Jackson County Narrow Gauge an introduction

[John M]

We had a successful operating session/group running day using JMRI "Operations Pro" as a freight car dispatching routing system to create Train Manifests. We found that  the system works best on a large scale garden railway  with a 2 person crew one driving the second acting as conductor/brakeman/shunter planning the next move, making the road, coupling/uncoupling cars not unlike a full size shunt or trip working.

 

Although there were only four of use we managed to keep two trains in operation during the session. I would have worked better with another operator to act as host/dispatcher/train controller and would have avoided dropping an un-familiar crew in at the deep end to both learn the road and American operating terminology.

 

The crew seems to have enjoyed themselves and have asked for another session during the Winter.

 

JMRI Manifest for a local freight working or Turn

 

The main issues were that crew members found it difficult to read the Train Manifests and figure out where they were in the absence of town/yard name boards. On the plus side its a lot easier to read car numbers on large scale rolling stock and crews were happy to run short trains and drop off/collect one or two cars at most sidings/stations along the line.

 

We were too busy operating to take any photographs during the operating session though managed some steam running at the end of the session with a visiting Leak & Manifold 2-6-4T and my DRGW C16

 

 

The heavy 1;20.3 stock cars and caboose on gave the L&M 2-6-4T a good work out on my 2 & 4% grades.

 

 

Although I got most of the stock away before dark the mails got in a bit late with the end of Daylight Saving.

 

 

[John M]

Although I had basically planned to shut down the railway for the peak of the leaf fall season in April-May, we ran some trains during the fine weather over the Easter Holidays.

 

Maximum train length was 15 cars with a K27 2-8-2 and mid-train helper, I also operated an 11 car train behind a single K27 but had to "double the hill" to return the train to storage at the end of the session.

 

 

Live steamer C16 268 proved capable of hauling a reasonable load over the 2% grades on the main line.

 

Reversing the 15 car train and turning the locos to run up the 4% grades on the "High Line" is quite a logistical challenge with the train longer than the passing siding, though the Wye comes in very useful!

 

15 car freight passing Arboles.

The passing siding here is only long enough for a loco & 5 cars (incl caboose) and is usually used as a double ended spur track for stock & box cars. Spur track to left of train handles tank car and gondola traffic.

Freight arriving at Utah Junction. 

"High Line" to storage above caboose. Running round/reversing a long train involves a number of shunts as the tail track of the wye is currently only long enough for a loco and a single car. Track is currently on order to extend the tail track/Utah Extension by 16'

Buildings removed to storage for the winter.

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by John M

[John M]

Like the Rio Grande Southern the busiest periods on the Jackson County appear to be Autumn and Spring with little happening outside of these periods. Although its early March the days are getting somewhat cooler and the nights shorter (the Jackson County is in the Antipodes after all ) today the Railroad ran the 1st train of this years Fall Stock Rush.

 

We were short of motive power to work the scheduled weekly freight and a stock special, as one of the K27 2-8-2 464 was out of service awaiting a replacement wheelset for her leading truck, leaving K27 463 and C19 348 to work todays freights.

 

464 had developed a tendency to de-rail her leading truck as a result of one of the wheels on the leading axle regularly working loose despite the use of Loctite Retainer, the leading wheelset is no longer available as a spare part. Its planned to use a spare tender wheelset from a Bachmann Connie 2-8-0 as a replacement, but the axle holes on the K27 truck require boring out as the tender axle shoulder is a larger diameter than the K27 leading axle.

 

Although the stock special was lighter than the freight it was decided to use 463 on the special in order to get the train over the road as fast as possible without assistance or dividing the train and use the smaller 348 for the freight, dividing the train at Utah Junction for the trip over the High Line with 463 working the second portion.

 

 

463 attaching cars at Arboles. 463 departed Jackson City eastbound with 4 stock cars and a caboose, picking up 2 cars at Arboles before departing south/eastwards towards Utah Junction. The stock cars are on a Siding or loop which is mainly used as a double ended spur for freight traffic, the tank car is on a dead end spur with a single connection to the main line that is sometimes used for crossing or over taking trains. The length of the Siding is restricted by the lift out bridge in the background.  This town was re-named Arboles after a number of trees planted in the area when the railway evolved from an Australasian to a Colorado narrow gauge character in recent years.

463 and Stock Special heaving town. New toolshed/workshop in background, Staging/Fiddle Yard pilot waiting on High Line in right background. I am planning to add a veranda roof to the shed as an outdoor working area/spot to chill and watch/play trains.

 

463 reversing onto the "Utah Extension" in order to reverse on the Wye at Utah Junction. The train has to reverse  at the Junction in order to access the High Line to the staging, another shed has recently appeared in this area as the Wife's Art Studio, its intended to extend the Utah Extension in connection with landscaping/planting to be carried out during the Autumn and Winter.

463 takes the High Line at Utah Junction, the rear of the train is on the Wye.  The Switch Stand for the connection between the main line and Wye is visible between the 2&3 cars.

 

 

DRGW Diesel 50 pushes the stock special into the staging after releasing 463. 50 was one of the first locos converted from track to on-board battery power mainly due to problems with un-reliable running as a result of poor pick up on track power. The loco is on a new yard lead to simplify putting trains away in the staging and to avoid trains running away on the 4% down grade to Utah Junction.

348 climbing the 2% grade to Jackson City. This session was as much a load test to see what 348 could handle on the grades on the main circuit of the layout. The cabbage tree arching over the train was growing near vertical in 2008-9 and developed a curved trunk in response to faster growing deciduous screening trees in the background forming a canopy.

348 prepares to clear the yard at Arboles.  348 has left the rear of her train on the east side of the bridge before coupling to the tank car, 348 sets back across the bridge before propelling the tank car on to the siding to couple up to the two box cars on the right. 348 the lead caboose and three boxcars then set back, before running forward on the main to clear the switch at the south east end of the siding.

348 propels her cars along the siding back on to the main before coupling up to the rear of the train.

348 arrives at Utah Junction while 463 waits on the High Line.

348 pulls her train into Utah Junction.  The train is longer than the Siding/loop at the junction and will block the yard lead at the High Line staging.

348 & 463 prepare to depart Utah Junction.  For some reason the switch is set for the main line and 348 will have to set back before departing on the High Line. 348 appears to be departing with box cars carrying urgent (ish) traffic, 348 is restricted to a maximum load of 3 cars and caboose (in favorable conditions) on the high line, she sometimes slips with 3 cars in poor rail condition. 348 had turned on the wye and run around her cars while 463 had pulled the remaining cars into the clear in order to allow 348 to run through.  Once the junction is clear 463 will prepare for departure positioning the caboose at the rear of her train.

 

And so trains put away for another week or two or three.