Saturday, January 5, 2013

New Years Weekend 2013

The end of one year and the beginning of the next always has been a time to reflect on what has happened and to choose a new beginning for the next, new and upcoming year. Yeah right, just another weekend; and an opportunity to get a little time to enjoy the desert, work on the railroad and get together with family. This New Years weekend was a long weekend. With the family making it out Thursday afternoon and evening things got rolling on Friday this time around. The weather was cool and expected for this time of year, if it warmed up enough to lay the coat down you remembered where it was in case you would like to put it back on. The recent delivery of a trailer load of old patio wood and tree trimmings kept the fire barrel glowing most of the weekend. Friday we had guests from Golden Gate Live Steamers; Dale and Marsha Furseth brought out their Atlantic for a day on the hill. I didn’t get to see the operation but they seemed to have enjoyed their day. Greg and Dad got a jump on the Engine House project and made a trip to Vagabond Steel for an order of what we need for the doors and front frame. Saturday Thomas Downing and his family arrived and they brought his GP-60 and a string of cars for a couple of days of high desert running. Saturday the back wall of the patio was finished. Another four sheets of plywood were added to the outs ide of the back wall, eliminating the polka-dot plywood look it has had for a while.
A strip was added to the top of the sliding door for aesthetics as well as an attempt at keeping the breeze down at times. Bill Shepherd the last time he was out did some electrical work on the patio too. The questionable temporary wiring of old was replaced with conduit and hard wiring. A new light shining on the woodpile with a switch for when not in use is very nice but the real neat addition is the combination barbeque light and interrogation center. This light is bright enough and in the right position, you can actually see what you are cooking. And, it comes with its own switch too. Thank you for your contributions Bill, it is always fun to find all the things you did after you’ve left. Bill will be back in mid February for almost a month, imagine the possibilities. Matt Z has been working on the D&RGW 50 project for the last couple of months and he brought her out for a test run. Now, 50 has had a tough life of rejection and isolation. People would roll her out of the barn, attempt a run and after numerous rerailings roll her back into the barn for another spell. . Many have laid hands on her in attempts to cure her plight. She was taken away to have her problems possibly looked at and diagnosed. Only to return in a box, actually many boxes. First, she rested in a heap in the Shop Boxcar and this past fall she was returned yet again to the car barn. Matt took a liking to the girl and a kind hand and skillful eye to her ails has transformed her into a rolling wonder. 50 had always spent more time on the ties then upon the rails, Matt worked her journals so they would freely move within their travel, took a lot of her side sway and lateral away and taught her to travel down the track with grace instead of sashaying from side to side as she traveled. Saturday she was guided around the layout with no problems what so ever. She rode in the train with grace, even spent a little time out in front where she never liked to be before, usually in a crumple she would stop in the past. This time, her days at the Polack Car and Foundry attending Charm School paid off. She even posed for pictures on the Upper High Line Trestle for us.
Her next step is to have a power system installed so she can be our Green Engine. Therefore, she will have the power to assist other engines that come to visit by guiding them to the steaming bays. We were glad to have her get a few days to return home and show us how she has transpired, good job Matt. We did a little dirt hauling too over the weekend. We have a fill project where the Switchback siding will be. Bill Shepherd had finished to rock retaining wall, all that needed done was to backfill it to an acceptable level before laying the rails. Saturday we hauled quite a few buckets up the hill and even hauled up three track panels to add to the end of track. Monday we went to task and actually counted buckets going up the hill. We had 215 five-gallon buckets of fill make the trip to the dumpsite, 14 trips in roughly four and a half hours time. It was a good and productive day and by the time we finished the almost warm day had deteriorated to snow trying to fall from the sky. It tried to rain and for a while, it did, but by evening, it had cleared; leaving us a cold clear night again. The hourly trips around the track for New Years Eve were quick cool trips and back to the fire. I actually made it to the 10 o’clock trip before giving up yet again my chance to see the ball drop from down town Joshua Tree. It was a good weekend enjoyed be a few hearty souls with a lot of thing accomplished for the better. Hope to see you out in a few weeks for the Mid Winter Run January 18-20. See you there. If you click on the picture below you will access the slideshow, enjoy. New Years 2013 at Joshua Tree">

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