tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post111212530023905280..comments2024-02-20T17:22:43.089-06:00Comments on The Literary Assassin: research manna - Railroad Photographic History MuseumHollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112637977755072472005-04-04T13:06:00.000-05:002005-04-04T13:06:00.000-05:00A hot box refers to an overheated axle bearing. A...A hot box refers to an overheated axle bearing. As late as 1969, many railcars still had self-lubricating axles which involved boxes packed with oil-soaked cotton. The oil evaporates after long use; the unabated friction generates enough heat to ignite the journal box. If not extinguished in a timely fashion, the hot box can set the car afire.<BR/> One duty of a brakeman was to look down Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112631505565422372005-04-04T11:18:00.000-05:002005-04-04T11:18:00.000-05:00"Hot box" isn't a term I've run across yet. I'm gu..."Hot box" isn't a term I've run across yet. I'm guessing it's a car on fire? Please elaborate.Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112374680695001632005-04-01T10:58:00.000-06:002005-04-01T10:58:00.000-06:00The Long Winter mentioned in the Little House book...The Long Winter mentioned in the Little House books was indeed the winter of 1880-81. There was a fellow in De Smet that designed a stove particularly for burning twisted hay.<BR/> I have these two books on pioneer railroads that my grandmother left me. That's where I found the info above. Neither of them has pictures of cattle <BR/><BR/>cars that show any detail.<BR/> I assume you Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112372231997644222005-04-01T10:17:00.000-06:002005-04-01T10:17:00.000-06:00Aha!!! There is a window in that car. Verrry int...Aha!!! There is a window in that car. Verrry interesting!!!<BR/><BR/>ScotiusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112306985344238052005-03-31T16:09:00.000-06:002005-03-31T16:09:00.000-06:00Apparently the magic words are "box car" rather th...Apparently the magic words are "box car" rather than "cattle car." <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/box_car.pdf" REL="nofollow">Here's a box car from 1879, under restoration.</A> This one seems to have been made for hauling grain, but it does give me an idea of the size, construction, and sturdiness of these cars. <BR/><BR/>Still not sure whether the cattle Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112285111907708732005-03-31T10:05:00.000-06:002005-03-31T10:05:00.000-06:00I just may build a fire under myself to reread the...I just may build a fire under myself to reread the Little House books. It has been twenty-five years. Wonderful World of Disney is broadcasting a miniseries about the Prairie house, based on the book, not the Michael Landon version. Pa Ingalls properly wears a beard.<BR/>About dine-and-dash situations: there is an episode in "The Virginian" involving an eatery in Omaha. There prospective Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112279797269809912005-03-31T08:36:00.000-06:002005-03-31T08:36:00.000-06:00My notes say the Oregon and Santa Fe lines were co...My notes say the Oregon and Santa Fe lines were completed in 1883, (my source wasn't great, so I'll double-check) but the point remains the same. I guess I'll keep him as a guide, just rearrange my concept of how he would go about it. His day-job, as it were, is going to be more of an issue in this story.<BR/><BR/>Your ancestors' experience with the dine-and-dash is not unique. I've seen similiarHollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112220065939817252005-03-30T16:01:00.000-06:002005-03-30T16:01:00.000-06:00Trace could have recruited immigrants in Saint Lou...Trace could have recruited immigrants in Saint Louis. His group of movers would take steam boats or steam cars to a jumping off point, then travel by wagon to their final destination. According to my Google research, railroads didn't reach Oregon until 1884.<BR/> Two of my greatgreatgrandparents rode trains getting from upstate New York to Minnesota in 1855. At one way station, the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112211956404938232005-03-30T13:45:00.000-06:002005-03-30T13:45:00.000-06:00I could probably get away with a lot of inaccuraci...I could probably get away with a lot of inaccuracies, where the average reader is concerned; they only know what they see in movies.<BR/><BR/>For instance, a potentially big gaffe in the whole concept is the assertion that Trace was working as a trail guide. The first trans-cont railroad to Sacramento was completed in 1869. By 1880, anyone going west of St. Louis would have boarded a train, at Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112211315670320422005-03-30T13:35:00.000-06:002005-03-30T13:35:00.000-06:00More info about railroads: George Westinghouse pat...More info about railroads: George Westinghouse patented the air brake in 1869. 1880 was in a transition period; any number of trains did not have the system. Trace's cattle car may have been on such a line. You can write it that way if you please with no fear of contradiction from the likes of me.<BR/>ScotiusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112191994281693432005-03-30T08:13:00.000-06:002005-03-30T08:13:00.000-06:00Now that you mention it....Tho I prefer cheesecake...Now that you mention it....<BR/><BR/>Tho I prefer cheesecake to candy.Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17764623327385255044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6736414.post-1112152872397940082005-03-29T21:21:00.000-06:002005-03-29T21:21:00.000-06:00Bonbons and silk stockings?ScotiusBonbons and silk stockings?<BR/>ScotiusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com