Would you like to report on activities or concerns affecting the Club?
Contact the Recording Secretary with a written article for inclusion in the Dispatcher.
Riding Cars
The type of car you use to haul the public is of great importance. Cars that have a low center of gravity (CG) are more stable on the track than other cars. Hoppers and boxcars where you sit at the roof line of the car have a high CG. Low sided gondolas and flat cars are better. Perhaps the best car is one that's designed for riders and uses a drop center feature. The bottom plate in the center should be extra heavy to give a lower CG and therefore, more stability. Keep the seats low to the deck. You can use a bench seat or individual seats. Individual seats have the advantage of limiting the number of folks that can ride on the car. Over crowding is not good. Safety chains are a must. Some folks feel a car that allows you to quickly extend your legs outward to keep from toppling in a derailment is an advantage. A gondola is more confining to the legs than a flat car.
Surfing for Steam
Allen Locomotive builders have a web site the
discusses the building and running of Allen locos.
