(Volume 5, No. 7)
Meet Date Changed
President's Soapbox
The date of the Fall meet has been changed to the second weekend in October. The meet dates will be Saturday, October 14 and Sunday October 15. This will allow the Hostlers to attend From Ogden. A review of the meet dates made the board decide to abandon the connection with Columbus Day and schedule the meet on the second weekend of October. It will stay on that weekend for future years, which should reduce confusion. It is gratifying to see the progress being made on the current layout configuration. It seems like there is more time spent in debate than in actual work on some of our projects. That is one of the down-sides to "Committee Decision Making". Surprising what crunch time and a deadline can do in the way of motivation. Another element is a reality check wherein we suddenly realize that the grandiose layout we planned takes too many resources and too much time and the club doesn't have either of them. At that point, an alternative was developed; I say developed because several ideas were actually discussed and test-fit before the present configuration was proposed and assembled. One day we saw some modules positioned on the floor as a preliminary test fit, soon we see the required Wye module in place and then the transitional connection built and secured. Only then can we see someone else's idea take realism. The current configuration is the result of several concepts being put together.
One factor remains crystal clear, that being; no single one of the current active members is able to complete this project alone in the time frame we now have. Each one of us now working on the project has something to contribute and each may have a particular talent. Only by showing respect to the others and allowing every one credit for their contribution will we accomplish completion of the layout in the allotted time. We are all adults; if we see something we think should be done a different way, propose an alternative and be prepared to justify your reason. It is also important that we all have an open mind and be able to accept the suggestions of others, I have heard all too often that "Someone said this to me and I resented the implication" or "He didn't consult me". I have certainly been found in error and expect to be corrected when I am; let us all cooperate in a congenial manner. We should all work on better communication.
Let me address another issue, that being general housekeeping in our work areas. I have entered the building on a weekend when the facility is closed and cleaned, to note that someone who has been working on the layout, has tracked sawdust or homasote upstairs onto the entry carpets. Let it be said, that in order to maintain a good relationship with the building managers, they should not be expected to tolerate this from us. One action should be taken immediately by all persons working in the layout room - CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES. We have brooms, dustpans, waste receptacles and a small vacuum cleaner available.
Ah that said, more on vanishing rails; the remaining portion, Wallace to Mullan, of the former Northern Pacific line between Missoula and Wallace is being removed. Wallace, Idaho was served by the Union Pacific via a line which traversed the south side of Lake Coeur D'Alene then went up the Coeur D'Alene river. That line was abandoned and removed between Wallace and Kellogg after the major mining activity stopped and is now a bike-walk trail. The I-90 freeway through Wallace is built above the former NP and UP shared line in Wallace and the depot was moved aside closer to the town site. It now serves as a museum. The NP accessed Wallace on its own line from Missoula over Lookout Pass using switch backs to crest the summit. Both railroads shared a small branch line to Burke, which occupies a canyon so narrow that the railroad ran up the main street and through a hotel which spanned the street. The NP line between St. Regis and Lookout Pass washed out in 1933 so the NP used Milwaukee's parallel line to Taft then their own line on to Wallace. After the Milwaukee's shutdown in 1980 their own roadbed was displaced by I-90, the (by now BN) had exclusive use of the former Milwaukee main line until they too discontinued service to Wallace. Now, only portions of both Milwaukee and NP roadbeds remain as visible reminders of true mountain railroading west of St. Regis.
Leo Harker
Timetable
September 7 ............Business Meeting
September 14..........Work Session
September 21..........Work Session
September 28..........Work Session
October 5............... .Business Meeting
October 12 .............Work Session, Meet Setup
October 13 .............Meet Setup
October 14, 15 .......Fall Meet
Layout Status
The layout is currently being set up for the show using a combination of the existing modules, fixed layout, and a couple of new modules. My personal opinion is that this represents the best of both worlds and a doable project in time for the meet. After the meet I suggest we leave this set up so we can have some operation and enjoyment, and work on the fixed portion of the layout to add the features we want before we remove the modules and start work on the next part of the fixed layout. Of course, we are always open to suggestions.
Doug Herrmann
ELSEWHERE IN IDAHO
Other railroads were proposed and built elsewhere in Idaho, of course. One of those, a north-south railroad, was proposed in the early years in the twentieth century, and the state legislature authorized a commission to study such a line. They initially failed, however, to appropriate any funding to perform the study. The route of the proposed railroad was to go north from Payette or New Meadows to Grangeville or Lewiston. There was also optimistic talk of the extension of the Gilmore & Pittsburgh to the new proposed north-south line. (IPUC 6/30/15 annual report). Nothing further came of this proposal, although it continued to surface occasionally through the 1920's.
Another line which was proposed was the Winnemucca Northern, promoted by Colonel Edward R. Place, who proposed linking San Francisco with Boise at the turn of the century. Boise was enthusiastic, of course, since they felt the town was subject to the whims of the Union Pacific. The Colonel proposed a line connecting Winnemucca with Boise, a distance of 210 miles. Despite support there was little money; tracklaying south from Caldwell started about 1901, using volunteer labor from farmers anxious for the new railroad. Unfortunately, the Snake River had to be bridged 14 miles south of Caldwell, so construction came to a halt due to lack of money. The Union Pacific finally bought the line. The Colonel persevered, however, and tried to promote a line north from Winnemucca, and the Winnemucca Northern was incorporated in 1912.
The Colonel continued to promote the line, since he knew he needed at least 20 million dollars. Following a disastrous automobile tour of the proposed route in 1912, further promotions ceased, and no further talk of the line occurred. (Nevada, Fall, 1918).
Thornton Waite
Standard Gauge
You've probably seen the stories about why railroads have the standard gauge we all know. The stories talk about the width of the ruts in Roman roads and haulage by horses over these roads. The only problem with these stories is that research suggests they aren't true.
There are several facts which contradict these stories. These include:
1. Roman roads did not have ruts. They were paved with stone and designed to allow efficient movement of large numbers of marching soldiers. Ruts would have interfered. N. Sitwell in Roman Roads of Europe, St. Martins Press, 1961) shows many stretches of Roman roads; they have no ruts.
2. Roman roads could not be used for wheeled traffic. Frances and Joseph Gies in Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages (Harper Collins Publishing, 1994) note that Roman roads went over hills, rather than around them, in order to minimize distance. This was fine for marching soldiers, but a heavily loaded wagon would have problems climbing up and going down the resulting grades. They also point out that harnesses used in Roman times tended to choke the horses. Thus, Romans relied on boats for most of their commercial traffic. Wagons would not be used extensively until the Middle Ages.
3. Other gauges were and still are being used for railroads. Derry and Williams note in A Short History of Technology (Oxford University Press, 1960) that the Great Western Railway (England) was using a gauge just over 7 feet as late as 1892. Other gauges were and are in use in Ireland, Finland, and much of the rest of the world.
Exactly why the standard gauge is the width that it is, is not known. But it is not because early railroad engineers were matching the width of ruts made by Roman chariots.
Even in Van Buren's Day They Said
Railroads Would Not Make It
At the time, there was not the automobile, truck, airplane, bus, or pipeline. Yet, there were those who said that the railroad would not be able to supplant the horse and buggy.
To prove the point, Harry Jones, president of the ASME Rail Transportation Division, read at the annual luncheon an article written by President Martin Van Buren when he was governor of the state of New York. In it he contended that the railroads would not make it.
A number of those present asked Harry for a copy of the article. But rather than send it to them, and for the benefit of those who could not attend the luncheon, here is what the article, written well over 100 years ago, said:
"Dear President Andrew Jackson,
The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as railroads. The Federal Government must preserve the canals for the following reasons:
One - If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed in mowing hay for horses.
Two - Boat builders would suffer, and tow-line, whip, and harness makers would be left destitute.
Three - Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States. In the event of the expected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could even move the supplies so vital to waging modern war.
For the above mentioned reasons, the Government should create an Interstate Commerce Commission to protect the American people from the evils of railroads and to preserve the canals to posterity.
As you may know, Mr. President, railroad carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by engines which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock, and frightening women and children. The almighty certainly never intended that people should move at such breakneck speed.
(Signed)
Martin Van Buren
Governor, New York"
Possible Conflict
The Great American Train Show is currently scheduled to be in Boise October 13 and 14, 2001. We plan to ignore it next year and have our meet that same weekend. Changing our meet to always be the second weekend in October seems to make sense and simplifies figuring out when it is. It also makes it easier for the vendors to plan.
Daug Herrmann
Operating Sessions Planned
With the current layout setup, we should start having operating sessions. We may try several operating schemes. Many of you have operated at my house using a car card system. I am also thinking about computer generated switchlists. I have not tried these, but a friend of mine markets a program for this. It has the advantage that it is easy to remove cars from the layout without taking them out of the program. I would think this would be useful for a club layout. We may also be able to do this with industries, which would be good for a modular layout. Of course, the fixed layout will be easier in this respect.
What do you think? After the meet we may want to try some different methods to see what we like. I am open to suggestions.
Operating Rules
Along with operating sessions, we may need to develop some rules - things like all cars on the layout are to have Kadee couplers and will be inspected before being place on the layout to ensure they meet NMRA standards. They might also list types of locomotives to be run (Union Pacific) for standard operations, with others allowed for certain operating sessions. At one time I started to do this, based on the rules from another club I had belonged to. This is really a job for the vice-president, since he is in charge of the layout. Again, we are looking for your opinion. Would these rules help, or would they just be frustrating? The board values your opinion. Let your wishes be known to one of the board members so that we can decide if there is value in pursuing this approach.
Doug Herrmann
Material Needed
Please send any material you would like to have placed in the Eagle Tracks newsletter to the editor.