# Dr. Rivit's Spring Standard Gauge Meet



## TomsORandLC (Jan 11, 2008)

Just returned from a great three day meet at Jim Stapleton's. Lots of good friends and hours of steaming. Hopefully I can figure out how to get them from youtube to here. Here are the first links, I hope. Includes Alan Redeker's new Southern Pacific Flat Face AC6 Cab Forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5dXA97euq4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzFI4B5Sn0&feature=player_embedded 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a41qIVcfJw


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks Tom, 
Looking good - but not long enough!!! 
I always enjoy overhearing the conversations, like the argument at the end of the Cab Forward where someone got in someone's way. 
Thanks for the videos. 
Must get to Jim's one of these days. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom
Good to see you at Jim's meet. Great work on the cab of the flat face AC-6- your craftsmanship along with Alan, Jeff and Ryan efforts made the conversion an impressive outcome both in performance and unique looks. Enjoyed the videos, too bad we had that 50% chance of rain that lasted several hours on Sunday, made for a short running session.


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## TomsORandLC (Jan 11, 2008)

David since you said it wasn't long enough here are some more video, or were you referring to the length of the train instead of the video?

Tom 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7juTs5Wlnq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhFcbTjCw_4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgJkfVwWNuo 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h77AKilz1gs 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT7oT2QBJd4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=staORvuuJAw


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom, 

Youtube says some are duplicates? Nice shots tho!


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks Tom, 
Great videos. 
I especially like the one with the double heading, and the old man in the blue shirt with glasses, who has his S-2 keep uncoupling. 
That's Aster couplers for you. 
He should fit Kadees, or even Accucraft ones!!! 
I notice not many passenger trains running though! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

David
Maybe we can encourage Alan to post some of his photos of the GS4 running with the full Daylight set of cars. Most impressive was the Cab Forward pull over the 0.6% grade with 80 reefers and a caboose.


Well, Alan....


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Looks like a great place to run. I like it thanks for posting.


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Here are some pictures from the SP portion of the IE&W Ry Spring Standard Gauge Meet.

Friday with Paul's SP F-5 and Hans' UP Big Boy running side-by side:









And Friday operation with an out-of-the-box second run Accucraft AC-12: heading downgrade after starting 81 cars plus a caboose on the 0.6% grade:









Dr. Rivet and JoAnn were most kind in allowing their 18 car Daylight set to be gotten out and run. However Dr. Rivet did point out that: 
1. The cars weren't in the correct order in spite of the boxes being numbered; and 
2. The coach sets were even being run with the seats facing backward!! 
Oh well, next time we'll get it right Jim. The excuse was high temperature and really high humidity while unpacking a consist weighing over 250#....

Double heading the Coast Daylight: Dan Stroka's #4449 in full Daylight dress and my #4439 50/50 --- showing the sweeping curves on the IE&W Ry:




















And then it was time for the debut of the Southern Pacific "flat face" AC-6 project. 

The first AC-6 run --- running light for a couple of circuits of the 560' main line to make sure all is in order:










Then 20 cars and a caboose were coupled on:









This is the time in this posting to insert another "thank you" to Dr. Rivet for getting out his reefers to go with mine. 

Soooo... two more groups of 20 reefers were added on successive trips around the main line:









And finally the AC-6 tops the grade with the full 80 car reefer block (plus caboose): 









With a thank you to "Team Flat Face" members Tom Stevens, Ryan Bednarik and Jeff Redeker (with mentors Charles Bednarik and Alan Redeker) here's a final picture of AC-6 #4145 with partial light installation:









Now it's off to NSS for the AC-6.

It was a great meet. Thank you to Jim and JoAnn for hosting and sharing.

Best regards,

Alan


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

There is another part to the meet that involves a "_mea culpa_" for putting Jim Stapleton and Paul Lator through a lot of unplanned track repair and for putting Hans' S-2 on the ground on Sunday morning. It appears my GS-4 doesn't like dips in the track and apparently it's pilot caught a gapped rail joiner in a sag in the inner main line near the top of the grade. Anyway, the tale goes like this --- with the title "Mishap on Cuesta Grade":

_The Coast Daylight was climbing the inner main on Cuesta Grade with an 18 car consist (255# train) with a GS-4 Daylight on the front and a 2-10-2 pusher on the rear. Then the rails spread!!!! The resulting wreck took both mains out of service. After the Daylight wreck was cleared and the track from the inner main pulled off the outer main, it was discovered that a rail joiner had also come loose on the outer line in the same area there was a gap under the ties ---- but not until a Great Northern 4-8-4 coming through on slow orders went on the ground! _

_ After __20 minutes of work by the track maintenance crew the outer main was back in service. And after nearly an hour's hard work the inner main was returned to revenue service --- after 8 feet of ties were replaced and shims put under the low spot.

_The good news was that just after the 2-10-2 helper was coupled on at the bottom of the grade it lost one burner. So the GS-4 was slogging up the hill pulling nearly the whole train while the 2-10-2 was trying to stay out of its own way (and maybe helping with a car or two). 

As engineer on the helper I had my camera out to take a picture from the rear of the train on the grade for my father to see. And then the GS-4 derailed and everything came to a stop! Here’s the picture where you can just see the tender of the helper. I must have pushed the shutter as I started running to get the slipping GS-4 shut down.









Here's the GS-4 still on the rails perched on the pushed out track after the train was uncoupled and pulled back a few inches. 









Looking at the water that is spilled on the roadbed at the rear of the first car (where it first sloshed out of the tender), and when combined with the slight bend discovered in the GS-4's pilot, it appears that: the engine caught an open joint in a swale section with its pilot; and then it pushed the track out. Judging by the displaced track, it takes a lot to stop 250# of train plus another 65# of locomotives!!

I must say my first thought was total horror!!! Jim and JoAnn's Daylight consist in a wreck!!!!! However after getting the GS-4 with its slipping drivers shut down and discovering everything was on the track/displaced track and still coupled I was slightly relieved. I guess it was a really good thing that the F-4 was on only one burner so the GS-4 was pulling the grade with almost no help. But probably the bad news was that at low speed the GS-4 dropped into the sag and stubbed its toe rather than skipping over it!

But to top everything else off.... After the inner main was pulled clear of the outer main, Hans came through with his S2 on slow orders and then he went on the ground! When the inner track had climbed over the outer main, it had pushed a rail joiner ot of place....










Anyway, thank you to Jim and Hans for understanding. And great thanks to Jim and Paul for doing the track repairs. Jim's system is excellent, and he sure knows how it all fits together. And in the mean time, Jeff fired up the 2-10-2 and yarded the Daylight consist. My task in all this was to get Jim's King George out and fueled/oiled. (Read: Alan why don't you be elsewhere while the real work is going on!)

To repeat the earlier post, it was a great meet with Jim and JoAnn as great hosts.

Best regards (and an additional _mea culpa_)

Alan


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Alan, 
Looks great that is a nice string of cars wish I could have been there. Thanks for posting.


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

There's the picture I was waiting for! Looks like a good time, too bad I missed it. Glad to hear the Flat Face put on a good show.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

*Wow*, S2's, Berk's, Daylight's, Big Boy's, a Cab Forward pulling all those reefer's, etc., and best of all.....................Dr. Rivets most magnificent of all elevated tracks. What a time you all had. Hope I can be there some day.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Of course I had no camera to photograph me running Tom's Aster Daylight pulling the 18 coach consist. Anyone happen top catch any on Sat afternoon?


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

All I can say is ditto to what Steve said. I am in awe of the sight of those locomotives pulling that long train of yellow refers around that spectacular layout. I too hope that one day I would be able to come there and just watch. For the first time in my life I would be speechless. 
Paul


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Steve S. on 09 Jun 2010 05:27 PM 
*Wow*, S2's, Berk's, Daylight's, Big Boy's, a Cab Forward pulling all those reefer's, etc., and best of all.....................Dr. Rivets most magnificent of all elevated tracks. What a time you all had. Hope I can be there some day.

Then there was this engine pulling an mostly brass train (PRR car not) with ease. It has pulled as much as the cab forward.... then it rained washing out any other opportunity to run




 
We also track test the 5th upgraded cab forward


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

With a freight that long I think prototypical would be a caboose or two in line so the guys don't have to walk the length of the train, whenever.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Me, I'd be useless if I ever got an invite there. I'd just stand by gate the like a dog watching TV. It's bigger than the county I live in. 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org 
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By tacfoley on 10 Jun 2010 10:41 AM 
Me, I'd be useless if I ever got an invite there. I'd just stand by gate the like a dog watching TV. It's bigger than the county I live in. 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org 
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund 
Terry
Not a problem, a person of your travel experience can handle this small parcel of land. There is a visual map of the layout on the web along with rest points with a wonderful host to guide you. Maybe by the time you arrived the ride on engine will be running and you can take the excursion!


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's another video from Dr. Rivit's meet including an F-5 and Big Boy running side-by-side, double-headed Daylight action with Dan's GS-4, as well as Berkshire and cab forward action.



Best regards,

Alan


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Alan
The only thing that could have been added was Tom R's Aster Daylight pulling the entire Accucraft Daylight coaches (18 cars) up the grade by itself. Good to see some TRS shop work making the rounds. Very impressive cab forward runs...probably better than them there Texan's run of 100 cars on a flat track! Hans and the S2 with an type of load is always impressive, so much so I do not see him running the Allie, wonder why.....anyone interested in a great runner (get one while they are still available)!

Thanks for the video


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## TomsORandLC (Jan 11, 2008)

More pictures from the meet.


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Charles on 12 Jun 2010 04:51 PM 
Alan
The only thing that could have been added was Tom R's Aster Daylight pulling the entire Accucraft Daylight coaches (18 cars) up the grade by itself. Good to see some TRS shop work making the rounds. Very impressive cab forward runs...probably better than them there Texan's run of 100 cars on a flat track! Hans and the S2 with an type of load is always impressive, so much so I do not see him running the Allie, wonder why.....anyone interested in a great runner (get one while they are still available)!

Thanks for the video


Now Charles. I know you were probably joking about"Them there Texans run of 100 cars, but you dont't realize it was pulling those 101 cars thru three turns at one time , not on a straight away.


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Gibs035 

The longest tangent on the entire main is 42 feet long. It is at the bottom of the 1 in 144 [0.6%] grade that is on a curve and extends for about 90 feet. The track rises about 7.5 inches on the grade. Sunday was interesting with the combination of steam oil and rain on the track. The only point to the comment is that at most 32 cars of the train would be on the long tangent. 

I note from the videos that I need a caboose track with a variety of hacks available so that trains can have a proper look. A berk with 25 cars and no caboose just doesn't look right. 

Thanks for all the photos and video. 

Jim


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Alan, I really have enjoyed your video. (all the rest are awesome too) Yours captures the enormity of Jim's lay out. I have always said and will say it again, "Dr. Rivits track is where good loco's go when they die". It's their Heaven.


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Alan R / Mike O / Other observant souls 

I went out and started "walking the track" after cutting grass for a couple of hours today. I found at least three other places wher the 2x6 stringers have "shrunk" over the TEN YEARS since the Trex decking was put on. I will have to adjust the stringers up/down anywhere from 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch, or plane the adjacent ones down to get a flat surface again. Things should be better for the Fall meet. 

I also plan to put a single crossover in to allow switch engines pulling train from the yard to the "outbound yard lead" to escape to the "inbound yard lead" so that a road engine can then back up and couple to the outbound train. Second project is to add a "caboose track" somewhere??? 

Jim


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