IBLS Journal 1950

January-February
Sidetrack Doings

by George Murray

The Live Steamer, Jan-Feb 1950

Some interesting projects in the live-steam workshops this winter. Carl Purinton has a new loco project in mind and it will be a small Mogul.

Charlie Chabot of Worcester, Mass. will complete the tender for his new 3/4 inch scale Atlantic which put up a nice performance on its first steam run trail at the Lakeman track in Bellingham this past Fall. His New Haven Pacific has made a non-stop run of some 81 laps of the Lakeman track, which is about 525 feet in length.

Bill Van Brocklin of Boston gave his new English "Tilly" tanker a maiden steam run at the Purinton track recently and it did a good Curly steam-job, as was to be expected of any loco of Bill's. Friend Bill has an idea for a car brake, which, if successful, will do away with the rods and levers of the usual car handbrake.

Hope to see George Taylor of Jersey complete the nifty looking duplex steam pump he had on his switcher at the annual Danvers Steam Meet. It had piston valves, with inside admission to one and outside admission to the other and direct steam ports to each cylinder with a horizontal arrangement of the rocking levers across the top of the pump that made it a very neat looking job as seen on the loco.

According to the grapevine there are two 3-1/2 inch gauge honest to gosh diesel projects being built (hush, hush). One is a Canadian builder, it is rumored, and the other nearer home here in the East. Will this be the start of another Steam versus Diesel trend?

Haven't heard what projects the California steam men are working on, but hope to hear from them in future issues.

Also, the Canadian groups at Toronto and Winnipeg and Montreal are urged to send in interest about what they are doing up there. Hope to also hear from friend Cliff Blackstaffe & Jack Woods up in British Columbia.

GGLS Redwood Track
After two long years of construction, the Gold Spike was driven on September 2, 1950 at the new Golden Gate Live Steamers track at Redwood Regional Park. The track was approximately 1330 feet in length and had four rails for accommodating 2 ½, 3 ½ and 4 ¾ inch gauge locomotives and rolling stock.

In 1950, the club officers for the GGLS were Vic Shattock, President; Tim Reardon, Vice-President and Harry L. Dixon, Secretary. Harry Dixon was the person that secured the production of rail for the new club track. As he was the Secretary, he corresponded with many visitors, guests of the club and especially, other Live Steamers from around the North American continent. One day, Harry started to correspond with "Carl" Purinton in Massachusetts on a fairly regular basis and they became very good friends that lasted for many years. Carl told Harry about the BLS concept and the "mandate" that LBSC had inflicted upon him. He told Harry that the amount of correspondence was really increasing and he asked if Harry would be able to take over his duties for the Western part of the country. Harry readily agreed and right then became the new BLS secretary for the "Pacific Coast Region", a post he held until early 1973.

During Harry's reign, there were live steamers corresponding with him from various Western states and just not those on the Pacific Coast. So, the name of Harry's region of responsibility was changed to the "Western Region"-BLS.

BLS Meet at Danvers
From Jim Leggett, 23 December 2010:


 * Tonight I was going through some of the 8 X 10s looking for a particular loco that Keith Wood and I have been restoring (that's another story) and I came across this photo of my Dad at the 1950 BLS Meet. There's Al Milburn's beautiful Atlantic and a nice Hudson under construction by C.W. Chase of Rochester, NY, with what looks like a working feedwater heater. But look up on the wall!! A water-colour painting of the Danvers track!