Absolutely chuffed! What happened when 30 grown men gave up 18 years to build a steam train

Daily Mail ^ | 30th May 2008 | Michael Hanlon

[ConorMacNessa]

City of Truro - Early 100 miler

[Tanniker Smith]

I wonder whose basement they’re going to run it in. (Too big to run under my Christmas tree — but now that I’m thinking about it . . . .)

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Wow,What a work of art.I almost would bet coal would be cheaper now than oil.Bring on new steam!

[B4Ranch]

Remarkable!

[Calvin Locke]

The History Channel ran a "locomotive" show a couple of weeks ago.

A typical US steam locomotive would go through upwards of 1.5 tons of coal per hour. (And the fireman worked a 12 hour shift, having to know where along the route to stoke up for needed steam, and when to back off on the steam.)

One of the tidbits they threw out was that a modern engine can, really crunching the cost accounting, haul a ton of freight 200 miles on a gallon of diesel.

One other cost of steam is the need to staff firemen overnight to keep boilers primed to go first thing the next day.

[Enchante]

Great stuff, thanks for the info!

Here’s what we have in my neck of the woods:

http://www.hebervalleyrr.org/gallery/index.php

[Swordmaker]

I wonder whose basement they’re going to run it in. (Too big to run under my Christmas tree — but now that I’m thinking about it . . . .)

That depends on the size of the Christmas tree.

European trains look wimpy to me... I like good American made Steam locomotives:

This one's in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

And this one, the Governor Stanford, is in the
California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento

Then there's this Union Pacific Big Boy, used to
haul freight up the Sierra Mountains. It's in Pomona, CA.

These locomotives are not wimpy.

;^)>

[wastedyears]

That’s really cool

[uglybiker]

I have to admit I have a soft spot for the Cumbres and Toltec.

[NathanR]

Notice the row houses in the background. I was wondering where they would be able to run it.

[Swordmaker]

I wonder whose basement they’re going to run it in.

Then, on the other hand, you wouldn't need such a large basement if you went with trains like those a friend of mine has on his layout.

Bob P. with one of his locomotives

Another view of the Locomotive

Bob running one of his trains on his layout... er, estate.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Tanniker Smith]

Okay, please tell Bob that I want to be him when I grow up!

[Erasmus]

The best model trains. Twelve inch scale.

[Erasmus]

I think I saw Nr. 1401 under refurbishment at the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum in Chattanooga, many years ago.

I took a shot of the Governer Stanford almost identical to that one when I was at the Cal State RR Museum in 1999 or 2000.

I’ve seen the Big Boy at the Dallas museum but it wasn’t in as good a condition as the one you show in Pomona.

[Erasmus]

Jeez. What is that, 3 inch (1/4) scale? The track gauge would be about 14 inches, and from the photos, that looks about right.

[PA Engineer]

I took this picture when I was in Skagway.

[Swordmaker]

Okay, please tell Bob that I want to be him when I grow up!

You'll have to have a spare billion or so laying around to be able to afford the layout...

[Swordmaker]

The track gauge would be about 14 inches, and from the photos, that looks about right.

Sixteen inch gauge. The following pictures were taken when Bob spent a Saturday morning, several years ago, entertaining me for my 55th birthday.

Bob got into playing with trains by accident. He was at a dinner in 1993 and the guy sitting next to him offered him the entire train, tracks, buildings, etc., from Los Angeles' Griffith Park train ride for $10,000.

He bought it.

He thought he had only bought the train—but it eventually took 20 flatbed 18 wheelers to carry everything, including water tower, control tower, about a mile-and-a-half of track and two really dilapidated trains, to his newly purchased estate site. Good thing he owns a major trucking company.

He spent the next ten years restoring the train.

Restored original Station Sign from Griffith Park

This is an example of the condition
of the equipment and buildings when Bob bought them.

The restored Griffith Park Train with the Round House in the background.
That's Mrs. Swordmaker getting ready to board the train.

Then he bought more. And more.

He sold one of his antique cars to build his round house (which is round in name only)... for about $3 million.

The trains run around about a three-and-a-half mile layout on his 88 acre estate. He has spent about $80 million on the as yet incomplete mansion and grounds.

The Estate's Guest Houses... and my palm.

When I was last there, he was working on restoring a scale steam engine.

He has a full time staff working on his trains. Must be nice to be able to afford it.