Walt Disney had an intricate, one-eighth scale railroad in his backyard. Some say that Disney’s railroad was the inspiration for his famous theme park.

Dave Martini has his own backyard railroad, too, just like Walt Disney’s.

During the workweek, Dave is owner and president of Central Janitor Supply Co., Modesto, Calif. But when he leaves the office, Dave is a railroad man. He goes home to his own steam engine, a mile of railroad tracks, 35 switches, a water tower and a roundhouse. Dave can pull up to four adults in his train.

People who have railroading as a hobby never seem to get bored with it. “Any day we run the train is a fun day,” said Dave.

Steam engines were invented in Wales about 200 years ago. Used until the 1950s, when they were replaced by diesel and electric trains, steam-engine trains are the kings of backyard railroading.

“Running a steam engine is more of an art than a science,” Dave said. “You really have to be an apprentice to someone who is experienced before you can be an engineer yourself. It’s easy to blow up a boiler if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

In a nutshell, steam engines require fuel (Dave uses either propane or coal) and water. The water goes into the boiler, which is heated by the fuel. The boiler turns water into steam, which then goes through a cylinder, forcing wheels to turn and moving the train forward. The more steam you allow, the faster you go.

Getting a steam engine ready to run is a process that must be carefully orchestrated. According to Dave, it takes almost an hour to get a steam train going with all the things you have to do, such as pre-oiling the mechanisms and making sure there’s enough water.

At the end of a run, Dave says they spend about 90 minutes cleaning it out. They “boil down” the boiler to cool it, blow the steam out and purge the water so the equipment doesn’t get corroded. Coal engines have a soot buildup, so the boiler also needs to be cleaned.

Once the train is running on Dave’s tracks, there are 35 remote-control switches, which allow a train to switch from one track to another. “Each switch is electronically operated, like a garage door opener, so you can turn the switch from right to left without getting out of the train,” Dave said. In backyard railroading, this level of automation is pretty rare.

Dave’s train layout is a magnet for other railroad folks. People often bring their trains to run on Dave’s tracks.

According to Dave, “Trains weigh from 200 to 800 pounds. Friends haul their trains over to my place on trailers or trucks. We have a lift — like a mechanic uses for cars in a garage — to unload the trains. If it’s an electric train, it goes right on the track. If it’s steam, it goes into our roundhouse to have the water and air added to it.” The air, Dave explained, is used to create a draft to help ignite the coal faster, just like a bellows is used in a fireplace.

There are usually about six to eight trains on Dave’s tracks at a time when the railroaders gather. “The biggest issue for me is that I always want to make everything work perfectly when people come over to run their trains. You don’t want trains to derail.”

Worse yet, you don’t want the trains running into each other. And it has happened.

Dave said that his friend (and mentor in railroading) asked Dave to bring his engine over for a child’s birthday party. The track was in the shape of a Figure 8, and wired for safety.

“To make a long story short, the wiring malfunctioned. We had an official train wreck because the signals got crossed. Normally, you couldn’t stage that kind of collision, even if you tried.”

Happily, the trains weren’t going very fast, no one was hurt, and the kids were laughing. Dave said, “It was more embarrassing than anything else.”

Now I know where the saying “We got our signals crossed” comes from.

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572 or e-mail.




POSTED ON: 2/1/2003