V-1/2 --- Hiding in Plain Sight

[Robert McFarland]

DPL photo X-7517 shows model T railcar "V-1/2" sitting in front of the Stone Garage.

[Jeff Young]

I'd argue it's not quite "plain sight" given the tank in front of it, but great find nevertheless!


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/5150/rec/1

Cheers,
Jeff.

[South Park]

  If someone would just go ahead and relay the rails, I will bring my T to run on them !

[Robert McFarland]

Maybe somebody(somebodies)could build a replica V-1/2 and run it on the restored Como track like the replica RGS #1 that was built.

[South Park]

  A thrashed old beater T like the V 1/2 are easy to find and cheap.
The conversion to 3' rails would be a minor challenge, depending
on how authentic one wanted to be to the original "work of art". I
think I would do some minor upgrades to the bearing situation, as
I recall it was quite crude and not "done right".

[Todd Hackett]

Sharp eye, Robert. I have looked at that photo many times and never noticed. I have a copy I made from a print Mike Trent and I borrowed from Ed Haley back in the mid 1980s, and another that I bought later (probably on eBay) that is an original Kindig postcard print. Kindig identified it as SV-27 (probably his negative number) and dated it July 31, 1938. My print doesn't seem to be any better than the one at DPL, but here's a close-up anyway:



Where did you come up with the V-1/2 designation?

[jim pallow]

       One of my books (I think a CRRM Annual) states that this was used to patrol the RR between the time of the last train and pulling up the track.  Story has it that a pin could be pulled out of the streering column so it could be driven to gas stations for fueling. JP

[Chris Walker]

The T had V 1/2 on the radiator...


photo courtesy of the Late Bob Stull

[South Park]

  It had half a V-8 under the hood.  The radiator emblem was done
with real chalk.

[Jim Courtney]

Chris,

What is the location of the above photo?

[Chris Walker]

Jim,
I take it that is the Tramway Orebin on the Breck side of Boreas, I don't know the name, Farnham perhaps?

[Robert McFarland]

Joe Crea built a model of it and described the model in a Gazette issue that also had it in the cover photo.Later on there was a reprint of a car restoration magazine article that either appeared in Gazette or Bogies&Loop that described it's background.It was built by private individuals that worked at the Stone Garage as a lark and didn't belong to the RR.They would take it on short trips.There is a couple of pictures of ruins at Farnham on the DPL.

[South Park]

  There is a whole chapter on the V 1/2 in one of Klingers' books.  It
said that they took it all the way to Fremont Pass, Alma, and Grant on
many excursions before the scrappers came, even running into the scrappers
at one point and punching a hole in the radiator.

[Jeff Young]

The Klinger book also has some great photos of it, including one in front of the Kokomo depot.

[South Park]

  For those that have never ridden in, or driven a Model T,
they are a hoot.  Throttle and spark advance on the column,
three pedals on the floor, with a lever and possible extra
levers above that for auxiliary transmission/s or Ruckstell
2-speed rear end.  With 20hp, lower gearing was often built
into these to handle steep hills or heavy loads.  Today, we
often build them to go faster, not slower, because the roads
are so much better.

  They are a sputtering, cantankerous beast when running
well.  Even more fun when they aren't.  But they are so simple
that it takes a major catastrophe to keep them from going.

  I can only imagine chuffing up and down Boreas and on
to Dillon or Kokomo.  What an experience that would have
been !  A stock T can easily do 40 on a flat grade.  On rails
(without the rough roads of the day) I would bet one would
glide along like a cloud.  What a thrill that would have been.  

[Keith Hayes]

When I was in high school, we had a neighbor who was commencing to restore a T. I was never around when he had it finished, so never got a ride, but understand that they require a bit of instruction to figure out the gear shift.

My Paternal Grandfather grew up in the area and back in the day had a repair shop somewhere near South Santa Fe drive and West Evans Avenue, not too far from the South Park main line. He would tell the story of driving up Crow Hill (east, or is that north? of Bailey) in a T in reverse, as the reverse gear is the lowest. That must have been a long drive resulting in a stiff neck. I always think about that as I zip up Crow Hill today in a couple minutes on my way back to Denver.

[Bill Uffelman]

My father in law learned to drive in a Model T near the end of WWI. Training ground was a pasture outside Butler PA with only one tree in it. He found the tree.

Bill Uffelman

On Sunday, December 11, 2016 2:25 PM, Keith Hayes [via C&Sng Discussion Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

When I was in high school, we had a neighbor who was commencing to restore a T. I was never around when he had it finished, so never got a ride, but understand that they require a bit of instruction to figure out the gear shift.

My Paternal Grandfather grew up in the area and back in the day had a repair shop somewhere near South Santa Fe drive and West Evans Avenue, not too far from the South Park main line. He would tell the story of driving up Crow Hill (east, or is that north? of Bailey) in a T in reverse, as the reverse gear is the lowest. That must have been a long drive resulting in a stiff neck. I always think about that as I zip up Crow Hill today in a couple minutes on my way back to Denver.

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NAML

[ComoDepot]

An English version that may amuse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBgfzsDIHo&index=22&list=PL2ECDE29F26283BA6

[South Park]

  People often backed up hills when low on fuel, as the gas tank is
under the seat and gravity feed.  Get on a steep upgrade and you get
no fuel to the carb.

  T's used a planetary geared transmission with external grip bands
on drums.  There is no shift lever like we are all familiar with today.
Just push the low pedal in to get going and release to have direct
drive (high).  The reverse drum is the same diameter as the low forward
drum, so there would be no difference between the two for gearing
advantage.  The real bonus would be in craning your neck to drive
in reverse over a long distance !

  It may have been he had a loose low band that was slipping and
used reverse to get home.  Adjusting these along the road was common.
I do it all the time with mine.  Just pull up the floor boards, remove
the transmission cover, and adjust the nuts to the desired grip on the
drum/s.  With a nice hot engine, it is a trick to not get burned !