Messages

31

General Discussion / Re: English vs French. Languages words colloquial expressions and such like

« on: June 23, 2021, 02:02:37 PM »

...finally it was road that was choosen by Washington maybe to stand out from the Queen English like the  spelling of a few words.

American English vocabulary and usage has evolved organically rather than by government edict (unlike French), and in some cases we preserve older terms for things that the British no longer use. "Railroad" (sometimes "rail road", two words, in some early company charters) is such a case, and was used as early as the 18th century in England to refer to some early tramways. In time the British settled on "railway" while their American cousins continued to use the older "railroad", and it gradually came to be seen as distinctly American.

32

General Discussion / Re: English vs French. Languages words colloquial expressions and such like

« on: June 23, 2021, 10:13:16 AM »

To finish with, is a bell cow a byword for leader ?

A more common expression in English is bellwether, which is an old-fashioned term for a ram (male sheep) that's been castrated and made to wear a bell, but it usually refers to leading or indicative trends in society or politics.

33

Work and Events / Re: WW&F No. 11 - Official Work Thread

« on: May 22, 2021, 05:09:59 PM »

I recall hearing someone say the WW&F has the throttle arm from No. 7. Is this correct?

34

General Discussion / Re: Development of signaling, train movement and interlocking video.

« on: April 10, 2021, 10:16:13 PM »

I can also recommend Red for Danger. It's a classic work of British railway history and deserves to be better known in the US.

35

Volunteers / Re: April 2021 Work Reports

« on: April 10, 2021, 09:38:10 PM »

Fred wanted to get the turntable girders stored on the right of way across the street from the railroad up out of the mud. Thursday morning we used the loader to pick up one end of the girders at a time and pull the girders up onto higher ground.

I'm glad to see the turntable girders receiving some attention.

36

Work and Events / Re: Engine House - Official Work Thread

« on: March 15, 2021, 10:47:23 AM »

I remember there was discussion at one point of having a blacksmith shop either inside or attached to the roundhouse. Is this still part of the plan, or will the forge remain outdoors?

37

Moderator Announcements / Re: Everything is now Secure (or what just happened to the forum?)

« on: March 09, 2021, 03:50:55 PM »

It looks fine on my MacBook Pro laptop using either Firefox or Safari (I tried both).

38

US Two Footers / Re: C&NW 2 foot gauge

« on: February 21, 2021, 05:51:35 PM »

Exactly, it's supposed to have worked at a C&NW-owned tie treatment plant in Riverton, WY.

39

Museum Discussion / Re: "Top of (the) Mountain" to ya!

« on: January 26, 2021, 12:10:07 AM »

Which is more historically correct? Linwood Moody used the definite article and called it Top of the Mountain (with "the mountain" being the grade to the north), but what other sources are there? The name never appeared on the original railroad's timetable because it was never a station (until now), and Moody isn't always reliable, but I would be inclined to follow his usage nonetheless.

40

Bridgton & Saco River Railway / Re: Location of B&SR excursion train

« on: January 23, 2021, 03:36:28 PM »

Could it be the Pine Creek RR in New Jersey? The Shay looks like Ely-Thomas Lumber Co. No. 6 which has been at Pine Creek since the 1960s and was formerly owned by Edgar T. Mead (who was a prominent fan of Maine narrow gauge in general and the B&SR in particular).

41

Work and Events / Re: Wilmar (the) Tamper - Official Work Thread

« on: January 20, 2021, 10:48:08 PM »

What about the trackage in the Guinness brewery in Dublin?

I believe the Guinness brewery railway was 22 inch gauge. Is that close enough to count?

42

Monson Railroad / Re: Monson Junction Station for sale???

« on: January 07, 2021, 02:30:29 PM »

Very interesting. "Pending" implies a sale is already in the works, so we will have to wait and see what happens.

My first visit to Monson Junction was on a family vacation in the 1980s, almost 35 years ago (!), and the building was probably unsafe to enter even then. I remember my dad poked his head inside (after asking my brother Steve and me to stay where we were) and found BAR waybills from the 1960s scattered around, so the station was still in use well after 1944.

43

US Two Footers / Re: 1880s and 1890s 2 foot gauge porter question

« on: December 28, 2020, 06:58:36 PM »

But did they built the 2 foot gauge porters with the 1880s and 1890s design like the photos I posted?

Do you mean with a closed wooden cab as opposed to an open steel cab? Both types were standard Porter options, so I'm sure they did.

44

US Two Footers / Re: 1880s and 1890s 2 foot gauge porter question

« on: December 26, 2020, 01:27:23 AM »

I have a question, did h.k. porter built any 2 foot gauge steam locomotives with the 1880s to 1890s design like they did for the 3 foot and 2'6 gauge?
Like these photos for example?

Yes, Porter was definitely building two-foot gauge engines in the 1880s-1890s. Wiscasset & Quebec No. 1 was a Porter 0-4-4T built in 1883 as Sandy River No. 3, to cite one prominent example. However, the only surviving classic 1880s-1890s Porter 0-4-0T saddletank engine in two-foot gauge I know of is Merced Gold Mining No. 1 (Porter C/N 1896, built 1898) in Coulterville, California: https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1431

The old Porter catalogs show they built engines in gauges from 18 inches up, and the several surviving 20-inch gauge Porters from the Arizona Copper Co./Coronado Railroad are well known, for example https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=27149 and https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1569

I understand the complete Porter construction list was published a few years ago by Kalmbach. I don't have a copy myself, but the data are available.

45

Two Footers outside of the US / Re: Porter Replica No.7 Ginger

« on: December 23, 2020, 10:30:08 PM »

40 million yen is about $386,000 at today's conversion rate.

Which sounds roughly equivalent to the £300,000 price tag I remember seeing advertised maybe 7 or 8 years ago for a new-build replica two-foot gauge Hunslet 0-4-0T, I believe by some associates of the Statfold Barn Railway in the UK. (I've always wondered how many they actually sold, if any.)