I hope this isn’t too off-topic, but I wanted to share the pics and info about my trip because I feel it can be very useful reference material for modelers…
I recently returned from my annual Nevada rocketry and camping trip, exploring ghost towns and old mines. I’ve uploaded photos from the trip beginning with this one:
The first few pics are aerial photos taken by cameras onboard custom rockets – my other hobby besides garden railroading.
There’s plenty to interest ghost town buffs and model railroaders too. These pics are a treasure trove of reference material for anyone modeling or weathering old structures and mines. (I also can supply additional views of most structures for anyone who may want them.) Many of the old mining town buildings would be excellent additions to a garden railroad due to their compact size. And I encountered some very cool railroad artifacts too!
This trip didn’t start well. After just thirty minutes on the road, my Trooper’s mysterious engine problem cropped up again, missing badly and losing power going up hill. I pulled off the freeway in Temecula and located a repair shop. Once again, the computer failed to save a trouble code. But with a little mechanical detective work and some deductive reasoning, they narrowed it down to a couple possibilities and soon found the culprit: bad rubber “boots” on the spark plug wires. Two hours after leaving the freeway, I was back on the road again!
Love the aerials and old truck photo, which I downloaded.
You got me thinking with those cool aerials. It wouldn’t be too hard to get a small, hot air balloon up over one’s garden RR to give a different sort of perspective shot.
Ray, as a longtime Nevadan, I believe you captured the essence of the old mining towns in my state. Goldfield is an especially interesting place to visit. I like old mining cars and an old-timer who lives right on US 95 has a nice collection on display (which he refuses to sell). As for Gabbs, NV, I will not venture within fifty miles of that place. It is the tarantula capital of Nevada and I am a strong arachnaphobe. I’m told that during certain periods (mating season?) the roads are black with migrating tarantulas. Brrrrrr!
Eric Cooper wrote the following post at 08-17-2007 7:01 PM:
“Ray, as a longtime Nevadan, I believe you captured the essence of the old mining towns in my state.”
Thanks! I hope to do the same with my In-ko-pah Railroad, once I get far enough along to start modeling the buildings and mines.
Ray, what can I say, absolutely magnificent and thanks for the time you took to post this. Goldfield, it was like I was there, what a place. The pics are great and on a wet day in Blackpool all that sunshine cheered me up no end.
I was born and raised in Hawthorne, Nevada and I’m always interest in comments and stories about Nevada’s history. Hawthorne is about 30 miles from Mina and a bit more than 50 miles from Gabbs. Gabbs was a “last resort” for a job, if you couldn’t find a job anywhere else you could always get hired at Gabbs.
The aerial rocket shots are wonderful and shows what most of Nevada is all about. I’ve explored most known and many unknown minning towns, camps, and individual mines and really appreciate Rays photos and comments. Eric Cooper is right about the Tarantulas, in fact, Gabbs High School’s mascot is a Tarantula.
Around the Hawthorne area and south if you know what and where to look you can find evidence of the Carson & Colorado narrow gauge road bed.
GearDrivenSteam wrote the following post at 08-17-2007 8:12 AM:
“Dammit Ray, those rockets really get up there, don’t they? I didn’t know they went that high. What happens if you hit an aircraft? Just sayin…”
Actually, with the rockets I flew on this trip, you could probably go as high or higher with some of the little Estes model rockets. It just takes more power to get a camera up there.
As for hitting an aircraft, there are precautions against that, chief of which is, Don’t launch when there are aircraft present. Not a problem out in the remote desert where aircraft are few and skies are wide and clear for easy viewing.
Above a certain size, you also need prior approval from the FAA, called a “waiver”. Even with this, you’re still responsible for making sure there are no aircraft present before launching.
Incidentally, it would be virtually impossible to intentionally hit an aircraft with a sport rocket, even one powerful enough to reach high altitudes. Real surface-to-air missiles have costly, sophisticated targeting and guidance systems, and they don’t always hit their targets. If you could do it with a cheap hobby rocket, the military wouldn’t have to spend billions for missiles.