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As of 11/22/2009 the web address for this site has changed! Please note that we are now www.csppry.org. Please update your bookmarks accordingly. You can still use www.csppry.com as it will automatically redirect you to the .org domain. Merry Christmas! - Thursday, December 24, 2009 Merry Christmas everyone! Have a happy holiday and, please, be safe this New Year's eve! Also, please head over to the Discover Live Steam Photo contest and cast your votes. Two photos of note, one of Kevin Doe's #340 in the "steam" category and one of Mike Aldridge's #408 in the "people enjoying the hobby" category (photo by me.. yeah, this is a shameless plug!). Visitors from China & Upcoming Membership Meeting - Monday, December 7, 2009    
(click to enlarge) Saturday the 5th the CSPPRY was pleased to welcome a group of cultural exchange folks from China, brought over by the University of Georgia (go Dawgs!). I can say, without a doubt, they were the most excited, enthusiastic, and all thoroughly happy visitors I've seen at the railroad. When those bus doors opened it was near pandemonium as the visitors rushed over to take a look at -- and ride behind! -- the locomotives. We had three steamers and the club diesel up and running for passenger service. Big fun was had by all and many thanks to the City of Canton and UGA for bringing these fine folks to our railroad. We're all positive they had a great time -- we know we did! Don't forget! There is a scheduled membership meeting this Saturday, December 12, at 1:00pm in the clubhouse. New Steaming Bays, Upcoming Run Day, & Canton Loop - Saturday, November 21, 2009 (updated)  
(click to enlarge) Two new steaming bays are in and functional under the roundhouse. We've got room for at least twelve steamers on the bays now. Many thanks to everyone that helped get the project done! The Canton bypass track and siding are now complete. Some final cross-leveling and tamping to polish the siding off is needed, but the new track is fully operational. As a side note, as you can see in the above picture, it's that time of year where the railroad is continually covered with fallen leaves. A huge "Thanks" to Dallas, Ralph, Bill, and all the other guys who keep the mainline clear by blowing off the track at least once a week. If not for them we'd be buried under a foot of fallen foliage! We'll be having a run day the day after Thanksgiving. If you've recovered from eating the day before, come on out! While you're firing up your locomotive, Ralph Tucker has been kind enough to lend his hand firing up the BBQ and cooking. Bring along any side dishes or desserts that you'd like. We'll be getting started around 10am and run until ... well, whenever the last person leaves! It sounds like we'll have a pretty good crowd too, so come on out! Expanding the Roundhouse - Sunday, November 8, 2009 
(click to enlarge) The installation of two more steaming bays finally got started yesterday. With help from myself, Kevin Doe, Ed Bond, Ralph Tucker (resident chef!), Dallas Giddens, and Charlton Jones dug through the horrible layers of Georgia clay and shale. The two new bays are set in place and aligned awaiting concrete. Someone was watching over us yesterday as we drilled down with a gas powered auger right into a PVC water line -- which did not break! These new bays will feature a design change in that there will be gates installed in them on the turntable end to facilitate getting from one side of the steaming bay to the other; no longer will you have to climb up and down the steps to get around. The existing steaming bays will be retrofitted with this change in the future. Guy Gorden sent along a few pictures he took during the NGLS run day. I've added them to the photos page. Congrats! - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 
Congrats to club member Bill Bryan, III, on his being elected to the Canton city council! Now who's up for compiling a list of projects to lobby for? NGLS Run Day - Sunday, October 25, 2009 
(click to enlarge) Yesterday the CSPPRY hosted the fine folks from the North Georgia Live Steamers. The NGLS is currently starting work on their new railroad in Conyers, Georgia with about 50 feet of track laid. We invited them to come run because, well, 50 feet isn't really enough, now is it?! Everyone had a great time and once again Ralph Tucker donned the chef's hat and cooked up plenty of burgers and hotdogs for everyone! Many thanks to Ralph and everyone else who made yesterday a damn fine day at the railroad! Be sure to check out all of the photos! Friends & Family (somewhat soggy) Run Day - Sunday, October 11, 2009 
(click to enlarge) Saturday the 10th saw a quick membership meeting, some morning rain, and lots of folks riding the railroad. Many thanks to those who took the time to come out and More photos can be seen here. A short video of Kevin Doe's 453 pulling 18 cars with 7 passengers can been seen here. Don't forget, Joe Scales and his motley band of brothers will be in town this week. If you've got some free time, come on out to the railroad and spend it with the guys! Small scale meets slightly larger scale - Sunday, September 20, 2009  
 
(click to enlarge) Yesterday the CSPPRY hosted two groups of railroad modelers, the Georgia Garden Railway Society and the North Atlanta O-Scale RR Club. Despite rain, heavy and light, that lasted throughout the morning into the early afternoon, we were able to run passenger service. Everyone at the CSPPRY hopes our visitors had a great time and went home having learned something new about the live steam hobby! If a tree falls on a railroad... - Sunday, September 6, 2009  
 
(click to enlarge) ... and no one is around to hear it, will it damage any track? Well, in today's case there was, in fact, someone around (although they didn't hear it) and yes, it did a little damage, despite falling across five tracks. Mike Aldridge and John Schuch were able to remove the tree without damaging any more track -- most importantly the #10 switch at Reid! Repairs to the main line are done so the railroad is fully operational again. D&MT Junction - Sunday, August 16, 2009 
(click to enlarge) Dallas Giddens and John Schuch put a few hours of blood and sweat into the new track to the gazebo on Saturday. This track, formerly part of the Duluth & Mt. Tabor Railroad, is being assembled with original D&MT materials, including joint bars and bolts. Even the crossties, rail, and track screws are all original as well. Hot Summer! - Tuesday, August 11, 2009  
 
(click to enlarge) This past weekend reminded me why you shouldn't do track work in the summer! It's getting a bit too much now that we're into August! This past Saturday, Mike Aldridge, John Schuch, and Bill Bryan, III, continued working on the new track from the crossover at Elizabeth towards the gazebo. Also recently completed was an electric switch motor by Ralph Tucker. It was installed on the Canton loop to facilitate easier train movements off the mainline onto the bypass track around the roundhouse. The turnout can still be thrown by hand, but it's a lot more fun to push the button! And lastly, Sunday saw the arrival of Bill Behrens of Parrish, Florida. Bill was on the way home from Owosso when he stopped by the CSPPRY to fire up his 2-4-4-2 and steam around a few times. We're glad he stopped by and hoped he enjoyed the railroad. The Diamond at Elizabeth - Sunday, August 2, 2009  
(click to enlarge) John Schuch, with supervision by Charlton Jones and Ambo, the most relaxed railroad dog in the world, and material supply by Ralph Tucker, got the new track from Elizabeth to the diamond completed. Busy day today! - Saturday, July 25, 2009   
(click to enlarge) Dallas Giddens spent all day and into the night working on the next functional water tank. All of the bracing and plumbing is nearly complete and is just about ready for the spout! This water tank will be installed near the roundhouse along side the Canton bypass track. Mike Aldridge and John Schuch worked (also into the night!) on connecting the stub track at Elizabeth to the somewhat recently installed crossing. This new track will cross over the diamond and continue on to the gazebo. What makes this section of track special is that on the gazebo side of the diamond, in a tribute to Bill Bryan, jr., original Duluth and Mount Tabor rail and ties will be used. More signal work - Sunday, July 12, 2009  
(click to enlarge) Yesterday we spent the day installing most of the conduit and wiring for the grade crossing signals as well as the beginnings of the upper loop signals. A new bit of pipe was laid under the driveway with plenty of room for future projects. The signal bridge was also stubbed in for when it is built and installed later on. The grade crossing should be functional in a week or two. Further work on the upper loop signal system will most likely be early next year -- it's just too darn hot out to keep digging ditches or cutting driveway asphalt! Club Meeting and #4449 - Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Don't forget, we have a membership meeting this Saturday, July 11, at 1pm. The Train Festival 2009 in Owosso, MI is fast approaching, as is Southern Pacific locomotive 4449. It is on it's way from Portland, Oregon with some nice high quality videos being shot along the way. Amazing on-board video of wreck - Friday, July 3, 2009 I'm not usually one to forward or post videos simply because there's so many out there that get passed around over and over, but this one is well worth posting for anyone that hasn't seen it yet. Slow week, so here's some music - Saturday, May 23, 2009 Not much going on this week other than a few bits of tidying up after the ramble last week. I thought y'all might want to listen to a little Dan Rankin music in your shop. Here's five songs that I recorded with Dan over ten years ago, with added instrumentation by some professional studio musicians! Right-click and save this link to download. (36mb .zip file) Or, if you prefer, here's the songs individually that you can stream or save: Greenville Trestle Eastbound Freight Train Hobo Bill The Man Who Never Returned Blue Railroad Train Joe Scales' Ramble Spring '09 - Thursday, May 14, 2009 
(click to enlarge) The week is winding down and we hope everyone had a great time running on the CStP&P! We had an absolute blast having everyone here for a few days of railroading. The weather cooperated nicely, there were no incidents, and of course, the comraderie was worth every penny. A few more photos can be seen here. If you have any that you'd like posted, feel free to send them along!. Ramble Preparations - Saturday, May 9, 2009 (updated)  
(click to enlarge) Lots of last minute work was done today to prepare for the ramblin' live steamers that are visiting this coming week. The bypass loop around the steaming bays was finished, signals were checked out, repaired, and adjusted, the first of three water tanks was fitted with a fully functional spout, and camping hookups (water and power) were completed. This week should bring lots of good times on the railroad! A printable version of the CSPPRY timetable is available here. Adobe Acrobat or similar .PDF reader is required. The timetable is laid out in such a way that it is meant to be folded after printing -- I'll let you figure that part out! Website Update and The Great MSLS Flood of '09 - Monday, May 4, 2009 (updated) The transition to the new web host is complete. Again, if you find anything broken please let me know!  
(click to enlarge) The MSLS spring meet started off with a bit of drizzle and a bit of sun, until 3 a.m. Friday when the big storms began rolling in. Around 10 a.m. Friday the skies opened up for what was to be one of the most torrential downpours in MSLS history. Just Friday alone, Columbia saw nearly six inches of rain! A few trains were stranded up the hill; however, emergency track repairs were underway Friday afternoon and the mainline was restored to workable condition. Unfortunately, the weather didn't look good for the next few days so the spring meet was officially over. The good news is that no one was hurt and no equipment, other than a few minor things (plastic fuel cans and the like) that floated away downstream, was lost or damaged. Safety Day 2009 & Website Update - Monday, April 27, 2009  
(click to enlarge) Saturday the 24th the CSPPRY hosted the local law enforcement of Canton and their families for a day of trains and BBQ. Turnout was good and everyone had a fantastic time. Many thanks to Williamson Bros. BBQ for catering and to all the members that helped run passenger trains. Starting tonight, the website may be down from a few hours to a day or so. It is being migrated over to a new host and a new server. New site, new signals, and new track - Thursday, April 9, 2009 
(click to enlarge) Hello everyone! John Schuch here with an all new site layout. If you have any comments, suggestions, or find anything broken please let me know! The signal system is installed and working from Reid to Cotton Mill through Midland, Sargent, and all the way to St. Paul. All that remains is for a few remaining "whiskers" to be installed on the capture and release switches. Both switches for the Canton loop bypass track were completed and the new track is being built. With Kevin Doe leading the project, Mike Aldridge and John Schuch are making good progress and hope to have the entire bypass installed before Joe Scales and visitors come in mid-may. Don't forget! Club meeting this Saturday at 1 o'clock. Signal Project Progress Part 2! - Friday, February 27, 2009  
(click to enlarge) This weekend the signal piping and wires were trench into the ground from Reid to St Paul. All the switch post and switches were installed. That's the last three blocks on the main line to the top of the mountain. There were seven members on Saturday (Mike Aldridge, Dallas Giddens, Chuck Miller, Richard Ruggles, Kevin Sprayberry, Ralph Tucker, John Schuch) and five members on Sunday (Mike Aldridge, Dallas Giddens, Richard Ruggles, Ralph Tucker, John Schuch) plus the two teenagers, both days, who ran the trencher, dug the post holes and most of the cross track trenches. The next phase is to install the signal heads and batteries. Signal Project Progress! - Wednesday, January 21, 2009 
(click to enlarge) These targets made by Don Fite are being readied for installation. Many thanks to Don for fabricating all of the signal heads! CStP&PRY hosted NARCOA - Saturday, January 17, 2009 
(click to enlarge) North American Rail Car group spent Saturday at CSPPRY. They were impressed with our railroad and lots of great comments were recieved from their members. Everyone enjoyed a great chili lunch. There were two trains hauling passengers all day so everyone had a good time. The best part came on Sunday when CSPPRY members were invited to travel by rail car from Canton to Tate by way of the Georgia Northeastern RR where we switched to the Georgia Marble Company RR for a trip down the 7% grade switch backs. Pictured above in the Tate yards are Dallas Giddens, Ralph Tucker, Kayse Bryan, Bill Bryan and Mike Aldridge. Missing from the picture are Kevin Sprayberry, Olivia Aldridge and Jennell Bryan (guess they are someplace warm for the moment as the temperature was below freezing) Lou's Nuts & Bolts Opens for Business - Saturday, January 10, 2009 
(click to enlarge) The first two weeks of January 2009, dispite the hard economic times and cold weather, saw the opening of a new business along the CStP&PRY. On the 7th, the Office building was moved from the Canton Yards to Cotton Mill and placed in position by Bill Bryan, Dallas Giddens, John Schuch, Ralph Tucker and Kevin Sprayberry. On the 10th and 14th the buildings and loading docks were leveled with cement blocks and the entire area was cleaned up and ballast installed over the factory property by Dallas, John and Ralph. The picture above of Lou's new facility shows John Schuch ready to depart Cotton Mill for Canton with a long train loaded with all the cement blocks, steel and wood that had been placed in different areas around the railroad. Dallas, John and Ralph loaded several cars destined for the Canton storage areas. New Year's Whistle Blast! - Thursday, January 1, 2009 What better way to start the new year then operating trains and getting together with friends and sharing a meal. There was a large turnout of members, families and friends. First out was Bill Bryan's #7 Boxcab. When Bill was relieved by Mike's daughter, Olivia who put together a crew of young ladies that kept the rails polished all afternoon. Locomotive 9906 the club's SD-9 was next out with a consignment of passenger cars to haul family and friends. Helping out with the passenger service was 8704 the Lion's P-9. Ralph Tucker put DRG -38, center cab switcher into revenue service with several trips from Canton to St Paul. The best came in early afternoon when Bill's 0-4-2 was fired up and several engineers tried to wear the wheels off of "Babe". The menu was Chili over lettuce, corn chips and graded cheese. Jennell Bryan made a huge pot of her special Chili which recieved outstanding reviews from all. Also members brought a can of chili each which was heated together to continue the feeding frenzie late into the afternoon. Over on the dessert table Priscilla Giddens baked Corn bread and sent along a cherry pie. Marian Tucker made a brownie trifle and Donna Tucker made carmel grapes. Someone also brought a cake. Needless to say, no one went hungry. Don Fite had his new locomotive air pump running in the shop while Rich Dean was firing his new boiler outside the shop. Out in the steaming bays, Chuck was building another steaming bay. GREAT WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR! Christmas Party - Saturday, December 6, 2008 40 degrees outside but warm and friendly in the clubhouse. Club locomotive got a work out with several trips between Canton and St Paul. The Ladies made outstanding dishes to go with the Honey Baked Ham and everyone left stuffed as a Christmas turkey. Great time was had by everyone that attended! |
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