1880 Train

I like big machines, and I cannot lie.....

I like to watch trains roll by, but what I really like is to ride on steam powered trains. Cab rides are the best, but rare, due to liability reasons.

I got the desire to ride the high steel from my Father who worked for the Union Pacific Rail Road at the pinnacle of the steam era. His last position at the UP was as fireman on "Big Boy" locomotives, specifically 4004 which is now on display in Holiday park in Cheyenne WY.  The Big Boys were the largest class of steam locomotives in the world. They are articulated and have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement.  They were coal fired, and empty of fuel and water they weighed 1.25 million pounds, definitely BIG BOYs!!!

While our yet to be named RV was parked in Hermosa SD, Elizabeth found and then suggested that we go for a ride on the Black Hills Central Railroad, AKA The 1880 Train, which connects Hill City to Keystone, SD. It's an hour ride each direction.

We booked round trip tickets a few days in advance in anticipation of a nice day together.

We started at the South Dakota State Railroad Museum.  We learned that even rich kids don't get everything they want, but maybe buy it later in life.  Elizabeth noted this quote from the railroad time line.

They even had a caboose indoors.

After visiting the museum it was time to board the train.

Our train was pulled by locomotive #108 which is a 2-6-6-2T articulated Mallet engine that was manufactured in 1926 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. This engine was designed for logging companies. She is WAY overpowered for such a small passenger train.  All aboard!

I really enjoyed the sound of the locomotive pulling the grades that go as steep as 6%.  This locomotive was originally coal fired, but a previous owner converted it to burn oil.  I do prefer the smell of coal over oil.

Once we arrived in Keystone we had enough time to shop, stroll, and have a leisurely lunch.

The Black Hills Central Railroad does not have a turntable or a wye at each end of the line. The locomotives are just moved to the opposite end of the train and driven in reverse. Driving in reverse is not an issue as railroad locomotives are just as fast and powerful no matter which direction they go.

Elizabeth's summary of the day:

It was a pleasant, relaxing day with nice scenery. Harold did not let me nap on the train.

Greased Lightning'

Just before we sold our home, it was time to grease the chassis of our bus. To save some money, I took it upon myself grease up the bus.  First, I had to buy a grease gun and a tube of grease.  Spartan Motors, the chassis manufacturer, specifies Premium Multi-Purpose Chassis Grease NLGI Grade 2. I purchased a tube of Lucas Oil Products Red "N "Tacky Grease in the convenient 14 oz. tube that fits inside my new grease gun.

I reviewed the owners manual to see where all the fittings were. Then, I put on my coveralls and went spelunking. Note the cool LED miners headlamp. Since I don't have a third hand to hold the flashlight in the right place, strapping this to my head is a good alternative.

Here are the fittings that grease the driveshaft splines and one of the universal joints.

Here is a grease fitting I never thought I would see. It is for the drum brake actuating shaft. I always thought that grease and brakes didn't mix, but grease and brake actuating mechanisms apparently do.

Some of you thought I was a slacker. Here is the grease fitting on top of one of the brake slack adjusters.  The air brakes on the bus automatically adjust in the proper amount of slack so the brakes don't drag.

I think I will put a LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler or one of their pistol grip grease guns are on the bus' Christmas gift list.  It would probably make the process go smoother.

I will also replace the straight fittings on top of the king pins with an angled fittings. The straight ones were difficult to get the gun on and off.

I also greased all the fittings on the front end, but I did not document the process. It seemed like there were 100 grease fittings on the bus...but Elizabeth thinks I have the gift of exaggeration.

To quote a good friend of mine:

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

- Paul LaMasters

It's Official

I recently read an article regarding vehicle registrations in South Dakota. The author called the state the Cayman Islands for car registrations. South Dakota is an attractive state for a number of reasons, as is Texas and Florida. Thus, most of your mail forwarding services are located in one of those three states. So, unless you want to saddle friends and family with receiving your mail, you're most likely going to end up legally calling one of those three states your home. 

Where do you call home if you don't own any real estate anywhere or rent an apartment or house? Where do you get your mail? We chose a South Dakota mail service. We now have South Dakota drivers' licenses and vehicle plates. 

The process started in late May. We had hoped to start sooner than that, but Covid19 changed our plans. The department reopened to appointments only.  Harold spent hours on hold to simply get on the callback list to schedule an appointment. It took two days to get the callback, but when they did, we got in that afternoon. 

The vehicle plates, which are handled by a different department, involved another phone call where the amounts due were calculated based on vehicle weight and number of wheels. We then had to use a dropbox to deposit the required forms and cashiers' checks. After sitting in quarantine for two days, they processed the paperwork. You don't just walk in and pick up plates. They are mailed, even without the Covid19 precautions.  The process takes a minimum of two weeks.

We will be in the Rapid City area awhile. Our get-acquainted doctor and dentist appointments ending up being rather spread out in time, and we didn't want to keep going back and forth. It was easier to stay put, get a monthly rate, and spend some time familiarizing ourselves with our new home area. 

Rapid City is in South Dakota's banana belt. Bananas, islands, I'm feeling tropical already.

Woo hoo!

Good-bye Virginia

Pickerel Lake and Left Tailrace

On our way back to the Rapid City area after visiting Kevin and Tammy in Barnesville, MN, we stopped at Pickerel Lake Recreation Area in northeast SD for a couple of nights. We enjoyed riding our bikes around and seeing flocks of pelicans flying. Just about everyone else had a boat for fishing or towing inflatables.

Pickerel Lake

We noticed a lot of low lying causeways in the area. We saw them in North Dakota too for that matter. Those news reports of flooding are far easier to visualize. 

From Pickerel Lake we moved to Left Tailrace Campground, about an hour below Pierre, SD. It's a Corp of Engineer (COE) campground on the Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River. Again, there was a lot of fishing going on. The surrounding Sioux reservation area was experiencing a Covid19 outbreak. We never left the immediate area.

Left Tailrace

We couldn't help but smile as we saw this one camper. We never got to talk to them to get the back story.