Went To The Train Museum in Portola, California Yesterday, BEWARE: Dial up death...

Had a BLAST on this ride. Yesterday, for just a couple of bucks worth of gas in the Harley, we went on a 140 mile round trip starting out heading for the train museum in Portola, California. We then headed down to Truckee, California from the north. We rode through some of the prettiest country I've ever seen in my life, and we stopped in tiny little one mule towns and had a cold one at the local pump. What an absolute riot. It sure was fun. So, here's some pictures from our stop at the train museum....

... always need to get a pic of the rides... all three are Dynas...





... and this is what that plaque is talking about...



... Al had to go down to the other end of it and I stood in the front, to give you an idea just long this thing really is...



... Brother Bobby, the real train fanatic...



... Brother Al standing on the front of one of the nicely restored engines, that is VERY orange...



... Al noticed this little crane and wanted a pic of him in it to send to his uncle, who is a crane operator, notice he's really got his act down, he's even pulling on the levers...



... and something you won't see in many places other than here, because up in the high Sierra mountains, they get a LOT of snow, and this is how they remove it from the tracks, a FREIGHT TRAIN SNOW BLOWER...



... heading down between one of the rows and rows of engines and cars...









... the controls at one of the passenger train engines...



... and the engine inside it... a V-16 deseil with dual superchargers...



... inside the shop...



... and last but not least, the sign out at the back end of the yard...

I like the snowblower. You may need one in Wis....

Southern Man wrote:I like the snowblower. You may need one in Wis....

Indeed, or something very similiar.

I do plan on buying an older ton Chevy or GMC, dually, 4X4 and putting an 8' Western hydroturn snow plow on it. Makes clearing your own shit easy as pie, and you can usually make some decent money on the side plowing out other people and places.

When I was in NY I had the driveway from hell. It was 150’ long, gravel, and ran N-S. To the west was my neighbor, then a corn field. My neighbor’s driveway was similar.

We averaged 110” of snow per year so very quickly the driveway became a trench about 2 to 3 feet deep. The wind was constant, from the west, so even a light snow would come off that field and fill in the trench in as little as 45 minutes. And due to the shearing effect of the wind on the snow, the fill was dense and hard. Nearly every day for months the routine was: clear the trench, drive the cars out to work, shop for what you need on the way home, park in the street while you clear, then get the cars in the garage for the night.

I had a ’90 Bronco that I ordered from the factory with 4WD and traction-lock on both axles, for my wife to drive. The first time she tried to get in without the trench clear it rode right up on the skid plates with all four wheels 4” off the gravel.

For attempt #1 I bought a plow for my 1956 International Cub tractor, plus 4 wheel weights (150# each) and chains. This was not a midget grass cutter that you see today but an actual small farm tractor with a cast iron engine block- transmission- differential and pinion gears. Weights plus tractor totaled in about 1800#, 800 of which were in the wheels. The machine was useless in a snow more than 6” deep, and I had to ram and back-bladed anything more. By the time you made it to the street the snow would re-fill the driveway near the house.

For attempt #2 I bought an 8hp walk-behind snow blower, used from a local dealer. It worked OK but lacked power, and seized it up the third time I used it. But I did get my money back.

For attempt #3 I went to Sears and bought the biggest blower that they had, 10HP Tecumseh, 120V electric start, track drive, $700. I could clear the driveway in 45 minutes, shooting the snow over the power line (back to God) to spread downwind across the east side of my property. The ’93 blizzard dumped 43 inches and I cleared the driveway, out to the barn (another 100’), plus my path to the wood pile in 4 hours. I had to replace the short-block after 4 years, but when I moved I sold the machine for $350.

My neighbor had a 4WD Dodge pickup and installed a Western plow. This was also his daily driver so he paid the penalty in gas daily, plus the rig was front-heavy and was unstable on the road. In anything but a light snow he had to ram and back-blade, and it took him much longer than the 45 minutes that it took me with a walk-behind. Plus he beat the crap out of his vehicle.

The only problem with my rig was the cold. When it’s 10 below and 40mph wind , 45 minutes of exposure can be a near death experience. After several seasons of trial and error my outfit was: insulated Carhart overalls over my regular clothes, two pairs of socks, one heavy wool, inside 3/4” felt lined “Bean” boots, a down parka with head cover, a knit wool hat under the head cover, and gloves under oversize insulated leather mittens.

Good story. Good info SM.

You should have put up a snow fence pard.

I don't anticipate snow like that, and definitely not the wind. I'll be in a wooded setting, and trees can block out a lot of wind. And the reason I'll buy a ton truck is for the heavy dutiness of it. I can add to the front suspension if needed to handle the eight foot plow, and throw seven, eight hundred pounds of sand bags in the rear, and it should be good. That won't be my daily driver either. It will be my snow plow/work truck. Even with that, I do believe it will be a good idea to supplement that with a fair sized snow blower. I know there'll be places I won't be able to get with the plow, like up the front side walk, and I'm not into shoveling. I had a medium sized snow blower years ago, and the first time I blew out my driveway with it back in Wisconsin, the neighbor came out and asked if I'd blow his out, I said sure, for $20. It was an instant deal. They do work excellent, and your big tracked job sounds great. I see them on craigslist here all the time. Up around Lake Tahoe and Truckee they get lots of snow, and the snow blower is the favorite way to remove it. I also see snow blowers with wind shields. Kind of like little cabs. They also make snow blowers that go on the front of lawn tractors, which is what I'm thinking I'll look into, and then put some kind of cab on the tractor, no doubt a John Deere.

You seem to forget Pale that I'm a civil engineer and therefore a real geek about things like that. I read up on snow fences and one year put one exactly where it was recommended, based on wind velocity and direction. It created a berm of snow that swallowed up my driveway, and increased the depth of the trench about 2'.

I doubt that you will have problems with your rig though. You shouldn’t see nearly the amount of snow in Wisconsin as we had in NY. It was mostly “lake effect” stuff from Lake Ontario.

Wow... no, I never knew you were a Civil Engineer. Outstanding.

I thought of a snow fence because when I drove semi, you see them all over out west, like in Wyoming where the wind blows nonstop and it snows feet not inches, and along through the western plains. They appear to work out there keeping the drifting off the interstate.

In recent past years Wisconsin hasn't gotten squat for snow. But then a year like last year comes along and dumps a record amount of snow, just to remind you that yes, you are up north and it does snow here. I guess the best thing to do is to just BE READY.

Snow fences create a deposition parallel to and downwind of the fence. The resulting berm will protect the area further downwind by forcing the wind above windshield level. I think they are used to help reduce blinding crosswinds more than anything else.

In coastal areas they use them to build up beaches, from blowing sand.

NY had a snow drought until I moved there. In the 11 years that we lived there, we broke the annual record 6 times and the 100 year average increased 10%.

My wife hated the weather up there, and with good reason. When my son was 5 months in her womb she slid off the road and hit a tree at 50mph. When he was 18 months old she parked the car on the street and waded to the house in thigh-deep snow, dragging him on his back in his snow suit. When I got home later she was crying, as she thought that she wasn’t going to make it into the house, and they could have died out there. And she’s no weak ninny either. She played NCAA Division I sports on the nationally ranked level.

Hooooleeeee sheep shit man.... I'm afraid I wouldn't have lasted long there.

I grew up in Wisconsin. What I remember that I hated more than the snow is the cold. But now, since I'm retired, I have the ability to just pick up and take off for Florida if it gets to me, and I'm sure it will. It always did. The long nights, the cold. I mean the first snow is usually always "pretty." I like a "white Christmas." But along after New Years I'm already starting to get sick of it, and a month or two in Florida would cure that right quick.

I like the snow and especially to ski. There were three decent areas within 20 minutes, and we could cross country out the back door 4 months out of the year. But the daily grind of dealing with it, and the salt on cars and all the damage that did just wears on you.

Southern Man wrote:I like the snow and especially to ski. There were three decent areas within 20 minutes, and we could cross country out the back door 4 months out of the year. But the daily grind of dealing with it, and the salt on cars and all the damage that did just wears on you.

That's why my '97 GMC "rust free" truck will be an oddity in Wisconsin. People will give that a good look over and wonder why it isn't a rust bucket, because all it takes is about ten years on Wisconsin roads in the winter, and that's what they'll be. I'll have to tell them it's a Nevada truck, and has never seen salt. That truck will never see a winter Wisconsin road either.... EVER! It will get parked in the garage. I'll have vehicles intended solely for winter use, and vehicles for summer. I hear ya about the freagin salt pard.



I've only skied once in my life, and that was down hill. Most of my winter "recreation" involves something to do with a "motor," like a snowmobile, and I'll have to have one or two of those.

I used to keep my dream machine stored in the barn over the winter and drove a '69 F100 "winter rat". My good car still rusted. The salt is in the damn air up there.

Southern Man wrote:I used to keep my dream machine stored in the barn over the winter and drove a '69 F100 "winter rat". My good car still rusted. The salt is in the damn air up there.

Yup. "The Big Red Dawg" will NEVER see one damn flake of snow in Wisconsin. It'll go in the garage and get covered up, right beside the Harley. I like that year truck, I like that engine, I like that body style, I like that grill, I like that color, I like the lift, I like the moon roof, I like the five speed, and I could go on. The truck is a keeper, and I have plans to do some horsepower tricks and bling to it. It's far from being just the way I want it. The truck will sound off when I'm done with it. It's going to cackle out through some Hooker Super Comp headers, silver jet hot coated no doubt, then dual three inch stainless steal exhaust and some nice Flow Master mufflers, and the cam is going to be readily noticeable by the way it lopes. (Only the beginning.) I don't have much to go and it's paid off. Gotta keep the vehicles I love at this point in my life. I've seen too many of them disappear that I WISH I still had. That's a big reason I need so much garage space, and maybe even another big shed... like 50' by 100'...

(I am an incurable hotrod. I have gas and oil in my blood.)

I intend to have a house warming party, and I would love to have you SM, Terry if he's well enough to travel, ironlady and king leonidas, and even like Noir if he could afford plane fare from Ireland. Maybe we could help him out. All will be invited. I've wanted to meet ironlady and king leonidas for years anyway. They are very good old friends that I cut my teeth with blogging years ago on a board called the celiberal.com. It's still there. Man we tore it UP there back in the old days. In any case, I will give all details about when, where, how, whatever, and I will do everything in my power to help facilitate anyone that wants to attend. The more the merrier. Details however, as you my friends would expect, will be given out to each of you privately.

I'm not sure that my wife would approve of me hauling my ass to Wisconsin to drink beer and sleep on the floor with a bunch of people that I "never met on the internet" but hey stranger things have happened.

Southern Man wrote:I'm not sure that my wife would approve of me hauling my ass to Wisconsin to drink beer and sleep on the floor with a bunch of people that I "never met on the internet" but hey stranger things have happened.

Well, drinking will be optional. Sleeping on the floor, hey, I don't expect my cat to do that. I'd recommend a motel...

Motel no tell. I'd just set up my air bed on the back corner of the pawn shop, right behind the counter full of souvenir spoons.

Southern Man wrote:Motel no tell. I'd just set up my air bed on the back corner of the pawn shop, right behind the counter full of souvenir spoons.

Sure... then you'll smell like gas and oil when you wake up...

With my farts that could be a deadly combination.

Southern Man wrote:With my farts that could be a deadly combination.

Hell man... DON'T BLOW UP MY PAWN SHOP...

Mix up some brats, sauerkraut, beans and brew Pale. My bowels are legendary.

Southern Man wrote:Mix up some brats, sauerkraut, beans and brew Pale. My bowels are legendary.

Damn... how did you know what a Wisconsin cook out consists of? That's exactly it! Bowels.... I don't know man.... I've not witnessed many people out do my Paw...

Its all those Germans up there man. But with me, mix that up with some Scot-Irish and English, and I can clear a room.

Finally got my pic account working. Here's my old rig, and my newest:

Did you ever get that scratch fixed on the Explorer?

Pale Rider wrote:Did you ever get that scratch fixed on the Explorer?

The scratches are on the Expedition. No I haven't. I'll wait until something else happens and take it to my buddy Pete. He's a damn magician with paint. Only problem is he's always busy and takes forever, and I can't be without a car long. Maybe my next flying vacation I'll leave it with him.