I would like to know the overall length of the Bachmann HO scale 4-4-0, e.g., the Jupiter.
The old-time 4-4-0 is seven inches without the rear coupler.
Thanks, Twin Zephyr. Now I can find an engine house for two of them. I'm planning a portable layout (much compressed) of the Golden Spike National Historic Site, just to entertain myself and also my grandson and son-in-law who were with me at the site last week. Operation will consist of bringing the locos out, running back and forth with bell and whistle, and stopping at the tie that holds the golden spike to watch the spike (a gold-painted Atlas track nail?) being driven. I think it will be fun.
Ed
And so begins the slippery slope. Today it's Promontory Summit, next month it gets extended to Salt Lake City, and before you know it you'll be modeling the whole railroad! ;)
HAVE FUN!!!
Don't forget to remove the golden spike before someone steals it (they really did remove it after the ceremony, spiking in a normal spike in its place).
There was an article in Model Railroader magazine about a guy who diorama'd the scene with action and moving parts, and how he did it. I forget which issue it was, but a quick google search should help you out a bit.
When we were out there, I took my AWD Safari and drove over the original roadbed for a ways. I found some old spikes laying there.
(http://www.sarget.com/images/goldspike-03.jpg)
Another view from the original roadbed
(http://www.sarget.com/images/goldspike-01.jpg)
In the race to lay as much track as possible. UP built a trestle across here and CP used fill next to it to bridge the gap. You can still see the trestle abutments in front. This is East of Promontory Point. They abandoned the trestle in 1870, and went with the fill.
(http://www.sarget.com/images/goldspike-41.jpg)
It was quite funny, from a hindsight-is-20/20 point of view. For miles and miles, Central Pacific and Union Pacific built their right of way next to each other instead of connecting, because they were being paid by the government by the mile. So once they saw each other, it was a race to build as much right of way as possible before the government realized what was going on and stopped them.
Thanks to everyone for comments and encouragement.
Piyer, I hope to stay on that slope now that I'm getting started again. I'm having fun already!
bbmiroku, I found the article in MR that you mentioned and I have ordered a copy of that issue. I will guard my own golden spike very carefully. On May 5 this month, my grandson and my son-in-law and I were looking at the real golden spike in the art museum at Stanford U. They also have the silver spike that was also driven that day. It was donated to the ceremonies by the state of Nevada, the Silver State. There were two other special spikes that were driven, or rather, tapped into the special pre-drilled tie that was slipped under the rails for the ceremony.
On May 10 we were at the Golden Spike National Historic Site for the 149th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. It was a great day.
Today my two Bachmann 4-4-0 locos, Jupiter and 119, arrived in the mail. Now I'm on my way.
edpb aka Ed Berners in South Bend, IN