by Sparky

Many people have asked how I am able to type in all the stuff on this website, considering I'm a stuffed animal and don't have any fingers.

The picture above shows how I am able to "Dance" on the keyboard to hit the various keys.  Of course, when I'm not posing for a picture I fact the computer monitor screen so I can fix any typos when I land on the wrong key

The worst name for a nap is "Catnap."  That name implies it has something to do with a cat, and most of us don't especially like cats.

Then the odd thing is the word "Dognap," which is usually used in reference to when a dog gets stolt out of somebuddy's car or back yard.

Notice that nobuddy ever "Catnaps" a cat, and if they do so by accident, then they usually let it escape as soon as possible.

Then there is the "Rat nap," which is a very short nap while waiting for dessert after a large meal.

A "Bat nap" requires you to hang upside down in a cave.  None of us guys ever take that kind of a nap.

A "Bear nap" usually means that you take a nap through winter and wake up in the spring, but that's too long of a nap for any of us guys, cuz we would miss a lot of meals and TV.

An "Elephant nap" is the kind you take when you're all done with your meals for the day, there's nothing good on TV and you're jest waiting for breakfast.

I managed to take a picture of all the paraphernalia it takes to make them tracks come out right.  On the left is the 2-foot-long level with a 3/4" wood block under one end.  That establishes a 3% grade when the level bubble is centered in the little window.   A lot of the tracks are 1%, some are 2%, but in order to get around and back down enough to get under the little bridges, 3% was needed in some places.

At the site of the solder joint (I finally learned how to spell "Solder," but it sure doesn't look right), he puts a couple of wet paper towels over the tracks to keep the plastic tie strips from getting melted when he turns on the torch.  Then he puts on some liquid or gel type acid flux to clean things and make the solder stick, then by heating the rails and brass joiners, it gets hot pretty fast and the solder flows inside the joint and comes out both ends if he does it correctly.

He lights the torch with the thing in the photo at right, that I call a "Sparky-Do," cuz it makes some sparks when you squeeze it together, and that lights the torch.  That's a lot easier than using matches.  Then he puts a wet paper towel to cool the track before the tie strips melt.  The new kind of solder doesn't have any lead, and it takes a lot more heat to flow correctly, and those plastic tie strips don't like that much heat.

He had some trubble finding some old fashioned lead and tin solder, cuz the cops don't let you use it on water pipes anymore cuz you could get poisoned if any of the lead gets into the water, and then you would be sorry.  Anyhow, he found some at a place that sells Stained Glass supplies, cuz nobuddy cares if you use lead solder on stained glass, cuz if you eat any of it, that's your own tough luck, and you'll probably get poisoned that way, too.  

September 1, 2003, The picture at right shows the yard and how far the tracks have progressed.  You can see that the track is heading into Fearsome Gorge, under the 4 little bridges.  The ground is still muddy from several rains lately, so work within the gorge will be delayed until things dry out a little bit.  The track work to date is about 60% completed.

Beginning September 6, 2003, we left on vacation to New York and the east coast.  See all the action by clicking on Sparky's New York Trip.  Then click on "Back" to return here, or at the bottom of the New York Trip, Page 9, click on "Return to Sparky's Back Yard."

He had two cousins.  The first one was named Johnny Aspenseed, and he planted millions of Aspen Trees all around Colorado.

His other cousin was named Johnny Weedseed, and he is responsible fer all the weeds we see all over the country.  The picture at right shows a weed-gathering machine during harvest.

October 1, 2003.  The final solder joint was completed today on about 360 feet of track.

The tracks were then filled with crusher fines (Scrunched-up rock gravel) and leveled.  The track cleaner locomotive was then run around the tracks 3 or 4 times to clean oxidation and corrosion off the rails to ensure proper elecktrickal elecktrishickal, contact to get power from the tracks.  Then a short train was run around the tracks for a dozen times or so to check for problems.  There was only a couple of times that the locomotive went off the tracks in a curve, so that will be corrected by checking for track problems with the bends, which can result in the rails being too close together.

Happy 16th Birthday to Sparky Sparky's 16th birthday passed by several weeks ago, without notice, because we were on vacation, so when we got home, we went and bought him a remote control Powerful Bulldozer to help with his construction projects.  The picture at right is the only birthday cake he got. The next morning The new Bulldozer was immediately put to work filling the wheelbarrow with the remaining crusher fines still in the trailer, then he used it to smooth out the crusher fines placed around the tracks, helped clean some heavy corrosion off of the tracks by pushing a polishing pad around ahead of the track cleaning locomotive, and leveled the area that will be the location of the little town of "Split  Rock City."  --Jim & Gloria

October 4, 2003.  The photos below show the latest updates on Sparky's back yard.

Photos #1 & #2 show to opposite views of the back yard, taken September 5, 2003.  Some of the track has been completed.

Photo #3 ( October 4, 2003) shows me with my New Powerful Bulldozer pushing a cleaning pad over the newly completed tracks to clean off oxidation and corrosion on some of the rails that had been salvaged from our previous railroad in Broomfield.

Photo #4 shows the track cleaning locomotive that Jim sends around several times to clean off remaining oxidation.  The rear wheels drive the machine forward, and the front wheels run backward and have tires that are like reel fine sandpaper, and they polish the rails to assure better power transfer.

Photo #5 Shows me with my Powerful Bulldozer pushing some of the last of the crusher fines gravel into the wheelbarrow.

Photo #6 shows the Bulldozer leveling the pile in the wheelbarrow.

Photo #7 shows how my Powerful steam Shovel had to be brought in to get the last of the crusher fines out of the corners of the trailer and into the wheelbarrow.

Photo #8 shows the Bulldozer finished leveling the pile of crusher fines in the wheelbarrow.

Photo #9 shows the track crossing the sidewalk.  It is held in place by 2 strips of special plastic deck boards so wheelbarrows or wheel chairs can go over it without hurting the track.  The picture at right shows the profile of the strips, made on the table saw.

Photo #10 shows my Bulldozer leveling the ground where some of the buildings for the little city will be added.

Photo #11 shows me cleaning the track from another angle.

Photo #12 shows the ceremony celebrating the last solder joint in the track.  Left to right:  Lil Benny, Dexter, Scooter, Peanut, Leroy, Big Joe, Scruffy, Rusty, Hiram, Sniffy, Ty, Spinnaker, Antonio, and that's me in the cool recliner chair.

Sparky's Backyard Photo Album
1. View of yard from next door	2. View of yard from west side	3. Bulldozer cleaning track	4. Track cleaning locomotive
5. Bulldozer filling wheelbarrow	6. Bulldozer leveling pile	7. Steam Shovel helping out	8. Bulldozer done leveling pile
9. Track crossing sidewalk	10. Bulldozer leveling ground	11. Sparky cleaning track	12. Last solder joint ceremony

As the size goes up, so does the price, but not necessarily proportional.

The trains we will be running out in the back yard are known as "G Scale," and that is normally referred as 22.5:1, or roughly 1/2" per foot.

A nice G Scale starter kit can be purchased for around $150.00, including a small locomotive, a few cars, a circle of track, and a power pack.  They have a Thomas the Tank Engine for about that price range as well as numerous Christmas specials.

On the other hand, if you prefer something more deluxe, a medium locomotive can be had for around $500.00.  If you want a Big Boy Locomotive like the one shown in the picture above, head for your bank to take out a loan.  The current price is hovering around $13,500.00.  That price includes the tender, of course.  Shipping would be extra.  And you better hurry, cuz there are only so many of them being made.

For that price you will receive a locomotive and tender that measure together nearly 4 feet in length and weigh around 48 pounds.  You'll need a loop of track about 60 feet in diameter for that length of locomotive, and I imagine it will pull more than 10 cars.  Somebody reported pulling 40 cars with one.

A well-to-do-railfan owns several of them and runs them together to pull very long trains.  Put a few more dollars with that kind of investment and you can own the real thing, but you'll need an even bigger back yard!!

Of course, us stuffed animals aren't strong enough to use it by ourselves, so we get one of the old folks to cut up the apple for us.

You can get one of them at the grocery store, and they also have one that cuts up potatoes to make French Fries, but you have to use a potato for that, cuz if you try to use an apple, I don't know what kind of Fries you'll end up with.