Model T rail inspectors car-Photo

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Model T rail inspectors car-Photo
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Herb Iffrig on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 09:23 am:



I wonder if it needs the steering wheel?
What year would it be, a 1912?
Why would the headlights be pointed up?

I tried to post this the other day when the site went down.

Herb


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 09:35 am:

I'm guessing, but I bet they just didn't bother to remove the steering wheel and the rest of the steering gear even though it was not needed. It would be kinda odd to have the steering column without the wheel, but you'd need the column for the gas and spark levers.

I wonder what the piece of timber along side the right chassis rail is for?

Neat photo, Herb!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 09:35 am:

Something to hold on to and a place to put the throttle and spark levers, perhaps?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 10:46 am:

Looks like a torpedo body. Maybe the timber is used to yard i on and of the tracks.
Another great photo.
Thanks
Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 11:04 am:

They pointed the headlight up so they would shine in an oncoming train engineer's face at a farther distance.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob McDonald-Federal Way, Wa. on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 11:21 am:

Here is one that is a copy of the one located at Rail town 1897 in Jamestown Ca. No.8 is the orig. (from the 20s) and the other is the copy I made. It ran great.

Bob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Blancard on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 12:12 pm:

Bob - tell us more about how you made yours. Inquiring minds want to know!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith d lawson on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 12:42 pm:

Looks like telegraph crossarm on side rails and would think maybe lights angled up to light up lines on side of track at night .
Just what it looks to me


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Will,, Evans Mills NY on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 01:07 pm:

I bet starting it wasnt very easy with the stuff in front of the crank


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob McDonald-Federal Way, Wa. on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 05:59 pm:

Steve, visiting my brother after my wife past in 2001 we visited Rail town 1897 and saw the orig. I had just finished my 23 roadster PU and had extra parts laying around also needing something to keep busy I started.

I had taken pictures when there and had made some crude drawings and one of the volunteers had given me his address and phone no. if I needed help. It was cut and fit most of the way. The diff. center has a spacer and two ring gears with a sliding drive shaft for shifting. Just a lot of trial and error. I added Volvo disk breaks to the axles, a air bag pump with a small tank for the whistle, a turn signal unit to operate the bell and 12 Volt system.

With help of friends that had skills I didn't, it was put together in 2 years.

Will need to find the pictures of my progress. Too much to put here.

Bob



First trip out and operating 2003


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 08:42 pm:

Are the headlights pointing up for tunnel ceiling inspection?

Great old pic!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 08:45 pm:

Love your track cars Bob! Are you able to get them out on tracks much?

A friend of mine was part of a speeder club years ago. (Those small cars they used for maintence on tracks years ago.) The club would get permission from time to time to do runs on certain stretches of track. It was pretty neat.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Scott Owens on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 08:50 pm:

Well I can now see where using your left hand to crank makes sense. Till I get a rail car I will still use my right hand.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Blancard on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 09:03 pm:

Very cool Bob, thanks for sharing. I think your construction photos would be of interest to many of us.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 09:04 pm:

Think those lamps are adjusted up for those steep down hill rail runs, where you want the light well out front :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Herb Iffrig on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 10:52 pm:

I think he was spotlighting some raccoons.
We had a neighbor who would go hunting for them riding mules around the country side with a pack of dogs. They would shine a light on them up in a tree.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Townsend ; ^ ) Gresham, Orygun on Thursday, October 04, 2012 - 01:33 am:

The headlights look like they have an aftermarket electric conversion. You can see the reflector. Besides, there is no running board to mount neither a generator nor a tank!

Love the pic, Herb. Thanks.

: ^ )

Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By grady l puryear on Friday, October 05, 2012 - 12:34 pm:

I think I mentioned this before, the SP had a track that ran through my Grand Parents ranch, we had a siding for loading saw logs and cattle. The Heavy Heads had a similar car that came by on occasion, they would stop once in a while to visit our Store and get a soda water. They told me theirs had been built in the SP shops, and yes, it still had a steering wheel, looked just like my Roadster except for the wheels, the front ones were out in front, I don't remember how the rears were configured, but they could fold up the steel fronts very easily to get the rubber back on the road. They also carried a couple of 4 x 4 timbers for getting on and off the tracks. I still remember seeing one like this that had both sets of wheels, this was carried over to the ones you see now (both sets of wheels).

Has anyone besides me ever seen a bicycle built to ride the rails? It had a folding arm that ran on the rail to the right, the bicycle ran on top of the left side, had "fins" of a sort to keep it on the rail, maybe home made ?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Herb Iffrig on Friday, October 05, 2012 - 01:16 pm:

Great picture Grad.

Thanks


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Thode Chehalis Washington on Friday, October 05, 2012 - 01:45 pm:

Railroad bicycles were and still are quite common. Do a Google image search for many photos. Here is a vintage one:



Jim


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann, Blistrup, Denmark on Friday, October 05, 2012 - 04:11 pm:

We have closed down railways in Denmark where you can rent rail-tricycles and go for your selves. Of course when you meet someone comming the opposite way, one of you will have to give way :-)


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