Rio Grande narrow gauge blasphemy

[Erik W]

As a fan of all things Rio Grande and a Coloradan I feel dirty.  My interests have been wandering a bit lately to . . . Maine's 2 foot narrow gauge lines.  The equipment was so tiny.  What's not to like?

Check out the size difference between a standard gauge steamer and a two footer.  It looks like a toy!


Actually, my first scratch built car was an Nn2 SR&RL flatcar.  The project ended abruptly with the lack of trucks and couplers.  I did build a hand laid 2 foot gauge N scale display track for it though.

Erik

[Chris333]

I used to model in HOn30, my favorite was the Kennebec Central RR:
http://lincoln.midcoast.com/~wwfry/pics/kc4-1.jpg


I still have this brass Forney. I got a deal on it and you never know when I will start modeling HOn30 again.

The KCRR was only 5 miles long, but they always has 2 operating locomotives and turntables at each end. I have the engineering drawings of when the line was first built... it is about 14 feet long.

[Erik W]

Chris,

The Kennebec Central  RR looks interesting.  You could model all the key features pretty easily I imagine.

I've always liked the Sandy River and Sandy River & Rangley Lakes.  The looks of the "big" power appeals to me.  I stumbled on this HOn30 SR&RL #24 a few days ago.



Erik

[Sokramiketes]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday.  Of course that was about his 6th suggestion in as many days.  Think we're down to BNSF in WA or N&W Pokie.  But alas, there are so many good options out there, it's hard to concentrate.

Shiny Object Syndrome.  I think a lot of people can relate. (I'm looking your way Chris...)

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What's not to like?

Boring operations. It's like the EBT, but worse!

Pick up emptys at yard, take to mines, take back to yard.
Repeat.

That and the Hawaii plans were the only one in Bernie's book that I wasn't in to. And it's not because of the diminutive equipment, it's because I think ops would be boring!

[DKS]

...I think ops would be boring!

Sounds perfect for me!

[Erik W]

What's not to like?

Boring operations. It's like the EBT, but worse!

Pick up emptys at yard, take to mines, take back to yard.
Repeat.

I think that depends what two foot RR you're looking at.  The SR&RL had plenty of mixed freight, passenger traffic, pulp wood, mines, gravel, etc.

Erik

[Erik W]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

[Sokramiketes]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

The boy is more dangerous than I previously predicted.  Get a tinfoil hat! 

[Erik W]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

The boy is more dangerous than I previously predicted.  Get a tinfoil hat! 

It's always the quiet ones . . .

Erik

[Chris333]

Don't forget toothpick mills!

The KCRR besides just hauling passengers back and forth had a coal hauling contract. They would unload coal from schooners on the river. In 1929 that contract was given to trucks and the railroad closed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennebec_Central_Railroad
http://www.narrowgauge.iform.com.au/kc3.html

It would be like modeling a park RR.

Compared to the KCRR's 5 miles, the SR&RL had 112 miles

[CVSNE]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

The boy is more dangerous than I previously predicted.  Get a tinfoil hat! 

Gaudynski is a mastermind at promoting "have you considered-itis . . ." a disease created in the backroom of a certain Chicagoland hobbyshop by Matt's mentor and cohort in crime, Ron "Pops" Sebastian . . . the disease works well for retailers as it's guaranteed to make one model railroader buy enough equipment of different scales and gauges.  The cure, of course, is for those two to remind you of your scale and gauge of preference . . . instead they start telling you how neat it is, and how the latest (fill in blank) from (whomever) would be just perfect.  Let me guess, Matt had a DCC-sound equipped On30 (or an HOn30 or On2 brass) Forney just gathering dust when you mentioned two footers . . . right?????

I know this disease well, and use extreme caution around both the mentor and protege . . . just ask me how I ended up with an Sn3 layout for a few years . . .  ;D ;D ;D

[Sokramiketes]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

The boy is more dangerous than I previously predicted.  Get a tinfoil hat! 

Gaudynski is a mastermind at promoting "have you considered-itis . . ." a disease created in the backroom of a certain Chicagoland hobbyshop by Matt's mentor and cohort in crime, Ron "Pops" Sebastian . . . the disease works well for retailers as it's guaranteed to make one model railroader buy enough equipment of different scales and gauges.  The cure, of course, is for those two to remind you of your scale and gauge of preference . . . instead they start telling you how neat it is, and how the latest (fill in blank) from (whomever) would be just perfect.  Let me guess, Matt had a DCC-sound equipped On30 (or an HOn30 or On2 brass) Forney just gathering dust when you mentioned two footers . . . right?????

I know this disease well, and use extreme caution around both the mentor and protege . . . just ask me how I ended up with an Sn3 layout for a few years . . .  ;D ;D ;D

They infected Mikey Mitz to the point where he was changing layouts and scales on a monthly basement.  Poor guy had to quit to get himself back under control... though he twitches... and changes scales twice a year still.  A few others have sold off collections to Gramps, only to buy them back a few months later!  Now that takes talent...   

[Erik W]

I know this disease well, and use extreme caution around both the mentor and protege . . . just ask me how I ended up with an Sn3 layout for a few years . . .  ;D ;D ;D

In all truthfullness I have a hard time staying focused sometimes.  I have the added problem of going off on tangents like these (it is all fun though):

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/drgw55/Ships/dd483-061.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/drgw55/Planes/Fokker_DR-5.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/drgw55/Armor/M26PershingTank8.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/drgw55/Armor/TigerItank22.jpg

Sometimes I'm impressed I actually make any progress on the layout at all!

Erik

[CVSNE]

You need to stop talking to Matt.  He was trying to suggest Maine 2ft for my basement yesterday. 

That's funny.  Matt and I haven't discussed the 2' urges.  Must be some weird telepathy thing.

Erik

The boy is more dangerous than I previously predicted.  Get a tinfoil hat! 

Gaudynski is a mastermind at promoting "have you considered-itis . . ." a disease created in the backroom of a certain Chicagoland hobbyshop by Matt's mentor and cohort in crime, Ron "Pops" Sebastian . . . the disease works well for retailers as it's guaranteed to make one model railroader buy enough equipment of different scales and gauges.  The cure, of course, is for those two to remind you of your scale and gauge of preference . . . instead they start telling you how neat it is, and how the latest (fill in blank) from (whomever) would be just perfect.  Let me guess, Matt had a DCC-sound equipped On30 (or an HOn30 or On2 brass) Forney just gathering dust when you mentioned two footers . . . right?????

I know this disease well, and use extreme caution around both the mentor and protege . . . just ask me how I ended up with an Sn3 layout for a few years . . .  ;D ;D ;D

They infected Mikey Mitz to the point where he was changing layouts and scales on a monthly basement.  Poor guy had to quit to get himself back under control... though he twitches... and changes scales twice a year still.  A few others have sold off collections to Gramps, only to buy them back a few months later!  Now that takes talent...   

I think Ron's sales plummeted noticeably the year after Keith Thompson -- the ultimate rubber gauger - left the MR staff and moved west.

I'll never forget the first time George Sebastian-Coleman accompanied Wilson, Keith and me on a pilgrimage to Des Plaines. Jeff, George, and I - who didn't have layouts at the time - spent a total of $100 between the three of us - Keith had a functioning and fun to switch HO layout.  Keith something about "Rock Island" to Ron, who led him to the N scale case.  By the time we left Keith had spent a bunch of coin on N scale stuff . . . By the time we dropped Jeff off in Racine Keith had convinced himself to go back to HO . . .  ;D ;D