DOUBLE AUGHT BREATHES AGAIN!

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Daniela Walker
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APR 2013 VOL 26, #4 DOUBLE AUGHT BREATHES AGAIN!

1 APR 2013 VOL 26, #4 DOUBLE AUGHT BREATHES AGAIN! After several years to accomplish a complete rebuild, Double Aught had a fire going in the boiler again on March 2, Brian Lacock with the help of others made it possible for LOCO to once again have an operating club steam engine. In the first picture below, steam is now sufficient to allow the injector to work to get up to a full head of steam. In the first picture, the coal fire is roaring and the pressure is rising. In the second picture Charles parker and Brian Lacock have just finished oiling the engine and are waiting for the steam pressure to build.

WATERFALL PROGRESS The month of March saw great strides towards the completion of the waterfall feature at the South tunnel

In the first picture below, Bob Bates and Truman Hefner are setting up the first of two waterfall boxes to see if the rocks are

In the first picture below, the underlayment and the rubber outlining the courses of the falls and stream are in place.

2 WATERFALL PROGRESS The month of March saw great strides towards the completion of the waterfall feature at the South tunnel entrance. In the first picture below, Bob Bates and Truman Hefner are setting up the first of two waterfall boxes to see if the rocks are in the right place to get a good splash effect. This next set of pictures covers the construction of the falls. In the first picture below, the underlayment and the rubber outlining the courses of the falls and stream are in place. The large rocks in the waterfall were put into place using the back hoe. The first picture also gives you a shot from the top of the falls looking down to the pondless water tank where the water will drain and be re-used. The second picture is of the falls from the bottom looking up.

On March 9 th, additional large rocks to form the base of the falls were put into

Since there was not enough rock for the falls purchased several years ago, another

the falls look both natural, but effective.

place the first three tons of rock in one day.

3 On March 9 th, additional large rocks to form the base of the falls were put into place. Since there was not enough rock for the falls purchased several years ago, another 6 tons of rock were purchased (completely through private donations) and brought out to the track. The team is now hard at it to pick and stack just the right rocks in place to make the falls look both natural, but effective. John Farquharson, Bob Bates, Truman Hefner, Joe Fawcett and Tom Herzog were able to place the first three tons of rock in one day. In the second picture, Nicole Herzog is at the top of the falls to show the scale of the effort. March 16 th was a little warmer and the folks were out putting another ton of rock into place. In the first picture, James is starting to put rock onto the East side of the stream. In the second picture, most of the rock for the West side of the stream is also in place and the hose from the pump to the first waterfall box was placed to see how the parts would go together.

In this next set of pictures, preliminary fits for the waterfall plumbing are in place. Bob is holding the waterfall box while Truman has the honor of plugging in the pump for the first time.

In the first picture, the waterfall is receiving a thorough test. In the second picture, we can now see the tank that will be used to provide water for the falls.

We will also need to decide how to cover the tank to minimize water evaporation, keep down on dirt and debris and to make sure folks just don t fall in.

WHEEL REPLACEMENT Wheels for the red train are beginning to wear out and are derailing more often now. Joe Fawcett is in the process of machining some new wheels for the train.

4 In this next set of pictures, preliminary fits for the waterfall plumbing are in place. Bob is holding the waterfall box while Truman has the honor of plugging in the pump for the first time. In the second picture, water begins to come down the waterfall for the very first time. Adjustments and final set-up for the plumbing is still required. In the first picture, the waterfall is receiving a thorough test. In the second picture, we can now see the tank that will be used to provide water for the falls. We will still need to build a trap for leaf litter so it does not get into the water tank and gum up the pump. A design is in the works, but not completed yet. We will also need to decide how to cover the tank to minimize water evaporation, keep down on dirt and debris and to make sure folks just don t fall in. The tank when completely full will be almost four feet deep, three feet across and about six feet long. WHEEL REPLACEMENT Wheels for the red train are beginning to wear out and are derailing more often now. Joe Fawcett is in the process of machining some new wheels for the train. In the first picture below, Joe is starting with 4.75 inch diameter 7/8 inch thick steel slugs. The rusty two slugs in the center of the picture show how things start. The slugs laying flat on the table have now been faced on both sides to make the slug the same thickness. This was necessary since the cutting of the slugs is typically at a slight angle. The finished wheels/axle set is what they will look like when completed. The second picture shows that Joe is working on 20 wheels at a time.

NEW TRAIN STATION Bob Bates brought another of his creations to

A new, Southwest style station was brought to the track and placed

In the picture below, Bob is putting some finishing touches on the

5 NEW TRAIN STATION Bob Bates brought another of his creations to the track in March. A new, Southwest style station was brought to the track and placed on the High Line just North of the tunnel. In the picture below, Bob is putting some finishing touches on the base for the station to keep it high and dry off the ground. Another beautiful work of art Bob donated to the club for our running enjoyment.

PUBLIC RUN DAY: March 3, 2013 A beautiful day saw plenty of families out at the LOCO track to

In the first picture, James had the red train running multiple times.

In the first picture, James has now taken a different route and is headed down towards the

6 PUBLIC RUN DAY: March 3, 2013 A beautiful day saw plenty of families out at the LOCO track to enjoy our train park and ride trains. In the first picture, James had the red train running multiple times. Here it is coming around the curve and climbing the grade to the South tunnel portal. In the first picture, James has now taken a different route and is headed down towards the front of the property towards Berger Siding. In the second picture, Tom is now taking a load of passengers on the clubs GP-7 and is headed up the climb towards the South tunnel portal.

7 Station stops to drop off and pick up passengers must occur periodically. Here both trains have stopped and are about to go around again with more passengers. Remaining pictures are just of people having fun at LOCO!

BOY SCOUTS HELP AT LOCO A Boy Scout troop

Siding and do some clean-up work on Saturday

In the first picture below, the first of

siding to complete ballasting of the two

8 BOY SCOUTS HELP AT LOCO A Boy Scout troop came out to help finish the Camp Ground Siding and do some clean-up work on Saturday March 30 th. In the first picture below, the first of several loads of ballast were brought to the siding to complete ballasting of the two siding tracks. The crew is just finishing up the first track and will soon start on the second track.

In the first picture the Scouts are now starting to put

In the second picture, some of the Scouts have moved to

two hopper loads of ballast up to Camp Ground Siding.

In this next set of pictures, the Scouts have switched to

litter that Harvey will be able to remove from the

Although the pictures above show them at work, the day was

9 In the first picture the Scouts are now starting to put ballast down on the second spur. In the second picture, some of the Scouts have moved to leaf removal while a Scout and James are hauling another two hopper loads of ballast up to Camp Ground Siding. The siding is now complete and looks realllllllllly good. In this next set of pictures, the Scouts have switched to leaf control and were able to fill over 20 bags of leaf litter that Harvey will be able to remove from the property. Scouts are always welcome at LOCO. Although the pictures above show them at work, the day was not all work. After helping the club, the Scouts had plenty of train time to say thank you for what they did for the club.

10 PREZ SAYS As you can see from this News Letter, we have a very active and busy club. The Waterfall continues to take shape with plans to add another pump to give more water flow. The flowers are starting to bloom and spring has finally arrived. On the downside we are seeing problems associated with worn rail that can cause an occasional derailment. One such place is the long curve from BOB tower to the Huth Hollow Bridge. This track was installed about eight years ago and after heavy usage the outside curved rail needs attention. Our plans are to take up 160 feet of outside rail, re-curve each piece, turn end for end and reinstall. With good planning and enough help, we should be able to accomplish the task in one good Saturday work day. The track should then be good for another six or eight years. The State inspection team will be at LOCO Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 9:00 am to inspect our trains and track for hauling the public. The GP-35 train and the GP-7 train should be checked out including a trip around the track and then positioned in the station. The inspectors will expect a ride on both trains. They may ask us to move the equipment to the barn where the running gear can be inspected. It is important that everything be ready for the inspection by 9:00 am. This includes switches checked and track clear of limbs, etc. Experienced engineers and conductors will be assigned by Trainmaster Harvey. Please tell me if you will be available for this inspection. Truman FROM THE SECRETARY April 6 th, 2013 Meeting called to order at 10:15 AM BoD present: James Duncan, Truman Hefner. Proxy given to Truman Hefner by Bob Bogardus, Susan Carey and Marshall Lee for all decisions Member s Present: Joe Fawcett, Bob Bates Secretary s Report: Motion by James Duncan and Bob Bogardus (by proxy) to accept the minutes as published in the March newsletter. Motion carried and accepted. Treasurer s Report: NEW LOCO FUND Start of March Income $7, Income $32.92 End of March Income $7, OVERALL FUND Start of March $7, Income $1, Expenses $3, End of March $6, Per previous BoD meeting, $1K of money was transferred back into the waterfall fund Motion made by Susan (by proxy) and Marshall (by proxy) to accept Treasurer s report as read. Motion carried. New Members

11 Motion made by Bob Bogardus (by proxy) and James Duncan to accept two new members: Ken Seevers and Donna Harrington. Motion carried to accept the new members. New Business PARTY SIZE: Discussion was what would be an acceptable donation for parties/groups with over 30 people in attendance. Recommendation was to rate it at $5 per additional person over thirty people. No motion was necessary. ANNUAL McCLOUD PRE-SCHOOL: Discussion was that the McCloud Pre-School would like to come out to LOCO once again this year. However, they would like to break it into 3 classes instead of the two like they have done in previous years. Truman has been in discussion with the school and indicated that this would then be two classes in one day (morning and afternoon) and the third class would have to be on the following day. Donation would still be around $400 with the expectation that additional parents/siblings that show up also would need to donate $5 each to ride trains as in previous years. Date and time for the group has not been finalized yet. CHILDREN S hats: The club purchased a dozen children s railroader hats for sale to the public. The hats cost the club appx $8.25 each. Intent is to sell the hats to the public for $10.00 each. CLUB BUSINESS CARDS: Discussion was to develop and print business cards that would contain a small picture of representative club equipment and contain information on the location and operating hours of the club. The design is in works. Our intent to stage a picture for the card during the members fun run the 3 rd Sunday in April. We will use club members as the models on the trains to avoid trying to get releases from the general public for use on one of our business cards. The purpose of the cards is to be able to quickly pass out information to the public that wants to find us or find out about our trains. A business card is a lot smaller and is easy to pass out. The cost for a good quality card with picture should run about $60 per 1,000 cards. No other business was presented at that time. Motion to adjourn was made by James and Bob (by proxy) at 10:42 AM. Meeting adjourned. LES UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL MAY 6 BoD Meeting 4 BoD Meeting 6 BDay Party ( 2-4 PM) 4 BDay Party (2-4 PM) 7 Public Run Day 5 Public Run Day 13 Membership meeting at lunch 11 Membership meeting at lunch 13 BDay Party (2-4) PM 18 BDay Party (2-4) PM 16 State inspection of track at 9 AM 19 Club Fun Run/Pot Luck Dinne 21 Club Fun Run/Pot Luck Dinner ABOUT LOCO Track Address SE 104 th St. McLoud, OK Directors TRUMAN HEFNER CARL BOGARDUS JAMES DUNCAN President Vice-President Treasurer SUSAN CAREY MARSHALL LEE LES COKER Director Director Secretary

LOCO NEWS November 2007 Volume 20, No. 11

LOCO NEWS November 2007 Volume 20, No. 11 FROM THE TOP FIRST A COUPLE OF NOTES FROM THE PREZ The weather continues to be ideal for running trains and as a result, we had a lot of visitors on the Sunday,