FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Robinson
530-527-0141 / e-mail mainline@sunset.net
TRAINS
ARE STEAMING IN TEXAS
Deep in the heart of Texas you will find many
a railfan. Many of those people go far beyond riding and photographing
the railroads that rumble by. These fans actually build their
own miniature RR empires! Director Greg Robinson takes you inside
these private lines for an up-close look at the equipment, track
and the people who build and maintain these diminutive railroads
in TEXAS LIVE STEAM, the newest DVD release from Robinson &
Associates. (PO Box 8953, Red Bluff, CA 96080 / 530-527-0141
/ mainline@sunset.net / $29.95 plus $5 s/h.)
Robinsons tour starts with the pristine Wimberley Blanco
& Southern RR built by Nick Edwards. Edwards and his buddies
are avid steam men, so the layout was designed to be interesting
for the hoghead running on external combustion. The long grades
and long descents provide plenty of challenge for anyone acting
as engineer, fireman, and brakeman all in one. A good deal of
the railroad is on 1.5% and 2% grades. The steepest section by
Quail Hollow is 2.25% on a curve.
For sheer jaw dropping impressiveness, there is one element
of the WB&S which stands out above all the others. It is
the large two-span Purinton Bridge over the dry creek bed. The
smaller span would make a substantial bridge on most railroads.
It is a through-girder double track 20' span. The main section
is a mammoth welded steel Warren truss that is 60' long and 7.5'
wide.
Next, the director takes you on a tour of Terry McGraths
welcoming Annetta Valley & Western RR. This private line
is located west of Dallas / Fort Worth. Mr. McGrath has taken
a flat, simple landscape and formed it into a hilly, and picturesque
layout where riders can seldom see where theyve been or
where they are going. The devoted crew often runs with scheduled
timetable operations.
Finally, Robinson takes us to Roy Pickards Comanche &
Indian Gap. Even though most of the railroad is just a few hundred
yards from the rest of the railroad there is a wide variety of
landscape in miniature. Portions of the railroad run through
rolling hills with deep cuts and high fills. There are thick
patches of bushes and small gnarled trees that make very believable
scale woods. Other areas evoke a sense of broad grassy prairies
with sun scorched earth.
For the last hundred years the most common form of live steam
operations has been heading out on the mainline loop
and making sure you didnt run into the train ahead of you.
From the beginning Mr. Pickard wanted a railroad that would more
closely replicate the activity of the prototype. This was a rather
revolutionary idea in the live steam world thirty years ago.
And the C&IG deserves credit for being a pioneer in live
steam railroad operations.
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Robinson & Associates
P.O. Box 8953, Red Bluff, CA 96080 USA
530-527-0141 Fax 530-527-0420
www.7plusrailroader.com
www.grandscales.com mainline@sunset.net
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