Comments for Arcturus' Travels

Comment on Playing Sawmill: by Henry Lahore

Henry Lahore — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:55:13 +0000

3 tiny sawmills were added to a 10 mile section of highway near me on the Olympic Peninsula during the past year. I assume that they were added so as to add income for some unemployed/underemployed people.

Comment on Playing Sawmill: by Gary

Gary — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:37:23 +0000

The saw carriage runs on steel tracks with grooved wheels. You hand push the carriage at a steady pace. The thickness of the board is set by pulling the saw itself up and down with a small electric winch. Click on the saw picture for a larger version, then use [Ctrl] [+] to enlarge it further.

Comment on Playing Trains: by Track Hacker

Track Hacker — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:12:04 +0000

Online Model Railroad Speed Calculator…

I really found your post interesting so I added a trackback to it on my Track Hacker blog …

Comment on Playing Sawmill: by Ed daugherty

Ed daugherty — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:08:29 +0000

Did I see right? The saw blade is horizontal. How does that work?

Comment on Playing Sawmill: by Neil

Neil — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:58:54 +0000

Cool! Sorry I missed it.

Comment on Playing Sawmill: by Renee

Renee — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:40:12 +0000

Well, guess that beats setting snaps as far as entertainment value, doesn’t it?

Comment on Horse Feathers and River Rats: by Playing Sawmill: – Arcturus' Travels

Playing Sawmill: – Arcturus' Travels — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:58:21 +0000

[...] Now Carl marches to a different drummer than most. He guides white water rafts on the Wenatchee and Skykomish rivers. He is building a house for his family. Once before I said sure and I spent the day running a Bobcat Digger. You can check out these stories at [Life is a Journey] and [Horse Feathers and River Rats] [...]

Comment on Life is a Journey: by Playing Sawmill: – Arcturus' Travels

Playing Sawmill: – Arcturus' Travels — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:45:33 +0000

[...] before I said sure and I spent the day running a Bobcat Digger. You can check out these stories at [Life is a Journey] and [Horse Feathers and River [...]

Comment on Playing Trains: by Bruce Butler

Bruce Butler — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:33:04 +0000

It was just a typical day on the Geiger Spur. Normally Greg and I would have met at Cheney but this day Greg needed to bring the 1617 east from Davenport where it had had some mechanical work done on it last week.

When we are moving only 1 or 2 cars, it really isn’t all that difficult to do with only one person. Just have to stay alert and be safe.

We brought two ex DM&IR SD38AC units, numbers 201 & 205, into Cheney from Western Rail’s yard in Airway Heights. These locos were behind WRIX 6323, a nice clean GP35, so we had to pull it out of the Western Rail spur to get at the other two. Gary’s picture shows this. Then they were on the wrong side of the 1617, so we had to put them on the runaround track and get on the other side. Then backed up to get the empty steel car (bulkhead flat) which we left out of the way. The 8925 was at Geiger Jct, so when we got there with the 1617 we just coupled into the 8925 and shut down the 1617, using the 8925 for power into Cheney. To save fuel, we only run the locos that are actually needed.

NIWX 8925 was built by EMD, not GE as Gary had stated above. Here is the pedigree on both the 1617 and the 8925:

NIWX 8925: built by EMD 09/1971 as SCL 2025. Became SBD 8925, CSXT 8925, VMV 8925, MRL 8925. Assigned MRL number 383 but never renumbered. Painted SBD gray.

NIWX 1617: Built by EMD in December 1953 as CB&Q 261, a steam generator equipped passenger unit initially assigned to Chicago IL commuter service where it would have replaced steam power. One of the last GP7s built before the GP9 went into production in 1954. Still has its original 16-567-B diesel engine. Became BN 1617 after the 03/02/1970 merger of CB&Q into BN. Rebuilt by BN in the 1970s, but the original control stand was retained. Reconfigured for short hood forward operation and short hood chopped. Sold about 1982 to dealer Great Western Railway of Colorado. Transferred to N-C-O Division 1986 and then sold to Lake County (Oregon) Railroad 1996. Acquired by dealer Western Rail Inc in 2005 as trade-in on rebuilt GP9 1761. Leased to St. Maries River Railroad, Plummer, ID, in late 2006. Assigned to Western Rail Switching as power for the Geiger Spur on 11/8/2007. Acquired by NIWX when EWG took over operation of the Geiger Spur in January, 2009.

The other two units assigned to EWG that we did not use on 8/3/2010 are:

NIWX 8924: built by EMD 09/1971 as SCL 2024. Became SBD 8924, CSXT 8924, VMV 8924, MRL 8924. Assigned MRL number 382 but never renumbered. Painted SBD gray.

NIWX 375: built by EMD 01/1968. Ordered by the Pennsylvania, but delivered as Penn Central 6233. Served Conrail, then became CNW 6556, then NRE 6556, and finally MRL 375. Painted MRL blue.

All 3 SD45s have their original 20-645-E3 diesel engines and retain their original 3600 hp rating. They are good, powerful units.

Comment on Tight Fit: by Glen

Glen — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:12:02 +0000

oh... That's nothing! I've parked in that spot dozens of times. Sometimes I even have a car-top carrier!

OK... so my SUV might be a little smaller than your house on wheels with follow-along one car garage. But repetition counts for something, right?