This is a picture of Ralph’s latest brainstorm, as he calls
it. He says he was watching television one night when a program of
Casey Jones came on picturing his rescue mission in the western
mountains when he ran his train through burning, falling timber to
rescue a crowd of marooned folks that were doomed to be burned to
death at the top of the mountain. The little four-wheeler
near like it as memory would permit.
It has all the working parts of a steamer, but actually runs by
a tiny electric motor in the cab. It runs very realistically on its
track case with its drivers propped up from the rails and also runs
across the floor without a track. It runs rather slowly pulling its
coal car, and very quiet.
Dimensions are: Engine is 27′ long including coal car,
13′ high to top of stack and weighs about twenty pounds. It is
back-geared by two sewing machine belt driven shafts and drive to
drivers is by brass gears taken from an old telephone. It is made
entirely by hand without lathe, or welder, principally with hack
saw, files, small power drill and l.p. gas torch. Ralph is now
building his fourth model (that of a tiny Reeves double). All this
is done in his corner basement shop equipped with less than fifty
dollars worth of tools! As Ralph puts it ‘When you love
’em, you can make ’em.’
We think she’s a beauty!
