Yesterday was something of a Sandley Sandwich punctuated by a puppy.
I started the morning at the railroad, formerly the Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, inspecting the two areas of track that we worked on during "track week".
The purpose of the inspection was to check the track after this week's rains and, if the track had settled in well enough, to lift the "slow zones" between MP 4-6 and MP 9-10.
The section between MP 9-10 was solid throughout, so I lifted the slow zone and removed the markers. I had issues with four ties in between MP 9-10, so I didn't lift the slow zone until John and I get a chance, which we will today, to go out and tamp those ties.
John showed up about an hour or so later, and I gave him a report.
We then headed from the railroad off to the Badger Steam and Gas show, where we spent the rest of the day.
And I do mean spent the rest of the day. John and I looked, I think, at every single tractor and steam device in the show, watched the grand parade, and poked our noses into every building and exhibit. I think I'm Badger Steam and Gassed out, although I'll probably go again next year, if for no other reason that to visit "Belt Guy" at the Flea Market.
John and I tracked down the Sandley Steam Wagon after the parade. John looked it over with his usual deliberateness, and talked with the current owner.
The wagon was built in 1972 at the Sandley works.
The wagon is the usual mix of Sandley engineering and ingenuity. The boiler was built on site by Reuben Thundercloud. It is certified for 250 psi, which is about double the pressure at which the Sandley locomotive boilers operate. The wheels, axles and steering mechanism are from a Model T Ford. The steam engine is a 1909 White, stepped down from its original 600 psi to 250 psi. The frame and body were built at the Sandley shop, and are, as are the Sandley locomotives, built to very high standards of detail.
After seeing everything to see at the show itself, John and I prowled the Flea Market. I looked for a belt buckle for the belt I bought on Friday, and John looked at everything else, except the flowers, which he passed up like they might be typhoid carriers.
We got separated at one point, and when we ran back into each other, John said: "Did you see the puppies?" When I told him that the puppies had somehow escaped my attention, John herded me over to a vendor that had Lab puppies for sale amongst the usual flea market bric-a-brac.
John's nickname is "Dawg", because he used to breed dogs when he was younger and still on the farm, going through a ton of dog food every month.
John was enamored of a little chocolate Lab puppy that was among the puppies for sale. I don't know what was so special about this particular puppy -- my idea of getting a dog is to head to the dog pound and pick one out -- but John called Judi about the puppy, which ended any hopes John might have had for actually buying it.
Or maybe not. John wanted a picture to show Judi, so I took a few. The puppy is cute, huh?
John and I eventually got to the point where we could barely walk anymore, so we took off, using the tractor shuttle to get back to the truck.
We got back to the railroad just in time to get drafted, truck and all, into returning a large outdoor grill to Dave's house. The railroad's grill pooped out on us during "track week", so we borrowed Dave's to cook for the track crew, and now it was time to haul it home.
A lot of Sandley for one day, no?
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