THE TWO FOOTERS                                       

The GO&P was established in 1957 on two acres in Lantana, Florida.  As properties next door became available, they were purchased, and the railroad expanded from the original 1000 feet to 2000 feet long loop on four acres.  The GO&P is 2-foot gauge using 30-lb rail with concrete and wooden ties.

The neighborhood has changed considerably so started looking for a larger piece of property in 2002.  Finally, we settling on a 10-acre parcel located behind Bruce Elder and Bill Koster in Sebring, Florida.  This is roughly 1-1/2 hours south of Orlando.

The new track plan was laid out first then the house and barn was positioned accordingly.  Tara wondered why the house was being place where it is, but I think she knew all along the priority.  The new track plan calls for 3000 feet of two-foot gauge track and as we are also into the 7-1/2” gauge, will also have about 1000 feet of that gauge tying into the Sebring Systems of Bruce’s and Bill's.

The old track had one tight radius of 35 ft with the others at 50 ft.  One reason for finding a larger property is to be able to open the radiuses to 75 ft to 100 ft.  This will allow other larger equipment to operate.  One note that should be mentioned is, due to the large flanges on the 12-ton Vulcan, park equipment may not be able to run here unless they have a wide wheel tread.  We plan to fill the frogs so that the narrow flanges can pass through them by riding on the flange and not drop into the gap at the point. 

The new track is a balloon to balloon with a yard in between.  The basic bird's eye view would reveal a semi ‘S’ configuration.  Each balloon will have a spring switch so that each time you go around in the opposite direction.  The yard will actually be two yards together.  If I can describe this correctly, when approaching from the south, the track passes straight with the yard leads turning off to the right.  At the north end of the yard, the track will diverge to the left onto the main continuing on up to the upper west loop.  After traversing the loop and heading back down the hill, you would enter the yard from the north.  The track passes straight with these yard leads turning off to the right.  At the end of the yard, the track will diverge to the left onto the main.  This produces two different yards, but, by convenience, they are next to each other.  Example: To go from one yard to the other by trackage, one would have to proceed out of the east yard and go around the west loop and back to the west yard.

The new property is old Florida sandy pine ridge.  The track was laid out to miss the trees and follow cow paths as much as possible, giving the motto for the new place: “Trails to Rails”. A good percentage of the sand pine trees have now been lost to the hurricanes of the last few seasons.  A few remain along with the typical scrub and palmettos.  So now it will be easier to make room for the track without the concern for trees.

The GO&P name came from my Great Grandfather.  They had a fish house on Lake Worth and would transport the iced down fish up to the Lantana (Florida East Coast) station for trains north.  To make this task easier, they found some old rail and a flat push car and laid tracks up to the station.  As this was purely a leg-strong and hand-pushing affair, they called it the Get Off and Push RR.  Dad wanted to keep its memory alive and also liked the initials (with his sense of humor): GO&P.  Our logo will stay the same with added wording below “Sebring Division”.

The house foundation has been poured and some walls are up. End of February should have the barn foundation poured with the metal being delivered sometime in March.

Motive Power #4.  Inside, Son Chad and Bruce Elder, at Jax Track.

Motive Power #3, 12 ton 1936 Vulcan

If anyone is in the Sebring/central Florida area and would like to give a hand relaying 2-ft or 7-1/2” gauge, give a shout out to see the work schedule.

 edarcher@bellsouth.net

Like those billboards that say  “Does Advertising Work – Just Did”.  Are you enjoying another issue of  The Two Footers?  Do you like to read about two-foot railroads, progress and events?  Enjoy seeing pictures of what others are doing?  So does everyone else!   Consider sharing a couple photos of your two-foot railroad, or rides or trips to two-foot lines. No email, no computer, don’t like to type/write, no problem!  I would be happy to scan in your pictures and type up your story for your.  Just call any evening,  Frolin,  (210) 655-1400. 

Picture shows the new curve I am replacing on my railroad. In the picture, on the right is old curve alignment, and on the left is the new rail I have bent up to replace the old.  I will remove the steel ties in the old curve and reuse them in the new curve and alignment.

When I think of toy trains, I think of those plastic models so many have in their basements.  I would be hesitant to admit that those special hobbiests who have a large ride on trains have toys.  I would certainly not call a working railroad hauling passengers and freight from origination to destination a toy.  Yet, here in India, if it is less than five foot six broad gauge, it is a toy train.

The day after New Years 2008, my family and I went in search of one of the toy train lines.  There are four famous toy trains in India.  Two are 610-mm gauge: the 86-km Darjeeling Himalayan in the north east and the 21-km Matheran Hill Railway in west central India.  While the Darjeeling is the most famous of the hill station railways, the Matheran holds its own for 'charm.' 

The MHR is a commuter line owned and operated by the National Indian Railways from the broad gauge station at Neral to the tourist hill station of Matheran.  Matheran is one of the few places in the world where cars are not allowed, transportation in town is horseback, rickshaw or walking.  This dusty mountain town features several lookout points, some restful, if basic, hotels, and many shops selling food, warm clothing and sandals.

Halfway between Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune, it is possible to take a train from either place, or, as we did, rent a car and driver.  Our goal was to not have to wake up as early as we would had if we had taken the train yet still make it to Neral before the 10:15 train departure.  Unfortunately we ran late, and, rather than the 1.5-hour train ride up the mountain, we had to suffer with a 15-minute trip by car to the outskirts of the town from where we walked, arriving at the station just moments after the up bound NDM-1 551 pulling six cars we had wanted to take.

Once at the station we quickly found out that a ride down requires a long wait in the Q to buy a ticket first come first serve.  Nancy, bless her heart, waited in line for over an hour to pay the 38 rupee fare for me to ride down, she and Anna had to return by horseback to the car and be driven down. 

Loco 551 and Train at Matheran Station.

I used the wait time to take many photos.  When the call to board came, I was ready and in my seat, unlike most people.  The train lurched forward a couple meters then waited while the last of the passengers scrambled to get on; then we were off down the line.  The first kilometer is a gentle downhill grade to a flag stop station near the car park.  The next ½ km is through forests.  From the next 8 miles, the tracks clung to the side of the mountain, twisting and turning showing with good reason why this line was 610 mm.

The line has a ruling grade of 5%, and, though some websites state it has switchbacks, they are instead very tight hairpin turns not train reversing stop and go features.  The tracks loop back and forth down the east side of the mountain, crossing the road several times.  A flagman walked down the road to protect the train at each of these crossings.

Train slowed down to allow wildlife to pass ahead of it.

I was surprised to see maintenance crews burning the grass along side the right of way as it was the dry season.  It was not surprising that a bull chose to cross one of the bridges ahead of the train slowing down our progress. 

I took many pictures and videos of the ride, and details of the train.  Yet still, due to limitations of battery and memory, I did not capture as much information as I desired. I also was expecting to find the more technical information of the line in a book or website, but the information is lacking.

Workers pushing the Guard Van at Neral.  41-pound rail and cast iron ties are seen in the background.

Matheran is not seen as a destination for toy trains, thus it was a challenge to convey that I cared more about the little railway than the town.  If I had it to do over again, I am confident that it would not take much to get a first-class tour and treatment by the lines staff if I spent several days at Matheran.  I bet this could even include a more behind the scenes look at the operations. 

There is one tunnel, 36-m long, aptly called 'One Kiss' at one of the bends, a video from my Olympus FE-240 can be found at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-try5cHEUU  from there you can search for Matheran and find other videos.  Some of my still photos can also be found on the web at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/r.devries.family/MatheranTrain

Ryan DeVries.
A narrow gauge railfan living in Chennai India.

Last Atlantic Canadian snowfall was March 21st, and that just happened to be a good day to cross the open lake now that the ice has melted for another summer season.  We checked in as we do often to see the snow almost melted and the feel the warm sun cracking through the trees.  As a follow up to my last entry, you will now note the completion of our ‘scrappy spur’ made up of our lightest and oldest mix match of rail.  We started down the hill at 4% on #30, #25, #20 rail, into a #30 switch with the leg made of #16 scraps that will double as a storage area for rail.  We run out on the level for 100’ or so beyond the switch with some really scrappy welded and patched rail where the roadbed widens to well over 10’.  There are lots of curves on the slope to stop a runaway or at least slow it to a brisk walk at the least.  Our loco in neutral stops in the switch if we let it run free from the station site at the end of the main line (top of hill) so we feel reasonably safe.

On the last stretch to the lake at 4% we used nearly new #12 that was once a runway for an apple sorting machine that we were fortunate to acquire.  When we get within 80’ of the water, we quickly change up to #40 on steel ties so we will have a solid base to bolt the barge to and offer the high spring water a bigger challenge to rust or the odd piece of ice during the March spring melt that may catch the track coming down the river.  In addition, if there is blocking required to meet the barge in higher water, the track has some added rigidity.  We have a solid #40 derail here on steel ties just to slow a runaway in the event something breaks loose if you look closely.  We hope never to be launched into the lake at 4% and won’t be admitting or talking about it if we do. This is a non passenger area, and we only plan to come down the hill when bringing in supplies and new equipment.

Note the concrete rebar posts that will form the base for our soon to be built station at the end of the main line/start of scrappy spur. 

The little yard is soon to see the addition of a small manual turntable which will gain us entry to both stalls and be built directly in front of the storage shed.

 Two Foot Railroad:

Full size 2-foot gauge railroad: 1926 Plymouth, 4-ton gas mechanical locomotive; 16-ft flat car; mine car; Golf Kart on rails, 475 feet of laid track; 30 sets of wheels, axles, bearings; 2 switches.

Plus 7 1/2 “ gauge:

A 7 ½” gauge, 1 1/2” scale, riding train: 5-hp loco, flat car, boxcar, gondola, caboose, plans, castings, patts, 100ft circle of rail, 100ft straights.

Call Bob  (724) 452-8226

Wheel Sets:  

24-inch wheel sets. 

Three have 12” wheels with 2” square axles and roller bearings. One set is 16” speeder wheels.   

 Asking $200 OBO 

 Call  Jim Hayes    (989) 743-3279

Wheels, Axles, Trucks: 

Narrow gauge wheel sets
4 Axles with wheels and roller bearings, 42” gauge
5 Axles with wheels, 36” gauge
- $500 each
2 complete 24” gauge trucks
- $1,500 each

Call  Peter Bouley
  (401) 710-7373

0-6-0,  24” gauge steam outline tank style engine. This is a project loco that was started by Custom Locomotive in Chicago. It will make a super locomotive. It has CNC 1 1/4" flame burnt frame, 24” dia 4140 cast steel wheels, cow catcher is done, cab is done, boiler is rolled, needs engine, hydraulics, wiring & paint to be done.  Price as shown $15,000.  What you see is what you get.  Located in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Call  Don Guill   (513) 582-1674

The Two Footers
534 Armory Road
St. Marys, PA  15857

tpbauer@alltel.net
or
tom@thetwofooters.com

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