Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

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JBodenmann
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Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Well it's dirt moving time at the Alcalde & Coalfield Railway. It's been a long time since the Railway was started and it's about time to finish it. I really enjoyed Steve Bratina's run photos the other day, and I must say I'm quite envious of his completed high line. My neighbors across the street gave me some piles of the perfect fill material for this. Its dirt and rock that they cleared off of their property. It scoops up easily with the tractor and is just across the street. I'm adding it to fills that were made years ago and that have settled and compacted. The fills are very low, between four and eighteen inches! The plan is to finish up the grading in the next couple months. So here are a couple snappies. After the fill is graded and raked just right the soaker hose will do it's thing for a few days. Then after drying out a bit I can get up there with the tractor and get things compacted really well. Then a layer of sand will be put down. The sand I have is similar to road base, it makes good walkway. Time to start casting concrete uprights again. There are about forty left to make. Then time for a work day or two.
No Shortage Of Thing To Do.
Jack
Attachments
Grading 11-20.jpeg
Grading 2-11-20.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Just something fun today. I was out fiddling with the high line track doing alignment and leveling. Adjusting the curvature and putting a nail through a tie here and there. Putting shims under the stringers and such. At the end of the day I thought it would be fun to go for a ride. So I put a small flat car I made on the track. I hadn't oiled the wheel bearings since springtime. This car has Nelson Gray arch bar trucks that were bought from one inch railroad supply. Really nice trucks. These have half bearings with bits of felt under the axles to distribute the oil. I have always used medium way lube for this and the little car has always been a good roller. The other day I bought a can of Three In One Oil so I thought let's try that and see how it works. So the journal box lids were opened and each felt was given a good squirt of oil. I sat on the car and used a stick to push my way along. The first hundred feet or so was level. Then I came to the Valley division 1-1/2 percent down grade. The car usually moseys on down this part just about walking speed. Well I hit the down grade and the car took off, speeding up, and speeding up some more. Heavens to Betsy, suddenly I realized I'm going way too fast. Now this wouldn't be a problem except the track ends suddenly up ahead. Am I going to go for a tumble down the embankment? So I'm tearing along thinking to myself, you know, I don't bounce as good as I used to. On a high line you can't utilize the Fred Flintsone braking method as your feet don't quite reach the ground. I can see the headline now, "Old Bozo Dies In Train Crash". Luckily I had the stick, and using it was able to stop just before the end of the track. :D So I have a new respect for Three In One Oil, that stuff is pretty good. I also realized brakes might be nice to have. Too much fun!
Jack
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NP317
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by NP317 »

Glad you survived!
Then we get more tales of High line Railroading!!
RussN
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JBodenmann
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Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Still moving dirt for the high line. I'm really getting tired of grading. I'm working from both the Valley and Mountain division towards the lowest part of the railway where I hope to eventually have a water tank. The Valley division isn't too bad as it's only between 2 to 6 inches low. But the Mountain division...Heavens to Betsy it's about 16 inches low where I'm working right now. The fill is already about five feet tall and it takes a tremendous amount of dirt to raise it sixteen inches. That's shown in the top two photos. Lucky for me my neighbors across the street gave me some piles of dirt and rock that they piled up when they graded their property. That's a lot of trips back and forth as my tractor bucket only hold about six cubic feet. Will I ever be happy when the last bucket of dirt is put in place. So it's warmed up bit outside from the twenty seven degrees it was this morning. It's a balmy sixty outside with no wind.
See You In The Funny Pages...
Jack
Attachments
Dirt1.jpeg
Dirt2.jpeg
Dirt3.jpeg
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milwiron
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by milwiron »

Top notch all the way, absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Denny
"Measure twice, curse once."
jcbrock
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Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 7:50 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by jcbrock »

Jack,

When you are pouring and setting more concrete posts you'll look back fondly on those days of sitting on your tractor. I would at least!
John Brock
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JBodenmann
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Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Thank you Denny. Yes, sitting on the tractor isn't too hard but that's only part of the story. The tractor does the heavy lifting for sure but then comes the shovel and rake. I can get the fill pretty close with the tractor, but then the top must be leveled and the sides groomed. That is done mostly with a rake, and as a last resort sometimes the shovel. Even the largest construction job with laser guided this and that, it eventually gets down to the guy with the rake. The pylons are pretty easy, the worst part of them is bending and welding the rebar reinforcement. Pylons are a good evening end of the day job. It takes about an hour to pull the mold off the last set, to clean the molds, re assemble them with the rebar and tube for the tie rod, and then mix and pour the concrete. It's cold and windy outside today and we may get some rain, so I'll be playing in the shop. Building the railway has been a lot of fun, but I'll be glad when it's finished. The railway was started about ten years ago. Time has a way of just slipping by doesn't it.
Jack
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Laser.jpeg
Rake.jpeg
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NP317
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by NP317 »

Man, that's a lot of work!
RussN
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JBodenmann
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Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Most of the winter was spent moving dirt. I kept waiting for some rain to cut the dust and help settle the dirt. We basically didn't get any rain, less that three inches all winter. Lots of dust, oh well... the dirt here doesn't taste all that bad :lol: Andy, who posts here and just started the 3/4" scale B&O P7 thread will be visiting tomorrow and we will be working on the railway in the cool of the morning and evening. During the heat of the day we will be pointing and talking in the air conditioned shop. He is bringing parts for the P7 to look at. Too much fun. Today I am making parts for the railway. Here are some tie bars that hold the ends of the 2"x6" beams to the concrete pylons. 5/16 " rod 8-1/2" long with 5/15"-16 threads on the ends with square nuts. I have a small forest of pylons ready to go.
Jack
Attachments
A&C 1.jpeg
A&C 2.jpeg
Andy R
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Location: So. Calif.

Visiting the Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by Andy R »

We got a few concrete uprights located, leveled, and emplaced, and beams installed for later tracklaying before it got really hot. Jack had more ready to be installed but we ran out of steam. This heat wave is brutal.

The pointing and talking in the air conditioned shop was a lot of fun. Jack has been painting the baggage car - so it is almost done. And Jim Kreider's Berkshire is enveloped in eye candy. I hope that painting it all black won't hide all the beautiful details that Jack has made and installed. But to me his Hudson is the real work of art. Jack's work on it is a real inspiration for my P7d.

Maybe when it cools off another work day will be scheduled.
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8thscale
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Location: San Diego County

Re: Visiting the Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by 8thscale »

Andy R wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 2:21 pm Jack has been painting the baggage car - so it is almost done.
Jack, Yes please ... been looking forward to an update!
Always look forward to postings on ALL your projects!
Thank you!
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JBodenmann
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Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Post by JBodenmann »

Help My Friends
Here is a photo of the valley division fill with the high line in place. Andy and I worked on this curve Sunday. It was overcast, cool, and we had a few raindrops.
Jack
Attachments
High Line.jpeg
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