Pikes Peak "N" Gineers Model Railroad Club

THE RAILHEAD

SEEKING SERIOUS N-SCALE MODEL RAILROAD FUN SINCE OCTOBER 13, 1989

Important Dates
Layout Hours and Address
Just a reminder
Paul Clifford's new info
Welcome to the Swansons!
Our 1999 calendar, so far
Caboose Hobbies' clinics for you!
Greg wants a what?
Questions on UP equipment
Torpedo that train!
Whistle Stop:  Isaac Dripps

As 1998 drew to a close, Pikes Peak "N" Gineers held its last business meeting of the year. The last agenda item settled was the election of officers and the Member-at-Large to the club's Board of Directors.

For Superintendent, we have elected Craig Kleinman to continue to serve us for this 1999 year.

To assist Craig, we selected Rick Shumpert as Assistant Superintendent.

To keep track of the paper work and to remind the club of one detail and another, PPNG members selected Alan Rex to be Stationmaster.

To ensure continued excellence in keeping track of the club's finances, we again called on Kirt Bailey to remain as our Paymaster.

Since Alan vacated his Member-at-Large spot on the Board, we faced a tough choice:  replacing Alan with either Ann or with Joe. In the closest vote possible, we chose Joe Morgan to represent us, the members, in helping to make the decisions necessary to drive the club's highball train into the future.

We congratulate these five members for their elections. We know that they will do their best. The rest of us should be prepared to support them, however. Just because these five were elected doesn't mean that they have to do all of the work. Their job is provide direction. The rest of us are supposed to do the work.

After all, our club is all of us.

This is just a reminder to all members that THE RAILHEAD presents the minutes of club meetings in an edited form for confidentiality and space considerations.

Please see our Stationmaster for an official and complete copy of the minutes of any meeting.

Webmaster's Note:  Meeting minutes will not be published on the website.
PPNG members may obtain minutes from the Stationmaster.

Please mark your rosters.

Paul Clifford
(Members may call the Stationmaster for this information)

We are really pleased to report that Tom, Vicki and Jim Swanson have applied for a family membership in our club.

They have been model railroading in O and N scales for about five years. Jim likes track work and Vicki is good at scenery. While just ten years old, son Jim already has three years of model railroading experience working and playing on the family's two layouts.

So, let's mark your rosters:

Thomas and Victoria Swanson Family
(Members may call the Stationmaster for this information)

Welcome to the Pikes Peak "N" Gineers Model Railroad Club, Vicki, Tom and Jim!

Get those brand-new calendars out and mark 'em for model railroadin' fun and frolic in 1999.

Jan 11:  Board of Directors meet
Jan 15:  Business Meeting
Feb 8:  Board of Directors meet
Feb 19:  Business Meeting
Feb 20, 21:  Open House
Mar 9:  Board of Directors meet
Mar 19:  Business Meeting
Mar 27, 28:  Great America Train Show
April 9:  The Union Pacific RR Steam Program comes to us
Apr 12:  Board of Directors meet
April 16:  Business Meeting
May 1, 2:  Open House
May 10:  Board of Directors meet
May 21:  Business meeting
Jun 14:  Board of Directors meet
Jun 18:  Business Meeting
Jul 12:  Board of Directors meet
Jul 16:  Business Meeting
Aug 9:  Board of Directors meet
Aug 20:  Business Meeting
Sep 13:  Board of Directors meet
Sep 17:  Business Meeting
Oct 11:  Board of Directors meet
Oct 15:  Business Meeting
Nov 8:  Board of Directors meet
Nov 19:  Business Meeting
Nov 26, 27, 28:  Thanksgiving Open House
Dec 11, 12:  Christmas Open House
Dec 13:  Board of Directors meet
Dec 17:  Business Meeting

Possible additions include a 5th open house in September or October, our annual picnic, and trips to InterMountain, the Georgetown Loop and the Colorado Railroad Museum. Stay tuned.

How's your model railroading skills? Need some "know-how?" Well, Caboose Hobbies is trying to help you with a series of clinics. Remember the adage, "God helps those who help themselves."

January 9, 10:30:  Building Bench Work:  Bench work from the ground up. Provide the proper foundation for your layout.
January 9, 2:30:  N gauge topics:  Hints and ideas for the N gauge modeler in a question and answer format.
January 10, 12:30:  Scenery:  A general overview of scenery techniques will be demonstrated.
January 16, 10:30:  Laying Flextrack for Reliability:  How to lay flextrack the proper way for years of reliable operation.
January 16, 2:30:  Installing DCC Decoders:  How to install DCC decoders in both HO and N scale locomotives.
January 17, 12:30:  Starting the Right Way:  How to get started in model railroading on the right foot. The do's and don'ts for a successful beginning.
January 23, 10:30:  Wiring Basics:  How to wire your track the proper way to avoid electrical gremlins.
January 23, 2:30:  Advanced Wiring:  Signaling, detection, reverse loops, wyes an other advanced wiring topics will be discussed.
January 24, 12:30:  Laying Flextrack for Reliability:  (See January 16)
January 30, 10:30:  Scenery Part I
January 30, 2:30:  Scenery Part II:  How to build your scenery base, plaster rockwork and ground cover. Both sessions should be attended to complete the class.
January 31, 12:30:  Using Metal Foil/Diesel Details:  Some tricks for detailing diesels including the use of metal foil for stainless steel.
February 6, 10:30:  Modeling Water:  How to model ponds, streams and water falls will be covered.
February 6, 2:30:  Spline Roadbed:  Techniques for using splines as sub-roadbed for smooth curving track work.
February 13, 10:30 & 2:30:  Modeling Trees:  How to use inexpensive materials and techniques for building a wide variety of trees for your layout.
February 20, 10:30:  Foam Scenery:  How to construct light weight scenery including the new Woodland Scenics Subterrain system.
February 20, 2:30:  DCC Systems:  Digital Command Control:  what's available and how to install them to run your layout.
February 27, 10:30:  Backdrop Painting:  How to construct and paint a backdrop for your layout.
February 27, 2:30:  Perspective/Low Relief Structures:  How to construct low profile structures and use perspective to create the illusion of depth on your layout.
March 6, 10:30:  Air Brushing:  How to select and use an airbrush.
March 6, 2:30:  Soldering:  Basic soldering techniques and how to construct a resistance solderer will be explained.
March 13, 10:30:  Enhancing Structures:  How to modify, detail and paint structures to increase their realism on your layout.
March 13, 2:30:  Weathering Techniques:  Weathering methods for both structures and rolling stock will be demonstrated.
March 20, 10:30:  Hand Painting Figures:  Hand painting figures in a variety of scales will be demonstrated.
March 20, 2:30:  Kitbashing HOn3 Freight Cars:  How to modify inexpensive rolling stock for use in narrow gauge.
March 27, 10:30:  Making Brass Etchings:  How to make brass etchings to enhance your modeling projects.
March 27, 2:30:  Using Real Water in Scenery:  A demonstration of how you can incorporate real water into your scenery.

Greg told me that he would like to have more steam engines. He's particularly interested in getting a 4-8-4:  you know, a Northern.

I think he should concentrate on getting either a Niagara, a Pocono, a Confederation, a Dixie, a Golden State, a General Service, a Greenbriar, a General, a Governor, a Potomac, or a Wyoming. All of these will work just as well as a Northern, maybe a little better:  it all depends on where you are standing in this country.

You see, all of these names apply to the same steam engine, a 4-8-4. So, Greg, get yourself a Dixie or a Potomac, instead!

John Whitehurst asked, "I have noticed that some UP locomotives have a feature whose function eludes me. What appears to be a tin can welded at a diagonal to the vertical supports of the hand rails at the front of the locomotive. Can anyone here explain this to me?"

Robert P. Krieger, Union Pacific Steam Program replies, "John, On most newer locomotives on the UP there is a dummy receptacle for the other end of the MU cable. On those locomotives that do not have the dummy receptacle, they welded the can receptacle for the loose end to be placed in. That is what you are describing."

Chris Huhn then asked, "I have a question about a UP unit. Along the top, front to back, a conduit or pipe or something appeared on one unit I saw. I have not been able to ascertain its purpose. It was dead center running the full length of the unit, over the top of even the fan units. HELP!!!"

Robert Krieger replied, "Chris, If that line is on older units like SD40s, etc., it probably was the line to the old horn position when they had them placed between the fans on the roof. In the early days that was supposed to keep them from freezing up in the winter. It was nice not to have them blasting right in your ear in the summer with the windows open for fresh air. Anyway, they found other detriments to this positioning and moved them to the front of the engine. Now, on the newer units, they are dropping back again."

[In the early days, trainmen quickly learned that it was necessary to be able communicate.] "Flags, lanterns, and hand gestures were essentially passive in nature, and trainmen needed something more assertive for emergencies. Gunpowder had been startling viewers in China for centuries before steam railroads were even envisioned. The flash and bang of fireworks, meant only to amuse, was redirected in the 1840s for the more serious business of railroad safety. Two devices were contrived for this purpose: the torpedo (an exploding cap) and the fusee or flare (a bright-burning stick about the size of a candle). The torpedo, or detonator, was introduced in England in either 1837 or 1841, primarily as a fog signal. Fogs were common in that rainy land, and so visibility was generally poor; hence the need for an audible signal was very real.

"The torpedo was nothing more than a small watertight canister filled with gunpowder and a few caps. It was strapped on top of the rail and would explode when the wheel of a locomotive or car passed over it. Trainmen generally fastened several down in the event that one proved to be a dud. Torpedoes appear to have become a common trainman's signal by the 1850s."

Bob Thompson, in the May, 1990 Model Railroader adds, [The more modern torpedo] "is about 2" square and has a horseshoe steel clamp for attaching it to the rail....On the Union Pacific, where my father worked as a section hand, one report was a slow order, two were 'stop.'"

3645 Jeannine Drive, Suite 108

Tuesday: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Fridays: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Saturday: 1:00 - 4:00 PM

We consider the beginning of America's railroad industry as beginning in 1830, although America's first common carrier railroad, as we commonly think of railroads today, the Baltimore and Ohio, was actually chartered and organized in 1827. The B&O didn't actually start operations until January 7, 1830 and even then, its trains were pulled by horses. But, B&O's horse trains aren't the reason we chose 1830, although we could have.

The year 1830 was chosen because it was later in 1830 that a steam engine, Best Friend of Charleston, first started scheduled operations pulling the South Carolina Railroad's trains. These trains were the first to be pulled by locomotives, not animals. When this momentous event occurred, Isaac Dripps was about 20 years old and already an experienced machinist.

Isaac Drips was born in 1810 in Belfast, Ireland. He emigrated to America with his parents when he was still a baby.

By the time he was 16, he was a machinist apprentice. A year after the Best Friend of Charleston's debut, Isaac started working for the Camden and Amboy Railroad in New Jersey by assembling that railroad's first locomotive, the John Bull, an engine imported from England. Incidentally, the John Bull had wooden wheels.

Isaac was apparently good at his work. His supervising responsibilities increased in the C&A's mechanical department. Besides overseeing the construction of railroad equipment, he had problems to solve.

One of these involved cows, wagons and other obstacles on the tracks. Remember, this was in the earliest days of railroading. Rights of way weren't protected. Track crossings were unmarked hazards. Horses pulling wagons stampeded at the sight and sound of the newfangled steam engines.

A cow on the track could and did derail the tiny 10 to 20 ton engines of the day. As the story goes (and it may not be true), Dripps attached to the front end of the steam locomotive a small truck supporting two iron spears. The device was effective but fatal to a cow, which was speared through and through, killing it. Unfortunately, the train had to stop and wait while a block and tackle device was found. It was employed to lift the dead cow off the ground so that the spear could be withdrawn from the body. This accomplished, the train went on its way.

The cowcatcher's basic purpose was to clear obstructions from the track and prevent derailments. A less lethal solution was required.

Editor: Charles J. Bay

THE RAILHEAD is published monthly by the Pikes Peak 'N' Gineers Model Railroad Club, P.O. Box 594, Monument, CO 80132; Telephone 719-488-9318. Subscription is covered through membership in Pikes Peak 'N' Gineers, a nonprofit corporation. ©1999. All rights reserved. We assume letters, questions, news releases, and club items are contributed gratis.

John White, Jr.'s A History of the American Locomotive, Its Development: 1830-1880 describes Dripps:s cowcatcher more fully:

Dripps's cowcatcher differed from the classic plow-shaped structure fastened directly to the front beam of the frame in that it carried an abbreviated, wedge-shaped cattle guard on the end of two stout wooden beams supported by a pair of small wheels...

In his 1838 account of Civil Engineering in North America the British engineer David Stevenson commented on the Dripps cowcatcher in the following statement: "I have experienced the good effects of it upon one occasion in the Camden and Amboy Railway. The train in which I traveled, while moving with considerable rapidity, came in contact with a large wagon loaded with firewood, which was literally shivered to atoms by the concussion. The fragments of the broken wagon, and the wood with which it was loaded, were distributed on each side of the railway, but the guard prevented any part of them from falling before the engine-wheels, and thus obviated what might in that case have proved a very serious accident."

Early railroads had another problem. The embers flowing from locomotives' stacks started fires which burned buildings, trains, and crops. In response, Isaac Dripps designed the bonnet spark arrestor/smokestack which was first fitted to the Camden and Amboy's second locomotive in June, 1833. This device, and its more mature versions, became the most common type of wood-burning smokestack used on American locomotives.

Isaac Dripps's 1834 and 1835 designs

During the 1835 to 1838 period, Isaac Dripps also was instrumental in designing and building the first eight-wheel freight locomotive, named the Monster. The Baltimore and Ohio later became the largest user of 0-8-0's in the nineteenth century, using them for road service.

In 1847, Dripps designed a high-wheel Crampton engine at the request of R. L. Stevens, president of the Camden and Amboy. This machine had a slope-backed firebox similar to that used by Winans and Millholland in later years.

In 1854 Dripps left the Camden and Amboy Railroad to become a partner in the Trenton Locomotive and Machine Company, where he stayed until 1858. There is some suggestion that Dripps designed and built the first pair of arch-bar trucks at these shops for either the Belvidere & Delaware Railroad or the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1857. Arch-bar trucks became common place around 1870.

The remainder of Dripps's engineering career was spent with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was superintendent of motive power from 1870 to 1872 but was forced to give up this position due to ill health. He retired in 1878 and died in 1892.

Although relatively unknown, Isaac Dripps's impact on the development of American railroading was immense.