Thanks, Curmudgeon. Looks like the Folsom Eastern shops will get their way and turn this one into an unpowered "helper." Of course, there's the radical element behind the shops that want to take it out and "wreck" it!

The Folsom Eastern (FE Line) recently acquired a used, early model 0-4-0 Porter -- it has plastic side rods and no backhead detail.  The axle and motor gears are nylon(?) and are stripped and missing teeth, but the motor works and the wheels are in good shape.  Are replacement gears for this older loco available?  If so, is the changeout procedure fairly straightforward?

Thanks, Jon.  There's a couple of guys down in the shop I'm gonna have to have a talk with -- that was too easy!

Ever ridden?
- Oh, yeah.
Location of last ride?
- Keystone Branch, between East Ely and Ruth, Nevada (see next question)
Date of last ride?
- July 3, 2007, as a fireman on Nevada Northern 4-6-0 #40.
Chase for photos?
- Not so much anymore -- too busy riding/working.
Favorite all-time steam engine?
-Dang!  This ain't easy!  Could be anything from Westside & Cherry Valley Shay #7 (now at Roaring Camp) which I fired one sumer long ago; maybe it's SP 0-6-0 #1233 in Woodland, CA, which I helped restore to running condition and ran for a couple of years; and, gee -- the cab rides in the CP #2860 and SP #4449 were pretty nice; of course, there's Nevada Northern #40 and #93; aw, heck -- I'll go for broke and say the SP Cab Forward!

I manage to visit a few museums every year, some more than once, dpending upon my travels.  I've yet to see a museum (or its contents) that I haven't liked, but I much prefer those with adequate viewing room, a variety of locos and rolling stock, and explanatory signage or interpretive settings to enhance the historical aspect of the equipment.  For those locations with "warehoused" displays, such as the outdoor ones at the B&O Museum and the indoor and outdoor ones at IRM, I try to take comfort in the fact that at least they've been saved.  Perhaps someday money will no longer be an issue at any museum and all railfans and history enthusiasts can fully enjoy every piece of equipment to its fullest.  Yeah, I know -- I'm dreaming...

I'm a member of the California State Railroad Museum and the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.  I volunteer as a car attendant and brakeman at the former, and I'm anengineer/brakeman/fireman/conductor/trackman and mechanic at the latter.  At NN, we operate a 4-6-0 and 2-8-0 (both coal fired) on a 14 mile, standard gauge 2.5% grade with 2 tunnels, and a couple of Alcos (RS2 and RS3) and an EMD SD9 on another 12 mile line.  Lots of other stuff to tell later. 

By the way, Yorkie and Woody:  next time you're in the UK, skip York and go to Didcot.  It's about an hour north(?) of London and is a lot like NN, except they only have a short operating line within the confines of their property.  The museum consists of the entire Great Western Railway's service facility, and it's all still there: plenty of locos, cars, and facilities.

After several years with both CSRM and NN, I'd NEVER consider running my own museum:  never enough money, a lot of railfans unhappy because whatever is done isn't what THEY want, and never enough time to enjoy what you have because you're too busy trying to keeps things running!

The mechanical department at the Folsom Eastern Railroad (the FE Line) has taken in an old Climax from the Red Cat Timber Company to perform some work on it.  Apparently the folks at Red Cat decided to convert their Bachmann side-dump cars to link and pin couplers and planned to use their Climax to haul them around.  One problem: after years of service as a logging locomotive using the OEM truck-mounted couplers, no one know how to remove the coupler drawbars.  The loco was pitted last night and the truck inspection covers were removed, but we were unable to find any way to remove the drawbars from the inside.  Do those darned things just "pop off" with the right amount of pressure, or are they attached with hidden screws?  Help!