensive!

hope this helps some,

Jerry(Nebraska steamer)

 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[James S. Burns, Jr.]

Wife and I plan on attending. Jim Burns

Don Plasterer wrote:

> How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St Louis
> next month?  I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.
> Does anyone know how many people in total are expected to attend?
>
> Don
> _
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
 

Re: Hand laid track suplyes

[Kevin Strong]

Okay, okay...

Geez, It's 50 degrees outside, and I'm in here on the computer! What a
world!!! (For all you Californians, we here in the Northeast consider 50
degrees "springtime.")

Anyway... Since my outdoor activities involve replacing about 4' of
track where the aforementioned tree branch fell over the winter, I guess
I should get my mind in gear.

So, you have a box of Llagas Creek tiestrips (the 1:20.3 variety, from
my experience) and some rail. (I use code 250) There's a small problem
with this combination; the base of the rails are a very snug fit in the
tiestrips. This is because the tiestrips were originally designed for
the code 215 rail, and Gary had to have a new profile code 250 rolled,
so it too could fit. (We folks who lay our track on the ground are a
peculiar lot - seems we want to be able to walk on our track, or at
least have it survive the occasional misplaced foot.) So, given this
rather unique scenario, there are some steps you should take to make
this task as painless as possible.

1) Do not paint your rail beforehand. You will enevitably scratch all
the paint off of the base of the rail while laying it, making you have
to go back and repaint anyway. May as well do it once it's down. (Pain,
yes, but doable.) - Also - don't use Floquil paints outdoors. They are
NOT UV stabilized, and the "rail brown" turns to "moss green" in short order.

2) Cut the tiestrips into two-tie segments. Because the clearance
between the spikes and the base of the rail is so tight, the strips bind
really easily when being pushed down the rail. You can control two ties
with your fingers very easily, and eliminate any binding that may occur.

3) Keep a spray bottle of soap/water handy to help the tie strips slide
easily. (You can keep a bottle of something else handy, also. That will
keep you well oiled.)

Now, for the actual laying of the track...

I stagger my railjoints, so all my track is laid on the ground where it
is going to be. The first thing I do is to file the edges off the end of
the base of the track. A mild taper will do, just enough so it guides
itself into the tiestrips. (A small jeweler's file will do fine.)

Always string the tiestrips onto the rail, as opposed to trying to
thread the rail through the tiestrips. (You'll get what I mean.) 

I start by stringing tiestrips halfway down the length of the rail. I
then take the slide the strips down the rest of the length of the rail,
threading them on the second rail, which is already down. 

(Bad "ASCII art" time)

I I I I I I I I I   I I >>   I I >> I I I I I I I I I I I I I
  ---
I I I I I I I I I   I I  I II I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I I I   I I  I II I I I I I I I I I I I I
 
I I I I I I I I I   I I  I II I I I I I I I I I I I I


Tie strips on one rail  Slide them down   Finished track


I forget offhand how many ties there are per foot, but that shouldn't be
too hard to figure out. This isn't absolutely necessary, but it will
give you a ballpark figure so you know when to stop adding tiestrips.

Now, if you're fastening your track to a base, you can do so once you
have the strips on both rails. If you're in colder climates, and prefer
to float your track, then you will want to sandbag your track as you
work on it to keep it from moving as you're adding ties to the rail.
Aluminum rail, especially, is light, and likes to bend. The less of that
you can have, the happier you will be.

One last tip - the two tie sections will have a web connecting the ties
together. String this side onto the first rail. It will make your life a
lot easier. 

This process isn't exactly a model of speed or efficiency. It takes me
about 15 minutes to put down 6' of track. It is, however, the easiest
way I've found to put the track down in the garden.

If you're building track on a raised steam-up track, then you may find
it easier to work with the strips. A wood table against which to work
the tie strips may be a lot easier to deal with. Experiment, play, and
if you get frustrated, pull out a steamer, and run it on what you have
down already. It will get your sap rising to finish the job in short order.

Later,

K 

Re: Hand laid track suplyes

[David M. Cole]

At 11:39 AM +0100 4/20/01, Kevin Strong wrote:
>If you're building track on a raised steam-up track, then you may find
>it easier to work with the strips. A wood table against which to work
>the tie strips may be a lot easier to deal with. Experiment, play, and
>if you get frustrated, pull out a steamer, and run it on what you have
>down already. It will get your sap rising to finish the job in short order.

Thanks for the tutorial.

Interestingly, all the things that make it easier will be here ... 
raised track, 215 rail ...

I've just about finished the engineering on the raised part of the 
track -- modifying ideas from Kevin O'Connor, Mike Martin, Tony 
Dixon, even Gary Broeder -- and hope to get started on the steamup 
bay in the next few weeks. Still hard at work converting a corner of 
the garage into a workshop.

Again, thanks.

\dmc

ps: oh, and it's 50 degrees here in calif and it's *cold* ;-) ...
-- 
^^^
Dave Cole
Gen'l Sup't:  Grand Teton & Everglades Steam Excursion Co.
   Pacifica, Calif. USA  
List Mom: sslivesteam, the list of small-scale live steamers
   
Editor:   TRELLIS & TRESTLE, the newsletter of the
   Bay Area Garden Railway Society 
   
Webconductor: Pacific Coast Live Steamers 
   
^^^ 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Tom Eaton]

Don,

We have about 45-50 people registered so far. I am sure some will just show
up. I don't think this is too bad for the first year.

Diana Eaton

- Original Message -
From: "Don Plasterer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Multiple recipients of sslivesteam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 8:40 AM
Subject: Midwest Steamup


> How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St
Louis
> next month?  I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.
> Does anyone know how many people in total are expected to attend?
>
> Don
> _
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>

 

Re: Midwest Steamup

[Harry Wade]

At 09:40 AM 4/20/01 -0400, you wrote:
>How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St Louis

Don,
  I'll be there beginning Friday afternoon.

Regards,
Harry Wade
Nashville, Tn
 

RE: Hand laid track suplyes

[Shyvers, Steve]

Dave,

Does your "a big tube of track" come in a tube like liquid nails or bathtub
caulking? That would sure take some of the hassle out of track laying, like
figuring out how to use a rail bender. 

I bet the instructions read: "Apply a single thin bead of track for
shortlines, or a heavier bead for mainline operation. Use two heavy beads
for dual track mainlines. Allow to cure 24 hours, or overnight if
temperature is over 60 degrees F. Avoid locomotive driver slippage until
fully cured (approx. 72 hours)."

Steve
 

Re: Hand laid track suplyes

[David M. Cole]

At 9:46 AM +0100 4/20/01, Kevin Strong wrote:
>NOTE*** There are some tricks one needs to be aware of before heading
>out into the garden with these products, which will help tracklaying go
>that much easier. But, they are another sermon for another time.

rev up that sermon, rev ... i've got a big box of ties, a big tube of 
track and a big backyard just sitting there ...

\dmc

-- 
^^^
Dave Cole
Gen'l Sup't:  Grand Teton & Everglades Steam Excursion Co.
   Pacifica, Calif. USA  
List Mom: sslivesteam, the list of small-scale live steamers
   
Editor:   TRELLIS & TRESTLE, the newsletter of the
   Bay Area Garden Railway Society 
   
Webconductor: Pacific Coast Live Steamers 
   
^^^ 

Re: Hand laid track suplyes

[Kevin Strong]

I'll echo Gary's post - and go the step further that Gary didn't...

The California and Oregon Coast is home to a wealth of Llagas Creek
track supplies, among other products. Depending on what you're looking
for, there's a good chance that you will find it there. Llagas Creek
makes plastic tie strips for scales ranging from 1:32 - 1:20.3, and rail
in varying sizes from code 215 (.215" tall) to code 332 (.332" tall -
the same size as LGB or Aristo track). They also have switch kits in
code 250, and code 215 (I think) which are great. 

I have around 600' of the code 250 aluminum rail on their 1:20.3 ties in
my back yard, and they hold up great, except where very large falling
tree branches are concerned. (but that's really to be expected.) I buy
the nickel silver cast points for my switches, and build the rest from
scratch. (There was an article in Garden Railways around a year ago
which explained a technique very similar to mine.) I've been very
pleased with these products, and they have survived 4 Rochester, NY
winters so far with no problems.

NOTE*** There are some tricks one needs to be aware of before heading
out into the garden with these products, which will help tracklaying go
that much easier. But, they are another sermon for another time.

Later,

K 

Midwest Steamup

[Don Plasterer]

How many on the list are planning to attend the MIdwest Steam Up in St Louis 
next month?  I'm planning on being there Thursday night through Sunday.  
Does anyone know how many people in total are expected to attend?

Don
_
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
 

Re: Steam Up - Saturday April 21st

[Michael Martin]

Tony,

I could use a refresher on how to get  there.

Thanks,

Mike

[EMAIL PROTECTED]