STAYING ON

 TRACK

The Newsletter of the Lubbock Model Railroad Association September 2003

VESTS

I need to remind the membership that Ron Warner has an extensive collection of red vests for club members. We sell them at cost ($18) and Ron has various sizes in stock. We would like to sell the remainder of the vests to recoup our expense. Please let me or Ron know if you would like to buy one. I can supply you with a web site address of a company that sells patches and pins.

TRACK CLEANING

by Lionel Strang.

This article was submitted by Ron Warner.

When Lionel saw the paper-towel-and-oil method of cleaning locomotive wheels at a club operating session he couldn't wait to get home and try it on the A&LS fleet.

Recently I attended my first operating session at the Waterloo Regional Model Railroad Club. My conductor was Bill Fairhurst, and the power for our train was a GP35 and an F7B. Neither locomotive was running well because their wheels had picked up dirt and grit, which came from the club's recent construction in the area. I know how frustrating it can be to have guests visit and

not have things work right. But Bill showed me an easy way to clean locomotive wheels.

He laid a piece of paper towel on the tracks in front of the locomotives and dribbled a few drops of Wahl Clipper Oil on it. Then Bill put one truck of the GP35 on the track over the paper towel; the other truck sat on the uncovered track for power. When Bill removed the locomotive from the paper towel I could see two strips of dirt that had come off the locomotive wheels. Bill turned the locomotive around and repeated the procedure. The engines ran flawlessly for the rest of the session.

Abrasive cleaner - But no matter how clean your locomotive wheels are, for smooth running it's essential to have clean track. I've used several methods on my Allegheny & Lackawanna Southern.

The simplest way is to use an inexpensive semi-abrasive cleaning pad; I prefer the eraser-type pads from Peco. Apply just enough pressure with the fingertips to the top of the pad to move it - there's no need to press very hard. As the pad moves across the tops of the rails dirt, oil spots, paint, and thin plaster drippings from scenery work come off. You can vacuum the track afterward to pick up little specks of the abrasive and dirt, especially around turnouts.

After I've cleaned the track with an abrasive pad I put Wahl Clipper Oil (www.wahl.com) on the railhead. A couple of drops will spread over the entire layout as a thin, non-lubricating coating that protects rail from oxidizing and helps conduct electricity. But if you can see it or feel it, you have used too much [this trick is particularly valuable if you are running DCC as it increases the ability for the current from the booster to get thru to the receiver in the engine, ed.]

Track cleaning cars - Several types of track cleaning cars are made to be pulled by a locomotive. I've tried two with great success. Tony's Train Xchange's (www.ttx-dcc.com) CMX+ car is constructed of solid brass, weighs about one pound, and is compatible with most solvents. It has a controllable dispensing rate for the cleaner to drip onto a corduroy-like cleaning pad that slides along the track.

The cleaning pad should be sufficiently wetted with solvent to clean properly. The pads can be reused by either removing them and washing with detergent or by rubbing the cleaning pad with a rag until dirt is removed.

The CMX+ can be converted into an abrasive cleaner by changing the pad to 400- or 600-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. I've used this rail cleaning car several times with Goo Gone with good results.

More recently I've been coupling two Centerline track cleaning cars (www.centerlineproducts.com) together. The roller on the first car is saturated with Goo Gone and applies it to the track. The second car's dry roller scrubs the track and wipes the railhead clean.

The second car picks up an enormous amount of dirt loosened by the Goo Gone. You need to change cleaning pads immediately when they become dirty, especially on the Goo Gone car. To prepare the Centerline car, wrap a cloth strip around the wheel, then hold it on with thread secured by cyanoacrylate adhesive.

I'll run my Centerline train every couple of months or so, which is enough to keep the layout running nicely. If you're concerned about residual Goo Gone on the rails, just run the Centerline cars with dry rags to wipe the rails.

Track protection - Once you've cleaned all the dirt off the rail apply No-Ox to the track to remove oxides and prevent their accumulation. Just put a few drops on each rail in front of a locomotive. I usually do this after I've cleaned the track or at the start of an operating session. No-Ox is available from Craftsman Specialty Supply, 6567 40 Mile Point, Rogers City, MI 49779; 517-

734-3184.

Having said all this there's another way to keep your track clean: Run trains! I enjoy working on the A&LS but nothing beats a few hours out on the high iron.

From: Thursday, August 14, 2003; MODEL RAILROADING HIGHLIGHTS; http://www.trains.com

JONATHAN LUTHER “CASEY” JONES

By Ron Marlow as printed in The Semaphore. The newsletter of the Texas Panhandle Historical Railroad Society, July and August 2003, page 2. Continued . . .

Saunder’s little ditty had a certain lilt to it that was said to “catch the fancy of anyone hearing it.” The popularity of the words and melody were passed on and the legend of Casey Jones was unofficially set to music.

The caboose number 83 was on the main line,

Casey’s last words were “Jump, Sim, while you have

              the time.”

At 3:52 that morning came the fateful end,

Casey took his farewell trip to the promised land.

There is a legend that an Illinois Central engineer, William Leighton, heard the song and shared it with his brothers, Frank and Bert, who were vaudeville performers. The two brothers brushed the song up, added a chorus or two and took it on the road with them.

Casey Jones, he died at the throttle,

With the whistle in his hand

Casey Jones, he died at the throttle,

But we’ll all see Casey Jones in the promised land

There is said to be over forty versions of The Ballad of Casey Jones – the one given here was considered to be the most accurate representation of the Wallace Saunder’s original version, according to Casey’s Jones widow, Janie.

His wife and three children were left to mourn,

The tragic death of Casey on that April morn.

May God through His goodness keep them all by

              His grace,

Till they all meet together in the heavenly place.

When the Ballad of Casey Jones was first published in 1902, T. Lawrence Seibert was credited for the music while Eddie Newton was given credit for the words. Ironically, or maybe typically, Casey’s family never received a dime from the proceeds of the song, nor did Wallace Saunders.

Casey’s body lies buried in Jackson, Tennessee,

Close beside the tracks of the old I.C.

May his spirit live forever throughout the land,

As the greatest of all heroes of a railroad man.

Casey’s body was pulled from the wreckage and taken onto Canton in a baggage car. The next morning he was returned to his home in Jackson on passenger train No. 26. On the following day his funeral was held in St. Mary’s Church, the same church where he and Miss Janie Brady were married 14 years earlier.

Published in a local newspaper were the names of fifteen fellow I.C. railroad engineers who attended the funeral. This, in itself, was something of a record. That many engineers laying off at one time to travel the 118 miles to pay their last respects.

Casey Jones, he died at the throttle,

Casey Jones, with the whistle in his hand.

Casey Jones, he died at the throttle,

 But we’ll all see Casey in the promised land.

HUMOR

You know you’re a railfan when . . .

            You install a pedal operated bell in your car and ring it while driving across railroad crossings.

            It would not be to your advantage for the railroad police to come to your house and look around.

RAIL STATION RENAISSANCE

By Cory Walton as printed in Texas Highways February 2001, page 26.

For more than a century, trains powered America’s growth from agrarian frontier to industrial giant. Railroad stations symbolize progress, enterprise, and pride of place. Even today, you can discern from the location, scale and architecture of these structures the prominent stature they held in Texas towns.

But after World War II, farm-to-market roads, interstate highways, and improved air travel contributed to the demise of passenger trains. Rail lines lost many hauling contracts to trucking and air freight companies and the formerly bustling deport gradually fell into disuse and decay.

In the past two decades, though, thanks to a movement driven by preservationists and urban planners, many of these monuments to the industrial age have found exciting new roles in public life. In cities throughout Texas, civic groups have rediscovered depots and begun restoring them to their former grandeur.

San Antonio’s elegant 1907 International & Great Northern (I&GN) depot is a prime example of this creative trend.

(To be continued . . . )