This week I spotted the LORAM rail grinding train in the
Billings yard for a maintenance stop. This was the first time I could see the
entire unit in one view, and it appears to be an 11-car set. This is train puts
on an impressive display when running – a set of cars equipped with grinders
smooth the rails, assisted by lubricants stored in the tank cars, and spotters
on the caboose extinguish brush fires resulting from the grinding with large
water cannons, all without requiring the train to stop. It generates a lot of
noise and dust!
Also this week I ran a few of the trains that we brought
back from IL in July. I opened up the Chicago South Shore powered interurban to
check the sound system and reaffix some loose passengers. The unit runs well
and has good sound, but the front cowcatcher contacts that track at a few
points, so I’ll do some troubleshooting to help it run more smoothly.
I replaced the battery on the Chicago Burlington &
Quincy powered E8, and had the AA set pull the Bozeman Zephyr around Track 4. While replacing the battery, I think
I inadvertently moved an internal wire, which is now rubbing against one of the
flywheel motors. So, I’ll need to open that one up again and re-set that wire.
I also ran the Northern Pacific 0-6-0 switcher with a set of
box cars. The engine was troublesome. At first it would not cycle out of
neutral; this was resolved by re-sitting the tether between the engine and
tender. After running properly for a while, the sounds stopped altogether, and
then it got stuck in neutral again.
Meanwhile, the postwar Union Pacific FAs and postwar freight
cars running around Track 1 ran flawlessly the entire week. Not a problem
whatsoever!
I’ll let you know how the troubleshooting turns out next
week – til then, keep your rails shiny!
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| The 11-car LORAM rail grinding train |
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| Passengers and conductor inside the CSS interurban |
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| Interurbans on Track 3 |
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| A new battery allows you to hear sounds from the locomotive when track power is off |
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| UP, NP, CSS, and CB&Q |
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| Train lineup with lights off |
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