Hello from Nevada

Discussion in 'New Member Introductions' started by NevadaBlue, Apr 9, 2017.

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  1. NevadaBlue

    NevadaBlue Member

    I'm a retired mechanic and miner, working on a little layout that features a 'copy' of the Ozora Marble quarry in Missouri. I decided to extend the Frisco or move the quarry so I could include the Frisco in my layout.
    I lived in Missouri the first 30 some years of my life, and was near the Frisco from '65 to '82. I lived in Rolla while I went to college, moved to Salem and worked at Buick, all places frequented by the Frisco. My wife's grandfather ran a tie mill in Salem. I walked the tracks while in college and took one 'unauthorized' ride on an automobile carrier, from Newburg to Rolla. The trains were normally going walking speed at the top of the grade coming into Rolla, but not this time. The whole train was empty carriers headed back to St. Louis. I bailed off the car and so did one friend but the third fellow went all the way to St. Louis. He nearly froze as the train was passing cars on the interstate. A good time was had by all.
    Anyway, thanks for letting me join. I am just starting work on my rolling stock and will be snooping a lot. Pictures if there's any interest.
    Ken
     
  2. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Welcome to the Frisco website Ken!!! Do you have a model railroad layout? If so please show us photos. We live for layout photos!!!

    Joe
     
  3. tferk

    tferk Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Welcome Ken! I would appreciate you sharing any information about the Buick lead operations, especially relative to the Frisco years.
     
  4. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Ken - From one Ken who also attended school in Rolla (MSM, 1960-1964) to another, welcome to frisco.org. A great group!

    Ken
     
  5. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Ken, by all means, Welcome Aboard!
     
  6. NevadaBlue

    NevadaBlue Member

    Thanks guys. I went to school in Rolla from '65 to '70. Majored in mechanical engineering, switched to Geology and quit to get married in early '70. I went to work at Buick in February of '70. Got drafted in August of '70, out early thanks to Tricky Dick in April '72 after spending time in Korea as part of a nuclear missile outfit. Then back to the mine until November '82. I can tell lots of tales about the mine for sure. I started as a laborer, then utility man, then mechanic which set the path for my career.
    I do have a little layout, in Gn15 but it is in 'limbo' right now. I am working on a very small HO layout with the quarry for now.
    I can start a thread on the little layout and I guess we can talk about the mine here.

    Ever take a bath in hydraulic fluid? Or, one in hot transmission fluid? LOL, being an underground mechanic in a very wet mine can be fun. Oh, I blew off my hard hat once... While on the utility crew, we were blasting a cutout for a switch machine and didn't go quite far enough away. No pain, just a big shock wave. We had a train haulage system on the lower level and loaders and truck haulage on the upper level. The trucks and loaders dumped into ore passes that fed the muck train on the lower level.
     
    Ozarktraveler and Joe Lovett like this.
  7. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    I will welcome you to Frisco.org too Ken.
    After I got out of the Marines in 83, I worked under ground as a mechanic myself for just a few years. First in the Echo Bay hard rock Gold mine in Silverton CO, had a lot of fun there going thru all the drifts looking for broke rubber tire muckers and such, same basic operating method as you mention, 3 different gauges of track, Plymouth and other Locies and ore cars to work on too, all chain drive, mixed with rubber tire equipment, what a cluster it could be, the portal was about 9000 ft elev and we went into the main level for about 2.5 miles, then up a hoist to the working levels, it shut down in 85. Then in a underground Coal mine, West Elk mine in Somerset CO, wow what a difference in mining methods and miners.
    Then I got hired by SP and I got to work on really big locomotives, and finally into train/engine service, which is where I am today for a few more years I hope.
    I will always remember my time underground, in some ways I felt safer under ground than I do pulling a throttle.
    Please carry on.
     
    Ozarktraveler likes this.
  8. NevadaBlue

    NevadaBlue Member

    Small world Tom. I worked as a consultant to Echo Bay in Nevada and Canada in the early '90s. That led me to a job with Newmont in Nevada. Lots of stories to tell...
     
    Ozarktraveler likes this.
  9. motiger74

    motiger74 Member

    Welcome Ken! I spent the first 12 years of my life in Rolla before moving to Columbia in 1964. Carried the Rolla Daily News for while and we picked up our papers right next to the Frisco line. Played baseball at Shuman Park in sight of the locomotive there. Of course, spent time in Newburg. My grandparents had farms between Rolla & Salem, so there was a time that it seemed like most that lived along Hwy 72 were relatives (Haas, Watkins, Baird).
     
    gjslsffan and Ozarktraveler like this.
  10. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Welcome aboard Ken. We are glad to have you.

    Charlie
     

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