THE TWO FOOTERS

“The Big Chill”

The Foster Brook & State Line Railroad is located near Foster Brook, Pennsylvania (between Bradford PA and the NY State line).  The railroad was started in the winter of 2000/2001 with the reworking of Whitcomb #6, which was acquired 16 years earlier from the B & W in St. Marys.  The tires on the locomotive were turned at the T & S shops in St. Marys not long after the locomotive was acquired.

In the spring of 2001, trees were cleared and the R.O.W. was graded.  The finished grade was pre-ballasted before the ties and rail were laid.  Rail was purchased from a local scrap yard made up of 16-LB and 30-LB.  The ties that are being used are 5”X7”X4’ pressure treated rough-cut timbers.  Prior to spiking the rail, the ties were treated with a used motor oil / PA crude oil (produced on the property) coating for color and additional protection.  Through the summer of 2001, 600’ of railroad was constructed with a lead for the first switchback.  The T & S loaned a number of pieces of rolling stock to make the construction much easier (spreading ballast, hauling fill, etc.), plus the hauling of a few passengers from time to time. 

Into the fall of 2001, the switch for the switchback was completed along with 300’ of track leading upgrade from the switch. 

In the spring of 2002, an additional 1200’ R.O.W. was cleared and graded.  Through the summer, progress was a little slower than was expected due to a rail shortage.  The shortage was overcome with help from the B & W with some 25-LB rail and the purchase of some new 30-LB rail in the latter part of the summer.  The track gang was able to get back to work laying another 200’ of track to the next switch.  The T & S helped out with some switch components.  We are lacking just the points and believe we may have located a spare set?  Now into fall 2002, or as locally called “early winter”, the progress has slowed due to snow cover. 

Plans in 2003 are to finish the switch and have a short siding for rolling stock and material storage.  The mainline will continue on with plans to get as far along as weather and time permits.

There is something about zoos and narrow gauge railways that just seem to go together. At many zoos throughout the world, small trains—some of them two-foot gauge—, provide rides ranging from tight loops of track to amuse the youngsters, to rail safaris through open rangeland inhabited by wild animals—with the open windows of the coaches well barred to prevent passengers from having close encounters of the wrong kind.

My experiences with zoo railroads have been limited—albeit, memorable. I visited the Detroit Zoo in 1950. Getting there was the most fun. We rode a Peter Witt trolley of the City of Detroit Department of Street Railways up the middle of Woodward Avenue and its suburban median strip until we reached the last turning loop. From there, we bounced the rest of the way aboard a vintage ACF Brill or GMC bus—as I noted the unused and very rusty trolley tracks on the median. Beyond the first major intersection, the trolley line had been reduced to a very obvious vacant roadbed. A year or so later there were no trolleys operating in Detroit.

We arrived late at the Detroit Zoo. I was delighted to learn the objective was to ride through the zoo aboard the narrow—probably 24-inch—gauge train to the opposite end of the line, and then walk back. It was the most impressive mini-railroad I ever rode—a double track line that used many of the small amusement park pseudo “diesel” locomotives of that era, probably powered by a gasoline truck engine. The track traversed two tunnels—one complete with a third track as a siding inside the bore—through “mountains” constructed of mounds of poured concrete that were used for nighttime storage of trains.

Our train ride was all too brief. Fortunately for my real interest, the zoo soon closed for the day, and the police came through, ushering everybody back onto the train to return to the main entrance. My father was mortified that I enjoyed the train ride far more than the wild animals. This was the father who introduced me to the East Broad Top Railroad two years earlier.

Benson’s Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire, had a track loop through the woods that operated equipment similar to that at Detroit. In the Farm’s last years, the old “diesel” railroad was torn up and a new “steam” line powered by a gasoline Wild West 4-4-0 was built through a more public area—but the entire facility closed in 1988.

I also visited the zoo at Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1985. The zoo operated a Chance-built gasoline-powered C. P. Huntington 4-2-4T in 24-inch gauge. As with the prototype standard gauge version, which I saw in Sacramento in August 2002, the locomotive proved to be very slippery on the rails. The solution at Worcester was to increase the traction by simply removing the drive wheels and rods, leaving the loco—which was really powered by the leading and trailing wheels—looking like a poor man’s Climax. It ran—which is what counted—on what must have been several miles of track that twisted and turned through the upper and lower levels of the zoo and park.

Ted Rita, who heads up the Two-Foot Gauge program at Hesson Steam Museum, has now joined the membership.

Richard Craig sent the following picture of the Brookville engine that he purchased from Pine Creek State Park.  He is almost finished with restoring the engine.  Excellent Job !!

Jim Halverson came across this interesting railroad in southern Iowa while he was rail fanning the old Rock Island mainline.

Two Foot Gauge Wheels Available

Overall diameter: 13 ½”

Tread diameter: 11 ¼”

4 ½” wide including flange

3 ¼ wide tread face

Tread is 1” thick, weight in aluminum is 25 lbs each

Price is dependent upon material and quantity

For additional information, contact:

Larry J. Curran

catnap@westpa.net

www.bellsandbirmans.com

Spikes and locomotive

Lot of 1/2" x 4-1/2" new railway spikes 2 kegs @ 200 lbs each Price

Used 2-ton Mancha diesel locomotive 24" gauge, unit in running

condition Price: $13,500.00 U.S.

New 40 lb rail (40 lbs for 3' length) Price /lb FOB WINNIPEG  64C/LB CDN

NO WARRANTIES ARE IMPLIED OR EXPRESSED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED ABOVE.

For additional information, contact:

Earl Arundel

Assistant Branch Manager

Nelson Machinery & Equipment Ltd.

Phone: 250.373.2427 Fax: 250.373.2202

Email: sales@nelsonmachinery.com

Rail & Wheels For Sale

Just under 1,000 of very good 16 lb. rail located in Windsor, Maine, lengths up to 32'.  There is also a car frame with 4 sprung 10" wheels.

 

Wheels/axles and other hardware items for cars located in Colorado.

Prices are negotiable, but I am hoping for $1/ft. for the rail.

For additional information, contact:

Perry Hood

AZCOEAST@aol.com

If there is any one interested in building stout trucks capable of handling a max load of 10 tons, please contact:

Lan Ledbetter

Trustee, Eagles Nest & Big Thicket RR

P.O. Box 450

Ace, TX  77326

JULY 31, AUGUST 1, 2 &3, 2003

Plans are now finalized for our 2003 Two-Foot Convention to Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, which is scheduled from July 31 until August 3.  For those getting on the bus in Pennsylvania, we have a stop planned at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  For those jumping onboard further South, we will be stopping at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Tweestie Railroad, Doe River Railroad and the Goose Creek Railroad.

We have secured a 57-passenger coach bus and have reserved 20 hotel rooms.  There will be plenty of “refreshments” and snacks onboard the bus and we are planning a steak cookout at the Goose Creek Railroad.  We will also be securing discounted tickets for all of our museum/railroad stops.

To secure your reservation for this year’s convention, we need to hear from you by March 1, 2003.  Please e-mail, call or write Tom Bauer with your reservations.

WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!

As our sixth issue or one-year mark has hit, we are doing well with input from our members. We would like to hear from those that we have not heard from. In March we will be going over the membership list and those that have not called, written, or e-mailed have a good chance of being purged from our list. Don’t forget to drop us a line with any ideas or comments.

Submit comments and articles to:

The Two Footers

534 Armory Road

St. Marys, PA  15857

tpbauer@alltel.net

or

tom@thetwofooters.com

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