A visit to the Iowa Model Engineers

6-June-09 Bill Webster, Corey Adams and I take a day trip to Mt. Pleasant Iowa (4 hours north) to join in the Iowa Model Engineers steamup. The day got off to a wet start, it was dry back home, but the last two hours of the drive were in the pouring rain. And the last couple miles of road were on dirt roads, giving the new truck a good coat of mud. Fortunately the rain cleared out around lunch and everyone headed for the rails. I ran my little Crab and learned more about it - keep the blower low and the coal bed high.

photo by William Webster

Emerging from the tunnel

photo by William Webster

Later in the afternoon the wind picked up strongly, but right after the rain all was calm. Following a coal burner into the tunnel was something special and not just because you could see orange sparks fly up from the stack or the orange glow of the fire on the ground. The recycled tin sheet roof had little holes in it which allowed the sunshine to poke down through the coal smoke. We were driving through a forest of sunbeams, visible but ephereal, untouchable.

My day ended a bit early when a spring on the water pump broke. No water pump means no water into the boiler, a potentially dangerous situation. Quiting early did not bother me, I got to run for several hours, and so did Bill. Corey's engine ran great, which he was happy about, and he also sold a diesel locomotive which made the trip worth it for him. More pictures here.