Driving without a steering wheel OT

[Don Coatney]

My good friend James Douglas once again hauled my balloney butt around today. We went to the Western Railway Museum in Suisun City, California. Pizzafrank was supposed to meet us there but did not. Hope everything is well with him and sorry we did not connect.

Very interesting and fun Museum. Highlight of the day was I got to actually drive an electric railway trolly. This car runs on 600 DC voltage. What a trip!!! I have watched the electric trolly drivers run the cars while going to and fro work for the past two weeks. Today I got to be in command. The process is easy but it feels strange not offering up direction as the tracks controll that part. Here are a few pictures. View more at the link.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v65/DonCoatney/Road%20trips%202004/SF%201-2007/

[Guest jtw3749c]

Know the feeling. I did that for 30 years and on the right hand side of the cab. It was the big engines though.

[wldavis3]

Don,

I see in some of the photos that both you and the conductor are

"holding on for dear life". Hope you didn't try "pouring the coal to

it" to see if it would "scratch off", nor try the emergency brake to

try to lock up the wheels!!!

I'm gonna have to try to get to the "left coast" some day and see

if James will haul my sorry butt around a bit.

Have fun!

[T.Tom Meshingear]

Don forgot to tell you that he took the streetcar racing. It's in the blood and a wide open throttle is hard to resist.

Streetcar =1 touring car = zip.

We have streetcars out the wazoo here in New Orleans but they won't let me drive. I'm jealous.

Tom

[Normspeed]

If I remember right, Suisun City is in California's Delta area. 1,000 miles of navigable waterways, contained by levees. Sacramento River, Feather River, and others all flow thru the delta into SF bay. A rich history there including drawbridges galore, and many paddlewheelers, some of which came from the Mississippi Delta and took the long way around to the south. Don is seeing some great areas of CA.

[Rodney Bullock]

Those pic's are great Don, I think a news crew should be following Don around and documenting all the fun he has been having. The Conductor was holding on because he was "warned" Don is having big fun while we at home are knee deep in SNOW:eek: what a shock, things were going so well with 65 degree days. I am so cold now I stay in bed all the time!