The third rail

This page shows the first run on the three and a half gauge track. This movie (3.55MB) is made up of clips taken during the day, from starting up to running (including some chase shots) to blow down.

As visible on the above picture, the third rail held in place by means of deck screws driven into the ties. Before installing the track we filled the hollow plastick ties with solid blocks of PVC: this gives plenty of " meat " for the screws to grab into. This rail does not have to carry as much weight as the other two because all the ridding cars are four and three quarter inch gauge.

The following picture was taken while Eric's engine was building up steam. He uses an electric fan on top of the exhaust to create draft until there is enough steam pressure for the engine's blower to take over.

Here is the train shortly after starting.It is crossing the bridge/switch. The following pictures show the recently built switch stand.

Here is another view of the engine on the bridge:

The following image shows the caboose which holds a propane tank. Propane is the fuel for the locomotive.