THE TWO FOOTERS           

Issue 13 March/April 2004

The Rock River Valley Traction is the out growth of an "S" gauge trolley system in my basement. I used to think, "Wouldn’t it be neat to be a mouse and be able to ride on this". I remembered that back in the 1930’s I had seen an article in the old Railroad Magazine of someone in PA that had a ride on trolley and I had been thinking of this ever since.

I had no advice, no plans, no place to put the thing, but I did have this dream. I found a repulsion induction shifting pole printing press motor that had infinite speed control by means of a lever and I found some light rail – maybe about 12#. I also found a place off of the road in the woods along side of a creek where I would have privacy and also access to commercial power at 110v. My first car was a 4 wheeled flat car with a control stand on one end and a trolley mounted on a mast in the middle of the car. Our first run was about 100’ using an extension cord.

I have subsequently made every mistake in the book but at least it runs. The man from Toledo (can’t remember his name) came to see me one time and was aghast at how fast we ran on such poor track, but this is for me, not for the public as was his.

This began in the early 1950’s and has grown slowly and sporadically ever since. I was fortunate in having a strong back and a friend, Bill Janssen of traction fame, who was an electrical engineer and also worked for CTA, North Shore, South Shore, etc… and had access to cast off electrical equipment. Without this I could not have done it.

We now have a 4 wheeled work car with an end cab, an open car 4 wheel, a Birney and a double truck box motor modeled from the eastern Michigan box motor that went to the Rock Island Southern RR in Illinois.

We operate on 220V AC over head, and most of the cars are on board rectified and have DV motors. They will run about 14 mph which seems like 100 and give a very interesting ride. We have 3300’ of track, but it is arranged so that in making a round trip you repeat some track and ride about a mile.

This past year another electrical geek who "plays" with me has installed electrical two color operating automatic block signals and we have built a turntable. We run across the turntable and continue on about 200’ on a descending 3% grade mostly on trestle.

I am over employed so it took me 3 years to build the trucks and the car. It is the only air ride curve side ever built. In addition to the truck springing I have 2 small inner tubes between the car bolster and the truck on each end and this does cushion the ride. The Birney has two DC motors arranged electrically to have dynamic braking capabilities, another first. The work car has self lapping air brakes.

Electric operation has the advantage of throwing the switch and go for a ride, no steam to blow up and we can have relatively right curvature and still be prototypical. I do not welcome the public, but any rail fans are most welcome.

I made two trips to Bob Bucker’s Hempstead & Northern Railroad Company at Hempstead, TX in 2003. The H&N is home to a stable of former South African 2’ gauge equipment. A 63 ton Garrette, 67 ton Mike, 15 pieces of rolling stock including drop side gondolas, goods vans (box cars) and two guard cars (cabooses). There is also Rail Trolley 1337 that was assigned to the Director of Permanent Way (Road Master). The trolley was built in the South African shops using a Ford N-8 tractor motor. There is also a 22 ton Plymouth used for switching and moving dead steam locos. Incidentally the H&N was the former home of my 2 ½ ton Brookville.

The first trip was in May 2003, when Jerry Pertrizze, my superintendent of Signals & Communications, and I drove in my motor home down to work on the northern extension of the line. In addition to doing track laying we cut and installed new wood roof ribs on goods vans and sheet metal roofing, replaced some switch ties, reworked some turnouts and got the trolley up and running again.

Before we left I told Robert, Bob’s oldest son that when they got ready to set the north switch for the run around siding to give me a call and I’d come back down to help out. I had anticipated this would be spring of 2004 at the earliest. In October 2003, I got a call from Bob telling me that there was a truck load of new ties from LA at the front gate of the ranch waiting to be unloaded and he was calling for Section Hands. I finally convinced my Comptroller to issue me a track warrant to travel to and return from Hempstead on the condition that I not drive but that I fly. I left Alpine on November 7^th and returned on the 17^th. Of the 8 days I was in TX there were four of us, myself, Bob, Robert his oldest son and Garrette the younger son, working 2 days. Then there was 2 days there were three of us, myself, Bob and Robert and the remaining 4 days just Bob and I were working.

The photos tell the rest of the story and are numbered.

1. When Jerry and I left in May the siding off to the left did not extend one rail length beyond the frog of this switch. The main line on the right did extend 100’ and one rail was spiked part of that distance. This is what I found upon my arrival in November. The switch still needed some final spiking and we have just attached the switch stand target. The entire siding is not yet spiked and approximately one half of the main line to the north switch and beyond to the end of track is yet to be spiked. There was also one length of rail still to be placed at the end of track.
2. The Section Gang at work. Bob, on the left, holding the spike lifter to straighten set spikes as needed. Garrette, yes he is named after the locomotive, operating the air hammer and I’m "nipping" the ties. Note the track gauge that is moved along as we do the final spiking.
3. Yours truly setting spikes after the ties have been pre-drilled. Bob decided to use standard gauge ties on the main but the siding is laid with 10’ ties halved and end treated at the tie yard before delivery.
4. Then we headed south over the siding stopping so I could point out the silver spike to him.
5. In addition to spending time under the hood of the Trolley and in the ash pit working on the undercarriage, this seems to be a project each time I visit; we spent significant time restoring the diesel park. After 15 years of service and a problem of water running down the flange ways into the barn during the winters the ties had all e disappeared and the track settled quite a bit to the point that the loco almost bottomed out when going in and out of the door way. Bob had started replacing some of the ties one by one, but that required trenching at the end of each tie. I suggested that we either remove the rails or jack them up high enough to allow us to remove all of the ties, new and old, grade the area and then replace all the ties at once eliminating the need to trench. On the right hand side of the photo is the rear tank of the Garrette which is currently undergoing retubing and the smoke box front is on the left side of the picture.
6. The Blue Bull and a Guard Car. All the African equipment is equipped with link and pin couplers and vacuum brakes – only the bull has air brakes. The open door on the left end of the Guard Car is the guard compartment. Note the periscope window just to the left of the door, there is one on the other side also, that serves in lieu of a cupola. Next comes a set of double doors without windows which is the LCL freight and baggage compartment. The number 2 is second class for whites only and the 3 indicates third class for blacks only – identical accommodations but very separate.
7. Garrette has been very methodically painting the Mike and had cut a stencil to apply the name to its tender. The first weekend I was there he used the same stencil to emblazon the road name on the Plymouth.
8. After returning to Alpine, I got in some more work on laying track on the DCET. The Trammer is in front followed by a side dump ore car and a timber car setting on the tail of the switch back ready to start up to the next level if the track were in place. Since this photo was taken the track has been extended up to a point where it levels off for a small yard to store 18" gauge equipment and a wye into yet to be dug mouth of the No Hope Mine. The majority of the DCET track is 10# rail 15’ panel track from the Little Three Mine at Ramona, CA about 30 miles north of Alpine.

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In spite of all the rain the T&S did pretty well in just general maintenance. A fair amount of ties were replaced including putting planking in between the rails on the turntable. We painted and worked on roof of the Engine House and put in a light work bench. Moved to better location new ties for turnout areas (these are covered for future use). Painted railing and iron beams on trestle. Made another "Whistel Stop" location. Did heavy brushing ???? on right of way. Redid 2 culvert ends and filled in and leveled area for an engine house off of the turntable. We had a very successful "Shawmut Day" and "Excursion Day" for the public.

I wrote an article to this newsletter a couple of years ago. As a recap, I friend of mine has a WWI vintage Plymouth Locomotive and two clay cars that his family used to bring clay from the fields to their drain tile factory in Capron ILL. For many years after the factory closed down it sat in a side yard at his family's lake front cottage in Southern Wisconsin. The cottage was sold and the locomotive and cars had to be moved. They were moved to central Wisconsin to my friend’s son-in-law’s farm. Well Harry's son-in-law decided to put in a railroad. He purchased rail from our club when we rebuilt our railroad, got some someplace else, located two switches a recently bought one switch from the company taking the light rail out of the Badger Ordinance Plant in Baraboo Wisconsin.

Now with the help of his wife, and father in law, work is under way in restoring the little locomotive and laying the rest of the track. They have stripped off the canopy, removed the motor, it had a cracked block, and started to fix the locomotive up.

Harry's daughter found out that her grandfather purchased the locomotive in the late 20s in Blue Island ILL. Through a fellow on the internet "Critters List" she found out who originally owned the engine. They have done research on the little locomotive and she wants to write a book on the Plymouth Company.

The engine had to be replaced. The one in the Locomotive was not original anyway. They have a Hercules engine of that vintage that they plan on using. They are thinking of having the drive wheel on the friction drive system rebuilt by a company that rebuilds pulleys for tractor and industrial concerns. They are made out of paper, believe it or not.

In the spring the goal is to get the engine in the locomotive and get it running. Clean it and get it painted. Repair what needs to be done on the drive line. Then will be time to lay the rest of the track, with the "Y" turnaround. Hopefully this will get all done this spring and summer. Then will be time to rebuild the clay cars so they can pull some cars behind.

On a side note; at the Rock River Thresheree's railroad, the first Henschel Locomotive is having the cab removed so some stay bolts can be replaced, and the cab will be refinished at the same time. We have also purchased switches from the Badger Plant as in the future we want to have a passing siding and another siding into the train shed.

In case, if any one is interested, all of the 25 lb and 40 lb rail was sold to a scraper in Eau Claire Wisconsin by the name of Tom Toy, at Toys Scrap and Salvage. I have no association with this company other than we bought some switches from them.

Last 23 January was a Red Letter Day here at Tick Acres, when the shipment from Harmer Steel arrived with Gill's Locomotive, three Gondola Dump Cars, and many panels of track.

Ron and his wife arrive in their 18wheeler loaded with 38,000#

With all the lightweight track and cars unloaded, our 2ft high trailer cribbed up to match the 4ft of the 18wheeler, and a track panel laid in preparation for the transfer.
The diesel fires right up and I drive it right across, hoping that it will stop.
In short order, Ron is packed up and heading home to Oregon.  All is quiet and the Loco is left 'high and dry'.
With our eBay RR jacks, the trailer is slowly lowered back to ground level, and all is stable.

Can you believe it? We are already starting our third year of publishing the newsletter. The newsletter staff appreciates the articles that members have sent and encourages suggestions on improving the newsletter.

The Two Footers
534 Armory Road
St. Marys, PA 15857

tpbauer@alltel.net

or

tom@thetwofooters.com

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