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May 2006

NEWSLETTERSee our Web page at http://www.rcgrs.com/

A Note from theVice--President Jeff Lange

Dear Members of the RCGRS:

I amwriting thismessage thismonth to help out ourclub President, whose father just passed away. I amhappy to help any clubmember out at anytime, andI was happy to fill in for Darrel at this time. Pleasesend him your regards and condolences for the lossof his father. Darrel has been by his dad’s side forthe last month or so, and was with him right to thevery end.

In the meantime, we have had two great openhouses just recently, and I was fortunate enough tohave been able to attend both. The first one washeld at Quinn Mountain, on the afternoon ofSunday,March26th. BothChristina andBud put onamarvelous open house and potluck, and have real-ly done somewonderful improvements to their out-door railroad. See the recent April Newsletter forpictures of their place, and an article on their gardenrailroad. Thank you both for hosting such a lovelyevent at the ever beautiful QuinnMountain Resort!

The second open house/planning session was lastSaturday, April 22nd at Jerry and Barbara Clark’shome. They hosted a potluck/planning sessioncombination, and several members gathered attheir lovely home to ’brainstorm’ different ways tolay out a future garden railroad to traverse in frontof and beside their lovely water feature that is thecenterpiece of their backyard paradise. Many ideaswere shared, and lots of walking around and ‘figur-ing out where to put it’ went into the afternoon.Jerry meanwhile, was grilling up delicious Polishhotdogs and cheeseburgers while the ‘right--of--way’ inspector Barbara was telling us what shewould like to see someday. The day was perfect,with light east winds, and bright sunshine. After theplanning sessions and lunch was over, severalmembers retired to Jerry’s ‘Movie Room’ andwatched DVD’s of several different tourist rail-roads on their BIG screen T.V. Thank you Jerry and

Barbara for hosting that fun--filled afternoon atyour wonderful home in Vancouver!

Our next open house/business meeting is on Satur-day,May13th, atDennis andCarolynRose’shome.Please check the newsletter for times and what tobring for lunch.

Member Roster: Somemembers havenot paid theirdues for 2006. We still want them to remain mem-bers of our club, and to please submit their annualdues to the treasurer, Steve Cogswell, as soon aspossible. Only those who have paid their currentdues will have access to the member’s area of theWebsite andwill continue receiving theNewsletter.

Diesel Engines of 1930

The Electro--Motive Corporation (EMC) wascreated byHarold Hamilton in 1924. The companywas littlemore than a letterhead and a rented office.By 1930, the EMC offices were located at theWin-ton Engine Company facilities. Winton and EMChad developed a symbiotic relationship. The St.LouisCar Company built most of the early car bod-ies for the motor cars, but EMC slowly shifted tothe Pullman Company as the preferred supplier.

Branch line service was the first area to suffer fromthe emerging transportation modes, especially thedevelopment of “all--weather” roads for the auto-mobile. The railroads were locked into continuingthe unprofitable service. Once a railroad guaran-teed service by acquiring a right of way, it was asmall concession for the railroad to be the solemeans of access for freight, mail, and passengers.As demandwaned and costs increased, this conces-sion grew into a large liability.

The motor cars manufactured by EMC, Brill,Budd, and GE indicated to the railroads that theremight be solutions to the high cost of steam forserving branch lines that no longer generatedenough traffic to pay for itself, much less turn aprofit. (Except for the later EMCmotor cars, most

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of the motor cars had either gasoline or distillatemotors.) Could a light weight train be developedthat would have more capability than a motor car,but be economical enough to reduce costs onbranch line service?

In 1929, GeneralMotors decided that there was go-ing to be a largemarket for diesel powered locomo-tives in the near future. The easiest way for a com-pany to enter a new market is to purchase anothercompany that has the expertise, engineering andmanufacturing facilities for that market. GM hadthe deep pockets needed to purchase the WintonEngineCompany andEMC in 1930.More than400motor cars had been “built” by EMC by the time itscompletion of purchase in 1932. GM changedEMC into an integrated diesel locomotive builderand changed the name to the Electro--Motive Divi-sion. GM started development of a more powerfuland efficient two--cycle diesel engine, but this en-gine development takes some time.

(Note: Remember the close association betweendiesel powered locomotives and diesel poweredsubmarines? GM/Winton used this same dieseltechnology and also created the Cleveland DieselDivision to serve theU.S. navy. One of the first die-sels delivered to the navy by the Cleveland DieselDivision was the Winton 201A.)

(Note: The exceptional life and career ofAlexanderWinton is an amazing but little known story. Thestory is well worth telling at a future date.)

At this point in engine development, Winton haddeveloped an 8--cylinder in--line distillate enginefor locomotive use. However, a maximum of about800 hp seemed a ceiling for an engine size thatcould be put into a railroad car body. Since the GMengine was not ready, GM had the Winton designconverted to a two--cycle diesel operation and add-ing a Roots blower as the Winton 201 (approxi-mately 600 hp@ 750 rpm). Two--cycle diesels hadbeen around for a few years, but they were large,cumbersome, unreliable, and unsuited for railroaduse. GM/Winton’s design was to be relatively lightweight and intended to supplant the gasoline anddistillate engines then in use.

Ralph Budd was the CB&Q’s president and madea decision to create a train with potential to revolu-tionize railroad passenger service in the Depths ofthe Great Depression. The CB&Q (BurlingtonRoute) was already operating more than 50 motorcars on its branch lines and local main line service.In 1933, Ralph Budd chose the Edward G. BuddManufacturing Company (no relation) of Philadel-phia to design a lightweight train using stainlesssteel and their newly patented “Shot--Weld” pro-cess. The train was to be distinctive and the designteamwasgivenwide latitudeon thedesign. Thecri-teria wanted by the CB&Qwas a light weight trainpowered by a diesel engine, capable of speeds inexcess of 100 mph, equipped with a Railway PostOffice compartment, space for 25 tons of baggageand express freight, and coach seating for approxi-mately 70 passengers. It was up to the Edward G.Budd design team to meet the criteria.

What was lacking for the design was a suitable en-gine. Ralph Budd saw two GM/Winton 201 dieselsbeing fabricated at the Cleveland Diesel Divisionfor the 1933 “Century of Progress Exposition” andtried to buy one for his “streamliner”. If Budd hadknown how balky GM’s Winton 201 engine wasand its recurring maintenance problems, he mightnot have been so enthusiastic. However, GM as-sured Ralph Budd that they would have an im-proved model ready for him in about a year that hecould install in his new train. Mr. Budd took it onfaith that GMwould deliver and stand behind theirreputation to make it good. The resulting enginewas the Winton 201A.

The 1934 Pioneer Zephyr was successful beyondtheir wildest dreams. The operating costs for theZephyr was 34.2 cents per mile versus 63.7 centsper mile for the steam trains it replaced. Because oftheir lower center of gravity, the Zephyr could takecurves 20 percent faster than a conventional trainand run at more than 90 mph for extended periods.Because of its faster speed and lower maintenance,the Zephyr replaced two steam trains. The Zephyrwas often sold outmonths ahead. People werewill-ing to stand in the aisles rather than accept a seat ona conventional steam train.

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The Winton 201 Diesel Engine and Generator System in actionat the 1933--1934 “Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago

For publicity and a demonstration of its capability,the Zephyr departed the Denver Union Station at5:05 a.m. on May 26, 1934 and sped 1000 milesnon--stop to arrive 14 hours later at 8:09 p.m. at the

opening of the second year “Century of ProgressExposition” stage in Chicago. The run used a littleover 400 gallons of diesel fuel from a 600 gallontank (at 18 cents/gallon). The little train ran in ser-

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vice until 1960. The CB&Q purchased nine of theZephyrs in various train lengths between 1934 and1938.

In 1938, the CB&Q made an agreement with theoperating unions that it would not purchase anymore trains of the Pioneer Zephyr design. Theproblems with the design were:

S the motor man was at the level of any in-tersection collision and there was no es-cape. Any collision was fatal.

S because of the low front seat, the motorman was subject “road hypnosis” whenrunning at night.

S The train rode on articulated trucks andthe whole train had to be removed fromservice if there was a problem in one ofthe cars.

In 1932, the Pullman Company built a demonstra-tor motorcar called the “Railplane”. It could becalled the first “streamliner”. It was designed byWilliam B. Stout, an aeronautical engineer and thedesigner of theFordTri--Motor airplane. It had a tu-bular frame and an aluminum skin. The 60--footmotorcar weighed only 12.5 tons, about one tenththeweight of a typical passenger railcar of the sameyear. It did 90 mph in tests and was tried out in ser-vice for a short time. It was not a commercial suc-cess, but it was displayed at the “Century of Prog-ress Exposition” where it attracted the attention ofW. Averill Harriman, chairman of the board for theUnion Pacific.

Harriman liked what he saw in the Railplane as abasis for a possible “supertrain”; a fast, light, novelin appearance passenger train that could replacethose costly and high maintenance steam trains.The new “supertrain” design became the Union Pa-cificM--10000.Mr. Harrimanwanted to beat RalphBudd to market with his new train. When he foundthat the diesel motor was not ready yet, Mr. Harri-

man chose the Winton V12--191A (600 hp) distil-late engine for the power car. This engine, becauseof its poor efficiency and high maintenance, wasone of the fatal flaws in the design of theM--10000.

From the National Public Radio, “American Expe-rience”:

In some ways, the M--10000 was revolutionary.Made of aluminum alloy, the three cars togetherweighed only 85 tons; a conventional 10--car steamtrain weighed roughly 1,000 tons. The fully loadedtrain — 116 passengers and crew members, 25,000pounds of baggage and mail — needed 500 horse-power to achieve a speed of 90 miles per hour; aconventional train, 4,500 horsepower. The engineitself was lighter, as was the entire power plant, in-cluding the auxiliary backup engine (20 tons as op-posed to a whopping 316 tons on a conventionaltrain). Furthermore, the distillate fuel, stored intanks in the floor, could carry the new train 1,200miles without stopping for water or refueling. Thiswas 12 times the distance a conventional passengertrain could run on a load of coal.

The decor, too, was created with comfort and effi-ciency in mind: indirect lighting, pale colors, corktile on floors to absorb sound. Even the items onboard kept the train’s weight down: standard chinaservice for a passenger train tipped the scales at530 pounds, but streamliner crockery was madefrom a new lightweight material that weighed only189 pounds.

However, the M--10000 had several fatal flaws.“While visually attractive and able to run at rapidspeeds, the M--10000 did not match the Zephyr interms of state--of--the--art technology,” notes histo-rianMarkReutter. “The Zephyr used the first high--speed diesel engine, whichwas the forerunner of allmodern locomotives, while the M--10000 used a

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less--efficient distillate oil engine. The Zephyr’sstainless steel construction was perfect for high--speed rail travel, while the M--10000’s aluminumsheathing proved problematic and the train wasscrapped in 1940.”

Following the wild success of the M--10000, UnionPacific added nine more streamliners to its fleetover the next seven years. Though it was alwaystechnologically imperfect, and in fact was retiredfrom service by 1940, (and scrapped for the war ef-fort duringWWII) theM--10000 had accomplishedHarriman’s goal of reviving his company’s for-tunes, and it had also injected excitement andglamour into rail travel. “They really don’t run thisUnion Pacific train,” one awestruck observer ofthe M--10000 said. “They just aim and fire it.”

Next month: The GM--567 sounds the death knellfor steam locomotives.

Measuring GradesContributed by Bill Dippert

The following copy is from a handout from DaveSykes many years ago at a NMRA -- PNR conven-tion. It works for all scales, it is scale independent.The only variable is the 5 inches— that representsthe number of inches between the round rods. Forexample: if youwanted it longer for G scale, say 12inches for instance, then you would multiply eachdecimal by 12 instead of 5. This assumes 12 inchesbetween each round rod. The rod diameter is nota factor, but the distance between the vertical cent-erline of the two rods is a critical measurement.

This device is known tomachinists as a sine bar andif we ignore a small difference between the trigfunctions sine and tangent at these small angles, we

can use it as a simple tool to establish grades.Grades are expressed in percents which are alsowritten as a decimal. The decimal is the form weuse and by multiplying by five we have the amountneeded to put under one rod of the sine bar to estab-lish the grade we desire. Simply raise or lower theamount of feeler gages until the bubble in the levelis centered. The chart below has the math done foryou.

Grade Gage

1/4% = 0.0025 = 0.01251/2% = 0.0050 = 0.02503/4% = 0.0075 = 0.03751% = 0.0100 = 0.050011/4% = 0.0125 = 0.062511/2% = 0.0150 = 0.075013/4% = 0.0175 = 0.08752% = 0.0200 = 0.100021/4% = 0.0225 = 0.112521/2% = 0.0250 = 0.125023/4% = 0.0275 = 0.13753% = 0.0300 = 0.150031/4% = 0.0325 = 0.162531/2% = 0.0350 = 0.175033/4% = 0.0375 = 0.18754% = 0.4000 = 0.200041/4% = 0.0425 = 0.212541/2% = 0.0450 = 0.225043/4% = 0.0475 = 0.23755% = 0.0500 = 0.2500

RCGRS Officers

President, Darrel Dunham 503--697--4738dwdunham@msn.com

Vice President, Jeff Lange 360--696--0799jeffdlange@comcast.net

Secretary, Barbara Clark 360--737--0176clarkdani@comcast.net

Treasurer, Steve Cogswell 503--650--4682scogswell@tkw.com

Yardmaster, Gary Lee 503--695--2550garylee@constructavision.com

Newsletter Editor, Allan R. Warrior503--648--8112 awarrior@comcast.netWebmaster, Allan S. Warrior

warriora@yahoo.com

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Schedules & Timetables

Make sure you check the calendar on our Websiteat http://www.rcgrs.com/ for the most up--to--dateschedules and timetables.

Anyone interested in having an Open House orsponsoring an event, please contact Donald Gol-gert at 360--896--1778 or grammabob@wa--net.com. A goal for 2006 is to always have oneopen house or event on the second Saturday of themonth. The other events or open houses can “float”on any of the dates in the month.

May 13, 2006, Saturday, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.:Open--house at Dennis & Carolyn Rose’s, 18325Jaylee St. Beaverton, OR, 503--649--4904. It isDennis’ birthday (no presents). Main dish and des-sert by the hosts. Single attendees -- snacks are wel-come. Couple attendees -- salads are welcome. Sec-ond quarterly business meeting.

June 10, 2006, Saturday: Track laying party atSteve & Mimi Cogswell’s, 17520 Holly Lane,Oregon City, 503--650--4682

July 3 -- 9, 2006, National Garden RailwayConvention, Santa Clara, California:Web Site: www.bagrs.org/convention/index.html

July 22--23, 2006, Saturday & Sunday, 12:00p.m. to 6:00 p.m., RCGRS Summer Tour:Coor-dinator is Bill Derville. Help is needed from allmembers.

August 12, 2006, Saturday: Open house at Billand Brenda Derville’s. The annual auction isplanned for this date.

September 9 -- 10, 2006, Saturday and Sunday:Open house at Jeff Lange’s. Third Quarter businessmeeting on Sunday.

September 17, 2006, Sunday:Openhouse atGaryand Jonette Lee’s.

October 14, 2006, Saturday, 4 -- 9 p.m.: OpenHouse at Shannon and Millie Pratt’s.

October 28, 2006, Saturday, 5 -- 10 p.m.: Openhouse at Allan & Kathryn Warrior’s. Halloweentrains and night themes.

November 11, 2006, Saturday: RCGRS AnnualBanquet.

December 8, 2006, Friday: Open house at Jan &Rae Zweerts’. (Christmas Ships)

Editor’s Note: The deadline for the Junenewsletter is May 25, 2006.

Publicity photo by the CB&Q extolling its first diesel powered trains, trucks, and busses.The experimental LaSalle automobile in the foreground is also diesel powered.