The Great Western Steam Up part two - The Porters

[@garyruxton5226]

That little Antelope & Western has a beautiful whistle.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I think so too!

[@SteveScotsman]

Ugh!!! They are so stinkin cuteee!!!!!!!! I want a little porter locomotive to run around my property and just screw around with.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I’ll bet there are over 10 privately owned

[@lawrencehudson9939]

That Santa Cruz Porter really struck a nerve with me. I used to live in San Francisco, and I can remember driving down Highway 1 on the coast and going past the cement plant. Now this was the 1970s, so the Porter was long gone but I remember having to stop at the crossing as some SP GP 7 or 9 moved a line of hopper cars. Just seeing the name brings back memories. I would love to get a model of that engine. Thanks.

[@ToyManTelevision]

It’s so unusual. But a model would be GREAT

[@alwaysbearded1]

I went to UCSC very late 70's and into the 80's and usually took HWY 1 to come or go from school to home in Oakland. I remember the cement plant well. Looked like an alien spacecraft at night from a distance. I remember the train too. I still have some coal from the tracks from stopping to go to the beach.

[@lynnkporter]

I just love these little steam locomotives, and the name is wonderful. Somehow seems familiar.

[@hamiltonsullivan6563]

Love those little porters... those are pretty cool garage locomotives we can have as toys nowadays!

[@bobgevert]

The dwarves are back!!!!! Love those Porters!!

[@bernardc2553]

We were there for days ran In Tim O'Brien @ the Porter hang-out best seats in the shade ,Stellar show with Fantastic People well after Wendover I let you be lol

[@ToyManTelevision]

Great shady place.

[@nathancorcoran5347]

I’m going to be visiting the Niles Canyon Railway today. They are going to be running the steam train ride and the Diesel Self-Propelled Motor Car ride.

[@RailfanLoy]

Porters are life

[@HMSSfrigate12]

It was good to see a brakeman actually throw a switch and then go and check that the points were closed before he gave the hogger a back-up signal

[@johnbenedict6703]

If I correctly remember from my US Air Force tech school back in 1971, Portland is a grade of cement where at least 95% passes through a 200 sieve. This is the finest sieve, these are used in soils engineering. Different gradations of sieves are place on top of one another with the largest openings on top through to the finest openings on the bottom. A soils sample is placed on the top and the whole thing is shaken and the different sizes of soil are sifted out. This provides a gradation content of the soil and if it needs to be modified, base on the intent in the construction process.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

correct, originally Porland Dorset, England, where it was used for fine house building , as I understand it.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Not sure where the Thomas Edison connection comes in. But Edison had ideas to use Portland Cement to cast things. Building’s mostly but he even ha a line of cement phonographs! And molds that could be delivered to a site and set up in a few days and an entire house cast. Some are still around. There is a small office here in town cast that way. Anyway Edison was an owner? In the US Portland Cement co? Not sure other than he came up with countless ways to use Portland Cement.

[@Santafefrank]

Thanks

[@vwbugracer]

I have driven by the Chiggin locomotive for years, where it sat, at Pollardville. Pollardville was located in Stockton, CA. It's in a town next to my hometown of Lodi. I always had dreams of seeing that locomotive run again.

[@timothyboles6457]

So this is the engine from Pollardville. I didn't realize the connection. I literally drove by the site of Pollardville this morning coming home from a steamup in Lodi. I used to live in Stockton so I'm very familiar with the area.

[@william2william]

The Santa Cruz Portland Cement locomotive was on displayed at Pollardville (Chicken Kitchen at Pollardville) in Morada California along with the Pollardville Palace Showboat Dinner Theater and a western-style ghost town. It was kind of the Knott's Berry Farm of Northern California. The locomotive was bought and put on display in front of Pollardville but they eventually went out of business and Pollardville was demolished in 2010. The only thing that remains of Pollardville is the sign along Hwy 99 between the Morada Ln exit and the Eight Mile Rd exit.

[@karynfelix-the-Cat]

That was a fun trip! Over much too fast though....

[@bernardogrobeisenweingersz9768]

Awesome , really neat locomotives

[@jnnmlchr91]

Oh lord the both of you are hilarious 😂

[@lescobrandon3047]

I have a feeling that every model railroader has had a Porter. I have two on my On30 RR and have had several on my old HO pike.

[@unclemarksdiyauto]

Those posters do look cute! Great too if you don’t need a big locomotive and it would sure take less room to house.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi. Yup. Several privately owned ones. Like these.

[@allanegleston4931]

other vids never really showed the porter and or the climax . i love the carson city/reno museum as it is fully self contained . it has its own layout for running and a nice display building also i love the turn table display as well.

[@DillonTrinhProductions]

Porters are awesome.

[@williamdickman7917]

Looking at your vid of the #1 Porter, the tender is a homebuilt affair, as you said. If you want to build a similar piece, use a Bachmann side dump ore car, remove everything above the side frames and center beam, use the wheel sets and frame and then build up the "Tender" from sheet styrene and go from there. It looks like that's what was done on the 1 spot as the side framing looks similar to the side dump cars.

[@caseyvillemodelrailroad3877]

Great little engines, got one with tender on narrow gauge fur the lower coalmine scean looks great...

[@scotts3938]

Thanks for showing us the Porters. Love the sound of the large Santa Cruz Portland Cement Porter

[@154Colin]

Woa! I bet ya that was very disconcerting when the rear set of drivers on #2 dropped like that when it went onto the gallows turntable.

[@stevemellin5806]

What a great show . thank you. Have a great week

[@royreynolds108]

The next time y'all are at Durango, look up the 1203 as it is a 1946 Porter, a C-C, 75 tons. It is the only one Porter ever built. It was built with a 6-cylinder Cooper-Bessemer engine. They did other diesels, but that one was the biggest 3-foot gauge loco.

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Who cares it is an deasesal.😉

[@daviemaclean61]

You have ONLY four Porters in the attic! Well, let me put on my shocked face! such restraint

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well they were so affordable and they were just there. And every time I saw one I could not resist buying it.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

These small locomotives look cool!

[@izaaks3213]

Come up to Alaska in the spring of 2023 for the unveiling of the rebuilt Engine 557 and the centennial of the Alaska Railroad. Come tonFairbanks for a ride on narrow gauge Number 1.

[@brendanstrains9725]

I saw santa cruz 2 at the northwest railway museum in snoquamie! 2 or 3 years ago.

[@ToyManTelevision]

It’s nice to have it running again.

[@allabouttrains7358]

That one Portland Cement Porter locomotive at 10:26, it ONCE was at the Northwest Railway Museum. I rid on it once before and it was FUN!!!! Cool video.

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

You are right those Porters are just cute. And are a manageable size. I like it when your videos bring back memories I had forgotten about. Superheated water is an unbelievable power source if you can use it. Along with the high heat of the water you have the very high working pressure to make the system work. A couple of guys at Bow Hill Railroad had a Porter air engine or was it two of them they were converting for steam use on their hobby railroad. I was very impressed with the air tank that powered the engine. It was an air tank within an air tank within an air tank. I have no idea what the inner most tank pressure was but looking at the valves and fittings my guess would be 2000 plus psi. These were all riveted tanks, not like the spun tanks used today for high pressure gasses today. Like the flameless Porters they was used in a mine or fire hazard areas.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

You need one of these locomotives for the yard.

[@Dallen9]

The Chiggin was also the most powerful locomotive at the steam up. The Ten Wheels were just the fastest capible engines at the Steam up. 😛

[@RailfanLoy]

Porters are cute

[@ToyManTelevision]

Stinking cute!

[@awildjared1396]

RGS 41 is being rebuilt at the Durango & Silverton right now, this is the first time its been outside of Knott's Berry Farm since 1951.

[@rrelectric5159]

Great show on the Porter's. I saw the Chiggin engine for years along the highway near Stockton and stopped to photograph it a couple of times. So glad to see it operational. I didn't hear you mention that the #1 Porter is from the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum in Grass Valley. They have done a good job of making that engine operational. Keep up the good work!

[@kenshores9900]

Dale: Thought about Dirt the other day. Was getting my truck inspected and the shop had a cat. Was just sitting in the chair. It allowed me to pet,scratch. And rub. The cat seemed appreciative. I am not a cat person but I had thoughts about getting a cat. Really miss my German Shepherd. Oh well great episode. Enjoy trains if any shape or fashion and the two of you do a great job. Always unique and never boring.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi We are afraid Dirt is not well. Hope he is fine though. Such a good cat. Thanks again!!!!!

[@kenshores9900]

@@ToyManTelevision Dirt seems to be as old as dirt. It is unfortunate to here.

[@154Colin]

You should check out some of the Maine 2-footers. Those are "Stinkin' cute" too.

[@microbusss]

that Porter I would put on Knuckle Couplers 😉 Do I think a knuckle coupler looks weird on a loco from the 1850s to 1900s? YES!

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well a small split coupler set in the link and pin socket looks great and is prototype.

[@microbusss]

seen that & looks cool well there was a short line still using the old Link n Pin decades after the knuckle coupler was enforced dunno which line that was but they were the last to do that

[@rogerstrate5727]

I learn something new from you guys every week "fireless locomotives" who'da thunk?

[@royreynolds108]

Many locos that went into or lived in mines ran on air instead of steam. Most of the air locos were 2-foot down to 18-inch gauge for use in mines. I have some photos of a standard gauge air 0-4-0 at the New Orleans, LA waterworks. Fireless and air locos could not go far because they had to be close by to be recharged as needed. They also operated off of 40 to 50 psi if fireless. Air operated locos, which can still be had, used 200 psi up to 1000 psi or so. Because mines used air for drilling and other uses, all they had to do was have taps to the air line at convenient places to recharge the tank.

[@rogerstrate5727]

@@royreynolds108 Thanks Roy, makes total sense and I have learned so much by your comments and Toy Man's. You guys are the best.

[@ToyManTelevision]

@@rogerstrate5727 they came in several flavors. Soda. The crew fills the tank with something acidic. Vinegar? Then add soda and close it up. Or keep adding soda. Compressed air.. great inside a mine as you can have compressed air pipes throughout the mine. but the hot water steam locomotives. Great technology. A house boiler provides about 150 psi and hot water at hundreds of degrees. Inside the boiler under pressure the boiling point is about 388! So water heated to 350 is still liquid water. But drop the pressure and it starts boiling. In blow down the water in the water leg is released through the blowdown. As soon as it exits the pressure vessel it flashes to steam. Anyway same thing happens here. As the steam is fed to the cylinders the pressure drops and the water boils and makes more steam for the cylinders. So you can run for as much as two hours on level track with light load on one load of hot water! They were often used in lumber yards and sawmills where rigging compressed air pipes might not be practical but fired locomotives are dangerous.

[@rogerstrate5727]

@@ToyManTelevision Awesome lesson, thanks Dale, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge about this.

[@themusicman1556]

Omg I was there on the first! I wish I could've been there on the fourth to say hello to you guys but I live so far away I couldn't stay long.

[@tedmiles2110]

There was Santa Cruz Portland Cement #1 which used to be at Rio Vista; but was later sold to a private owner in the Central Valley some place. Aslo a Porter product.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. The Chiggen. Fun locomotive. Fun group!

[@michaelgmoore5708]

I think it looks like a tender even if It has no coal, wood or water.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Home made but fun.

[@Mike-tg7dj]

Yep antifreeze will put out a boiler fire. I bet someone is p.o.ed about that just because instead oil they give you antifreeze. I loved the turntable powered by the Armstrong motors.

[@H.O.Scalemodeler4501]

I love those little porters. How often do see a locomotive that isn’t much bigger than a car?

[@TrainBandit]

If I had the money I would build a porter and a 2-6-0

[@ToyManTelevision]

A Porter would be awesome 😎

[@TrainBandit]

@@ToyManTelevision Cool dude stuff

[@ChrisK-LTC]

If you can find one of the Hartland Locomotive Works 2 axle flat cars you would have a good start on that tender.

[@shaunrichardson2346]

a lot of the steamers have little tokens (binkies) they get put in the shed with. keeps em sleeping well and makes sure they wake up happy.

[@FlakusCorporation]

Unfortunately No. 8 is not in running condition. It’s last season was about 2006 or so. It’s not unrestorable, but the fact that it’s from Arkansas and Texas, and not a V&T locomotive, puts it on the very bottom of our priorities list. BUT. It’s possible to get it running! With lots of money!

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi I rode behind it many times. I understand not much wrong with it. It will need a complete rebuild as steam locomotives do. But I think the problem is it doesn’t have an interesting history. Beautiful locomotive, but not part of any railroad. Military locomotive as I recall.

[@FlakusCorporation]

Apparently it’s associated with having pulled Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. That may or may not be myth. In any case, it’s one of only a few Americans left so it’s worth our care and attention.

[@pinchy08]

Bachmann did porter engines in On30 scale. I gotta get some soon.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Grant one made an absolutely exceptional one in On3. I had one. Kit build. Not sure where it is.

[@charlesmcclure5994]

Those were some very neat engines do they come in narrow gauge or standard gauge or both thanks for sharing 👍👍

[@robertweldon7909]

You mentioned building a tender for your Porter. Since it would be a "home built" one, any wheel set, of proper size, would work, How about using a disconnect logging boogie as the base and build a tank to fit. It should be just about the right size (the logging boogie). These are great videos. it's a shame they only run in a big circle. I guess they could be said to be a 1 to 1 model layout. ;-)

[@ToyManTelevision]

It’s a small museum for sure. There was some help at one time that they would connected with the Virginia and Truckee. Virginia in Truckee does manage to get within just a couple of miles of here. But I don’t think that to ever be connected.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Someone pointed out that the frame underneath Bachman work car it’s almost the exact same frame! Would be a great jumping off point for a tender

[@kenshores9900]

Oh forgot. You could use an LGB Bobber that is gravely damaged and use the base for the base of your tender. Just a thought.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I think the ore car is a winner. A few simple mods. And that’s the frame. The tank is easy it’s the rivets that are tricky. I noticed the one at the show had a welded tank. Cheat!

[@Benjamin0119]

That small engine looks like it came right off a garden railraod or a theme park. What do we know about its history? I always wondered how it's possible to move a turntable with a heavy steam engine on it by hand like that. I guess it's sort of like pushing a car? Antifreeze... gotta love it when stuff is mislabeled. I hope that engine wasn't damaged by burning that antifreeze (and I hope it wasn't too toxic to have that in the air.)

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi. Those porters! Love them. And trains move so easily if friction is low and everything balanced. I once pushed a tender by myself. Steel wheels on steel rails with good bearings. Weight is not the problem. Friction is.

[@dfhepner]

I did a little research on the “My Own Research “ engine, Google, and found that camera. It’s The Intrepid Camera made in the UK.

[@drgw1506]

Yep, it’s the first generation intrepid 4x5.

[@everettthepetractionguy4222]

Interesting looking machines. Looks like they're running on track smaller than standard gauge.

[@royreynolds108]

The three-rail track is standard gauge and 3-foot gauge with one rail common.

[@ToyManTelevision]

And really interesting is where the dual gauge goes through switches and transmissions from one side to the other. And super interesting is the turntable. The dual gauge splits into four rails so it can be turned. If you look closely the common rail transitions half way across and then the four rails enter the turntable. Then the locomotives turned and pull off the turntable and transition back to dual gauge.

[@royreynolds108]

@@ToyManTelevision The transition from one side to the other for the common rail is called a draw by the D&RGW.

[@IronHorsefan1869]

There were a total of 15 steam locomotives, 9 of them running, there were supposed to 17 but a couple couldn't make it.

[@RailPreserver2K]

You may want to look up the glover machine works in merretta georgia

[@sparky107107]

sounds like you are thinking of building one for yourself? that sounds like a cool undertaking. I would think it would not be a fast build. 2-5 years maybe? you both seem to have the passion, can hear that in the history and description of each. I hope you do, and take us on the journey as well

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well a 1:20.3 scale. For the railroad. Perhaps a 1:20.5 scale? Thing is the little saddle tanks came in so many sizes and gauges skys the limit! But I have 3 LGB porters and a Steve built one. I bought the LGBs with the idea on making them into 6 ton 3 foot gauge 1:20.5 models. So any time now?

[@donvest2768]

Interesting that Porter number 2 had 2 sand domes. With all that weight and flat ground duty you would think it may not need any. Well they must.

[@royreynolds108]

A switching loco needs a lot of sand to start and stop cars.

[@ToyManTelevision]

It’s a backup thing. Most sand domes feed sand to the front of the drivers. But for switching you need sand at the back when backing. So the easy way is two complete sanding systems. One for each direction.

[@Rob789-2]

Using a Bachmann ore car frame would work for the tender frame.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Interesting idea!

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Small that is.

[@frankhellman6879]

Interesting that tender has English style wheels & axles. Not 4 wheel trucks.

[@panzerkiller111]

Lot's of false claims in this video. Porter didn't even offer compressed air locomotives until nearly the the turn of the century. Fired locomotives can absolutely run underground, including in mines. Porter offered underground coal fired locomotives in their catalog as early as 1871, and the models offered were extremely successful and remained in the catalog well into the mid 20th century. Porter didn't start production until 1867 and built many standard gauge locomotives early on. One is still in display in Duluth, MN.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Wikipedia 1890: Porter built their first compressed-air locomotive, for a coal mine in Pennsylvania. Air was stored in two tanks, and used to drive the pistons instead of steam. This allowed locomotive use inside mines without the fumes of burning coal, or the dangers of high-pressure steam. Porter went on to build over 400 compressed-air locomotives for use in mines, plants, and the street railways of New Orleans. Others built compressed-air locomotives, but by 1900 Porter had captured 90% of the market.

[@the101stdalmatian8]

@@ToyManTelevision Wikipedia isn't a good source. For example, the first purpose built compressed air locomotives were constructed by Schneider et Cie (Schneider-Creusot) of France in 1871 for use on the Saint Gotthard tunnel. As stated above, Porter didn't start producing until 1867, and built many standard guage locomotives long before turning to smaller industrial locomotives, including compressed air. Porter built their first compressed air locomotive in 1908, when they got their hands on the rights to Hodge's US patents. Up to that point, they built locomotives under license only starting in 1896.

[@robertd.shannon9007]

How do they create the Russia Iron?

[@ToyManTelevision]

No one is quite sure. I should say they know exactly how it was done, they just don’t know exactly what chemicals were used. American version uses a liquid gun bluing. The Russians used powder. The powder would be spread across sheets of metal and then the pieces of metal stacked up with the powder in between them. The stacks with the concealed in tight steel boxes and heated to red hot. Somehow that put a coating similar to gun blue on the metal.

[@royreynolds108]

Russia iron is actually a corruption of Prussian iron. It was developed in Prussia, a part of what is now part of Germany. Prussia was a Germanic state located in the northeastern part of present Germany next to Poland. It was an early form of corosian-resistant sheet metal.

[@lillywho]

That little bounce when she drove onto the turntable was scary... Looked a bit too pronounced for comfort.

[@ToyManTelevision]

That type of turntable floats at the edges. It’s supported in the center. When the locomotive is pulled onto the turntable it tilts like a seesaw. But when it’s pulled to the center it balances and the ends float.

[@feliciamorrison7113]

ρɾσɱσʂɱ

[@Gidkid12]

8 doesn't run

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well no. But it’s just in need of it’s 5 year rebuild.

[@Gidkid12]

@@ToyManTelevision that's if we get the money and maybe it would be 5 years