http://ibls.org/mediawiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=DnevilIBLS - User contributions [en]2026-04-29T08:04:01ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.39.2http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Comanche_%26_Indian_Gap_Railroad&diff=19038Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad2026-04-09T14:16:45Z<p>Dnevil: /* Meets */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
<br />
[[File:SantaFeCaboose999187 CGI.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Santa Fe caboose 999187 at the [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad]]. Photo by [[Daris A Nevil]], July 2015.]]<br />
The Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad is a private track located near Comanche, Texas. It was built by [[Roy Pickard]] and family and friends.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
=== 2025 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>g4JWC1lrlik</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2022 SWLS Spring Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>MzJKmB6D2B8</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2021 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>bql8LAzFAWI</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2020 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>H6D9dVD0Ry4</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2018 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
See [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
=== 2017 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Cason F3-ABBA.001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7 001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.003.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.004.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 IMG 1741.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 The Chief.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== 2016 Spring Ops Meet ===<br />
<br />
The annual Spring Operations Meet was held the week of March 6, 2016. In spite of heavy rain the meet was a great success.<br />
<br />
Danny Click wrote the following:<br />
<br />
: We started the re-building of the C&IG in late February of last year. In 12 months we have re-laid and refurbished over 3,000' of C&IG mainline.<br />
<br />
:* 1,500' of steel rail. Mainly on the outside rail of the curves.<br />
:* Nearly 4,000 EP plastic ties, 500 concrete ties. Plus about 500 new wood ties.<br />
:* Over 18,000 screws.<br />
:* About 35 tons of ballast and another 30 tons of road base.<br />
<br />
: We have some really good track now in some critical areas around the railroad, however, this place is huge we have several more years to go. That is just fine with us because for the Friends of the C&IG the journey is the fun! Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
== Renovation ==<br />
=== April 2026 ===<br />
<br />
Craig Stoops, C&IG Roadmaster, posted:<br />
<br />
: A work session was held the 1st week of April 2026, and a lot of work was completed getting ready for the spring meet:<br />
<br />
:* Re-leveling and re-ballasting Tlaquepaque to Anasazi<br />
:* Owens Junction erosion and track dip<br />
:* Pickard Gap winter storm rock slide damage. Replacement of damaged track section. Dug out the ROW to allow clearance for engine foot pegs<br />
:* Welding repairs on Lehnis Bridge<br />
:* Removal of dead trees hanging over the track<br />
:* Mexican hat tipple track wash out 1st order repairs.<br />
:* Crossing at the HE&WT smash gate was removed, cut and re-welded to fix the rabbit derailments.<br />
:* HE&WT track repairs at known derailment areas. Began track leveling project.<br />
:* Repainting of signage continues<br />
:* Rolling stock repairs<br />
<br />
: In Oct 2025 track maintenance work resumed after a 2 year hiatus with the leveling and re-ballasting of all 4 approaches to Slo Order.<br />
<br />
=== August 2016 ===<br />
Danny Click posted on <i>Facebook</i>, August 2016:<br />
<br />
: While working on the railroad, we always marvel at what Roy was able to build and accomplish. It is truly amazing. We will complete a section of the railroad and think about how much we accomplished that week look around and realize how big the railroad is! I wanted to see exactly how much of the railroad we have touched so far so I grabbed a track plan and highlighted the areas we have re-built or re-furbished in the last year and a half. The photo is below. I know Roy would enjoy the progress we've made and laugh out loud at the looks on our faces each time we look up covered in sweat and dirt and realize how far we have to go!....and love every minute of it! Most folks don't work as hard as we play!<br />
<br />
[[File:CIG Renovation as of August2016.jpg|thumb|center|500px]]<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<br />
From [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=90539&p=218834&hilit=mid+central#p218834 Brian], posted on Chaski.org:<br />
<br />
: Roy and Marylin Pickard began this railroad way back in the late 70's - early 80's. It is the first point to point live steam railroad built and designed exclusively for operation, with dispatchers, radios, freight trains, and passenger trains running via timetable.<br />
<br />
: It takes a great amount of effort nearly year-round to maintain and then prepare the railroad for the runs in the spring and fall. The irregulars provide service from cutting brush, repairing and maintaining right of way and trackage, building and maintaining signals, and servicing and rebuilding rolling stock. We have folks that come from all over, and some of the gypsies have recently rebuilt one of the major steel bridges and a turntable.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,2659543 Tom], posted on Trainorders.com:<br />
<br />
: In the late 1970's Roy Pickard bought a ranch near Priddy, Tx. He went to Texas A&M to learn how to raise cows so that he could get a agricultural tax exemption on the land. His real purpose was to build a live steam railroad, the Comanche and Indian Gap. It would be spread over about 150 acres of rolling land, some heavily forested and other parts out in the open.<br />
<br />
: Roy and his son built about 80% of the railroad moving a lot of dirt and rocks to provide a right of way. Word spread about it and some came to see what he had done before it was finished. Some said he was crazy, others just thought he was a little nuts. But, in spite of that some started helping and the railroad main line was finished. It had to cross some creeks, one in particular called Cowhouse Creek which required a 120 ft bridge that ranged to a height of 10 ft over the Creek,and rise up some tough hills with plenty of curvature. Some parts such as the "raceway allowed you to "come out" on the throttle if only for a 150 yards, then it was back to curves and grades.<br />
<br />
: Roy wasn't just building a live steam track, he was building a railroad complete with many passing tracks and sidings for freight trains to work. It was to be operated as a real railroad, dispatched by radio controlling train movements and meets. Roy made use of concealment of the track in wooded areas. In some places you would be close to another part of he mainline of the railroad and not even know it when trees and bushes were leafed out. The track ran from 3 terminals, West Yard, Comanche Yard, and Indian Gap each with a turntable and water spouts. It had tower 17, a tall structure that seated the dispatcher and a CTC machine for the Zuni (Tower 17) tracks and wye. It was the nerve center of the railroad. Radios were early radio shack 5 channel radios with only 1/4 miles range and not really good at that.<br />
<br />
: Roy's wife has said she will keep the meets going as long as she lives. All maintenance is now done by a small group of men who come to the track about 4 weekends a year plus all those who come to meets work on track Monday-Wednesday, and then run the rest of he week. The tracks 31 year history has almost a complete turnover in those who now come to the meets. Many of the original group have passed away and others are so old now they just don't travel the long distances to get there anymore. Even I don't come but a couple of days now. Knees just can't do what they used to do. Father time can be a little cruel.<br />
<br />
[[Terry McGrath]] wrote, 5 May 2014:<br />
<br />
: I attended the spring meet at the C&IG, rode the trains, walked the mainline, spent some time in the West Yard. I found concrete ties and new wood ties, expanded ballast work along portions of the main line and working signals. Trains had little trouble with derailments and I noticed a lot of retainer walls to keep mud from sliding onto the mainline during rains. While the railroad needs much more work, I have concluded that the C&IG is going to be around for many years to come. Peter is very enthusiastic about the future of the railroad, and has said the Pickard family is committed to keep operations going forward. If you are thinking of going to the C&IG's fall meet in October, right after the Terrell meet, consider taking your engine and some cars, as there will be even more work done on the railroad this summer.<br />
<br />
In 2018 Peter Bryan put together a list of key people responsible for the development of the railroad. Please note that this list is not complete.<br />
<br />
* [[Gene Allen]]<br />
* Joe & Gwen Baily<br />
* Lee Balkum<br />
* [[Harry Bean|Harry "Scorcher" Bean]]<br />
* Rick Bierman<br />
* [[Henry Blossom|Hank & Myra Blossom]]<br />
* Bob Blyth<br />
* [[Ken Casford]]<br />
* Billy Chaffin<br />
* Doug Chancey<br />
* [[John Enders]]<br />
* Tom Enloe<br />
* Harry Haas<br />
* [[Truman Hefner|Truman & Vera Hefner]]<br />
* Ernest Gerloff<br />
* [[Alex Hitzfelder|Alex, Grace and Nick Hitzfelder]]<br />
* Jack Green<br />
* James Goodson<br />
* [[David Hannah III]]<br />
* Ralph Howels<br />
* Loren Jennings<br />
* [[Walter Johnson]]<br />
* Tom Keenan<br />
* [[Ed Leatherwood|Ed & Jean Leatherwood]]<br />
* [[Jack Lucks|Jack & Shirley Lucks]]<br />
* Lee Lyons<br />
* [[Ed McCamey]]<br />
* [[Terry McGrath]]<br />
* [[Jim Murray]]<br />
* Art Olds<br />
* Jack & Lyrette Owen<br />
* [[Roy Pickard]]<br />
* Ben Pearlman<br />
* Ed Rains<br />
* Lynn Ratliff<br />
* Joe & May Robertson<br />
* Harry & Shirley Simpson<br />
* Dan Spiner<br />
* Mike Spoor<br />
* [[Fred Springer]]<br />
* Harold Staples<br />
* [[C.T. Sumrall]]<br />
* Jim "Tweetie" Tolson<br />
* Julian Van Sickle<br />
* K. Volrath<br />
* Curt Werner<br />
* Richard Wilms<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:C&IG SlowOrderBridge LeeBalkam.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad, Slo Order Bridge, photo from [http://www.balkum.com/lee.html Lee Balkham website]<br />
File:GarrettBean 3420X ComancheIndianGap 2001 DiscoverLiveSteam.jpg|Seven-year-old Garrett at the throttle of his grandfather's (Harry "Scorcher" Bean) 1.5-inch Southern Pacific consolidation #3420X pulling out of the Indian Gap yard on the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad in 2001. From [http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/photocontest/2001/photocontest2001-1.htm DiscoverLiveSteam.com]<br />
File:CIG ComancheYard Fall1999 FrolinMarek.jpg|A view of Comanche Yard in the Fall of 1999. Photo by Frolin Marek.<br />
File:TrumanHeffner Warbonnet CIG.jpg|Truman Heffer's 4-unit lash-up at the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad. Photo by C. Randall Wilson.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click 2.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap RR Spring Meet 25 April 2018. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click.jpg<br />
File:JimRobison CompressorPowered 484 CIG byFrankPickard.jpg|Jim Robison built this 4-8-4 in 1.5 inch scale. It is shown here on the old hydraulic turntable of the Comanche & Indian Gap RR. Vance Nickerson said the locomotive was powered by a gas engine and compressor setup. Photo by Frank Pickard. Posted on Facebook, 20180509.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click.jpg|Frank Mann's 5001 arrived at Comanche & Indian Gap RR, 27 January 2018. It will rest here until repairs begin later this year. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click side.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Pickard Gap ===<br />
<br />
by Tom Stamey<br />
<br />
Roy had named a lot of spots along the railroad, some for individuals, the bridge over helper, town of Gotebo, passing track of [[Martin Lehnis|Lehnis]], etc. We dept asking what he was going to name Pickard. He said absolutely nothing because if he did it would be kind of self serving and he was not into that because too many other people had helped.<br />
<br />
The loop around Comanche had been a thorn in his side for years. He had tried everyway under the sun to cut through and could not. Dick Parker of Chicago came up with the idea of people chipping in to pay for a BIG bull dozer to come do the work. $100 a person was asked and paid. All without Roy knowing what was going on until the money had been collected and he was told about it (becuase he would have to get someone with a dozer out there). [[Truman Hefner]] and I paid for a plack to be made naming the cut "Pickard Gap" and surprised Roy with it at a ceremony regarding the last rail being laid in the gap. [[Jack Lucks]] videoed it.<br />
<br />
== Models ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:CIG HO Boxcar.jpg|An Athearn HO Boxcar decorated in Comanche and Indian Gap colors.<br />
File:CIG NScale Boxcar.jpg|An N Scale model bearing the Comanche and Indian Gap herald. From ebay.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
[[Daris A Nevil]] built a caboose that approximates the Santa Fe Number 999187 that used to reside at the C&IG. See [[Building a Kitsap Caboose]].<br />
<br />
== Video ==<br />
<br />
<youtube>QAmjQNGe0Ns</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>qQZWcLmvGec</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>JPXP4WbwCik</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>ZyIL-Rg-rso</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>XNyc3XYj8B4</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kkf3uWRjKYc</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>5H5a96H2F8w</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>70c_B4ng8gI</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kNu5bL9PF2c</youtube><br />
<br />
=== Texas Live Steam ===<br />
<br />
[http://www.grandscales.com/media/Texa.html Robinson and Associates] published a video titled "Texas Live Steam" in 2008. The following description of the C&IG is from their website:<br />
<br />
: Robinson takes us to Roy Pickard’s Comanche & Indian Gap. Even though most of the railroad is just a few hundred yards from the rest of the railroad there is a wide variety of landscape in miniature. Portions of the railroad run through rolling hills with deep cuts and high fills. There are thick patches of bushes and small gnarled trees that make very believable scale woods. Other areas evoke a sense of broad grassy prairies with sun scorched earth. <br />
<br />
: For the last hundred years the most common form of live steam “operations” has been heading out on the mainline loop and making sure you didn’t run into the train ahead of you. From the beginning Mr. Pickard wanted a railroad that would more closely replicate the activity of the prototype. This was a rather revolutionary idea in the live steam world thirty years ago. And the C&IG deserves credit for being a pioneer in live steam railroad operations.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px><br />
File:TexasLiveSteam cover.jpg<br />
File:TexasLiveSteam back.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Bibliography ==<br />
<br />
* "The Comanche & Indian Gap RR", Peter R. Bryan, '''Model Railroader''', July 1997, Vol 64, Issue 7, page 74<br />
* [http://www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/comment/23313/ Tom Moody comments and photos on C&IG]<br />
* [http://sanjac.leoslair.com/resources/Derails/Derail-2010/derail-06-2010_derail.pdf 2010 Operations on C&IG <i>The Drail</i>]<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=67620 Meet Report, May 2005, <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Comanche_%26_Indian_Gap_Railroad&diff=19037Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad2026-04-09T14:13:45Z<p>Dnevil: /* Models */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
<br />
[[File:SantaFeCaboose999187 CGI.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Santa Fe caboose 999187 at the [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad]]. Photo by [[Daris A Nevil]], July 2015.]]<br />
The Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad is a private track located near Comanche, Texas. It was built by [[Roy Pickard]] and family and friends.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
=== 2025 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>g4JWC1lrlik</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2022 SWLS Spring Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>MzJKmB6D2B8</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2021 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>bql8LAzFAWI</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2020 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>H6D9dVD0Ry4</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2018 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
See [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
=== 2017 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Cason F3-ABBA.001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7 001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.003.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.004.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 IMG 1741.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 The Chief.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== 2016 Spring Ops Meet ===<br />
<br />
The annual Spring Operations Meet was held the week of March 6, 2016. In spite of heavy rain the meet was a great success.<br />
<br />
Danny Click wrote the following:<br />
<br />
: We started the re-building of the C&IG in late February of last year. In 12 months we have re-laid and refurbished over 3,000' of C&IG mainline.<br />
<br />
:* 1,500' of steel rail. Mainly on the outside rail of the curves.<br />
:* Nearly 4,000 EP plastic ties, 500 concrete ties. Plus about 500 new wood ties.<br />
:* Over 18,000 screws.<br />
:* About 35 tons of ballast and another 30 tons of road base.<br />
<br />
: We have some really good track now in some critical areas around the railroad, however, this place is huge we have several more years to go. That is just fine with us because for the Friends of the C&IG the journey is the fun! Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
== Renovation ==<br />
=== April 2026 ===<br />
<br />
Craig Stoops, C&IG Roadmaster, posted:<br />
<br />
: A work session was held the 1st week of April 2026, and a lot of work was completed getting ready for the spring meet:<br />
<br />
:* Re-leveling and re-ballasting Tlaquepaque to Anasazi<br />
:* Owens Junction erosion and track dip<br />
:* Pickard Gap winter storm rock slide damage. Replacement of damaged track section. Dug out the ROW to allow clearance for engine foot pegs<br />
:* Welding repairs on Lehnis Bridge<br />
:* Removal of dead trees hanging over the track<br />
:* Mexican hat tipple track wash out 1st order repairs.<br />
:* Crossing at the HE&WT smash gate was removed, cut and re-welded to fix the rabbit derailments.<br />
:* HE&WT track repairs at known derailment areas. Began track leveling project.<br />
:* Repainting of signage continues<br />
:* Rolling stock repairs<br />
<br />
: In Oct 2025 track maintenance work resumed after a 2 year hiatus with the leveling and re-ballasting of all 4 approaches to Slo Order.<br />
<br />
=== August 2016 ===<br />
Danny Click posted on <i>Facebook</i>, August 2016:<br />
<br />
: While working on the railroad, we always marvel at what Roy was able to build and accomplish. It is truly amazing. We will complete a section of the railroad and think about how much we accomplished that week look around and realize how big the railroad is! I wanted to see exactly how much of the railroad we have touched so far so I grabbed a track plan and highlighted the areas we have re-built or re-furbished in the last year and a half. The photo is below. I know Roy would enjoy the progress we've made and laugh out loud at the looks on our faces each time we look up covered in sweat and dirt and realize how far we have to go!....and love every minute of it! Most folks don't work as hard as we play!<br />
<br />
[[File:CIG Renovation as of August2016.jpg|thumb|center|500px]]<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<br />
From [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=90539&p=218834&hilit=mid+central#p218834 Brian], posted on Chaski.org:<br />
<br />
: Roy and Marylin Pickard began this railroad way back in the late 70's - early 80's. It is the first point to point live steam railroad built and designed exclusively for operation, with dispatchers, radios, freight trains, and passenger trains running via timetable.<br />
<br />
: It takes a great amount of effort nearly year-round to maintain and then prepare the railroad for the runs in the spring and fall. The irregulars provide service from cutting brush, repairing and maintaining right of way and trackage, building and maintaining signals, and servicing and rebuilding rolling stock. We have folks that come from all over, and some of the gypsies have recently rebuilt one of the major steel bridges and a turntable.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,2659543 Tom], posted on Trainorders.com:<br />
<br />
: In the late 1970's Roy Pickard bought a ranch near Priddy, Tx. He went to Texas A&M to learn how to raise cows so that he could get a agricultural tax exemption on the land. His real purpose was to build a live steam railroad, the Comanche and Indian Gap. It would be spread over about 150 acres of rolling land, some heavily forested and other parts out in the open.<br />
<br />
: Roy and his son built about 80% of the railroad moving a lot of dirt and rocks to provide a right of way. Word spread about it and some came to see what he had done before it was finished. Some said he was crazy, others just thought he was a little nuts. But, in spite of that some started helping and the railroad main line was finished. It had to cross some creeks, one in particular called Cowhouse Creek which required a 120 ft bridge that ranged to a height of 10 ft over the Creek,and rise up some tough hills with plenty of curvature. Some parts such as the "raceway allowed you to "come out" on the throttle if only for a 150 yards, then it was back to curves and grades.<br />
<br />
: Roy wasn't just building a live steam track, he was building a railroad complete with many passing tracks and sidings for freight trains to work. It was to be operated as a real railroad, dispatched by radio controlling train movements and meets. Roy made use of concealment of the track in wooded areas. In some places you would be close to another part of he mainline of the railroad and not even know it when trees and bushes were leafed out. The track ran from 3 terminals, West Yard, Comanche Yard, and Indian Gap each with a turntable and water spouts. It had tower 17, a tall structure that seated the dispatcher and a CTC machine for the Zuni (Tower 17) tracks and wye. It was the nerve center of the railroad. Radios were early radio shack 5 channel radios with only 1/4 miles range and not really good at that.<br />
<br />
: Roy's wife has said she will keep the meets going as long as she lives. All maintenance is now done by a small group of men who come to the track about 4 weekends a year plus all those who come to meets work on track Monday-Wednesday, and then run the rest of he week. The tracks 31 year history has almost a complete turnover in those who now come to the meets. Many of the original group have passed away and others are so old now they just don't travel the long distances to get there anymore. Even I don't come but a couple of days now. Knees just can't do what they used to do. Father time can be a little cruel.<br />
<br />
[[Terry McGrath]] wrote, 5 May 2014:<br />
<br />
: I attended the spring meet at the C&IG, rode the trains, walked the mainline, spent some time in the West Yard. I found concrete ties and new wood ties, expanded ballast work along portions of the main line and working signals. Trains had little trouble with derailments and I noticed a lot of retainer walls to keep mud from sliding onto the mainline during rains. While the railroad needs much more work, I have concluded that the C&IG is going to be around for many years to come. Peter is very enthusiastic about the future of the railroad, and has said the Pickard family is committed to keep operations going forward. If you are thinking of going to the C&IG's fall meet in October, right after the Terrell meet, consider taking your engine and some cars, as there will be even more work done on the railroad this summer.<br />
<br />
In 2018 Peter Bryan put together a list of key people responsible for the development of the railroad. Please note that this list is not complete.<br />
<br />
* [[Gene Allen]]<br />
* Joe & Gwen Baily<br />
* Lee Balkum<br />
* [[Harry Bean|Harry "Scorcher" Bean]]<br />
* Rick Bierman<br />
* [[Henry Blossom|Hank & Myra Blossom]]<br />
* Bob Blyth<br />
* [[Ken Casford]]<br />
* Billy Chaffin<br />
* Doug Chancey<br />
* [[John Enders]]<br />
* Tom Enloe<br />
* Harry Haas<br />
* [[Truman Hefner|Truman & Vera Hefner]]<br />
* Ernest Gerloff<br />
* [[Alex Hitzfelder|Alex, Grace and Nick Hitzfelder]]<br />
* Jack Green<br />
* James Goodson<br />
* [[David Hannah III]]<br />
* Ralph Howels<br />
* Loren Jennings<br />
* [[Walter Johnson]]<br />
* Tom Keenan<br />
* [[Ed Leatherwood|Ed & Jean Leatherwood]]<br />
* [[Jack Lucks|Jack & Shirley Lucks]]<br />
* Lee Lyons<br />
* [[Ed McCamey]]<br />
* [[Terry McGrath]]<br />
* [[Jim Murray]]<br />
* Art Olds<br />
* Jack & Lyrette Owen<br />
* [[Roy Pickard]]<br />
* Ben Pearlman<br />
* Ed Rains<br />
* Lynn Ratliff<br />
* Joe & May Robertson<br />
* Harry & Shirley Simpson<br />
* Dan Spiner<br />
* Mike Spoor<br />
* [[Fred Springer]]<br />
* Harold Staples<br />
* [[C.T. Sumrall]]<br />
* Jim "Tweetie" Tolson<br />
* Julian Van Sickle<br />
* K. Volrath<br />
* Curt Werner<br />
* Richard Wilms<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:C&IG SlowOrderBridge LeeBalkam.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad, Slo Order Bridge, photo from [http://www.balkum.com/lee.html Lee Balkham website]<br />
File:GarrettBean 3420X ComancheIndianGap 2001 DiscoverLiveSteam.jpg|Seven-year-old Garrett at the throttle of his grandfather's (Harry "Scorcher" Bean) 1.5-inch Southern Pacific consolidation #3420X pulling out of the Indian Gap yard on the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad in 2001. From [http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/photocontest/2001/photocontest2001-1.htm DiscoverLiveSteam.com]<br />
File:CIG ComancheYard Fall1999 FrolinMarek.jpg|A view of Comanche Yard in the Fall of 1999. Photo by Frolin Marek.<br />
File:TrumanHeffner Warbonnet CIG.jpg|Truman Heffer's 4-unit lash-up at the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad. Photo by C. Randall Wilson.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click 2.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap RR Spring Meet 25 April 2018. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click.jpg<br />
File:JimRobison CompressorPowered 484 CIG byFrankPickard.jpg|Jim Robison built this 4-8-4 in 1.5 inch scale. It is shown here on the old hydraulic turntable of the Comanche & Indian Gap RR. Vance Nickerson said the locomotive was powered by a gas engine and compressor setup. Photo by Frank Pickard. Posted on Facebook, 20180509.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click.jpg|Frank Mann's 5001 arrived at Comanche & Indian Gap RR, 27 January 2018. It will rest here until repairs begin later this year. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click side.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Pickard Gap ===<br />
<br />
by Tom Stamey<br />
<br />
Roy had named a lot of spots along the railroad, some for individuals, the bridge over helper, town of Gotebo, passing track of [[Martin Lehnis|Lehnis]], etc. We dept asking what he was going to name Pickard. He said absolutely nothing because if he did it would be kind of self serving and he was not into that because too many other people had helped.<br />
<br />
The loop around Comanche had been a thorn in his side for years. He had tried everyway under the sun to cut through and could not. Dick Parker of Chicago came up with the idea of people chipping in to pay for a BIG bull dozer to come do the work. $100 a person was asked and paid. All without Roy knowing what was going on until the money had been collected and he was told about it (becuase he would have to get someone with a dozer out there). [[Truman Hefner]] and I paid for a plack to be made naming the cut "Pickard Gap" and surprised Roy with it at a ceremony regarding the last rail being laid in the gap. [[Jack Lucks]] videoed it.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
* [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
== Models ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:CIG HO Boxcar.jpg|An Athearn HO Boxcar decorated in Comanche and Indian Gap colors.<br />
File:CIG NScale Boxcar.jpg|An N Scale model bearing the Comanche and Indian Gap herald. From ebay.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
[[Daris A Nevil]] built a caboose that approximates the Santa Fe Number 999187 that used to reside at the C&IG. See [[Building a Kitsap Caboose]].<br />
<br />
== Video ==<br />
<br />
<youtube>QAmjQNGe0Ns</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>qQZWcLmvGec</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>JPXP4WbwCik</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>ZyIL-Rg-rso</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>XNyc3XYj8B4</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kkf3uWRjKYc</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>5H5a96H2F8w</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>70c_B4ng8gI</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kNu5bL9PF2c</youtube><br />
<br />
=== Texas Live Steam ===<br />
<br />
[http://www.grandscales.com/media/Texa.html Robinson and Associates] published a video titled "Texas Live Steam" in 2008. The following description of the C&IG is from their website:<br />
<br />
: Robinson takes us to Roy Pickard’s Comanche & Indian Gap. Even though most of the railroad is just a few hundred yards from the rest of the railroad there is a wide variety of landscape in miniature. Portions of the railroad run through rolling hills with deep cuts and high fills. There are thick patches of bushes and small gnarled trees that make very believable scale woods. Other areas evoke a sense of broad grassy prairies with sun scorched earth. <br />
<br />
: For the last hundred years the most common form of live steam “operations” has been heading out on the mainline loop and making sure you didn’t run into the train ahead of you. From the beginning Mr. Pickard wanted a railroad that would more closely replicate the activity of the prototype. This was a rather revolutionary idea in the live steam world thirty years ago. And the C&IG deserves credit for being a pioneer in live steam railroad operations.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px><br />
File:TexasLiveSteam cover.jpg<br />
File:TexasLiveSteam back.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Bibliography ==<br />
<br />
* "The Comanche & Indian Gap RR", Peter R. Bryan, '''Model Railroader''', July 1997, Vol 64, Issue 7, page 74<br />
* [http://www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/comment/23313/ Tom Moody comments and photos on C&IG]<br />
* [http://sanjac.leoslair.com/resources/Derails/Derail-2010/derail-06-2010_derail.pdf 2010 Operations on C&IG <i>The Drail</i>]<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=67620 Meet Report, May 2005, <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Comanche_%26_Indian_Gap_Railroad&diff=19036Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad2026-04-09T14:11:51Z<p>Dnevil: /* 2020 Fall Meet */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
<br />
[[File:SantaFeCaboose999187 CGI.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Santa Fe caboose 999187 at the [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad]]. Photo by [[Daris A Nevil]], July 2015.]]<br />
The Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad is a private track located near Comanche, Texas. It was built by [[Roy Pickard]] and family and friends.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
=== 2025 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>g4JWC1lrlik</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2022 SWLS Spring Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>MzJKmB6D2B8</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2021 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>bql8LAzFAWI</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2020 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>H6D9dVD0Ry4</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2018 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
See [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
=== 2017 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Cason F3-ABBA.001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7 001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.003.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.004.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 IMG 1741.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 The Chief.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== 2016 Spring Ops Meet ===<br />
<br />
The annual Spring Operations Meet was held the week of March 6, 2016. In spite of heavy rain the meet was a great success.<br />
<br />
Danny Click wrote the following:<br />
<br />
: We started the re-building of the C&IG in late February of last year. In 12 months we have re-laid and refurbished over 3,000' of C&IG mainline.<br />
<br />
:* 1,500' of steel rail. Mainly on the outside rail of the curves.<br />
:* Nearly 4,000 EP plastic ties, 500 concrete ties. Plus about 500 new wood ties.<br />
:* Over 18,000 screws.<br />
:* About 35 tons of ballast and another 30 tons of road base.<br />
<br />
: We have some really good track now in some critical areas around the railroad, however, this place is huge we have several more years to go. That is just fine with us because for the Friends of the C&IG the journey is the fun! Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
== Renovation ==<br />
=== April 2026 ===<br />
<br />
Craig Stoops, C&IG Roadmaster, posted:<br />
<br />
: A work session was held the 1st week of April 2026, and a lot of work was completed getting ready for the spring meet:<br />
<br />
:* Re-leveling and re-ballasting Tlaquepaque to Anasazi<br />
:* Owens Junction erosion and track dip<br />
:* Pickard Gap winter storm rock slide damage. Replacement of damaged track section. Dug out the ROW to allow clearance for engine foot pegs<br />
:* Welding repairs on Lehnis Bridge<br />
:* Removal of dead trees hanging over the track<br />
:* Mexican hat tipple track wash out 1st order repairs.<br />
:* Crossing at the HE&WT smash gate was removed, cut and re-welded to fix the rabbit derailments.<br />
:* HE&WT track repairs at known derailment areas. Began track leveling project.<br />
:* Repainting of signage continues<br />
:* Rolling stock repairs<br />
<br />
: In Oct 2025 track maintenance work resumed after a 2 year hiatus with the leveling and re-ballasting of all 4 approaches to Slo Order.<br />
<br />
=== August 2016 ===<br />
Danny Click posted on <i>Facebook</i>, August 2016:<br />
<br />
: While working on the railroad, we always marvel at what Roy was able to build and accomplish. It is truly amazing. We will complete a section of the railroad and think about how much we accomplished that week look around and realize how big the railroad is! I wanted to see exactly how much of the railroad we have touched so far so I grabbed a track plan and highlighted the areas we have re-built or re-furbished in the last year and a half. The photo is below. I know Roy would enjoy the progress we've made and laugh out loud at the looks on our faces each time we look up covered in sweat and dirt and realize how far we have to go!....and love every minute of it! Most folks don't work as hard as we play!<br />
<br />
[[File:CIG Renovation as of August2016.jpg|thumb|center|500px]]<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<br />
From [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=90539&p=218834&hilit=mid+central#p218834 Brian], posted on Chaski.org:<br />
<br />
: Roy and Marylin Pickard began this railroad way back in the late 70's - early 80's. It is the first point to point live steam railroad built and designed exclusively for operation, with dispatchers, radios, freight trains, and passenger trains running via timetable.<br />
<br />
: It takes a great amount of effort nearly year-round to maintain and then prepare the railroad for the runs in the spring and fall. The irregulars provide service from cutting brush, repairing and maintaining right of way and trackage, building and maintaining signals, and servicing and rebuilding rolling stock. We have folks that come from all over, and some of the gypsies have recently rebuilt one of the major steel bridges and a turntable.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,2659543 Tom], posted on Trainorders.com:<br />
<br />
: In the late 1970's Roy Pickard bought a ranch near Priddy, Tx. He went to Texas A&M to learn how to raise cows so that he could get a agricultural tax exemption on the land. His real purpose was to build a live steam railroad, the Comanche and Indian Gap. It would be spread over about 150 acres of rolling land, some heavily forested and other parts out in the open.<br />
<br />
: Roy and his son built about 80% of the railroad moving a lot of dirt and rocks to provide a right of way. Word spread about it and some came to see what he had done before it was finished. Some said he was crazy, others just thought he was a little nuts. But, in spite of that some started helping and the railroad main line was finished. It had to cross some creeks, one in particular called Cowhouse Creek which required a 120 ft bridge that ranged to a height of 10 ft over the Creek,and rise up some tough hills with plenty of curvature. Some parts such as the "raceway allowed you to "come out" on the throttle if only for a 150 yards, then it was back to curves and grades.<br />
<br />
: Roy wasn't just building a live steam track, he was building a railroad complete with many passing tracks and sidings for freight trains to work. It was to be operated as a real railroad, dispatched by radio controlling train movements and meets. Roy made use of concealment of the track in wooded areas. In some places you would be close to another part of he mainline of the railroad and not even know it when trees and bushes were leafed out. The track ran from 3 terminals, West Yard, Comanche Yard, and Indian Gap each with a turntable and water spouts. It had tower 17, a tall structure that seated the dispatcher and a CTC machine for the Zuni (Tower 17) tracks and wye. It was the nerve center of the railroad. Radios were early radio shack 5 channel radios with only 1/4 miles range and not really good at that.<br />
<br />
: Roy's wife has said she will keep the meets going as long as she lives. All maintenance is now done by a small group of men who come to the track about 4 weekends a year plus all those who come to meets work on track Monday-Wednesday, and then run the rest of he week. The tracks 31 year history has almost a complete turnover in those who now come to the meets. Many of the original group have passed away and others are so old now they just don't travel the long distances to get there anymore. Even I don't come but a couple of days now. Knees just can't do what they used to do. Father time can be a little cruel.<br />
<br />
[[Terry McGrath]] wrote, 5 May 2014:<br />
<br />
: I attended the spring meet at the C&IG, rode the trains, walked the mainline, spent some time in the West Yard. I found concrete ties and new wood ties, expanded ballast work along portions of the main line and working signals. Trains had little trouble with derailments and I noticed a lot of retainer walls to keep mud from sliding onto the mainline during rains. While the railroad needs much more work, I have concluded that the C&IG is going to be around for many years to come. Peter is very enthusiastic about the future of the railroad, and has said the Pickard family is committed to keep operations going forward. If you are thinking of going to the C&IG's fall meet in October, right after the Terrell meet, consider taking your engine and some cars, as there will be even more work done on the railroad this summer.<br />
<br />
In 2018 Peter Bryan put together a list of key people responsible for the development of the railroad. Please note that this list is not complete.<br />
<br />
* [[Gene Allen]]<br />
* Joe & Gwen Baily<br />
* Lee Balkum<br />
* [[Harry Bean|Harry "Scorcher" Bean]]<br />
* Rick Bierman<br />
* [[Henry Blossom|Hank & Myra Blossom]]<br />
* Bob Blyth<br />
* [[Ken Casford]]<br />
* Billy Chaffin<br />
* Doug Chancey<br />
* [[John Enders]]<br />
* Tom Enloe<br />
* Harry Haas<br />
* [[Truman Hefner|Truman & Vera Hefner]]<br />
* Ernest Gerloff<br />
* [[Alex Hitzfelder|Alex, Grace and Nick Hitzfelder]]<br />
* Jack Green<br />
* James Goodson<br />
* [[David Hannah III]]<br />
* Ralph Howels<br />
* Loren Jennings<br />
* [[Walter Johnson]]<br />
* Tom Keenan<br />
* [[Ed Leatherwood|Ed & Jean Leatherwood]]<br />
* [[Jack Lucks|Jack & Shirley Lucks]]<br />
* Lee Lyons<br />
* [[Ed McCamey]]<br />
* [[Terry McGrath]]<br />
* [[Jim Murray]]<br />
* Art Olds<br />
* Jack & Lyrette Owen<br />
* [[Roy Pickard]]<br />
* Ben Pearlman<br />
* Ed Rains<br />
* Lynn Ratliff<br />
* Joe & May Robertson<br />
* Harry & Shirley Simpson<br />
* Dan Spiner<br />
* Mike Spoor<br />
* [[Fred Springer]]<br />
* Harold Staples<br />
* [[C.T. Sumrall]]<br />
* Jim "Tweetie" Tolson<br />
* Julian Van Sickle<br />
* K. Volrath<br />
* Curt Werner<br />
* Richard Wilms<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:C&IG SlowOrderBridge LeeBalkam.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad, Slo Order Bridge, photo from [http://www.balkum.com/lee.html Lee Balkham website]<br />
File:GarrettBean 3420X ComancheIndianGap 2001 DiscoverLiveSteam.jpg|Seven-year-old Garrett at the throttle of his grandfather's (Harry "Scorcher" Bean) 1.5-inch Southern Pacific consolidation #3420X pulling out of the Indian Gap yard on the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad in 2001. From [http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/photocontest/2001/photocontest2001-1.htm DiscoverLiveSteam.com]<br />
File:CIG ComancheYard Fall1999 FrolinMarek.jpg|A view of Comanche Yard in the Fall of 1999. Photo by Frolin Marek.<br />
File:TrumanHeffner Warbonnet CIG.jpg|Truman Heffer's 4-unit lash-up at the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad. Photo by C. Randall Wilson.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click 2.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap RR Spring Meet 25 April 2018. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click.jpg<br />
File:JimRobison CompressorPowered 484 CIG byFrankPickard.jpg|Jim Robison built this 4-8-4 in 1.5 inch scale. It is shown here on the old hydraulic turntable of the Comanche & Indian Gap RR. Vance Nickerson said the locomotive was powered by a gas engine and compressor setup. Photo by Frank Pickard. Posted on Facebook, 20180509.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click.jpg|Frank Mann's 5001 arrived at Comanche & Indian Gap RR, 27 January 2018. It will rest here until repairs begin later this year. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click side.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Pickard Gap ===<br />
<br />
by Tom Stamey<br />
<br />
Roy had named a lot of spots along the railroad, some for individuals, the bridge over helper, town of Gotebo, passing track of [[Martin Lehnis|Lehnis]], etc. We dept asking what he was going to name Pickard. He said absolutely nothing because if he did it would be kind of self serving and he was not into that because too many other people had helped.<br />
<br />
The loop around Comanche had been a thorn in his side for years. He had tried everyway under the sun to cut through and could not. Dick Parker of Chicago came up with the idea of people chipping in to pay for a BIG bull dozer to come do the work. $100 a person was asked and paid. All without Roy knowing what was going on until the money had been collected and he was told about it (becuase he would have to get someone with a dozer out there). [[Truman Hefner]] and I paid for a plack to be made naming the cut "Pickard Gap" and surprised Roy with it at a ceremony regarding the last rail being laid in the gap. [[Jack Lucks]] videoed it.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
* [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
== Models ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:CIG HO Boxcar.jpg|An Athearn HO Boxcar decorated in Comanche and Indian Gap colors.<br />
File:CIG NScale Boxcar.jpg|An N Scale model bearing the Comanche and Indian Gap herald. From ebay.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Video ==<br />
<br />
<youtube>QAmjQNGe0Ns</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>qQZWcLmvGec</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>JPXP4WbwCik</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>ZyIL-Rg-rso</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>XNyc3XYj8B4</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kkf3uWRjKYc</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>5H5a96H2F8w</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>70c_B4ng8gI</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kNu5bL9PF2c</youtube><br />
<br />
=== Texas Live Steam ===<br />
<br />
[http://www.grandscales.com/media/Texa.html Robinson and Associates] published a video titled "Texas Live Steam" in 2008. The following description of the C&IG is from their website:<br />
<br />
: Robinson takes us to Roy Pickard’s Comanche & Indian Gap. Even though most of the railroad is just a few hundred yards from the rest of the railroad there is a wide variety of landscape in miniature. Portions of the railroad run through rolling hills with deep cuts and high fills. There are thick patches of bushes and small gnarled trees that make very believable scale woods. Other areas evoke a sense of broad grassy prairies with sun scorched earth. <br />
<br />
: For the last hundred years the most common form of live steam “operations” has been heading out on the mainline loop and making sure you didn’t run into the train ahead of you. From the beginning Mr. Pickard wanted a railroad that would more closely replicate the activity of the prototype. This was a rather revolutionary idea in the live steam world thirty years ago. And the C&IG deserves credit for being a pioneer in live steam railroad operations.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px><br />
File:TexasLiveSteam cover.jpg<br />
File:TexasLiveSteam back.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Bibliography ==<br />
<br />
* "The Comanche & Indian Gap RR", Peter R. Bryan, '''Model Railroader''', July 1997, Vol 64, Issue 7, page 74<br />
* [http://www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/comment/23313/ Tom Moody comments and photos on C&IG]<br />
* [http://sanjac.leoslair.com/resources/Derails/Derail-2010/derail-06-2010_derail.pdf 2010 Operations on C&IG <i>The Drail</i>]<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=67620 Meet Report, May 2005, <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Thurber_Mingus_%26_Southern_Railroad&diff=19035Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad2026-04-09T13:56:26Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
The [[Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad]] is a 7-1/2 inch gauge back yard railroad owned and operated by [[Daris A Nevil|Daris & Brenda Nevil]]. It is informally referred to as "The West Texas Route".<br />
<br />
<youtube>81xjDCcwMag</youtube><br />
<br />
== Track ==<br />
<br />
=== Construction ===<br />
<br />
* West Coast rail using [[IBLS Track Standard]]<br />
* [[Texas Standard Tie Spacing]]<br />
* [[Sagitta Rule]] for measuring curves<br />
* [[Charles Field Track Panel Jig]]<br />
* Plastic ties from [[Enterprise Plastics Inc]]<br />
* [https://accu-tierailsystem.com/product-category/rail-bender/ Accu-tie Rail Bender]<br />
<br />
=== Parts List ===<br />
<br />
* Rail joiner screws<br />
** Star Pan Head MS 304 SS #10-32 x 3/4<br />
** Part Number TXM00026<br />
** https://AlbanyCountyFasteners.com<br />
** Drive tool: T25 (CR-V T25)<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They have worked very well. The Star tool provides positive grip and does not strip out like Phillips. I drive these with a DeWalt drill with the torque setting on 3 or 4.<br />
<br />
* Switch throw spring<br />
** Stock Code: [https://www.leespring.com/compression-springs?search=LC038E18M LC 038E 18 M (CAD drawings available here)]<br />
** Outside Diameter (inch): 0.36<br />
** Hole Diameter (inch): 0.375<br />
** Rod Diameter (inch): 0.271 (Fits over 1/4 inch threaded rod)<br />
** Free Length (inch): 2.5<br />
** Rate (lb/inch): 5.8<br />
** Solid Height (inch): 0.714<br />
** Wire Diameter (inch): 0.038<br />
** Material: Music Wire<br />
** Load at Solid Height(lb): 10.3<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They hold the blades firmly to the rail, but allow trains to trail through the turnout without derailing.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Thurber_Mingus_%26_Southern_Railroad&diff=19034Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad2026-04-09T13:55:43Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
The [[Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad]] is a 7-1/2 inch gauge back yard railroad owned and operated by [[Daris A Nevil|Daris & Brenda Nevil]]. It is informally referred to as "The Texas Route".<br />
<br />
<youtube>81xjDCcwMag</youtube><br />
<br />
== Track ==<br />
<br />
=== Construction ===<br />
<br />
* West Coast rail using [[IBLS Track Standard]]<br />
* [[Texas Standard Tie Spacing]]<br />
* [[Sagitta Rule]] for measuring curves<br />
* [[Charles Field Track Panel Jig]]<br />
* Plastic ties from [[Enterprise Plastics Inc]]<br />
* [https://accu-tierailsystem.com/product-category/rail-bender/ Accu-tie Rail Bender]<br />
<br />
=== Parts List ===<br />
<br />
* Rail joiner screws<br />
** Star Pan Head MS 304 SS #10-32 x 3/4<br />
** Part Number TXM00026<br />
** https://AlbanyCountyFasteners.com<br />
** Drive tool: T25 (CR-V T25)<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They have worked very well. The Star tool provides positive grip and does not strip out like Phillips. I drive these with a DeWalt drill with the torque setting on 3 or 4.<br />
<br />
* Switch throw spring<br />
** Stock Code: [https://www.leespring.com/compression-springs?search=LC038E18M LC 038E 18 M (CAD drawings available here)]<br />
** Outside Diameter (inch): 0.36<br />
** Hole Diameter (inch): 0.375<br />
** Rod Diameter (inch): 0.271 (Fits over 1/4 inch threaded rod)<br />
** Free Length (inch): 2.5<br />
** Rate (lb/inch): 5.8<br />
** Solid Height (inch): 0.714<br />
** Wire Diameter (inch): 0.038<br />
** Material: Music Wire<br />
** Load at Solid Height(lb): 10.3<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They hold the blades firmly to the rail, but allow trains to trail through the turnout without derailing.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Thurber_Mingus_%26_Southern_Railroad&diff=19033Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad2026-04-09T13:55:26Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
The [[Thurber Mingus & Southern Railroad]] is a 7-1/2 inch gauge back yard railroad owned and operated by Daris & Brenda Nevil. It is informally referred to as "The Texas Route".<br />
<br />
<youtube>81xjDCcwMag</youtube><br />
<br />
== Track ==<br />
<br />
=== Construction ===<br />
<br />
* West Coast rail using [[IBLS Track Standard]]<br />
* [[Texas Standard Tie Spacing]]<br />
* [[Sagitta Rule]] for measuring curves<br />
* [[Charles Field Track Panel Jig]]<br />
* Plastic ties from [[Enterprise Plastics Inc]]<br />
* [https://accu-tierailsystem.com/product-category/rail-bender/ Accu-tie Rail Bender]<br />
<br />
=== Parts List ===<br />
<br />
* Rail joiner screws<br />
** Star Pan Head MS 304 SS #10-32 x 3/4<br />
** Part Number TXM00026<br />
** https://AlbanyCountyFasteners.com<br />
** Drive tool: T25 (CR-V T25)<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They have worked very well. The Star tool provides positive grip and does not strip out like Phillips. I drive these with a DeWalt drill with the torque setting on 3 or 4.<br />
<br />
* Switch throw spring<br />
** Stock Code: [https://www.leespring.com/compression-springs?search=LC038E18M LC 038E 18 M (CAD drawings available here)]<br />
** Outside Diameter (inch): 0.36<br />
** Hole Diameter (inch): 0.375<br />
** Rod Diameter (inch): 0.271 (Fits over 1/4 inch threaded rod)<br />
** Free Length (inch): 2.5<br />
** Rate (lb/inch): 5.8<br />
** Solid Height (inch): 0.714<br />
** Wire Diameter (inch): 0.038<br />
** Material: Music Wire<br />
** Load at Solid Height(lb): 10.3<br />
** Notes: These were recommended by Ken Smith. They hold the blades firmly to the rail, but allow trains to trail through the turnout without derailing.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Mark_Bing&diff=19032Mark Bing2026-04-08T15:29:33Z<p>Dnevil: /* External Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
[[Mark Bing]] was a live steamer in Katy, Texas. His railroad has been featured on television and newspapers.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:JakeCooper MarkBingTrack byBrianBanksw.jpg|Jake Cooper posted on Facebook, 21 February 2020: When I was probably 13 at Mark Bing track in Katy Texas running Walts loco. Photo courtesy of Brian Banks.<br />
File:LeeBalkum Becky MarkBing Track 1997.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/news/article/Katy-doctor-caught-train-bug-at-an-early-age-6372972.php "Katy Doctor Caught Train Bug at an Early Age", <i>Chron.com</i>]<br />
* [http://texascountryreporter.com/rfd-tv/rfd-archive Texas Country Reporter Episode #431, originally aired 12-2-1995, featured Mark Bing's railroad]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=110253 "Last Run, Dr. Mark Bing, M.D.", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [https://www.schmidtfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Mark-Lyndon-Bing-MD?obId=32432265 Obituary]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Mark_Bing&diff=19031Mark Bing2026-04-08T15:15:37Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
[[Mark Bing]] was a live steamer in Katy, Texas. His railroad has been featured on television and newspapers.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:JakeCooper MarkBingTrack byBrianBanksw.jpg|Jake Cooper posted on Facebook, 21 February 2020: When I was probably 13 at Mark Bing track in Katy Texas running Walts loco. Photo courtesy of Brian Banks.<br />
File:LeeBalkum Becky MarkBing Track 1997.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/news/article/Katy-doctor-caught-train-bug-at-an-early-age-6372972.php "Katy Doctor Caught Train Bug at an Early Age", <i>Chron.com</i>]<br />
* [http://texascountryreporter.com/rfd-tv/rfd-archive Texas Country Reporter Episode #431, originally aired 12-2-1995, featured Mark Bing's railroad]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=110253 "Last Run, Dr. Mark Bing, M.D.", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [https://www.schmidtfuneralhome.net/obituary/dr-mark-bing?fbclid=IwAR1MtqT37hJMirIUeTP2ZaiyyuyIZe_W0G0wvfvDwAJpuCbRjzri1zTPy2Q Obituary]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:LeeBalkum_Becky_MarkBing_Track_1997.jpg&diff=19030File:LeeBalkum Becky MarkBing Track 1997.jpg2026-04-08T15:14:48Z<p>Dnevil: From https://www.balkum.com/lee.html</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
From https://www.balkum.com/lee.html</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Comanche_%26_Indian_Gap_Railroad&diff=19029Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad2026-04-08T15:09:45Z<p>Dnevil: /* Renovation */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Tracks]]<br />
<br />
[[File:SantaFeCaboose999187 CGI.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Santa Fe caboose 999187 at the [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad]]. Photo by [[Daris A Nevil]], July 2015.]]<br />
The Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad is a private track located near Comanche, Texas. It was built by [[Roy Pickard]] and family and friends.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
=== 2025 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>g4JWC1lrlik</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2022 SWLS Spring Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>MzJKmB6D2B8</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2021 Spring Fling ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>bql8LAzFAWI</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2020 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<youtube>H6D9dVD0Ry4</youtube><br />
<br />
=== 2017 Fall Meet ===<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Cason F3-ABBA.001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7 001.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.003.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 Click F7-ABBA.004.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 IMG 1741.jpg<br />
File:CIG Fall Meet 2017 The Chief.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== 2016 Spring Ops Meet ===<br />
<br />
The annual Spring Operations Meet was held the week of March 6, 2016. In spite of heavy rain the meet was a great success.<br />
<br />
Danny Click wrote the following:<br />
<br />
: We started the re-building of the C&IG in late February of last year. In 12 months we have re-laid and refurbished over 3,000' of C&IG mainline.<br />
<br />
:* 1,500' of steel rail. Mainly on the outside rail of the curves.<br />
:* Nearly 4,000 EP plastic ties, 500 concrete ties. Plus about 500 new wood ties.<br />
:* Over 18,000 screws.<br />
:* About 35 tons of ballast and another 30 tons of road base.<br />
<br />
: We have some really good track now in some critical areas around the railroad, however, this place is huge we have several more years to go. That is just fine with us because for the Friends of the C&IG the journey is the fun! Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
== Renovation ==<br />
=== April 2026 ===<br />
<br />
Craig Stoops, C&IG Roadmaster, posted:<br />
<br />
: A work session was held the 1st week of April 2026, and a lot of work was completed getting ready for the spring meet:<br />
<br />
:* Re-leveling and re-ballasting Tlaquepaque to Anasazi<br />
:* Owens Junction erosion and track dip<br />
:* Pickard Gap winter storm rock slide damage. Replacement of damaged track section. Dug out the ROW to allow clearance for engine foot pegs<br />
:* Welding repairs on Lehnis Bridge<br />
:* Removal of dead trees hanging over the track<br />
:* Mexican hat tipple track wash out 1st order repairs.<br />
:* Crossing at the HE&WT smash gate was removed, cut and re-welded to fix the rabbit derailments.<br />
:* HE&WT track repairs at known derailment areas. Began track leveling project.<br />
:* Repainting of signage continues<br />
:* Rolling stock repairs<br />
<br />
: In Oct 2025 track maintenance work resumed after a 2 year hiatus with the leveling and re-ballasting of all 4 approaches to Slo Order.<br />
<br />
=== August 2016 ===<br />
Danny Click posted on <i>Facebook</i>, August 2016:<br />
<br />
: While working on the railroad, we always marvel at what Roy was able to build and accomplish. It is truly amazing. We will complete a section of the railroad and think about how much we accomplished that week look around and realize how big the railroad is! I wanted to see exactly how much of the railroad we have touched so far so I grabbed a track plan and highlighted the areas we have re-built or re-furbished in the last year and a half. The photo is below. I know Roy would enjoy the progress we've made and laugh out loud at the looks on our faces each time we look up covered in sweat and dirt and realize how far we have to go!....and love every minute of it! Most folks don't work as hard as we play!<br />
<br />
[[File:CIG Renovation as of August2016.jpg|thumb|center|500px]]<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<br />
From [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=90539&p=218834&hilit=mid+central#p218834 Brian], posted on Chaski.org:<br />
<br />
: Roy and Marylin Pickard began this railroad way back in the late 70's - early 80's. It is the first point to point live steam railroad built and designed exclusively for operation, with dispatchers, radios, freight trains, and passenger trains running via timetable.<br />
<br />
: It takes a great amount of effort nearly year-round to maintain and then prepare the railroad for the runs in the spring and fall. The irregulars provide service from cutting brush, repairing and maintaining right of way and trackage, building and maintaining signals, and servicing and rebuilding rolling stock. We have folks that come from all over, and some of the gypsies have recently rebuilt one of the major steel bridges and a turntable.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,2659543 Tom], posted on Trainorders.com:<br />
<br />
: In the late 1970's Roy Pickard bought a ranch near Priddy, Tx. He went to Texas A&M to learn how to raise cows so that he could get a agricultural tax exemption on the land. His real purpose was to build a live steam railroad, the Comanche and Indian Gap. It would be spread over about 150 acres of rolling land, some heavily forested and other parts out in the open.<br />
<br />
: Roy and his son built about 80% of the railroad moving a lot of dirt and rocks to provide a right of way. Word spread about it and some came to see what he had done before it was finished. Some said he was crazy, others just thought he was a little nuts. But, in spite of that some started helping and the railroad main line was finished. It had to cross some creeks, one in particular called Cowhouse Creek which required a 120 ft bridge that ranged to a height of 10 ft over the Creek,and rise up some tough hills with plenty of curvature. Some parts such as the "raceway allowed you to "come out" on the throttle if only for a 150 yards, then it was back to curves and grades.<br />
<br />
: Roy wasn't just building a live steam track, he was building a railroad complete with many passing tracks and sidings for freight trains to work. It was to be operated as a real railroad, dispatched by radio controlling train movements and meets. Roy made use of concealment of the track in wooded areas. In some places you would be close to another part of he mainline of the railroad and not even know it when trees and bushes were leafed out. The track ran from 3 terminals, West Yard, Comanche Yard, and Indian Gap each with a turntable and water spouts. It had tower 17, a tall structure that seated the dispatcher and a CTC machine for the Zuni (Tower 17) tracks and wye. It was the nerve center of the railroad. Radios were early radio shack 5 channel radios with only 1/4 miles range and not really good at that.<br />
<br />
: Roy's wife has said she will keep the meets going as long as she lives. All maintenance is now done by a small group of men who come to the track about 4 weekends a year plus all those who come to meets work on track Monday-Wednesday, and then run the rest of he week. The tracks 31 year history has almost a complete turnover in those who now come to the meets. Many of the original group have passed away and others are so old now they just don't travel the long distances to get there anymore. Even I don't come but a couple of days now. Knees just can't do what they used to do. Father time can be a little cruel.<br />
<br />
[[Terry McGrath]] wrote, 5 May 2014:<br />
<br />
: I attended the spring meet at the C&IG, rode the trains, walked the mainline, spent some time in the West Yard. I found concrete ties and new wood ties, expanded ballast work along portions of the main line and working signals. Trains had little trouble with derailments and I noticed a lot of retainer walls to keep mud from sliding onto the mainline during rains. While the railroad needs much more work, I have concluded that the C&IG is going to be around for many years to come. Peter is very enthusiastic about the future of the railroad, and has said the Pickard family is committed to keep operations going forward. If you are thinking of going to the C&IG's fall meet in October, right after the Terrell meet, consider taking your engine and some cars, as there will be even more work done on the railroad this summer.<br />
<br />
In 2018 Peter Bryan put together a list of key people responsible for the development of the railroad. Please note that this list is not complete.<br />
<br />
* [[Gene Allen]]<br />
* Joe & Gwen Baily<br />
* Lee Balkum<br />
* [[Harry Bean|Harry "Scorcher" Bean]]<br />
* Rick Bierman<br />
* [[Henry Blossom|Hank & Myra Blossom]]<br />
* Bob Blyth<br />
* [[Ken Casford]]<br />
* Billy Chaffin<br />
* Doug Chancey<br />
* [[John Enders]]<br />
* Tom Enloe<br />
* Harry Haas<br />
* [[Truman Hefner|Truman & Vera Hefner]]<br />
* Ernest Gerloff<br />
* [[Alex Hitzfelder|Alex, Grace and Nick Hitzfelder]]<br />
* Jack Green<br />
* James Goodson<br />
* [[David Hannah III]]<br />
* Ralph Howels<br />
* Loren Jennings<br />
* [[Walter Johnson]]<br />
* Tom Keenan<br />
* [[Ed Leatherwood|Ed & Jean Leatherwood]]<br />
* [[Jack Lucks|Jack & Shirley Lucks]]<br />
* Lee Lyons<br />
* [[Ed McCamey]]<br />
* [[Terry McGrath]]<br />
* [[Jim Murray]]<br />
* Art Olds<br />
* Jack & Lyrette Owen<br />
* [[Roy Pickard]]<br />
* Ben Pearlman<br />
* Ed Rains<br />
* Lynn Ratliff<br />
* Joe & May Robertson<br />
* Harry & Shirley Simpson<br />
* Dan Spiner<br />
* Mike Spoor<br />
* [[Fred Springer]]<br />
* Harold Staples<br />
* [[C.T. Sumrall]]<br />
* Jim "Tweetie" Tolson<br />
* Julian Van Sickle<br />
* K. Volrath<br />
* Curt Werner<br />
* Richard Wilms<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:C&IG SlowOrderBridge LeeBalkam.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad, Slo Order Bridge, photo from [http://www.balkum.com/lee.html Lee Balkham website]<br />
File:GarrettBean 3420X ComancheIndianGap 2001 DiscoverLiveSteam.jpg|Seven-year-old Garrett at the throttle of his grandfather's (Harry "Scorcher" Bean) 1.5-inch Southern Pacific consolidation #3420X pulling out of the Indian Gap yard on the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad in 2001. From [http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/photocontest/2001/photocontest2001-1.htm DiscoverLiveSteam.com]<br />
File:CIG ComancheYard Fall1999 FrolinMarek.jpg|A view of Comanche Yard in the Fall of 1999. Photo by Frolin Marek.<br />
File:TrumanHeffner Warbonnet CIG.jpg|Truman Heffer's 4-unit lash-up at the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad. Photo by C. Randall Wilson.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click 2.jpg|Comanche & Indian Gap RR Spring Meet 25 April 2018. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:CIG Spring Meet 20180426 by Danny Click.jpg<br />
File:JimRobison CompressorPowered 484 CIG byFrankPickard.jpg|Jim Robison built this 4-8-4 in 1.5 inch scale. It is shown here on the old hydraulic turntable of the Comanche & Indian Gap RR. Vance Nickerson said the locomotive was powered by a gas engine and compressor setup. Photo by Frank Pickard. Posted on Facebook, 20180509.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click.jpg|Frank Mann's 5001 arrived at Comanche & Indian Gap RR, 27 January 2018. It will rest here until repairs begin later this year. Photo by Danny Click.<br />
File:FrankMann 5001 CIG 20180127 Click side.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Pickard Gap ===<br />
<br />
by Tom Stamey<br />
<br />
Roy had named a lot of spots along the railroad, some for individuals, the bridge over helper, town of Gotebo, passing track of [[Martin Lehnis|Lehnis]], etc. We dept asking what he was going to name Pickard. He said absolutely nothing because if he did it would be kind of self serving and he was not into that because too many other people had helped.<br />
<br />
The loop around Comanche had been a thorn in his side for years. He had tried everyway under the sun to cut through and could not. Dick Parker of Chicago came up with the idea of people chipping in to pay for a BIG bull dozer to come do the work. $100 a person was asked and paid. All without Roy knowing what was going on until the money had been collected and he was told about it (becuase he would have to get someone with a dozer out there). [[Truman Hefner]] and I paid for a plack to be made naming the cut "Pickard Gap" and surprised Roy with it at a ceremony regarding the last rail being laid in the gap. [[Jack Lucks]] videoed it.<br />
<br />
== Meets ==<br />
<br />
* [[Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad 2018]]<br />
<br />
== Models ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:CIG HO Boxcar.jpg|An Athearn HO Boxcar decorated in Comanche and Indian Gap colors.<br />
File:CIG NScale Boxcar.jpg|An N Scale model bearing the Comanche and Indian Gap herald. From ebay.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Video ==<br />
<br />
<youtube>QAmjQNGe0Ns</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>qQZWcLmvGec</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>JPXP4WbwCik</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>ZyIL-Rg-rso</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>XNyc3XYj8B4</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kkf3uWRjKYc</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>5H5a96H2F8w</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>70c_B4ng8gI</youtube><br />
<br />
<youtube>kNu5bL9PF2c</youtube><br />
<br />
=== Texas Live Steam ===<br />
<br />
[http://www.grandscales.com/media/Texa.html Robinson and Associates] published a video titled "Texas Live Steam" in 2008. The following description of the C&IG is from their website:<br />
<br />
: Robinson takes us to Roy Pickard’s Comanche & Indian Gap. Even though most of the railroad is just a few hundred yards from the rest of the railroad there is a wide variety of landscape in miniature. Portions of the railroad run through rolling hills with deep cuts and high fills. There are thick patches of bushes and small gnarled trees that make very believable scale woods. Other areas evoke a sense of broad grassy prairies with sun scorched earth. <br />
<br />
: For the last hundred years the most common form of live steam “operations” has been heading out on the mainline loop and making sure you didn’t run into the train ahead of you. From the beginning Mr. Pickard wanted a railroad that would more closely replicate the activity of the prototype. This was a rather revolutionary idea in the live steam world thirty years ago. And the C&IG deserves credit for being a pioneer in live steam railroad operations.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px><br />
File:TexasLiveSteam cover.jpg<br />
File:TexasLiveSteam back.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Bibliography ==<br />
<br />
* "The Comanche & Indian Gap RR", Peter R. Bryan, '''Model Railroader''', July 1997, Vol 64, Issue 7, page 74<br />
* [http://www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/comment/23313/ Tom Moody comments and photos on C&IG]<br />
* [http://sanjac.leoslair.com/resources/Derails/Derail-2010/derail-06-2010_derail.pdf 2010 Operations on C&IG <i>The Drail</i>]<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=67620 Meet Report, May 2005, <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Richard_Ulin&diff=19028Richard Ulin2026-04-08T14:43:49Z<p>Dnevil: /* 2-6-4 Mason Bogie */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
[[Richard Ulin]] founded [[Ulin Locomotive Works]]. He designed a D&RG K-27 2-8-2 and a 2-6-4 Mason Bogie, both in 2.5 inch scale.<br />
<br />
== 2-6-4 Mason Bogie ==<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=2><br />
File:RichUlin on MasonBogie1.jpg|Richard Ulin on his 2-6-4 Mason Bogie.<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie2.jpg<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie cylinder drive.jpg<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie drivers.jpg<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie rear truck.jpg<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie stack.jpg<br />
File:RichUlin MasonBogie Bell.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=110114 "In Memory - Richard Ulin", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ulin_Locomotive_Works&diff=19027Ulin Locomotive Works2026-04-08T14:43:17Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Ulin Locomotive Works]] was founded by [[Richard Ulin]] of Colorado.<br />
<br />
As of June 2017 all [[Ulin Locomotive Works|Ulin]] line was purchase by [[Alco West Locomotives]].<br />
<br />
Rob Gardner posted the following on <i>Facebook</i>, April 2026:<br />
<br />
: [[Accucraft Ride-On Trains|Accucraft]] bought [[Richard Ulin]]'s patterns and castings including those for the 2.5 inch scale K-27 that he had designed and offered, but I don't believe they are currently being offered for sale.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?t=93695 "Ulin Locomotive", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [http://www.fpvrr.org/locomotive-photos/the-richard-ulin-designed-contraption/ "Richard Ulin designed Contraption", <i>Flintridge & Portola Valley</i>]<br />
* [http://oldtomstoys.com/2013/12/14/ulins-2-12-inch-mason-bogie/ "Ulin’s 2 1/2 Inch Mason Bogie"]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=105410 "Ulin Locomotive Works", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?t=110228 "Ulin Locomotive Works Production Data", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ulin_Locomotive_Works&diff=19026Ulin Locomotive Works2026-04-08T14:42:23Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Ulin Locomotive Works]] was founded by [[Richard Ulin]] of Colorado.<br />
<br />
As of June 2017 all [[Ulin Locomotive Works|Ulin]] line was purchase by [[Alco West Locomotives]].<br />
<br />
Rob Gardner posted the following on <i>Facebook</i>, April 2026:<br />
<br />
: [[Accucraft]] bought [[Richard Ulin]]'s patterns and castings including those for the 2.5 inch scale K-27 that he had designed and offered, but I don't believe they are currently being offered for sale.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?t=93695 "Ulin Locomotive", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [http://www.fpvrr.org/locomotive-photos/the-richard-ulin-designed-contraption/ "Richard Ulin designed Contraption", <i>Flintridge & Portola Valley</i>]<br />
* [http://oldtomstoys.com/2013/12/14/ulins-2-12-inch-mason-bogie/ "Ulin’s 2 1/2 Inch Mason Bogie"]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=105410 "Ulin Locomotive Works", <i>Chaski.org</i>]<br />
* [https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?t=110228 "Ulin Locomotive Works Production Data", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-08.jpeg&diff=19025File:AlMilburn American No56-08.jpeg2026-04-04T10:22:44Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-11.jpeg&diff=19024File:AlMilburn American No56-11.jpeg2026-04-04T10:21:44Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-10.jpeg&diff=19023File:AlMilburn American No56-10.jpeg2026-04-04T10:21:05Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-09.jpeg&diff=19022File:AlMilburn American No56-09.jpeg2026-04-04T10:19:55Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-03.jpeg&diff=19021File:AlMilburn American No56-03.jpeg2026-04-04T10:19:09Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-07.jpeg&diff=19020File:AlMilburn American No56-07.jpeg2026-04-04T10:18:12Z<p>Dnevil: Dnevil uploaded a new version of File:AlMilburn American No56-07.jpeg</p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-07.jpeg&diff=19019File:AlMilburn American No56-07.jpeg2026-04-04T10:17:29Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-06.jpeg&diff=19018File:AlMilburn American No56-06.jpeg2026-04-04T10:16:14Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-05.jpeg&diff=19017File:AlMilburn American No56-05.jpeg2026-04-04T10:15:38Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-04.jpeg&diff=19016File:AlMilburn American No56-04.jpeg2026-04-04T10:14:46Z<p>Dnevil: Dnevil uploaded a new version of File:AlMilburn American No56-04.jpeg</p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-04.jpeg&diff=19015File:AlMilburn American No56-04.jpeg2026-04-04T10:14:02Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-02.jpeg&diff=19014File:AlMilburn American No56-02.jpeg2026-04-04T10:13:27Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-12.jpeg&diff=19013File:AlMilburn American No56-12.jpeg2026-04-04T10:09:11Z<p>Dnevil: From ebay</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
From ebay</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19012Al Milburn2026-04-04T10:08:29Z<p>Dnevil: /* American No. 56 */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
Alder Milburn was a Live Steamer who lived in Milford, Connecticut. He was a member of the [[New England Live Steamers]]. He produced several fine locomotives, all created from raw stock without castings. <br />
<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
Al’s last locomotive was listed on <i>eBay</i>, April 2026. <br />
<br />
: This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px><br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-01.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-02.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-03.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-04.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-05.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-06.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-07.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-08.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-09.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-10.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-11.jpeg<br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-12.jpeg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19011Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:57:49Z<p>Dnevil: /* American No. 56 */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
Alder Milburn was a Live Steamer who lived in Milford, Connecticut. He was a member of the [[New England Live Steamers]]. He produced several fine locomotives, all created from raw stock without castings. <br />
<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
Al’s last locomotive was listed on <i>eBay</i>, April 2026. <br />
<br />
: This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px><br />
File:AlMilburn American No56-01.jpeg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_American_No56-01.jpeg&diff=19010File:AlMilburn American No56-01.jpeg2026-04-04T09:57:03Z<p>Dnevil: From ebay</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
From ebay</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19009Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:49:26Z<p>Dnevil: /* American No. 56 */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
Alder Milburn was a Live Steamer who lived in Milford, Connecticut. He was a member of the [[New England Live Steamers]]. He produced several fine locomotives, all created from raw stock without castings. <br />
<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
Al’s last locomotive was listed on <i>eBay</i>, April 2026. <br />
<br />
: This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px><br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19008Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:49:05Z<p>Dnevil: /* American No. 56 */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
Alder Milburn was a Live Steamer who lived in Milford, Connecticut. He was a member of the [[New England Live Steamers]]. He produced several fine locomotives, all created from raw stock without castings. <br />
<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
Al’s last locomotive was listed on <i>eBay<\i>, April 2026. <br />
<br />
: This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px><br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19007Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:46:26Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
<br />
Alder Milburn was a Live Steamer who lived in Milford, Connecticut. He was a member of the [[New England Live Steamers]]. He produced several fine locomotives, all created from raw stock without castings. <br />
<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19006Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:44:00Z<p>Dnevil: /* Raybestos Article */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== American No. 56 ==<br />
<br />
This is a nearly complete live steam engine and elevated track stand hand precision made by renowned maker, Al Milburn. Also included is his handmade prototype of the link motion and blueprints. See last picture. The boiler needs to be completed. He passed before he could complete this, his last of many live steam, highly collectible trains. All his live steam trains were built in his basement machine shop in Milford, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19005Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:36:26Z<p>Dnevil: /* Raybestos Article */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
[[File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg|Al Milburn in his basement workshop|thumb|500px|center]]<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:AlMilburn_basement_workshop.jpeg&diff=19004File:AlMilburn basement workshop.jpeg2026-04-04T09:34:41Z<p>Dnevil: Al Milburn basement workshop.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Al Milburn basement workshop.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19003Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:31:22Z<p>Dnevil: /* Raybestos Article */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him approximately 400 hours to complete.<br />
<br />
We could fill pages on interesting facts concerning Al's hobby and have only touched on some of the outstanding ones, but we feel it is worth mentioning that Al has been written up six times in [[Model Engineer]], which is a London publication having a very large worldwide circulation.<br />
<br />
Al has a photograph album which shows the construction of his<br />
first miniature from the beginning up to its completion, together with pictures of many outstanding personages who are fascinated by his hobby and have visited his home to learn more about it while other individuals who have the same interests are there to compare notes on his masterpieces.<br />
<br />
In looking over Al's album it was interesting to note that he is considered a friendly rival to Dr. J. Bradbury Winter who built the finest little locomotive ever seen, and Al had the fortitude to follow the example of this fine craftsman in completing an engine comparable to Dr. Winter's.<br />
<br />
Through his photography work in connection with pictures of each stage of his engine, Al has become a first rate photographer and this can also be added as another one of his accomplishments. Al welcomes visitors to see his engines and many of our readers will recall that he had his first miniature on display at Raybestos Family Day two years ago.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Al_Milburn&diff=19002Al Milburn2026-04-04T09:28:14Z<p>Dnevil: /* 1960's */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
== 1940 ==<br />
<br />
From [[New_England_Live_Steamers#1940|New England Live Steamers]]:<br />
<br />
: Upper-right: -- 4-4-2 3-1/2" gague. [[Bill Van Brocklin|W. S. Van Brocklin, Jr.]], builder. [[Al Milburn]] running the engine with Billy as passenger.<br />
<br />
[[File:NELS Meet Danvers 1940.jpg|thumb|center|300px]]<br />
<br />
== 1949 ==<br />
<br />
[[File:LesterFriendsHomeShop Davners1949 AWLeggett.jpg|thumb|center|400px|[[Lester Friend]]'s home shop, Danvers, Mass., 1949. Front left to right: [[Arthur Wegner|Art Wegner]], Ray Peck, Lester Friend's daughter. Bending over: Lester Friend. At right behind: [[Al Milburn]]. Photo by A.W. Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
== 1950 ==<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1950]]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]]'s cut from the solid Atlantic a beautiful job to see.<br />
<br />
[[File:Danvers50 billy leggett layout watercolour.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Bill Leggett admiring [[Al Milburn]]'s Atlantic (top) at BLS Meet at Danvers, MA, 1950. Photo by A.W. Leggett, provided by Jim Leggett.]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079&p=212684&hilit=Milburn#p212684 [[Keith Taylor]] posted on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4" scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1951 ==<br />
<br />
From [[Youd Better Not Call Them Toys]]:<br />
<br />
[[File:AC Milburn Atlantic Progress May 1951.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From "You'd Better Not Call Them Toys"]]<br />
<br />
: Many men who didn't know a drill press from a grape press until they started their first loco have found that the thousands of hours of trial-and-error shop work have made them competent machinists. One such is [[Al Milburn|A. C. Milburn]] of Milford, Connecticut. Ten years ago he started work on a 1/2-inch scale freight engine in his spare time from a 4,000-foot coal shaft where he was a digger, today Milburn is a well-paid toolmaker-thanks to live steam.<br />
<br />
From [[IBLS Journal 1951]]:<br />
<br />
: The former speed record of 26 MPH set at Danvers some years ago by Norm Robinson & his 3/4 inch scale Fayette, or our friend [[Al Milburn]]'s record of 22 MPH on his own former home loop with his 2-1/2 inch gauge Lucy-Ann 4-8-4, would very likely raise the hair on the necks of these California steam boys. These records were watch timed and are actual miles per hour, not scale MPH.<br />
<br />
== 3/4" Atlantic ==<br />
<br />
[http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90079 Keith Taylor wrote]:<br />
<br />
: [[Al Milburn]] built a beautiful 3/4 inch scale Atlantic where everything was hacked from solid. The drivers were sawn out by hand with a jeweler's saw, then filed to the correct profile...then sand blasted so they would look like castings!<br />
<br />
== 1960's ==<br />
<br />
[https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=109746 Mark Bassini wrote on <i>Chaski.org</i>]:<br />
<br />
: The 1 inch scale 870 built by [[Al Milburn]] & once owned by Pierre Mauer & then by my father, now in my possession.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" perrow="2"><br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961 unknown.jpg|Al Milburn's No 870 4-4-0 in 1 inch scale. Note that [[Brenton Barnfather]]'s tote box is in the background. Photo was taken May 1961 at unknown location.<br />
File:Al Milburn No 870 May 1961.jpg<br />
File:AlMilburn PVLS circa1960 SteveBratina.jpg|Adrian Buyse and [[Al Milburn]] with Milburn's New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers|PVLS]]. Milburn built #870 from solid stock. Circa 1960. Photo by Steve Bratina.<br />
File:AlMilburns NYC870 PVLS1965.jpg|[[Al Milburn]]'s NYC&HR RR #870 at [[Pioneer Valley Live Steamers]], 1965. Photo by Sandiapaul.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Raybestos Article ==<br />
<br />
We are very happy to include in our Hobby Show Case this week [[Al Milburn]], who is pictured above working on the miniature of a large locomotive which is the second one he has constructed since starting his hobby in 1935.<br />
<br />
Back in 1933, Al visited a sports show and saw his first miniature engine and decided at that time he would some day design and construct one of his own miniatures.<br />
<br />
In 1935 Al started to work on his first engine. He was a book binder by trade, with no mechanical knowledge whatsoever, and through research and book learning he completed his first locomotive with two flat cars after 10 long years of work at his hobby. He approximates that the engine took him 4,000 hours to build.<br />
<br />
This engine was designed by an Englishman who wrote a series of articles in an American publication. Al says that the knowledge gained the first year in working with his hobby through this self education enabled him to give up book binding and take a job as an instrument maker in a local plant, so actually he had a new trade, a hobby and a wealth of mechanical<br />
knowledge.<br />
<br />
The engine shown above is about 80% complete, and is Al's own design. It is cut from solid steel with no castings used.<br />
<br />
All parts are hand filed and cut. He figures that the four driving wheels took him ap-<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=99962&hilit=Milburn "The Norman Mottshaw NYC Hudson in 3/4" Scale", <i>Chaski.org</i>]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=19001Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:34:53Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris Railroad Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
From the Morris R.R. Supplies website previously hosted on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i><br />
<br />
Features of our EMD Switcher...<br />
* 5.5hp. Honda - 2 to 1 reduction with oil alert (Not available with electric Start.)<br />
* Eaton Hyd. Trans. Model 7 with by-pass valve<br />
* Atlas universal joints<br />
* Tol-o-matic - 2 to 1 gear reduction - Right angle drive<br />
* Front headlight lighted - works great<br />
* Louvered + engraved doors<br />
* Bell and horn mounted (dummy)<br />
* All wheel powered<br />
* Body is # 16 gauge crs and chassis deck is # 12 gauge crs with 2x1x1/8 C channel frame<br />
* Primed - and ready to paint<br />
* Coupler front and rear (Tom Bee couplers - cast steel)<br />
* One lever on Toe board to control forward and Backwards and speed<br />
* Throttle is located in rear window<br />
* Locomotive Specs: 60"long X 22" high X 16"wide.66" overall with couplers. weight is 300 lbs with battery (customer installed).<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300x><br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 1.jpg<br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 2.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== End of Production ==<br />
<br />
Wayne Fort posted the following on Facebook, March 2026:<br />
<br />
: From the 1990's through around 2010 Steve Morris of Charlotte, Michigan made an outstanding switcher around a Honda 5HP with hydrostatic drive. He made 100+ of them.<br />
<br />
: Unfortunately, he stopped producing and having trouble reassembling his supply chain again. Eaton does not directly product, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331094505/http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website (<i>Archive.org</i>)]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=19000Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:32:47Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris Railroad Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
From the Morris R.R. Supplies website previously hosted on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i><br />
<br />
Features of our EMD Switcher...<br />
* 5.5hp. Honda - 2 to 1 reduction with oil alert (Not available with electric Start.)<br />
* Eaton Hyd. Trans. Model 7 with by-pass valve<br />
* Atlas universal joints<br />
* Tol-o-matic - 2 to 1 gear reduction - Right angle drive<br />
* Front headlight lighted - works great<br />
* Louvered + engraved doors<br />
* Bell and horn mounted (dummy)<br />
* All wheel powered<br />
* Body is # 16 gauge crs and chassis deck is # 12 gauge crs with 2x1x1/8 C channel frame<br />
* Primed - and ready to paint<br />
* Coupler front and rear (Tom Bee couplers - cast steel)<br />
* One lever on Toe board to control forward and Backwards and speed<br />
* Throttle is located in rear window<br />
* Locomotive Specs: 60"long X 22" high X 16"wide.66" overall with couplers. weight is 300 lbs with battery (customer installed).<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=300px heights=300x><br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 1.jpg<br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 2.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331094505/http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website (<i>Archive.org</i>)]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=18999Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:32:24Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris Railroad Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
From the Morris R.R. Supplies website previously hosted on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i><br />
<br />
Features of our EMD Switcher...<br />
* 5.5hp. Honda - 2 to 1 reduction with oil alert (Not available with electric Start.)<br />
* Eaton Hyd. Trans. Model 7 with by-pass valve<br />
* Atlas universal joints<br />
* Tol-o-matic - 2 to 1 gear reduction - Right angle drive<br />
* Front headlight lighted - works great<br />
* Louvered + engraved doors<br />
* Bell and horn mounted (dummy)<br />
* All wheel powered<br />
* Body is # 16 gauge crs and chassis deck is # 12 gauge crs with 2x1x1/8 C channel frame<br />
* Primed - and ready to paint<br />
* Coupler front and rear (Tom Bee couplers - cast steel)<br />
* One lever on Toe board to control forward and Backwards and speed<br />
* Throttle is located in rear window<br />
* Locomotive Specs: 60"long X 22" high X 16"wide.66" overall with couplers. weight is 300 lbs with battery (customer installed).<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=400px heights=400x><br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 1.jpg<br />
File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 2.jpg<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331094505/http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website (<i>Archive.org</i>)]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_R.R._Supplies&diff=18998Morris R.R. Supplies2026-03-25T21:31:33Z<p>Dnevil: Dnevil moved page Morris R.R. Supplies to Morris Railroad Supplies: Proper name of business</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Morris Railroad Supplies]]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=18997Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:31:33Z<p>Dnevil: Dnevil moved page Morris R.R. Supplies to Morris Railroad Supplies: Proper name of business</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris R.R. Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
From the Morris R.R. Supplies website previously hosted on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i><br />
<br />
Features of our EMD Switcher...<br />
* 5.5hp. Honda - 2 to 1 reduction with oil alert (Not available with electric Start.)<br />
* Eaton Hyd. Trans. Model 7 with by-pass valve<br />
* Atlas universal joints<br />
* Tol-o-matic - 2 to 1 gear reduction - Right angle drive<br />
* Front headlight lighted - works great<br />
* Louvered + engraved doors<br />
* Bell and horn mounted (dummy)<br />
* All wheel powered<br />
* Body is # 16 gauge crs and chassis deck is # 12 gauge crs with 2x1x1/8 C channel frame<br />
* Primed - and ready to paint<br />
* Coupler front and rear (Tom Bee couplers - cast steel)<br />
* One lever on Toe board to control forward and Backwards and speed<br />
* Throttle is located in rear window<br />
* Locomotive Specs: 60"long X 22" high X 16"wide.66" overall with couplers. weight is 300 lbs with battery (customer installed).<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331094505/http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website (<i>Archive.org</i>)]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:MorrisRRSupply_EMDSwitcher_2.jpg&diff=18996File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 2.jpg2026-03-25T21:31:15Z<p>Dnevil: Morris Railroad Supply EMD Switch, for sale on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i></p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Morris Railroad Supply EMD Switch, for sale on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:MorrisRRSupply_EMDSwitcher_1.jpg&diff=18995File:MorrisRRSupply EMDSwitcher 1.jpg2026-03-25T21:31:05Z<p>Dnevil: Morris Railroad Supply EMD Switch, for sale on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i></p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Morris Railroad Supply EMD Switch, for sale on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i></div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=18994Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:26:22Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
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<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris R.R. Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
From the Morris R.R. Supplies website previously hosted on <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com</i><br />
<br />
Features of our EMD Switcher...<br />
* 5.5hp. Honda - 2 to 1 reduction with oil alert (Not available with electric Start.)<br />
* Eaton Hyd. Trans. Model 7 with by-pass valve<br />
* Atlas universal joints<br />
* Tol-o-matic - 2 to 1 gear reduction - Right angle drive<br />
* Front headlight lighted - works great<br />
* Louvered + engraved doors<br />
* Bell and horn mounted (dummy)<br />
* All wheel powered<br />
* Body is # 16 gauge crs and chassis deck is # 12 gauge crs with 2x1x1/8 C channel frame<br />
* Primed - and ready to paint<br />
* Coupler front and rear (Tom Bee couplers - cast steel)<br />
* One lever on Toe board to control forward and Backwards and speed<br />
* Throttle is located in rear window<br />
* Locomotive Specs: 60"long X 22" high X 16"wide.66" overall with couplers. weight is 300 lbs with battery (customer installed).<br />
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== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140331094505/http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website (<i>Archive.org</i>)]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Morris_Railroad_Supplies&diff=18993Morris Railroad Supplies2026-03-25T21:21:54Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Suppliers]]<br />
<br />
[[Morris R.R. Supplies]] produces 1/8 scale EMD Switchers.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://discoverlivesteam.com/forsale/MorrisRR/index.htm Official website]</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Craven_Crawford&diff=18992Craven Crawford2026-03-25T14:07:25Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
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<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
[[File:CravenHogeCrawford.png|thumb|right|300px|Craven Hoge Crawford]]<br />
[[Craven Crawford]] was the publisher of the [[Central New York Live Steamer]], which would ultimately become [[Live Steam & Outdoor Railroading]] magazine.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Craven_Crawford&diff=18991Craven Crawford2026-03-25T14:07:15Z<p>Dnevil: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:People]]<br />
[[File:CravenHogeCrawford.png|thumb|right|500px|Craven Hoge Crawford]]<br />
[[Craven Crawford]] was the publisher of the [[Central New York Live Steamer]], which would ultimately become [[Live Steam & Outdoor Railroading]] magazine.</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CravenHogeCrawford.png&diff=18990File:CravenHogeCrawford.png2026-03-25T14:06:42Z<p>Dnevil: From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101418864/craven-hoge-crawford</p>
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<div>== Summary ==<br />
From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101418864/craven-hoge-crawford</div>Dnevilhttp://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Live_Steam_%26_Outdoor_Railroading&diff=18989Live Steam & Outdoor Railroading2026-03-24T18:00:47Z<p>Dnevil: /* First Edition */</p>
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<div>[[Category:Periodicals]]<br />
<br />
Fromerly named "Live Steam Newsletter" and "Live Steam".<br />
<br />
== Print and Digital ==<br />
<br />
Editor Dave Brush wrote the following in [https://content.villagepress.com/LS/SO23/?loop-check=1701874376#p=4 <i>LSOR</i>, Sep/Oct 2023, p.2]:<br />
: Digital-only subscriptions are available at https://livesteam.net ... printed magazines will remain our primary product. However, print subscribers now have digital access to the magazine as well, and at no additional cost. These digital back issues currently go back through the 2018 publishing year, but more issues will be added over time.<br />
: Finally, anyone can purchase a digital back issue, which can be downloaded or read online.<br />
: To read or purchase a back issue, go to [https://secure.villagepress.com/store/items/list/group/723 https://livesteam.net and click "Back Issues"]. If you are a print subscriber, the first time you try to access a digital back issue you will be asked to set up your digital account with your customer number (<i>Ed. which you can find printed on your address insert inside the clear plastic envelope of your magazine</i>).<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
[[File:Live Steam Newsletters.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Live Steam Newsletters published by Pershing Scott]]<br />
From <i>[[Large-scale Model Railroading]]</i>, page 7:<br />
<br />
: Several attempts were made at publishing a magazine for the large-scale model railroading field, but each lasted only a short time. These included the [[Live Steamer Magazine|Live Steamer]], published about 1950, followed by [[The Miniature Locomotive]] starting 1952, followed by the [[North American Live Steamer]] in 1956 and the <i>Live Steam Newsletter</i> starting in 1960. The <i>Live Steam Newsletter</i> was published in Iowa by [[Pershing Scott|Pershing G. Scott]] until 1966. At that time, [[William Fitt]], then of Birmingham, Michigan, assumed the reins of the <i>Live Steam Newsletter</i> and published it under the abbreviated name <i>Live Steam</i>.<br />
<br />
[[William Fitt]] wrote the following in the August 1966 issue:<br />
<br />
: We should probably set the record straight and admit that our prime motivation may be basically selfish! After waiting and dreaming of an 1-1/2" scale railroad for thirty years, we reached the point where it could become a reality...only to find that [[Pershing Scott|Scotty]] found it necessary to discontinue the best source of information we had! Being of the old school that advocates "If you want a job done, do it yourself," we soon found ourselves laying aside our designer's hat and our crumpled engineer's cap and donning the editor's hat! We can't think of a better position to be in to find out about this business of Live Steam, and while we are learning we will pass it all on to the rest of you for whatever help it may be!<br />
<br />
From <i>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Steam_%26_Outdoor_Railroading_%28magazine%29 Wikipedia]</i>:<br />
<br />
: Live Steam was originally started as the "Live Steam Newsletter" in the early 1960s by Pershing Scott as a mimeographed newsletter. In August 1966, Scott gave the publishing rights of the newsletter to William Fitt. By 1967 the newsletter had expanded into magazine format with the name being changed to "Live Steam Magazine".<br />
<br />
: In 2005, the name was changed to "[[Live Steam & Outdoor Railroading]]". It is currently published bi-monthly, in full color, with a press run of slightly over 10,000 as of December 2004.<br />
<br />
[[File:Scott Pershings Live Steam Newsletter.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Live Steam Newsletters]]<br />
From [http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/magazine/33/33.html <i>DiscoverLiveSteam.com]</i>:<br />
<br />
: In August of 1966, Scott gave the publishing rights to his “Live Steam Newsletter” to William Fitt. Fitt immediately set about getting a complimentary copy of his newly formatted newsletter to everyone on Pershing Scott’s mailing list. Within a year, the newsletter had grown into a professional looking and well-printed magazine. At that point, Bill Fitt changed the name to reflect that growth and, since 1967, it has been known as “[[Live Steam Magazine]].”<br />
<br />
From eBay auction:<br />
<br />
: In December of 1960 Pershing G. Scott (Scotty) took over the formerly "Central New York Live Steamer." This collection includes an assortment of 31 of Scotty's vintage newsletters published 1961 through 1966. Scotty took a break May through October of 1962 and resumed publishing the newsletter in November 1962. In June 1966 Bill Fitt took over the Live Steam newsletter and after a two-month pause began publishing again in August of 1966.<br />
<br />
== First Edition ==<br />
<br />
The first edition of "The Live Steam Newsletter" provided the following on the title page.<br />
<br />
:The Live Steam Newsletter<br />
<br />
: "Published and Edited by a Live Steamer for Live Steamers"<br />
<br />
:Published and Edited by [[Pershing Scott|Pershing G. Scott]]<br />
:1421 1st Ave. S.W.<br />
:Cedar Rapids, Iowa<br />
<br />
:Former [[Central New York Live Steamer]]<br />
<br />
:Volume 1 - Number 1<br />
:December 15, 1960<br />
<br />
:Soot From The Smokebox<br />
<br />
:Greetings Fellow Live Steamer;<br />
<br />
:You may have noted from the above format the name of the [[Central New York Live Steamer|Central New York Live Steam Newsletter]]. A monthly publication put out by the late [[Craven Crawford]]. It is the desire of many live steamers, that the paper should be continued. I shall endeavor to explain to you the present subscribers, and also to you who are receiving this paper for the first time, some of the attempts to be made in the future.<br />
<br />
:The paper, the Newsletter, was started as a club paper. The venture immediately started to grow. At the time of [[Craven Crawford|Mr. Crawfords]] untimely death, many plans and ideas were at hand. Along with an increased number of subscriptions each month.<br />
<br />
:The paper will be of the mimeograph reproduction, such as this copy, for the start. If in the future the interest warrants it will be changed to another type. Which will include photos as well as a better overall type of reproduction.<br />
<br />
:After many personal contacts, and discussion, it has been decided to have a subscription fee. $2.00 per year both U.S. and Canada. It will be a monthly publication, arriving just after the first of the month.<br />
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== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.livesteam.net/home Official Website]<br />
* [http://www.livesteam.net/magazine/article-index/ Official Online Index]<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Steam_%26_Outdoor_Railroading_%28magazine%29 "Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading", <i>Wikipedia</i>]<br />
* [http://www.goldengatels.org/library/Periodicals/Live%20Steam%20Database.txt GGLS Live Steam Magazine Index]<br />
* [http://railpub.com/ <i>Railpub.com</i> offers affordable back issues of [[Live Steam Magazine]]]</div>Dnevil