RIDING RAILWAYSNEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2006

Riding Railway News-letter is published eachmonth by Robinson &Associates as a specialservice to our paid sub-scribers of the GrandScales Quarterly and7+RAILROADER maga-zines.

Robinson & AssociatesPO Box 8953

Red Bluff, CA 96080 USA530-527-0141

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www.7plusrailroader.com

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© 2006, Robinson &Associates

Reedley Railfest has come and gone. Sean and Melissa Bautista put this event onthemselves, though it was similar to our convention last year. The highlight forthe Robinson family was the return of Frank Allen’s Sonoma to service. Sean

worked with the California State Railroad Museum to bring the locomotive and tender,on loan from the museum, to Hillcrest for the weekend. Not only did Greg have theopportunity to work on it in the museum shops, but he was able to run it repeatedly, andquite contentedly, all weekend. Our thanks to the Hillcrest crew and to the museum stafffor making this possible. Regards,

Susan

RAILROADER GrandGrand ScalesScalesQ u a r t e r l y

RIDING RAILWAYS

COMO ROUNDHOUSE PRODUCTS?

We receive many, many phone calls inquiring about the late RudyVan Wingen and his Como Roundhouse products. Rudy’s death

was a big loss for the live steam community but his product line contin-ues to be available. Paul Lavacote has purchased Como, as well asConway Locomotives, and is using the name RIDGEWAY ROUNDHOUSE PRODUCTS. Those of you who were at the TM Triennial nodoubt had the opportunity to meet Paul. If you would like to learn more,please contact Paul directly at 909-628-9601 or via e-mail at LMWP-BL@hotmail.com. His mailing address is 12188 Central Ave. Unit 558,Chino, CA 91710-2420.

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FFRRAANNKK AALLLLEENN’’SS SSOONNOOMMAAThis article is reprinted from Vol 10#4 of the 7+RAILROADERmagazine. The magazine itself is no longer available but wethought some of you might enjoy this article on how Frank builtthe Sonoma. –ed]

Frank had always enjoyed trains. For a short whileduring high school he had worked in the shops ofthe Northwestern Pacific in Tiburon, California

and he had ridden the NWP electric cars to and fromschool.

For a young man just back from serving aboard shipduring WWII, though, railroads couldn’t hold the sameexcitement as race cars. The rumbling exhaust of theuneven idle. The smell of burnt rubber. The scream ofmachines always on the brink of self destruction. And thebrotherhood of men enjoying expensive and dangeroustoys. These lures would satisfy Frank’s urge to buildmachinery for over three decades.

When he was in his 50’s, though, he began to wonderwhat it would be like to build something that wouldn’ttear itself to pieces. One day he went by the RedwoodValley Railway (15” gauge, Berkeley, California) andsaw the equipment built by Erich Thomsen and crew. Hechatted with Erich for a while and left for home thinking,“That would be fun, I’d like to build one of those.” Bestof all, a 15” gauge, 5” scale steam locomotive is unlike-ly to slam into a wall at over 100 mph.

People often comment about how supportive and coop-erative Frank’s wife Mary is about his railroad obsession/hobby. Frank says it’s simple to get your wife to liketrains. Build race cars for over thirty years first.

Following Erich’s example he began to create a coupleof freelance designs of his own. As Frank admits, “It justwasn’t working”. Erich advised him to find a narrowgauge engine that appealed to him, and use that as a pro-totype. A trip to the relatively new California StateRailroad Museum (Sacramento) gave him just the sourcehe needed: the Sonoma. It was an 1870’s Baldwin model

8-18C 4-4-0. It had all the character and flare of the bestVictorian era steam in America. What made it the perfectchoice was that it had run on the North Pacific Coast,predecessor of the Northwestern Pacific, his “home-town” railroad. Frank’s engine has since participated intwo international Railfair’s in Sacramento.

THE DESIGN

The Museum had very detailed drawings for the partsof the engine that had to be recreated, such as the origi-nal wooden cab, the balloon stack, and many smallermiscellaneous parts. Unfortunately, there was nothing onthe rest of the engine. Frank’s search for plans from othersources was in vain. Later he did find a source of copiesfor many of the original Baldwin drawings, but he wasvirtually done with the engine by then.

Living in Orland, California he was 100 miles north ofSacramento and the Museum. He estimates putting10,000 miles on his truck driving down to get “just a fewmore measurements”. The museum staff soon becameaccustomed to Frank showing up with a notebook and atape measure. He was allowed to crawl on and around theengine in a fashion normally frowned upon.

Frank wanted to build a very accurate model, which hesucceeded in doing. In a couple of instances it was per-haps too accurate. The frame of the original engine wasmade from layers of wrought iron strap. It was flexible.Frank’s instincts from race car construction led him tobuild strong and light. He used square structural tubingto recreate the frame of the prototype. Like the original,it is strong and flexible. It does not, unfortunately, addthe extra weight so much desired on live steam engines.Were he to do it again, he says he would use solid barstock or plate.

He would also build the valves differently. He neverdiscussed valves with Erich or the other members of theRedwood Valley crew. They cast their valve bodies tolook like nineteenth century slide-D valves, but the guts

contain nice “modern” piston valves.The deception worked. Frank assumedthey were regular slide valves. He builtslide valves. They work well, but proba-bly do use up a bit of the engine’s horse-power.

CONSTRUCTION

Frank has a lifetime of experiencewelding odd shapes of steel together.But he doesn’t consider himself much ofa woodworker. For the sake of time andexpense, he found it better to fabricateas many parts as possible. He had only

“the screamof machinesalways onthe brink ofdestruction”

“to get yourwife to liketrains, buildrace carsfor 30 yearsfirst.”

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planned to buildone locomotive,so most patternswould end upmaking only oneor perhaps twoparts.

The few cast-ings used werefor drivers, tender

truck wheels, steam domes covers, valve body covers,the smokebox door, the steps, and the bell harp. Some ofthe patterns were make by Frank, and others came fromhis friend Bill Fahey.

Initially the drivers were going to be cast in iron, thengiven steel tires. When the time came, though, it wasdecided to cast the centers and tires as one piece of steel.There is a step that gives the appearance of a separatetire, but it is all one casting. Years from now when theflanges are too thin to be reshaped, the flange and treadwill be turned down to what would be the center. A newsteel tire will be shrunk and welded into place.

The cylinders are 6” tubing with1/2” walls. They are welded to asaddle made of 1/2” plate. Fakeflanges were put in the center ofthe saddle to simulate the seam oftwo castings. The joke is that fiftyyears from now some poor guyswill spend half a day try to breakthat saddle in two! The valvebody was fabricated from plateand solid stock. It is supported above the cylinders bycurved plates welded to form the steam passages. Thereal valves are hidden by an accurately proportioned pol-ished brass box and cast iron cover.

The base of the smoke stack, an item traditionally cast,was also fabricated. A thick steel plate was cut thencurved in a press to very near the radius of the boilershell. Then it was turned on the lathe to get an exactmatch. The pilot wheels were hogged out of 2 1/2” plate.

Only the portions of the steam and sand domes with thedouble curves at the top were cast. The bases and theother shapes were built up from plates of various thick-ness that were flame cut and turned on a large lathe.

There were a few parts of the engine that Frank haddone outside his shop. Since he wanted to be able to haulthe public at some point in the future he chose to havethe boiler made at an ASME certified shop: Dixon BoilerWorks in Los Angeles. The Stephenson links were milledby Ed Yungling. And the wooden cab was built by afriend with a cabinet shop.

The prototype engine was originally a wood burner.Frank wasn’t interested in chopping that much wood.His Sonoma is an oil burner. The atomizer is a “dribble”type designed by Erich. A small slot emits a spray ofsteam and the oil is allowed to flow by gravity on top ofthe spray and is thus atomized. Like all oil fires it can besucked out, if the fire is cut low then pulled by a heavyexhaust.

The colors of the locomotive were made with the samewell-researched recipes used by the Museum. The styl-ish pin stripes and lettering were added by an artistfriend, and they too match the prototype design exactly.Construction was completed in eight years.

The Sonoma is a gem of a locomotive. It elicits heart-felt oohs and ahhs from visitors. During its debut at the1991 Railfair, one of Frank’s friends, helping to endless-ly wipe carbon soot and oil off the paint and brass, said,“I’m beginning to see why they started painting thesethings black!” But in the end it is well worth the work.

A recent addition to the engine is the air pump. It wasbuilt in the shops of a friend’s 15” gauge railroad. Thesound of its slow breathing really helps the Sonomacome to life. Frank built a hydrostatic lubricator for it,and it took a while to find the balance between a pumpsqueaking from lack of oil and a pump that showered theengineer with cylinder oil. Fortunately a happy mediumhas been established.

When the subject of cost comes up, there is an indica-tion that spousal support may have it’s limits. “I neverkept track . . . if I knew how much I spent on this engineI would probably jump off a bridge. If my wife knewhow much I spent, I wouldn’t have to jump.”

OPERATIONS

The Sonoma will soon begin her tenth year of operat-

Loco #: 12Home Ry.: ON&PGauge: 15”Builder/Owner: Frank AllenConstruct. began: 1983Wheel Arrange: 4-4-0Prototype: NPC #12Baldwin 8-18C, 1874model, built 1876Cylinder Size: 5” x 63/4”Valve Gear: StephensonMain Bearings: BrassWater Capacity: 74 gal.

Name: SonomaLettered as: NPCScale: 5”Fuel: Oil (diesel)Completed: 1991Couplers: Link & PinOverall Length: 18’ 4”Working Weight: 4500 lbs.Boiler Press: 170 psiDriver Dia: 17 1/2”Valve Type: SlideBoiler Tubes: 49 - 1” dia.Tender Trucks: 2 4 -wheelFuel Capacity: 25 gal.

LocomotiveProfile

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ing for the public. As with any locomotive there havebeen small adjustments and modification that have need-ed to be made. A baffle in the steam dome has helpedreduce priming. The solid blades in the Stephenson valvegear have been replaced with adjustable ones, perfectingthe timing. The engine runs very well.

The large cylinders supply ample power to pull a pas-senger train loaded with fifty adults plus childrenjammed in every nook and cranny. Once the train isunderway, though, it is helpful to notch up on the Johnsonbar. It saves a lot of steam.

A few unfortunate derailings and at least one cornfieldmeet have proven that Frank’s frame is sufficientlydurable. During one a switch stand shifted a little due torusted lag bolts and deteriorated ties. For the next pass ofthe train, the points were thrown neither one direction northe other. The hapless engineer (who shall remain name-less) went for a ride across country between the diverg-ing routes. The engine slammed over 12 lb. rails and 4x4

ties. All eight wheels of the engine and all eight wheelsof the tender were on the ground. The only damage sus-tained was a minor bending of the bottom bar on thepilot. This happened during the re-railing by the exasper-ated crew. Otherwise the engine was entirely unharmed.

Only a couple major changes are slated for the nearfuture. A new mechanical lubricator for the cylinders willeither be bought or built. The “temporary” ones havebeen working for a decade. Some touch up painting of thepin stripes needs to be done in preparation for the 50thAnniversary of the Redwood Valley Railway.

If you would like to see the Sonoma running, come tothe Glenn County Fairgrounds in Orland, California. Therailroad runs on the weekends in the Spring and Fall. Fordetails you can call 530-865-9747.

Author Greg Robinson is the new editor of the 7+ Railroaderand a regular engineer on the Sonoma. He is proud to callFrank Allen a good friend and to call the Orland Newville &Pacific his home railroad. (Photos: Collection of the ON&P)

“The hap-less engi-neer wentfor a rideacrosscountry. . .”

Frank tightensthe last bolt in1991.

The Sonomaposes next to the“Bud Switcher”,the ONP’s fourwheel side-rodDavenport.

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DDRRAAWWIINNGGSS FFRROOMM TTHHEE 77++ AARRCCHHIIVVEESSThese Two Foot Galbe-Bottom Side-Dump car drawings come from Vol III, No. 4 of the 7+Narrow Gauger

(the former name of the 7+RAILROADER). Enjoy!

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Dan Crean, Cornelius, NC cleans 900 real miles of road scum off nose of G-16 No. 680 after Golden SpikeCeremonies at Lexington, IL opening Oct 1st, 2006 of the B&W RR owned by Charles Wright. Cathy Jugle,

Elmhurst, IL looks on as Dan works on train she rode in 1955 at Lincoln Park in Chicago, IL.. No. 680 probably didanother scale 900 miles in run at B&W RR after inaugural run of Milwaukee Road G-16No. 784, freshly restored byTroy Whitley of Yankton, SD. A good time was had by all.

STEAM ON THEMOUNTAIN DVD

There aren't many placesleft where a steam enginecan be seen working onthe very rails it did whenit was brand new. In

Steam on the Mountain you'll see a 1914Baldwin Mikado working the samegrades in the shadow of the same moun-tain it saw over ninety years ago. You'llride in the cab with the engineer and thefireman as they reign in the power of aloud, bucking "iron horse". You'll seeclose-up shots of the powerful driverods and steel wheels. You'll enjoy thedramatic scenery and hearing the engi-neer describe what it's like to run asteam engine over a railroad he hasworked on for decades. And there is nosound in the world like a lonesomesteam whistle echoing through the pinetrees. $19.95 plus shipping.

TEXAS LIVE STEAM DVD

Come on y’all and visitthree of the nicest 7.5”gauge railroads in theglorious state of Texas!You’ll be impressed with

the size and quality of Nick Edward’snewly built Wimberley Blanco &Southern. You’ll learn about large scaleOperations at Roy Pickard’s down-homeComanche & Indian Gap. And you’llreally enjoy the welcoming atmosphereat Terry McGrath’s Annetta Valley &Western. A must for Texans and foranyone interested in seeing how livesteam railroading should be done. $29.95 plus shipping

PACIFIC COAST RRROUND UP DVD

The Pacific Coast is aprivate railroad on the

Central California coast. It is opened tothe public only once each year, as a fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo RailwayMuseum. This DVD takes you aboardthe charming narrow gauge train. It fea-tures vintage steam engines (includingthe one that was in the opening shots ofDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman TV showwith Jane Seymour). The coaches aregenuine Disney coaches - the firstcoaches to be used in service atDisneyland. Great for railfans, narrowgaugers, families, Disney enthusiastsand anyone else who would just enjoy agood show. Approx. 1 hour with bonusfeatures. $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping

ORDER TODAY

530-527-0141Robinson & Associates

PO Box 8953, Red Bluff, CA96080 USA

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REEDLEYRAILFEST!

Left: Al Di Paoloof the CaliforniaState RRMuseum runsthe Sonoma.

Right: RodPlaisted’s funnew Circus Car.

Left: Chris Allanand friend runthe JoshuaTree &Southern shay.

Right: RedwoodValley Railway’sKen Pimlottruns the No. 11over the trestle.

Left: The beau-tifully restoredMarie E.

Right: Formallyof BellGardens, thisdiesel will soonmake it’s homeat the ATT&NW.

Left & Right:Hillcrest hadseveral staticdisplays avail-able, includingthese trucksand this newShay boilerunder construc-tion by aHillcrest crewmember.

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GIFT SHOPGRAND SCALES QUARTERLY MUGS

These attractive ceramic mugs are just the thing you need! Grab a fewto use while sitting around the engine and sharing railroad stories withyour buddies. Maroon with a tasteful white design. $5 each or 4 for $16.00 (call for shipping prices)

COLLECTABLE HAT PINS

Beautiful pins that are perfect for your hat (or shirt orbag or???) Choose from three styles: top, which saysGrand Scales Quarterly; Middle, which features onlythe locomotive, or the 7+Railroader pin. Each only $5or 5 for $20. A small gift that is appropriate for all ofyour train buddies! (Even the wives like these!)

EMBROIDERED HATVery classy and nice looking hat. Beige with dark bluebill. The locomotive and words are embroidered. Willmake anyone who wears it instantly more attractive!(Ok, maybe that can’t be proved but it is very attrac-tive!) Only $15 each for this high quality specimen.

Call 530-527-0141 to order any of these items.