December 2009
Volume 22, No. 12
AROUND THE LOCO TRACK
NOV 1st PUBLIC RUN DAY
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It was truly a beautiful day for running trains and the clubs Big Red and the GP-7 pulled a lot of folks on November 1 .
One train after the other departed the station every 10-15 minutes and ran all day. Big Red even ran out of gas one time
and had to be refilled in place on the tracks.
In the first picture, Little John is bringing a train load of folks into the station so that the GP-7 could then start with its load
of passengers. In the second picture, Truman is closely monitoring the activity from the conductor’s bench while trains are
departing on both tracks. Tony Wasson is getting ready to board passengers, and Bob Bates is his conductor for the next
run.
Lots and lots of folks came out to enjoy the trains. There was not an empty train all afternoon.
NOV 8th MEMBERS RUN DAY AND CATFISH FRY
Member’s day is exactly that, a time for members to come out with friends and family and have some fun running trains. A
lot of times we are asked why do we do it? Why do we come out to the track one weekend after the next to make the track
better and better? Well, for many of us these next three pictures say it all. Look at the smiles on the faces of the folks
driving these trains. Where else can you go and have some great quality time with your family and see the enjoyment that
others get out of the hobby also.
Since the engineer responsibility on run day fell to most of our younger associates, the passenger loading area was full of
members and family to ride the trains all afternoon until the pot luck dinner bell rang. As usual, I was only able to snap a
few shots of other members running trains since I had a few young engineers getting some throttle time in on my train
also. So, enjoy the pictures that we were able to get!
Of note in the first picture, the coaling tower is noticeably absent from its typical site. Bob Bates has agreed to try and
restore the coaling tower at his workshop this winter. Thank you Bob!
After running trains for several hours, thoughts turned to the catfish fry dinner hosted by our very own Chris Myers. In the
first picture, Chris is beginning to coat the fish in her very own special fish coating mixture and deep fry it in one of two
deep fryers for the event. In the second picture we have some of the special goodies that other have brought to the pot
luck dinner by other folks.
In this next picture, the line has started for the food. With the popularity of the event, folks were lined up through the
kitchen, through the front room and outside. But, there was enough for everyone and a place for everyone to dine.
BACK HOE REPAIRS
Joe and Mike worked on the back hoe in November to get the charging system operational once again. The belt that goes
around the alternator was stretched to the limit and was only making intermittent contact so that the alternator was no
longer charging the battery. We really knew it was going to be a problem after the bucket was raised to see how we could
get the belt off, and the belt came apart in Mike’s hands. Well, after a search for a replacement belt, Mike found the right
size and Joe figured out how to disconnect the pumps so that the new belt could be installed. This was not an easy task
since the room involved was less than 3” of access on the front of the engine. What you would think would be an easy 15
minute job actually takes about 2 hours to disconnect things to get the belt off and another 2 hours to reconnect things
after the new belt is installed on the pulleys. The back hoe is operational once again.
BIG RED IN FOR REPAIRS
After numerous trips around the track after the public run day, the red train was experiencing several problems that
required some down time. Upon close inspection, Mike found several problems that required immediate repairs. First, he
found that the charging module under the flywheel was no longer charging the battery, so with that the flywheel had to
come off and the module needed to be replaced. Next, he found a couple of wires where the plastic insulation has
crystallized over the years and was beginning to crumble off. So, Mike then set about building a new engine harness to
upgrade the system for years of trouble fee running again. And lastly, Mike also did an operational checkout of the
hydraulic pump and found that its efficiency had dropped to about 20% of its capability. Mike found a source for the inner
workings of the pump, rebuilt it over the past couple of weeks and just finished reinstalling the pump parts. Unfortunately,
he is still waiting on a few more electrical components to arrive before he can complete the rebuild process. Mike hopes to
have this project completed in the next couple of weeks, maybe in time for the LOCO members dinner and Christmas light
night run.
TIME TO REDUCE THE BURN PILE
Naomi Fawcett and Chris Myers have been tackling the burn pile branch by branch over the past couple of weekends.
After Naomi finished clearing out the remaining branches from the North side of the track for the High Line, and also
removed all the dead branches from the North side of the 4S Bridge, it was time to break out the burn barrel and start
reducing the pile as best as possible. In the first picture, Naomi is putting the last load of brush on the burn pile. In the
second picture, Chris and Naomi are burning of the limbs as fast as they can stoke the burn barrel.
After two Saturdays of burning, the pile is down to about half the size as it used to be. Only a few more sessions and we
should be able to get rid of the rest of the brush.
BATHROOM UPGRADE
For those that have seen the newly redone bathroom, you can thank Art and Mike for the work. Art took on the project of
removing the old broken toilet and replacing it with a new toilet. After that, Mike jumped in and basically refinished the
place. The old vanity and carpeting were removed to make way for a textured, painted concrete floor. The trim work on
the back wall was refinished and Mike then jumped in to repaint the whole room a lighter color. This place looks positively
great now, and works also! Thank you Mike and Art.
HIGH LINE BRIDGES
Joe has been working in his shop to complete two 6 foot long bridges that will be used on the back side of the track to
support the current and the High Line tracks. After welding a 2 ! inch strip to the 2 inch angle iron, Joe then welded 1” X
2” tube steel to the bottom for additional strength and stability. Note, the angle iron and the additional plate is " thick
material. The ends of the bridges will then set on 6” X 6” pressure treated timbers. This will allow almost 5’ of width under
the bridges to take care of any water that may flow under the bridges. In the second picture, the bridges are now getting
their coat of primer.
From primer to black paint, the two long bridges are now ready and have been moved out to the track so that they can be
installed whenever we can take the track out of service again for a couple of weeks.
SIGNAL SYSTEM
Along with the block signals for the four tracks on the south side of the passenger loading area, Bob Bogardus has also
finished the dwarf lighting system that shows the approach to the four tracks. In the picture below, if the light representing
the track is green a train can approach and take the block. If the light is red like the third light from the left is indicating,
then that means that a train is on that track and the train going up the hill should not enter that track. If you have a chance
to see this system in operation, day or night, it is very visible to engineers.
PEE WEE PARK BRIDGE UPGRADE
The crew of Art, Truman, Bob Bates, Les, Little John, and Joe has been working over the past several weeks to complete
the bridge over Truman’s Trench so that it can handle the two tracks (main and the siding) from Pee Wee Park as well as
the third track on the outside that will be for the High Line. In the first picture, Art and Bob are removing the old ties and
rotted base boards so that new boards can be installed. In the second picture, Art is cleaning out the ballast that crept in
over the top of the tie wall so that the beams can be leveled out across the bridge. Thanks to a much needed donation of
$500 by Bob Bogardus, the club was able to purchase all the materials needed to re-deck the bridge.
After installing the #8 switch for the siding, Les, Bob Bates and Truman start the process of building a ballast baffle on the
inside portion of the siding track around the pond to the Truman’s Trench Bridge. This will keep the ballast from washing
down the hill into the pond and also gives a safe distance from the track in case of a derailment in this area. Engineers will
not have to worry about equipment that could turn over and roll into the pond.
After installing the ballast baffles, the crew jumped right into putting the decking down on the bridge. After a long day, the
crew had to call it a day due to some aching muscles and a loss of light. It was a long day, but this crew did a heck of a lot
in just a short period of time.
On Veteran’s Day, the crew once again joined forces to complete the decking. Although the day started out dry, it did not
stay that way. However, the crew ignored the rain and persevered on.
When getting close to the North side of the bridge, we found that the stump on the East side of the bridge would be in the
way. To prevent the crew from slowing down, Truman indicated that he would take care of the problem. Truman being
Truman did what comes naturally to him. He reach down, grabbed the stump and after just a few super human pushes, he
ripped the stump out of the ground with his bare hands. I don’t know about you, but I am not going to mess with him! And
yes, here he is with his prized stump in hands ready for the burn pile.
And here is the crew after putting the last board down over the bridge. On the following Saturday (In the second picture)
Bob Bates is fitting a board to the end of the bridge that will keep the gravel from migrating down under the bridge. The
crew put these boards up on both sides of the bridge to keep the ballast in place.
With the decking completed and the ballast baffles installed on both ends of the bridge, it was time to connect both ends
of the rails back together again so that we can have a continuous track again. Bob Bates, Art, Truman and Little John are
seen putting all the pieces back together.
Rails attached and ballasted, now its time to take the train across the bridge to check everything out. Little John takes the
work train across and all is fine. Hold it, where did everybody else go?
NORTH TUNNEL FENCE INSTALLED
Art completed making the final section of the fence for the North Tunnel Portal and installed it the weekend after
Thanksgiving. This fence section completes the fencing at the North Tunnel Portal area. All it needs at this point is some
primer and black paint to finish it.
WARM WEATHER VISITOR
Folks, I just thought that I would mention that we do have visitors to our track like the one below in the picture. Although it
is a non-poisonous black snake which is good for eliminating the mouse and rat population that may be out there, you still
need to be aware that these critters are around. I found this guy while taking pictures of the projects this past weekend. As
I was standing near the top of the South Tunnel Portal, something moving caught my eye. By the time I put the camera
down, I could not see anything. However, after closer inspection of the drain hole in the planter that we have on top of the
tunnel, I saw something under the planter. After tipping the planter on the side, I saw our friend in this picture. This is what
a 4-5 foot black snake looks like curled in a pile. From what I could tell, he was enjoying the afternoon sunlight on top of
the portal stones. When I tipped the planter over, he realized that he had been found out and quickly departed the area
into the high grass in the neighbors adjoining property.
If for some reason you see something like this in your travels around the property, please do not try to pick it up or handle
it!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND NIGHT RUNNING
We are getting ready for the Annual Membership Meeting, Dinner and Christmas Light night run. This past weekend,
Harvey and Joe set out over 2,000 Christmas lights around various parts of the LOCO track. After we get finished with the
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annual members meeting and dinner on Saturday, December 12 , it will be time to do a bit of night running with
Christmas lights lighting up different portions of the track. We hope that all members will join us that evening with their
spouses and do a bit of night running to get into the Christmas spirit. HO, HO, HO!
FROM THE PREZ
This has been a good year at LOCO with many fun activities and continued participation by our members. Our fun runs
are well attended and the meals are great. We have had a good turnout of members that have helped with the
birthday parties, Sheriff’s picnic and Thomas the Tank events…and all have contributed greatly to our income.
Our members continue to amaze me with their ability to handle virtually all of our emergency, maintenance and
construction projects. How would we get along without them?
As many of you may know, I take hours of videos of our various activities and construction projects. We have
accomplished a lot this year and I plan to condense the videos down to one DVD and make copies for all that would like
one to see our accomplishments.
Our editor, Joe Fawcett turns out a newsletter that is the best club news letter in the country. I urge you to take the time to
review all twelve 2009 issues and you will see what has been accomplished this year.
The coming year should be equally exciting with the Southwest Live Steamers meet here in June and with the
construction of the High Line track.
Be sure to attend the December 12 annual meeting, dinner and Christmas light fun run afterwards!
Truman
NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
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TRAIN SHOW: December 5 and 6 is the annual train show at the fairgrounds. LOCO is once again going to have a
display of its trains and a picture taking booth to raise donations for the club. I’ve received names of volunteers to help,
but we can always use more help. Last year the train show had over 12,000 people attend over the two day period, and I
think we had an opportunity to talk to many of them. This year on the display side, I’m changing the format somewhat. I
would like to maximize the engine equipment that we can display while setting up the TV and video on tables in the back.
So far we have Jim Murray bringing MDM 1, John Reiff bringing his Chessie SW-1500, Tony Wasson bringing his Big
Blue, Joe Fawcett bringing the clubs Little Mack , riding car and a hand crank car or two, and Bill Cornelson bringing his
Rock Island FP-7. Double Aught will be finished and used for the photo op area and will be brought by Delbert and Brian.
Members can stand/sit out next to the engines, or behind the table and pass out mini-flyers that Harvey and Brenda
developed on how to get to the train track. We could also include track specific items for display on the tables…examples
of ties, rail, a set of trucks, couplers, kids hand car, and other such items representative of our scale. That way we could
minimize the set-up and tear down to just the picture display and off loading engines onto display racks.
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DECEMBER PUBLIC RUN DAY CANCELLED: The public run day for Dec 6 has been cancelled for this year. First, with
a majority of the members volunteering their time at the train show, we will not have enough people to safely run
operations out at the track. Secondly, the red train is currently out of service and is still awaiting repair parts to put it back
into service. Since the blue train does not support riding cars that adults can consistently, safely use; the blue train is not
an option for that day either.
RIDING CAR REPAIRS: For those regulars that have been going out to the track, we’ve been taking car after car out of
service for inspections, grease jobs and repairs as needed. After finding that 5 of the 8 wheels on the kids blue riding car
were loose after a long summer of run time, the crew of Joe, Truman and Art started inspecting car after car for defects.
After repairing and re-greasing the trucks on the blue train cars, the crew looked at the trucks on the other more
comfortable riding cars. Of the four cars looked at, only one set of trucks on one of the four cars only needed lubrication to
put it back into service. The other three cars have one or both trucks with bearing problems that must be resolved before
putting them back into service. Those that need more extensive repairs have been taken over to Dave Suenram to see if
he can make replacement parts. We should know more about these items in eth next week or two.
2010 LOCO MEMBERSHIP DUES: LOCO members need to start thinking about the annual dues for 2010. Dues can be
sent to Harvey Cannon our Treasurer. As you can see by the annual report, after we pay the insurance bill in December
and complete some of the other must pay actions, the club coffers will be close to zero again until we can get some dues
money back into our account and to pay some outstanding bills for ongoing club train equipment repairs. Dues must be
paid by the end of February 2010 in order to remain a member in good standing with the club. Those not paying by that
time will be dropped from the roles. Please send your dues as soon as possible to Harvey.
WINTERIZING THE PUBLIC FACILITIES: Winterization of the public restrooms is now 95% complete. I only need to
drain a few more water lines and add some antifreeze to a few more toilets to complete the job. Please DO NOT turn the
water on to the public rest rooms or try to use them until next spring. For our winter public runs, we will direct any public
that show up to the club house rest rooms if needed.
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ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING, DINNER AND CHRISTMAS LIGHT TRAIN RUN: On Saturday, Dec 12 , the club
will have its annual membership meeting and Christmas dinner at the LOCO club house for members and spouses (or
significant others as the case may be). This is to thank all the folks that have put their time and effort into the club for
another successful year and to also say thank you to the spouses that have let us support the club. Additionally, after the
meal is over we intend to enjoy some night train running with the 2,000 plus Christmas lights installed out at the track by
Joe and Harvey. Yes, that’s right; these two have put up string after string of white and multi-colored lights around the
track for your night running enjoyment. If the weather cooperates, this will definitely be a fun evening. So, come out and
enjoy it with us. Note, you will probably see some more email traffic over the next week or so for the event since we will
need to get an accurate head count of those that will be attending.
REMEMBER TO VOTE OR SEND IN YOUR ABSENTE BALLOT: Per email that went out to resident members weeks
ago, we need you to send in your approval ballot for the directors up for election. We need to have over 50% of the
membership ballots returned to make it an “official” ballot count. You can mail your ballot to Mike Rudd, email it to him, or
bring it to the annual membership meeting so that is can be counted. If you forget to bring yours with you to the meeting,
we should have extras available for you to fill out.
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BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGE GROUP: On Saturday, December 19 from 10 Am to 2 PM, LOCO is hosting a group of
Boy Scouts (4-5 Scouts and 4-5 parents) at the track to help them earn their railroading merit badge. Joe Fawcett will be
heading the effort, but needs a few more folks to help him out with the activities. We will start in the morning with some
DVDs or videos of trains thru time (steam to diesel) and then move the scouts outside to fill up the ballast cars manually.
They then get to push the cars all the way up the hill and connect them to the blue engine so they can run it down the hill
and see how difficult it is to stop a loaded train. After that we can break for lunch. After lunch if someone can explain the
operation of the clubs steam engine to them we will then try to get each scout some hands-on engineering training with
whatever equipment we have running. If other members would like to volunteer the use of their equipment, I know the
Scouts would appreciate it. If you can help, please let Joe know as soon as possible.
JOE
UPCOMING EVENTS
DECEMBER
JANUARY
5 – Train Show (No BOD meeting)
2 – BOD Meeting
6 – Train Show/(Public Run Day Canceled)
3 – Public Run day
12 - Members/Spouse Annual Meeting and Christmas Dinner 9 – Club Work Day
19 – Boy Scout Troop at LOCO (10 AM – 2 PM)
10 – Club Fun Run and Pot Luck Dinner
ABOUT LOCO
Track Address
29626 SE 104th St.
McLoud, OK 74851
Directors
TRUMAN HEFNER
President
CARL BOGARDUS
Vice President
SUSAN CAREY
Board Member
MARSHALL LEE
Board Member
HARVEY CANNON
Treasurer
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS
Resident -- $100
Associate -- $25 (anyone living more than 60 miles from the LOCO facility)
MIKE RUDD
Secretary