The day was perfect for running the rails with some clouds to keep the temps down and some sun in the afternoon to allow us to take some great photos of bluebonnets. There was a special perfume in the air as well probably from blooming flowers. The work session started for me with unloading the CBI and rail-mower:
We got both onto the rails and Leland asked Frank and me to mow the wye before the safety meeting. We thought that would be an easy, quick job but it turned out to be more difficult because the bluebonnets and weeds got all over the tracks, creating a greasy mess under the wheels that made it all but impossible to gain traction. Frank had to push the CBI a good way to get it to the point where it would move on its own. We eventually did get the job done but it took longer than we thought.
It was enroute not far out of Llano that trouble struck--twice. I started the rail-mower and revved up the mower deck and began pulling the rail-mower down the track about 4 or 5 miles out of Llano. We almost immediately went over a crossing with boards sticking up and the rail-mower belt guard underneath apparently caught on it, causing a jolt that resulted in the belt jumping off the pulleys. So the rail-mower was disabled but worse was to come. We continued down the track and the underside of the mower deck, this time the roller, caught on the frog at Stolz siding. That pushed the roller into a blade so there was no way we could fix that problem in the field. Memo to self: We must devise a way to tell whether the deck is in the "up" or "down" position and make sure the deck is "up" whenever going over crossings or frogs, etc.
Although the rail-mower was out of commission, we enjoyed the day and got some work done anyway. I stopped three times to straighten marker posts that had been bent over by cattle. Frank and I also did a lot of crossing digging since we were the two lead cars. We did note that the December mowing in the Kingsland area (the rail-mower's inaugural run) was still very evident over most of the line. Looks like we won't have to mow more than two to three times a year to keep the track in acceptable condition. Hardly any problems with our motorcars and the crossings went well. On the way back Leland had to approach a cow on the tracks very slowly to persuade her to move off but she did. I did see two pairs of deers bounding off as we passed by, so that was my main wildlife sighting. I also saw someone, probably a photographer, on the tracks on the way down but he or she moved off the tracks by the time we got there. Frank Glatzl helped me get the CBI and rail-mower back onto my trailer, so my hat's off to him again.
Here's some more photos to enjoy:
This is the CBI and rail-mower, along with Frank Glatzl and his MT-19, at the wye before we started mowing.
Here's VP John Pattison and his daughter behind Spyke's BBQ in Kingsland when we stopped for lunch.
Bluebonnets ran wild throughout the railroad ROW, leaving the land a scene of beauty. The bluebonnets, however, also clogged brakes and decreased traction, making it tough to get across at least one crossing. With the rains forecast for Tuesday early am, March 20, we will have additional growth of flowers and grass by the next work session on April 21. We will have to get the rail-mower back up and running by then to clear the way for the Bluebonnet run on April 28. But a good time was had by all at the March 17 work session so we may get just as many participants in the next one as word gets out that this is the most enjoyable and beautiful time of years to polish the rails.
