A man, a machine

[LARGO]

In which I make, connections.
So I've got two friends who now have me interested in matters of the rails.
Not too technical mind you and both from different ends of a similar spectrum. My true interests lie in the going's on of The CNJ rails as they passed through my homestead of Elm. I had two very good stops this weekend but one was of history and another of connections and technology (so to speak)
I went to see old Bob Stetser again and booooyah, he's a treat. This weekend in palaver, we learned that he was best of friends with my uncle passed, (both charter members of Voorhees Fire Dept) and knows of my Mullica Uncle due to an interesting event of years gone by. Even seems back in '88 I was in this man's backyard helping a friend load up a Dodge truck that was purchased from him. Small world once we got to comparing notes. well, we talked and pulled out papers and bounced things off each other. Basically if you're going to talk to Bob, be ready to listen and not to speak, which is oft the best way. I will be back to him soon...
(him being 79 I need to keep on 'im!) We've got other business.
Now, he couldn't give me the answers to my direct topic but there were some fine machines in the shed that day being worked on...
(about a 1/2 million tons of train all told) What he did let me play with was this next toy of his, completely restored and with a few mods. it is his baby and one day I hope to take a toot on the rails on it with him.
By his best guess, it is circa 1931 - 1934 +/-. A simple "work car" according to him. I supsect at least one or two fellows on the site here will enjoy this little rail dweller, and believe you me, it has seen the pines, and then some. Most of the restoration he did himself. It is fitted to the rails but runs on a little bitty engine with a drive system of fascinating degree.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/749/medium/THE_BEAST
He first checked the gas to make sure she'd go.
[img]http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/749/medium/CHECK_S_GAS.JPG
This old girl actual "hand cranks to start! and I had to fiddle with the throttle to get 'er going while he cranked. Took all of 7-8 seconds as this old bitch fired right off.
Fantastic motor.

The drive system is kinda funny. The Flywheel turns and you use a lever to bring over the drive wheel to the left or right to facilitate forward or back. A very simple friction concept.

.

She was a little touchy on the throttle but 2 minutes in and she was fine.

All around, a fun machine.

The only real Mod to this thing was not for anything other than sound. One of the fellows in the machine shop in the rail barn fashioned him a new fangled exhaust system complete with "mufflers", little baby ones so that this otherwise cranky old beast sort of purrs or at least as much as it could. My picture is a little off mark because of the bar in the way but you can see the tips.

So anyway, once again, me just loving to walk up to folks and Jaw with them paid off. Bob is a great find, we now have a connection, and I'll be spending more time at Winslow yard going forward.
(hopefully now as a welcome guest)
Hope you liked the machine. It is so tucked away in the shop, most would miss it so I wanted to share. It is ready to roll but several hundred tons of engine were sitting in front of it being overhauled so, maybe next time.

g.

 

[Jerseyman]

George:

A very nice find, indeed! These track cars or section cars played a vital role in maintaining the railroad in the past. The power transmission system is exactly as you describe it: a friction drive with a renewable drive band on the disc running perpendicular to the flywheel. A friend once owned a narrow-gauge diesel locomotive with the exact same type of drive system. The 2-foot gauge lokey original came from the Trenton Sewage Treatment Plant.

I’ve had some really great rides on these types of cars, including starting from Hagerstown, Maryland and running all the way upgrade to Frostburg. On the way back, many of the guys just cut their engines and coasted back down the track as it curved around the hills.

Likewise, back in the early 1990s, a group of us rode on the same type of cars—probably a dozen or more, all total—from Atsion to the Albertson Branch bridge, where we found a couple sections of rail missing and could not travel further south. All the way down the line from Atsion, we hacked brush and cut down trees to clear the tracks. Boy—today, you would never recognize the work we accomplished!! While the trip down was hard work, the trip north was SWEET! We traveled what seemed like at least a mile if not two above Atsion after traversing Route 206 under power and jumping back on the rails while a couple of the guys flagged the “crossing” to stop the automobiles. We even ran into a guy from Rutgers living out in the Pines above Atsion studying herps. We immediately dubbed him “Lizardman,” but he seemed rather harmless.

Thanks for bringing back fond memories of a day spent with a very good friend who died about three years later!

Don’t delay in finding time to talk to this guy—afterall, you know your “track” record!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[glowordz]

Great report! It must have given old Bob a thrill to find and be able to restore a piece of history like that, and even more so, to share it with someone as appreciative as you.

Glo

 

[Kevinhooa]

Great report. I've meet him several times, and he is a great guy. I know his two sons Dave and Mike well. Nice shots too.

 

[Pine Baron]

Last Sunday was a day with beautiful weather, and after Saturday's nastiness, cabin fever was setting in. I couldn't wait to get out, so I took a detour on the way to checking one of my stands, to pass through Winslow Junction. Saw a couple of fellas outside the barn, so I pulled up to ask permission to walk around.

The couple of times I'd visited previously never granted an introduction to the legendary Mr Stetser. Sunday was different. Easily recognized from his description in earlier posts, I asked him about his rail car. Well, that opened some sort of floodgate with him and the doors were flung wide and I was invited in warmly. He began telling me about his project immediately. He was also quick to inform me that he couldn't talk long because he and a co-worker, Greg, were on their way to Salem County to winterize an engine. In the ten minutes I was there, I was heaped with more facts than I could possibly remember. As Largo had vividly put it, "be ready to listen and not to speak." He is an absolute ball of fire, and I hope to have half as much energy as him when I reach that venerable age.

It was a furious ten minutes, but was very pleased I decided to stop. I did get a moment to mention that the kids would enjoy this, also. Bob told me bring them down some time, and Greg confirmed this. They seemed like they might enjoy the company. So, sometime in the near future, the kids and I will be taking a ride to the site of the Midnight Flyer train wreck, to meet the inimitable Mr Stetser and crew. I would suggest to any rail fans on the forum, do the same, if at all possible. He is a treat. Also, as of Sunday, the siding holding the two Blue Comet passenger cars was in clear view for good photos.

The car on the left is Bob's.. the other is Greg's project. John-

 

[LARGO]

John,
Wonderful post sir. That yard and that man can be a place of fun and learning for child and adult alike (safety considerations please).
What you did is just what I try to convey, visit, talk, but listen. Same as Foxy.
The information's all there, but there's not much time.
You'll get in scant moments good stuff from the likes of Bob so take a few of those moments aside. And really, those little rail cars are a blast. C'mon.
You would be "THE MAN" if you got a ride on that for your chillun'.
Thanks for sharing your visit.

g.

 

[long-a-coming]

Back in the fall of this year Mr Stetser, meeting me for the first time, drove my 5 and 2 year old kids around outside the grounds on his electric cart, saying, "I drive on the opposite side of the road so i can see what the hell is coming towards me!" Invited us inside and fired up that old engine you see in George's pics at the beginning of the thread, and gave me a quick, rapid fire introduction into his fascinating world. What a cool guy! We will be visiting him again.