Not flying related, but interesting anyway

[Gary Dowler]

My other hobby was, for many years, railroad. Both scale and full size.
Presently there is much excitement on the upcoming 150th anniversary celebration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Prometory Utah.  The Union Pacific has spent several million dollars and tens of thousands of man hours restoring to service one of the surviving examples of their famous Big Boy locomotives, which were considered to be the largest steam locomotives ever built. At 133' long and 1.25 million pounds, they were indeed huge.

Most later steam power was built on a one piece cast frame. In this, which could be 90' long, the entire cylinders, everything from frontvto back, was literally cast as a single piece. I doubt a foundry exists today that would try it.
In the pic, only a couple bars bolted below the 4 openings for the journal boxes for the main drive axels are not part of this casting. Other than these small pieces, this entire thing is cast as a single piece.

[Perry Rose]

Direct TV channel 345 RFD TV on Monday afternoons about 4pm has a show about trains. mostly Steam but some diesel.

[Fredvon4]

Lionel Has a Big Boy 4 8 8 4 for the low low price of $899....if you can find one...very sought after working model

[Mike Scholtes]

The Western terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was Alameda, California, leading to urbanization of the San Francisco Bay Area and inexorably to the building of the control line circle at Bill Osborne Field in Alameda. Lacking the railroad, there would today be no control line stunt in the Bay Area.

[Bill Adair]

Mike,

Right on!   

Bill

[Mike Danford]

WOW!  I have taken a stab at pattern making and casting.  It's hard!  That would easily be the most biggest and complicated casting I could even imagine.  I thought some of the bigger and complicated water cooled engine blocks were amazing, but this... 

Just think of all the amazing mahogany to make that pattern.  Assuming it was that, many if not most were.

Now, the jigs and fixtures to machine it, another magnitude of WOW.

I agree, can't imagine who could undertake that nowadays.   

Mike

[Fredvon4]

someone is still doing it..... I have seen you tube of giant diesel engines for some super cargo ships.... engine bigger than many houses....warehouses

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

That's a kettle o' metal...

[Andre Ming]

Gary:

My interest in trains (North American primarily) predate my recollections. That is I CAN NOT remember when I wasn't fascinated by trains.  I'm a retired railroader now, but still heavily involved in the hobby of trains via model railroading and social networking.

My train interest is only approached/equaled by my other primary interest: Off/on road motocycling via "dual sport" motorcycles. I've been a motorcyclist for 50 years this year. Still riding and still loving it. (Went for an all-dayer yesterday.)

Control line was a distant 3rd in my interests. I will always like and appreciate C/L, vintage C/L combat in particular, but it never was anywhere near the priority in my life as was the above two primary interests.

I'm also a musician (bass guitarist), but that's a totally different affliction. 

Andre