Issue001

A while back when there was talk that the “TWO FOOT GAGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION” newsletter was going to stop, some individuals were going to step forward and keep it going. As time passed, Bob Stanton announced the end of a ten year run of a fine newsletter. The newsletter not only introduced us to many two-foot operations, but it also brought a whole group of people together. The groups and people that received the “TWO FOOT GAGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION” newsletter owe a big thank you to Bob for all his work and dedication. When the newsletter ended, a group of people from many railroads got together and decided to poll the members to see if there was any interest in keeping the newsletter going. After sending out 66 letters, 44 responses affirmed the need to continue a newsletter. So here we go.

The first thing you will notice is a new name and a new look. The articles will be written and submitted by different staff members and will be published as is. Remember, you are all contributors to the newsletter. And many have offered to write more then just about their railroads. We hope that now the newsletter is up and running you will all submit some interesting articles.

The goal is to publish the newsletter every other month. We are going to try and keep it at eight single sided pages, depending on number of articles submitted. There may be times in which the newsletter is primarily pictures, but nevertheless, it should be published every two months.

Many of you had suggested that there should be a charge for the newsletter. This would be a good idea, but the drawbacks out weigh the benefits. A free newsletter has no rules and if a deadline is not met, no one is out anything. If you are willing to contribute (i.e. postage or monetary donations), it will be put to the use for the newsletter.

About half of you will be receiving the newsletter by email. This will save on postage and copying expenses. Some of the responses stated it would be nice to open the newsletter up to the other gauges, 18” to 36”. While this would be nice, it is not practical. Therefore, it was decided this newsletter would not be copyrighted. Individuals will be allowed to make copies and pass it on to an associate. Bill Bentsen was very generous and will be posting the newsletter up on the Internet, http://www.thetwofooters.com. This will allow all interested parties the ability to receive a copy. If an individual does not have a computer or Internet access at home, we suggest they check with their local library for access. We believe the topics the members are looking for in the newsletter are: other railroads, tips and tricks, classifieds, success stories, and knowing there are others out there going through the same trials and tribulations. The membership list will be included once a year in the newsletter. I hope this has shed some light on what we are trying to do. As you read this first issue, remember that we need your help to keep this newsletter going.

News from the Members

by Tom Bauer

Shawn Watson has 200 feet of track down and is working on a switch. He moved his locomotive from the front of barn to the new track and all went well. Bob Boehm should have a golden spike ceremony soon as he only has 90 feet of track left to go. George & Mark Ice hope to have three log cars built by spring and a turntable built and installed by this summer. Terry Putt will install a switch into his engine house, and should have his engine regauged and running this year. Camp Haluwasa carried over 4,000 passengers, and made a few night runs for special occasions last year.

Crossing Signals on the Goose Creek Railroad

By Matt Helton

In June 1996, the GCRR two-man crew of Matt and Wiley Helton installed a pair of crossing signals on the east leg of the GCRR wye. These signals were fabricated out of aluminum sheet, aluminum pipe and aluminum tubing. We purchased a standard round taillight with a lense diameter of approximately 4 ½” from a local auto parts store. A piece of 3/16” aluminum sheet was cut into an 11” diameter circle and then a hole the same size as the light fixture was milled into the circular back plate. Once the back plate was completed a piece of 5 ½” inside diameter aluminum pipe was cut lengthwise in half to make a semi-circular shade. The end corners were then freehand cut to form the shape of the shade. The brackets that hold the lights and crossbucks to the 2 7/8” OD pipe are made of 1 3/8 x 1 3/4” aluminum tubing. Partial circles were cut into the brackets to fit around the post for a tight grip when the clamp bolts are tightened. The crossbucks were made out of 3/16” aluminum sheet and a form was made for the concrete piers with a 90° PVC pipe stuck through the form into the bottom of the post for a wiring route.

The operation of the signals can be approached many different ways. Our signals are controlled by a garage door opener remote control. The remote control activates a relay, which turns on the flashing circuit for the lights. The flashing circuit was built using electronic components from Radio Shack, but there are alternating flashers available commercially. Track circuits or mechanical limit switches could also be used to activate the signals as well as infrared reflective switches. The possibilities are endless.

Front view of GCRR Crossing Signal (See Fig. 1)	Rear view of GCRR Crossing Signal (See Fig 1)
Cross bucks and brackets (See Fig. 1 & 3)	Lights and brackets (See Fig. 3, 4, & 5)

New Whitcomb for Edaville Railroad

by Bruce Wilson

Enclosed are two photos taken at Edaville Railroad in South Carver, MA on March 17, 2002

The 25 ton Whitcomb diesel-mechanical engine shown had just arrived on the property and is up on blocking after the wheels and axles were dropped and sent out for regauging from the original 30” to Edaville’s two foot gauge.

This is a large engine by two-foot standards and in comparison to Edaville’s no. 3 Whitcomb critter; the new machine seemingly has a “dance floor” sized cab.

The railroad is preparing to field three passenger trains this year and has recently put an order in with a coach builder for then new pieces of rolling stock. This equipment will be outfitted with air brakes and the existing cars refitted in a similar manner.

A Common Gauge, but not scale…

by Nick D’Amore

If you went on any of the two-foot gauge “world tours” to Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, you would have ridden on a vast variety of equipment… from authentic 30-ton Maine Fourneys to one-ton-or-less homebuilt locomotives.

When I think about the trains we run, they tend to group into three loose groupings: light, medium, and heavy. Like everything else in life, no one is definitively better or worse than the rest… each has it’s trade-offs.

“Light” trains are those where the engines are generally three tons or less, and are often homemade. Rail is often 12 lb on 4x4 ties. Cars are mostly 4-wheel, with 12” or smaller diameter wheels. The Helton’s Goose Creek falls into this grouping.

“Medium” trains generally have commercially-built (ie, Plymouths/Brookvilles/Crowns) locomotives in the 3-10 ton range. Rail is generally 20-40lb. Cars are probably evenly mixed between 4-wheel and 8-wheel, and wheel size varies from 10” to 16”. The Bucksgahuda & Western and Tom Deihl’s Riverview & Western fall into this grouping.

“Heavy” trains are like the Maine two-footers, with locomotives of 10 tons and up, 8-wheel cars, and 25+ lb rail. The WW&F is a great example.

While light & medium and medium & heavy equipment can successfully mix, the contrast between light & heavy is pretty vast. A Goose Creek car would bounce hard through a 60lb frog, and a WW&F car would likely kink the 12lb rail found on some of the Goose Creek line.

Would establishing standards, like the NMRA did for model trains, be useful? Probably not. The different design standards are part of the charm of each line. Still, there are lessons each of us have learned (sometimes the hard way) and we can share. I’ll bet that within each grouping we’re already pretty close on a number of measurements, such as coupler height and minimum flange size. What “standards” do you use?

Plymouth Locomotive News

Email sent to Tom Bauer from:

Kevin M. Johnson,

Manager – New Product Development

Williams Distribution

Williams Distribution (division of the W.W. Williams Company, Established 1912, Columbus, Ohio) has acquired Plymouth Locomotive from Ohio Industries effective November 14, 2001. Plymouth Locomotive was founded in 1913 and produced a fairly complete line of yard switchers for the tunneling, mining and industrial markets. As part of the acquisition, Williams Distribution acquired all of the parts, drawings, tooling, etc., and will continue to manufacture parts for all Plymouth Locomotives ever made. Williams Distribution however, will NOT manufacture any new Plymouth units, thus making 1999 the final year any Plymouth Locomotives were ever produced.

Williams Distribution is a worldwide distributor of OEM replacement parts for retired or non-current machines. Their focus is predominantly Off-Highway and their present partners include Detroit Diesel, Allison, Fairbanks Morse, and of course, Plymouth Locomotive.

Williams Distribution can be reached at 800-229-6110, or by fax at 330-794-0504. Their mailing address is: 1395 Triplett Blvd. Akron, Ohio 44306-3124.

Obituary: Harry Percival

by Hume Kading

Compiled from information on the WW&F website and an article in the Boston Globe

Harry Percival, the driving force behind the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, a 2' narrow gauge line, located in Alna, ME died on Saturday, December 29, 2001 at the age of 71, after a long battle with cancer.

Harry's interest in the WW&F railroad, which ceased operations 3 years after his birth in 1930, was implanted at a very early age as a boy growing up in Weeks Mills, ME where the inactive tracks still ran through the small town. While Harry was still a child, most of the tracks were pulled up for scrap, but his vision of restoring the railroad to operation remained strong, and would come to fruition in adulthood.

In 1974, after being educated as an electrical engineer, working at the Bath Iron Works, a tour of duty for the Army in post-war Europe, marriage, and three children, Harry built a house in Somerville, ME, 30 miles north of Wiscasset. The house was unusual in that the first floor was a trainshed complete with an 8' grease pit under the floor boards. The plan was to acquire and restore former WW&F 0-4-4T steam locomotive No. 9, built by the Portland Co. of Portland, ME in 1891, and the last remaining locomotive which actually operated on the WW&F. (No. 9 would eventually return to Maine in 1995, and is currently awaiting restoration, including fabrication of a new boiler.)

In 1985 Percival bought the remaining WW&F right-of-way and the slow process of restoring a defunct railroad, out of service for more than half a century began. Today the WW&F, through the efforts of many volunteers, boasts the longest stretch of track built on its original r.o.w. in the state of Maine, and is now an operating tourist line using 1904 Vulcan built 0-4-4T No. 10, formerly of the Westfield Plantation (Louisiana), and formerly of the Edaville Railroad (where the loco was regauged from 30" to 24"). The emphasis is on historical accuracy and recreating, as much as possible, the way it was during the WW&F's heyday.

Although Harry still owned the former WW&F r.o.w., the operation of the railroad had previously been ceded to the board of the WW&F Railway Museum. But, Harry emained active in the WW&F's affairs until the very end, and even built another house on a rise overlooking the tracks.

Harry lived the dream of his life, restoring the WW&F to operation, and, in the process, left a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Closing Remarks

by Tom & Fred Bauer

As the first newsletter comes to a close, we hope that you have found it to be interesting and enjoyable. As we continue publishing this newsletter we are looking for additional sections, such as classifieds and member’s websites. We had a lot of fun creating this newsletter and hope that we can all work together to keep it going.

“The Beginning”