My Gauge 1 SteamUp was held on the Clodine & Richmond Railway(s) located in my backyard in Clodine (Richmond), Texas on the above date. The event was held from 10am until 6pm. Hot dogs were prepared in the early afternoon for those who RSVP and other refreshments were available.

Quite a few people showed up (over 20), but there were very few locos brought--oh well! Many thanks to Marvin Nite and George Werner, who got more track time than they had planned for. Thanks also to Tom Herbert for firing up his Mamod.

Late in the day Dan Rowe came with a couple of engines and was pursuaded to fire up and run his Western Maryland Shay for us as the SteamUp came to a close.

In the photo below, taken several nights before the SteamUp, while I was getting ready, you can see a portion of the Ga.1 elevated track behind my 7½" gauge locomotive. The Ga.1 track features 10ft. radius curves and 2 passing sidings. It is totally accessable for locomotive operators.

Encircling the Ga.1 elevated track is my 7½" gauge loop. This is built with 16 ft radius curves and extends across the 85 ft width of the back yard. Motive power is supplied by Loco #3, which I purchased from Mr. Terry Adams of Ft. Worth. It started life about 15 years ago as a RR Supply Corp. GE 25 ton unit with gearbox and centrifugal clutch. I have kept the Kohler gasoline engine and with the help of Mr. Ron Pasley of Katy, have replaced the gearbox and clutch with an Eaton Model 7 hydrostatic transmission. The unit now runs so smoothly that my 5 and 10 year old grandsons can operate it with no help from me!

The photo of Loco #3 was taken with flash at night.

I recently acquired the two passenger car bodies shown on a card table in my garage. They were built by a Mr. Insom in Washington state about 10 years ago, and I traded for them with Mr. Jim Jackson of Houston. They are each about 4 ft long and 15 inches wide. The roofs are removable, revealing completely finished interiors! My task is to construct underbodies for them complete with trucks and couplers. Expect to see them in operation on the C&R very shortly (BTW my wife thinks they are really cute, and could be used for doll houses or Beanie Babies)!!

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