Nevada State Railroad Museum's Steam Locomotive #8 Has a "Bad Hair Day"

[choft720]

Whether you are a pro or not, this was one of the best video's I have ever seen of a steamer fouling up due to modern technology. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why in heck do they need to place a fuel use meter on that steamer? Figure how many times it goes in a circle & mileage in one day. Gallons of oil used, then compare that to the amount of water they go through which should be about 3-4 tanks of water for each refill of fuel and you have your formula. K.I.S.S. Method !

Thanks !

[jnamobley]

Look for someone who can get My friend and I a cab rife on the V & T. The last time I was there I got one in 95 or 96 when I was station at Travis AFB. Were going to be in Reno for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and trainman Convention in Oct 4-7. So anything, person or place that we should see or go to I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks JB Mobley

[virginiatruckee]

@jnamobley You mean on the Nevada State Railroad Museum? I think you have to pay for cab rides there, check out their website or call them at 775 687-6953.

If you mean on the V&T long run from Carson City to Virginia City, that's not that easy these days. They seem to have a pretty strict no-cab-ride policy. I don't know about that, just go ride and ask.

[shogunballa14]

wasnt the number 8 ran on the sierra railroad for a brief period of time?

[Miserlou57]

Railroad groupies?!?

Where the heck have they been all my life?!?!

[CoastStarlight11]

WOW!!!!

[AMTK510]

Dude, sweet! What kind of camera do you use.

[virginiatruckee]

It's a well-worn Canon HV20. It's been a great camera, it can shoot in 24fps, but all my videos are shot at 30fps. It has a great way of catching light that I haven't seen on other camera.

It has developed a tape problem where every once in a while it drops some frames. So far it hasn't done that at critical points very often, I need to take it in for repairs.

I still like tape-based cameras because you get an extra backup, but it's time-consuming to suck the video into a computer.

[AMTK510]

yeah, I know where you're coming from. I recently switched from Standard Def to Hi-Def. And my Standard Def Camera was Mini DV. I like Mini DV cause you don't have to worry about losing your memories, whereas on SDHC card Cams, you'll have to delete stuff you may not want to if you want more recording time.

[virginiatruckee]

Yeah, the HV20 is a hi-def camera, but in HDV not AVCHD format. I have used Adobe Premiere for years, and through CS3 they still don't support AVCHD.

I probably could have used Corel Video Studio and found a cheaper way out, but to get Adobe Premiere to work for editing and After Effect, for effects and Encore for producing Blu-Ray discs, I spent a lot of money upgrading my memory, getting a better video card, etc.

HD editing is great but using Premiere is expensive (but worth it, IMHO)

[SierraRailway]

Hey, whats with the 8's hoarse whistle? It sounds horrible!

[virginiatruckee]

The 8 was low on pressure that day supposedly because of a restricted oil flow. Loren Jahn explains this to me starting at 5:10.

They hardly blew the whistle to keep up the steam pressure in the boiler. If you watch the pressure gauge in the video they get down below 70 psi.

As noted in the description, the 8-ball is currently down due to firebox problems. I thought it was in one of my videos, but I will dig up and post a clip showing that the 8's tender has an 8-ball painted on it.

[virginiatruckee]

A key moment in the video, the lead-in starting at 7:45 and rocking the Johnson bar at 8:10.

Also my little joke on Ron Allen in the last five seconds of the video at 10:45, as the train comes back in the station people on the platform give the engineer a hard time.

Volunteer Nancy Humphries says, "welcome back." Then in a voiceover I ask Ron Allen about the V&T Reconstruction project, and he says, "the train from hell."

Ron is a permanent Commissioner on the $70 million project.

[gaycowboy31]

@virginiatruckee nice video didnt the NSRM#8 come from the Dardenville & Russleville RR out of Arkansas if I remember correctlly..I see your comment about hwy 395 what a shame that its on old V&T grade if I remeber right I just wish we could see the V&T go all the way back to Reno again but thats just a Dream

[SierraRailway]

Yeah, I didn't even know that was a factor in the closing of the line. Its MUCH too far for the V&T recon-commission to relay the tracks to Reno anyway. No one would want to ride a day long trip up there, and then come back the next day. It would be a long shot. Maybe to Minden...

[virginiatruckee]

It was a factor in at least one way, the trucking companies were getting into full swing in the 1920's-30's. They were competitive, could deliver on better schedules, and could handle less-than-carloads much better than trains.

The Virginia City line shut down in 1938, trucks went up Geiger Grade.

In addition, some people have the conspiracy theory view that NDOT wanted the V&T right of way in Washoe Ctiy to expand 395. But the V&T was already living on life-support at that point.

[gaycowboy31]

@SierraRailway yah I was told about that being the closeing factor from one of my friends in Virginia City ...i know they wouldnt and couldnt run back to Reno but that would be so cool to see again just a dream I guess but hell who ever would have guessed they would build back to Carson City again however MInden would be cool

[computervet]

By the 1940s freight traffic was the only thing the V&T had going for it. Most of the daily trains only had one or two passengers. They tried to hold onto their freight customers but it was just cheaper to ship by truck.

Hwy 395 didn't take over much of the V&T's right of way, though. The ROW is still intact through Carson and Washoe Valleys. It's only in Carson City that roads have taken over the rails. Washington, Longview, and Bigelow all run on the old right of way. But not 395.

[virginiatruckee]

True, computervet, I was referring to two choke points with the NDOT conspiracy theory.

1) at the north end of Washoe City

2) Lakeview

I don't believe NDOT was the reason the V&T closed, I just bring it up as a conspiracy theory I have heard.

The other conspiracy theory was that Gordon Sampson was paid off by the truckers to close the V&T. This conveniently ignored the death of Ogden Mills and the estate managers decision to shut down the railroad after losing money for decades.

[virginiatruckee]

Also, in my studies of the ICC/PUC hearings in the late 30's and again in the late 40's, and in Gordon Sampsons oral history at UNR, he notes that during the war, the V&T was within the 250 mile range of the coast where government controlled what was shipped on rails because of the threat of Japanese bombing. If I remember correctly, the V&T lost oil shipments to trucks during WWII and got them back in the last few years. There wasn't much freight coming out of Carson Valley, making a 1-way RR.

[virginiatruckee]

I had to talk fast to fit the commentary in there, but I didn't realize I was talking THAT fast.