Third Annual Nite Steamup

So what do you have when the humidity is 100% (and sometimes showers) and there is a cold front blowing in from the Texas panhandle causing folks to reach for their jackets. Well, in San Marcos, Texas (Oct 7, 2000) it was a perfect day for a steamup often with steam plumes 18-24 inches (wonder what that would translate to in the prototype)?

Almost 30 folks (counting friends and family) showed up at the home of Marvin and Lemma Nite.  While the early birds like John Thomson and Rob Cooley were helping to erect a tent over the steamup area Lemma was outdoing herself -- again -- preparing homemade chile, homemade cornbread and homemade pecan pie. WOW, there were other homemade candies and sweets to go along with the bottomless coffeepot.

Most of the steamers within 250 mile radius showed up to steam, visit and show off their latest modifications even though most had to drive through several hours of rain to get there.  Eight made it from Houston including George Werner, Bill Courtright, Caleb Roberts (and his lovely wife Elva), Jim Crabb, Charlie Mynhier (and little Charlie) and Kyle Evans with his brand new custom lined Katie.

With lots of supervision and oversight (and justifiably acting like a proud father) Kyle's new locomotive made its maiden run -- a couple of times.  With Roundhouse's usual predictability the "right-out-of-the-box" runs were 21 and 22 minutes and that was keeping the gas fairly high to account for the cool, damp temperatures.  No matter how many engines a person has -- everybody stops, what ever they are doing, to watch the new one run.  Each is probably reflecting on their own "first" experience and is hoping for the new guy that the engine performs as expected.

Another new steamer was Ed Hume from Austin.  He jumped into the hobby this past
spring by assembling an Aster JNR.  His new engine was making its maiden run as well. Alcohol fired engines can be a little testy, especially in our Texas wind, but he had lots of help and the whole experience became a typical classroom demonstration for those not familiar with our alcohol "fire breathing" dragons.

Charlie was showing off!  He had one of his new 10 wheelers with him.  It is already weighing in at 21 pounds and he hasn't built the cab and some of the detail parts yet. Anybody remember Diamondhead 1995  when he pulled himself across the floor with an "O" gauge engine.  Well, this one will probably pull half a dozen adults or more.  In a few weeks we'll experiment by laying some LGB sectional pieces in the middle of a 7½ gauge track (so we can use the big passenger hauling cars they use in that gauge).  Stay tuned for those results.  This engine is already run-in and performs well on gas (...ummm air).  Actually, Charlie hooked up a bottle of propane and turned on the gas.  A flame to the stack produced a three foot torch (folks don't try this at home)!

Dan Rowe was happily showing off his latest castings for the Gilpin that he hopes to have in production before his wife finishes her doctrinal desertion.  He figured if he would quit making changes he would have already had an engine running.  He BOLDLY promised to be on the track at Diamondhead 2001.  (Okay, Dan the word is out!)

Several other steam railroaders which have varied interests (i.e., Miniature Machinery) in several scales were coming out of the woodwork right there in San Marcos.  We were glad to welcome a couple of Kens (Rhodes and Wagner) from Wimberly (right down the road) and David Stea.

This may seem like it is a report about food and people.  But, really that's all part of it. We also ran trains -- Millie and Sammie comported themselves admirably as well as Katie and several others.  Jim Crabb's Sammie pulled a consist of AWNUTS cars which always gets favorable comments.  And, as mentioned earlier John Thomson continues to modify and expand his Ruby -- doesn't look like or run anything like the original (especially having lost its 0-4-0 designation several mods ago). His BAGRS engine continues to amaze everybody.  He is the only who has ever to my knowledge accomplished what Mike Martin had intended when he first designed the kit for the Bay Area Garden Railroad Society.

In spite of the conditions, nobody was sorry they made the effort.  We all learn something every time we get together.  We all had fun.  Nobody left early.  And, Marvin and Lemma are already making plans for next year!  All of this proving that the (H)ouston (S)mall (S)cale (L)ive (S)teamers are alive, well, and thriving to steam!  Thanks to you both for being such wonderful hosts. 
 ...   submitted by your faithful scribe, Jim Crabb

Our trains primarily operate on Gauge 1 track which measures 1¾" or 45mm between the rails, although some of us have Gauge 0 (1¼" or 32mm) rolling stock.

Currently HSSLS has no structure, or dues.

Past SteamUp locations include:
Jim Crabb's - Seabrook (Houston) TX 3/29/98, 6/6/98, 12/27/98, 4/24/99, 11/28/99
Dennis Grigassy's - Richmond (Clodine) TX 11/29/98, 2/21/99, 4/11/99
Ken Matticks' - Dallas TX 3/27/99
Marvin & Lemma Nite's - San Marcos TX 8/29/98, 9/25/99, 10/7/00
John & Carolyn Thompson's - Mesquite TX 11/6/99

Some of us are members of the Houston Area "G" Gaugers model railroad club and/or the Houston Area Live Steamers, but that is not a requirement.

The Houston Area "G" Gaugers operate primarily electric-powered trains and have a large layout in the Town & Country shopping mall in Houston.

If you are into 7½" or 4¾" gauge "ride-on trains" contact the Houston Area Live Steamers. HALS has a nearly two-mile track at Zube Park in far northwest Harris county.