Blogger Update, Details on #18, NEW SITES

No. 45 -- VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILWAY -- Nevada Railroad Reconstruction Chronicles

** I have been posting a lot of new videos at http://www.youtube.com/virginiatruckee

CURRENTLY CONSIDERING STATUS OF THIS BLOG

Per this post on Blogger Buzz, changes in the way Google handles Blogger are making me rethink how I post updates on the internet. I host this blog on my site, renorailfans.com. Google Blogger uses FTP to post my updates to my site directly. Google has decided to abandon this method, so one way or another I have to change the way this blog is posted. I have until March 26 to change, so this is sort of on hold until I make a decision.



FACEBOOK

I have been experimenting with a Facebook page under the name Virginia Truckee. I am a relatively old man in the world of social networking (age 42) and I have resisted social networking for a few reasons. First, I am the kind of guy who likes to pick up the phone, or use that dinosaur known as e-mail. Second, I know people like twitter, but I have resisted using something that starts with the work TWIT. I have been using computers for 31 years now, so it may not be logical but some of these new "technologies" like twitter look a little silly to me.

However, as I have been actively posting new videos at my virginiatruckee Youtube account, I noticed I was getting a lot more subscriptions and friend requests. In looking at ways to promote the Youtube account, I noticed a feature called Autoshare that automatically posts Youtube activity to Facebook (or myspace) -- so I created the Facebook page. I am looking at whether Facebook can replace this blog, or what type of blog I will move to.

NEW SITES AND LIVING STEAM GOES BLU-RAY

VIRGINIAANDTRUCKEERAILWAY.COM -- For those who haven't seen it yet, I have created a site months ago to present information on the reconstruction project. At virginiaandtruckeerailway.com you can see a timeline of the reconstruction project's budget, which has grown from $10 million to over $70 million.

ARTOFTRAINS.COM -- A long time ago I hosted a site called Art of Travelling. In the last year I began hosting a site, Art of Trains. It's just in the beginning, and it's a place for me to showcase my favorite photos. Later today I will also be posting an image of a great painting now on display at the deYoung museum in San Francisco. It shows a scene at old Sacramento with people boarding a Central Pacific train.

LIVINGSTEAM.COM -- Just an update, I am now selling the Blu-Ray version of Living Steam on amazon.com.




DETAILS ON STATUS OF MCCLOUD #18

OK, here's some actual content about the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. In January Tom Gray of the (real) Virginia and Truckee Railroad gave the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the Virginia and Truckee Railway an update on the status of #18. For those who forget, McCloud #18 was moved "back" to Nevada as detailed in this post from last year.

To follow a conversation on this topic, please see this page from the virginiaandtruckee1976 Yahoo Group. Here is the inital post:

I took down some rough notes on Tom Gray's presentation at the last Commission
meeting about the status of McCloud #18.

If something doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to clarify it. It's
funny (funny strange, not funny haha), while the Commission basically gave the
#18 to Sierra for free, they are charging the V&TRR $24,000. In a state of
confusion, at a CCCVB meeting, Stephen Lincoln referred to the "$35K from the
Grays," but methinks he was mistaken.

You can watch this presentation on acctv.org--

NOTES:

GRAY REPORT

Needs new front wheels on tender
fronts 31, backs 33, bolsters leaning
thought boiler cracked, just scale
rear truck pretty severe, needs a lot of work
running gear pretty worn out slaps pretty hard
main crank pin bad, big job
some bushings and con rod need to be replaced

Tom total about $75K "just to grab a number"

"haven't started to spend the real money yet, planning to hire a couple people"

millard, any update estimate on cost?

Gray, front running gear <10k 15-20k="15-20k" 15k="15k" br="br" rear="rear" tender="tender">
millard neighborhood 50-60K

allen 50K from foundation, dedicated to locomotive, use that on #18 repairs

moving on to lease

millard mentions arbitration, history with 8

tyson says the previous caretakers (Sierra) just didn't lubricate some parts of
the locomotive

66:26

current condition, what it takes to get it running, have authorized 15K, will
get NNRF to pay for 18 repairs outside the commission process

during a discussion of what is maint vs. what is repair, Tyson says, "I've seen
these engines actually heal themselves." When your car is making a bad noise,
and the noise goes away, it has not healed itself, it has gotten worse.
Whatever, Tyson.