Al Barkdull - Revision history

Dnevil: /* Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy */

2016-01-10T05:27:28Z

Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:27, 10 January 2016
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	<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" rowsper="2">		<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" rowsper="2">
	[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 3.jpg\|Hobbyist at work - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby, OH, works on the chassis of his second engine, a six-wheeled B&O switcher, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine off and on for 12 years.		File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 3.jpg\|Hobbyist at work - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby, OH, works on the chassis of his second engine, a six-wheeled B&O switcher, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine off and on for 12 years.
	File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 4.jpg\|The Blackfork and Western engine is a replica of an Australian switcher.		File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 4.jpg\|The Blackfork and Western engine is a replica of an Australian switcher.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Dnevil: /* Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy */

2016-01-10T05:26:55Z

Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:26, 10 January 2016
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	"I hated to see that engine go," he added.		"I hated to see that engine go," he added.

	[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 3.jpg~~\|thumb\|center\|300px~~\|Hobbyist at work - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby, OH, works on the chassis of his second engine, a six-wheeled B&O switcher, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine off and on for 12 years.]]		<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px" rowsper="2">
			[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 3.jpg\|Hobbyist at work - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby, OH, works on the chassis of his second engine, a six-wheeled B&O switcher, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine off and on for 12 years.
			File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 4.jpg\|The Blackfork and Western engine is a replica of an Australian switcher.
			</gallery>

Dnevil: /* Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy */

2016-01-10T05:18:34Z

Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:18, 10 January 2016
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	"I hated to see that engine go," he added.		"I hated to see that engine go," he added.

			[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 3.jpg\|thumb\|center\|300px\|Hobbyist at work - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby, OH, works on the chassis of his second engine, a six-wheeled B&O switcher, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine off and on for 12 years.]]

Dnevil: /* Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy */

2016-01-10T05:13:33Z

Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:13, 10 January 2016
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	Sunday, August 3, 1969		Sunday, August 3, 1969
			[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 1.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|Steam Power - [[Al Barkdull]] of Shelby takes a ride behind his miniature steam engine on the track he built in his back yard. The engine can pull four adults seated on miniature cars.]]

	The age of steam locomotives on America's railroads is gone, but in his own backyard [[Al Barkdull]] of 114 Mansfield Ave., Shelby, Ohio, has recreated the era in part with his own miniature steam engine and track.		The age of steam locomotives on America's railroads is gone, but in his own backyard [[Al Barkdull]] of 114 Mansfield Ave., Shelby, Ohio, has recreated the era in part with his own miniature steam engine and track.
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	He explained that no dues are paid except to keep up special club trackage and that there is no competition at meets. "We just get together for the pleasure of watching out locomotives work."		He explained that no dues are paid except to keep up special club trackage and that there is no competition at meets. "We just get together for the pleasure of watching out locomotives work."

			[[File:AlBarkdull NewsJournal 19690803 2.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|Miniature Engine - Kurt Barkdull, 12, of 32 Bradley Ave., Shelby, OH, sticks his finger down the smoke stack of his grandfather's miniature steam engine. It's all right when there is no steam built up that could scald a person's fingers.]]
	The only other live-steam fan in the area that Barkdull knows of is his neighbor, Ross McKinney, who is building a six-wheel switch engine.		The only other live-steam fan in the area that Barkdull knows of is his neighbor, Ross McKinney, who is building a six-wheel switch engine.

Dnevil at 04:55, 10 January 2016

2016-01-10T04:55:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:55, 9 January 2016
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	File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of <i>[[The North American Live Steamer]]</i>, Volume 1 Number 6.		File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of <i>[[The North American Live Steamer]]</i>, Volume 1 Number 6.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

			== Backyard Train Keeps Him Busy ==

			'''Back Yard Train Keeps Him Busy'''

			''Shelby Man Relives Steam Era''

			by Ron Simon

			<i>Mannsfield Ohio News Journal</i>

			Sunday, August 3, 1969

			The age of steam locomotives on America's railroads is gone, but in his own backyard [[Al Barkdull]] of 114 Mansfield Ave., Shelby, Ohio, has recreated the era in part with his own miniature steam engine and track.

			A partner with his father Earl in the Barkdull Funeral Home, [[Al Barkdull]] has been fascinated by steam locomotives since he was five-years-old.

			Not caring to settle for a model railroad on a table-top, he became a backyard railroad man by building his own steam engine back in 1953, just as the era of steam locomotives was coming to an end.

			Barkdull's engine, modeled on an australian four-wheeled switching engine, stands about 10 inches high and weighs 35 pounds. It can pull four adults on miniature cars behind it, takes 80 pounds of steam pressure per square inch to operate, and has traveled more than 1,500 miles at live-steam meets and in Barkdull's back yard.

			The engine, which has the name "Blackfork and Western" written on the side of its tender, usually travels on a track running 135 feet across Barkdull's yard. The track is elevated two feet off the ground and climbs a slight grade.

			It took Barkdull about one year to build the engine and one month to construct the track.

			The little engine is powered by a hard coal specially imported from Wales. Nearly pure carbon in content, the miniature lumps are kerosene soaked and fed into the engine's tiny firebox with a teaspoon.

			"You can scale locomotives down, but you can't scale down nature," Barkdull explained, pointing out that his engine is run on the same principals as its giant big brothers of earlier times.

			Along the side of the engine are two water tanks which feed water into the boiler. Its power is roughly equal for its size to that of the real engine it was modeled after.

			"It has amazing pulling power," Barkdull said. "It has puled away from a standing position while four adults sat on two riding cars attached to it." He has never measured its speed, although it did get away from him during a live-steam meet. "I couldn't catch it," he recalled.

			Barkdull belongs to the [[IBLS\|International Brotherhood of Live Steamers]]. This group holds meets throughout North America. Barkdull has attended meets in Toronto, Canada; Detroit; Southwick, Mass.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Lafayette, Ind. Meets for local groups have been held in the Ohio towns of Continental, Dephos, Mentor, Bryan, and the cities of Lorain and Cincinnati.

			"I really look forward to those meets because the fellowship at them is great," Barkdull said.

			He explained that no dues are paid except to keep up special club trackage and that there is no competition at meets. "We just get together for the pleasure of watching out locomotives work."

			The only other live-steam fan in the area that Barkdull knows of is his neighbor, Ross McKinney, who is building a six-wheel switch engine.

			Barkdull is building a second engine, modeled on a six-wheel Baltimore and Ohio switch engine, in his basement workshop. He has been working on this engine for the past 12 years.

			He explained that almost all live-steam engines are built in home workshops. Although there are some custom builders in the U.S. and England, Barkdull said most live-steam fans prefer the challenge of building their own products. There are, he adds, about 2,500 live-steam fans in the U.S.

			As for the original steam engine, he called their demise "heartbreaking." The last steam engine in the area was a Mikado engine used as a switcher on the B & O railroad in Shelby, and Barkdull spent much thime in the late 1950s watching it work.

			"I hated to see that engine go," he added.

Dnevil at 03:24, 27 April 2015

2015-04-27T03:24:31Z

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	File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 5.jpg		File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 5.jpg
	File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 6.jpg		File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 6.jpg
	File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of <i>[[The North American Live Steamer]]</i>, Volume 1 Number 6.]]		File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of <i>[[The North American Live Steamer]]</i>, Volume 1 Number 6.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Dnevil at 03:24, 27 April 2015

2015-04-27T03:24:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:24, 26 April 2015
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	: Shelby, Ohio		: Shelby, Ohio

	[[File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg~~\|thumb\|center\|300px~~\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of "The North American Live Steamer", Volume 1 Number 6.]]		Photos of [[Al Barkdull]]'s 0-4- while under construction. The chassis is identical with the English "Juliet".

			Valve gear is fool-proof loose eccentric, a great time saver and valve events are the same at both ends, forward and reverse. The boiler is of copper 3-1/2 inch in diameter, 3 inch diameter wheels and the cylinders are 1 inch bore. She has inside steam chests making her a simple job for a first attempt.

			With loose eccentrics a short movement of the loco in either direction quickly picks up the main eccentric and its ready to roll.

			<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 1.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 2.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 3.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 4.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 5.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet 1956 6.jpg
			File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg\|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of <i>[[The North American Live Steamer]]</i>, Volume 1 Number 6.]]
			</gallery>

Dnevil: Created page with "Category:People : Al W. Barkdull : 33 N. Gamble St : Shelby, Ohio [[File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of "The..."

2015-02-12T05:53:02Z

Created page with "Category:People : Al W. Barkdull : 33 N. Gamble St : Shelby, Ohio [[File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of "The..."

New page

[[Category:People]]

: Al W. Barkdull
: 33 N. Gamble St
: Shelby, Ohio

[[File:AlBarkdull Juliet.jpg|thumb|center|300px|Al Barkdull with his version of "Juliet". Cover of "The North American Live Steamer", Volume 1 Number 6.]]