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Several people have called or sent messages about estate railways. These are people who seldom if ever make posts, but are interested in making their estates redoubts. My answer is that they're quite practical on a purely functional level, but an attempt to create something of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century could take years to complete. It's not just a matter of cost. The equipment is very hard to find, the qualified people to run things harder still. Steam locomotives not only need specialized maintenance and repair but also people who can maintain the roadbed required for heavy locomotives.
There is, however, another way. That is to lay 24'' track and use a small industrial locomotive. Small one usually have gas engines that don't pose terrible problems. It's still necessary to have a competent individual engineer the the trackage, but it doesn't take a specialist to maintain it afterwards. One man who knows what he's doing plus some casual labor should do the trick. A small locomotive can pull a surprisingly heavy load on a steel track. It's possible to buy these in Britain. Having some simple cars built wouldn't be a problem.
Most of what we would like to have for ourselves serve as recreational rides for people who don't appreciate them. They really owe their existence to the swarms of volunteers who just love railroading. I've posted three film clips. The first two feature very small gauge railroads, but the cars are adequate to seat two abreast. The third clip shows a 24'' line that uses a very small industrial engine. I believe that that is the way to begin. The track could later be converted to dual gauge and idler cars would allow smaller gauge engines to pull 24'' cars. Classic miniature steam does show up from time to time. The little industrial locomotives can provide plenty of fun while waiting for that day. It offers the bonus that a track for a new acquisition can be quickly readied.
We always learn more of the present through history, but, in this case, we shall do the opposite by tracing industrial development into modern times. The forge is not fundamentally different from the forge of 1880. It's fascinating to watch as well. Look carefully at the equipment.
This is what I envision as a reasonable estate railway. It's 24'' gauge; 60 lb. rail would be more than adequate. A small British industrial engine would provide sufficient power for anything I'm likely to do, and I could operate it myself. I'd prefer an American saddle tank Porter, but finding one in 24'' gauge would be a challenge. A small gasoline model of the sort shown above in the Amberley video would be useful for times when I weren't in the mood to fire up the steamer. There are also Chinese rail cars that are currently manufactured. They're likely available in the same gauge. Changing gauge isn't difficult. The only concern is that the wheelbase must be wide enough. The second video shows a Chinese rail bus in service. It looks as if it's 60 cm. gauge. The factory could easily modify a new unit for 24'' since the gauges are almost identical. I'll order one without interior seats since I'll want a different arrangement.
Here's some fascinating material. I'm old enough to recall the days when certain opiates were available without a prescription. Those were better days as we could treat a cough without resorting to strange and potentially dangerous new discoveries.
I'm old enough to recall the days when certain opiates were available without a prescription.
I was told, as a kid, that people used to be able to go to the corner drug store and ask for some Coke syrup, which they used for making soda-fountain Coca Cola. Word was, that it had cocaine in it.
Members of my family had cured themselves of all sorts of nonsense, using that stuff!
I was told, as a kid, that people used to be able to go to the corner drug store and ask for some Coke syrup, which they used for making soda-fountain Coca Cola. Word was, that it had cocaine in it.
Members of my family had cured themselves of all sorts of nonsense, using that stuff!
I was told, as a kid, that people used to be able to go to the corner drug store and ask for some Coke syrup, which they used for making soda-fountain Coca Cola. Word was, that it had cocaine in it.
Members of my family had cured themselves of all sorts of nonsense, using that stuff!
I can recall the syrup. Coke Syrup was ordinary fountain syrup sold in small bottles-no drugs. Cheracol was cough medicine that I took as a boy. It had codeine. It calmed throat muscles and relieved the cough. It had pleasant taste as well. No one worried about it. Terpin Hydrate and Codeine is loaded with alcohol and codeine. It tastes really horrible, but it knocks a cough. It's now banned here. Paregoric is used for severe diarrhea. It used to be available in some states without a prescription. My dog had a case of severe diarrhea about ten years ago. Paregoric from my vet stopped it. She also slept for about ten hour-a record.
Medical treatment doesn't always become better as time passes. Some effective and safe cough syrups and other remedies are restricted or banned today, but recreational drugs that serve no good purpose are lauded.
Medical treatment doesn't always become better as time passes.
It has actually gotten quite worse. I have an 83 yo cousin who has been under the knife 7 times in the past 8 years, and these were not minor surgeries. He takes (at last count) some 12 different medications...and he is not a sickly person. Hence, he has made it to 83 and will likely go beyond. But he questions nothing, just hops up on the gurney....
Now I see coming down the pike, forced vaccinations for healthy people in order to "protect" others who mistreat their own health, making themselves susceptible to diseases that most are largely immune to. Once we lose bodily autonomy, all hell breaks loose!
Today is the first day of spring. The sun was directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 7:44 A.M, its farthest point south. It is now moving north again. This was the time of rebirth and rejoicing among our ancestors in Europe. This was the time of lights, of feasting, and of readying for the coming year. The Christians took over our great festival, but they retained our pagan rituals. That always happens when religions change; the rituals remain the same. Consider Apollo's slaying of Python. The oracle remained, but there was a different god at Delphi.
Our great harvest festivals had their ups and downs, but the found their modern forms in Victorian times. People in 1880 were as charged with Christmas spirit as their Aryan forebears were before and their descendants are today. It's as much a celebration of our race as it is of the harvest in these trying times. I found some interesting Finnish Christmas material which I do hope you enjoy. I've linked to other material as well including some BBC material on simple projects to recreate a Victorian Christmas. Check the other videos associated with these.
Merry Christmas to my European brothers and sisters.
Today is the first day of spring. The sun was directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 7:44 A.M, its farthest point south. It is now moving north again. This was the time of rebirth and rejoicing among our ancestors in Europe. This was the time of lights, of feasting, and of readying for the coming year. The Christians took over our great festival, but they retained our pagan rituals. That always happens when religions change; the rituals remain the same....
Our great harvest festivals had their ups and downs, but the found their modern forms in Victorian times. People in 1880 were as charged with Christmas spirit as their Aryan forebears were before and their descendants are today. It's as much a celebration of our race as it is of the harvest in these trying times.
Always knew my Norwegian heritage counted for something!
And yes, we are preparing for the Great Feast...arrived in TN this evening, and I was elected to carry in a ton of food, brought down here on dry ice. Tomorrow we hit the local grocery stores, and await the rest of the family! I won't go back north till after the New Year. It's a balmy 45F here, and doesn't get dark nearly as fast as in Maine.
Merry Christmas to you, my friend!
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Christmas: 1880
