What are the SR&RL railcars based on?

[Mike Fox]

Surely they are mistaken about that Steve. Farmington maybe but not Strong. How would they have gotten the cars up there. The line was never Standard gauged.

[Allan Fisher]

Starbird Lumber Co just north of Strong had a short stretch of standard gauge track for moving lumber around the yard. It was right next to where the 6 SR&RL boxcar bodies were. I have a picture of the critter that used to move log cars around and remember it well when I worked for Virgil Starbird in late 1965.

[Steve Klare]

Allan,

Do you have any idea when the Standard Gauge line was built? Did it ever have any interaction with two foot gauge track in the same yard either before or after the SR&RL was scrapped? From what I've heard there were local pockets of two foot gauge operating in Franklin County long after 1936, mostly in lumber yards. That's where SR&RL bus #5 spent her finals days.

From what I've been able to dig up about it the line was about half a mile long and ran between two mill complexes. The reason that it was Wide Gauge and not "Franklin County Standard Gauge" is the cars were about 16 feet wide to allow lumber to be loaded crosswise.

As standard gauge lines go, it was not exactly the Union Pacific, but it was 4' 8.5" right in the heart of Sandy River country.

-strange but true!

[Ed Lecuyer]

it was not exactly the Union Pacific, but it was 4' 8.5" right in the heart of Sandy River country

Reminds me of the old railroader's joke...
My railroad may not be as long as yours, but it's just as wide.

[Allan Fisher]

Virgil Starbird's dad built the standard gauge yard tracks some time in the early 40's. It was still there in 1965 when I worked at the mill, but was not used. Lumber was stacked on most of it - I have a picture of it with the junked truck chassis they used to move the cars on it.

The mill just north of the Route 4 crossing at Farmington used the 2 foot-gauge siding for a couple of years after the SR&RL was pulled up.

Sonny Fairbanks also had about 1/4 miles of track with ties (sic) every 36-40 inches apart for the hand cars and velocipedes he saved. It was next to his house in Phillips on what is now the Route 4 bypass. - I have  a picture of it in 1956. It was called the "Backyard and back" or some such name. It is also in the Gus Pratt DVD.

[Mike Fox]

That is interesting Allan. I love hearing or in this case reading of stories like that.

[Mark Edry]

What's the interior of SR&RL 4 like?

Back to SR&RL 4.. I found this picture of the engineer's seat that I took during the convention in 2007:


Looks like maybe there's filler in the "dashboard" where a steering column used to go through? But I'll leave it to those more knowledgeable than I on these subjects to interpret.
-- Mark E

[Stephen Hussar]

Here's a shot Allan took in 1965 at Starbirds, showing the track, partial log frames and dinky. This was located very close to the remaining 2-foot gauge tracks and 5 of the 6 remaining SR&RL boxcars. The lumber is on top of some of the narrow gauge track. Allan, thanks for sending this!

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Steve, Thanks for posting the photo.  Real interesting shot.  Allan, I wonder where the rail truck came from.  It was probably built at the Starbird Mill.  There may have been some former SR&RL men working there who adapted the truck for rail use.

[Steve Klare]

That's excellent: I've never seen a photo of this little line before!

My gut is telling me that the rail on this line was old SR&RL stuff.

The photo of Bus 4 is interesting: OK, I understand the tach and the ammeter are part of the Sport Package, but how about a speedometer? (No rear view mirror: where do you hang the fuzzy dice?)

Linwood Moody mentioned Bus 5 having a speedometer because he saw it on 60 MPH a few times.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

I spoke to Noah McAdam from the SR&RL at the Big E show and he told me that the replica railcar he's building will be the Model A #3.  He showed me a real nice book of plans including the special reversing rear axle.  He's already built the frame and has the engine, transmission and radiator.  He's working on the journal boxes and springs right now.  He says it will look just like the original with the Model A front.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Virgil Starbird's dad built the standard gauge yard tracks some time in the early 40's. It was still there in 1965 when I worked at the mill, but was not used. Lumber was stacked on most of it - I have a picture of it with the junked truck chassis they used to move the cars on it.

The mill just north of the Route 4 crossing at Farmington used the 2 foot-gauge siding for a couple of years after the SR&RL was pulled up.

Sonny Fairbanks also had about 1/4 miles of track with ties (sic) every 36-40 inches apart for the hand cars and velocipedes he saved. It was next to his house in Phillips on what is now the Route 4 bypass. - I have  a picture of it in 1956. It was called the "Backyard and back" or some such name. It is also in the Gus Pratt DVD.

Allan,
You might remember my uncle Craig Starbird, Virgil's son. He still lives up in Strong not far from the mill that bears his name.
His driveway is now off the old Kingfield mainline just a short ways out of town, (which I belive is now called "Flagg Rd." or something similar.)

Pete

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

To answer an email question.  The Model T railcar #2 was originally built with a center tool box that ran the length of the car.  The gas tank was under the front section and the rest was left open for track tools.  There were doors so tools could be unloaded from the back or sides.  The toolbox doors were removed a year or two after the car was put in service.  The track crew sat on the box with their feet towards the side of the car.  The toolbox was removed at Edaville and three seats were installed.