Can We Make This Model T Railcar Run and Drive to Goat Canyon Trestle to Go-Kart on Railroad Tracks

@MerlinsOldSchoolGarage and Brad are on their biggest adventure yet! This Model T Rail Car makes its way through tunnels and over bridges along a Railway that was built over 100 years ago! Have fun on this adventure with the guys as they take you along on their trip!
@JunkYardLoungeTV came along with their speedster to run the rails too!

[marvincarter]

What an amazing adventure that Merlin and Brad has taken us on with this video! Beautiful country and historic railroad tracks. Thanks for taking us along Merlin!

[pbaemedan]

The oiler is called a flange greaser. It's used to help minimize the wear of the rail.

[ElectricBillAlbright]

This track was originally built by John D. Spreckles. He was a sugar entrepreneur in San Diego, California, 1853 - 1926. The engineering people and many others said it could not be built, and it was nick- named, "The Impossible Railroad." Mainly because of the steep rough terrain going down into the desert of Imperial Valley. It was later named The San Diego-Arizona Eastern Railroad. There is a custom-built steam engine made for this railroad. It used vertical pistons for more power to get up the steep grades from the desert. I got a chance to see this steam locomotive many years ago when it was being stored and restored for the museum. They had it at NAS Miramar for some reason. My dad was in the Navy, and one of his comrades took us on a personal tour of it, and a couple of passenger cars were there. That wooden trestle is the world's biggest curved wooden trestle! To bring supplies into this area even with todays technologies would be amazing. They did this in 1920's. Solid rocks and deadly heat. The collapsed tunnels to the north of the trestle are the original train route until a major California earthquake happened around 1933. This prompted the construction of the wooden trestle. Mr. Spreckles had a mansion in Coronado, California there are many landmarks in San Diego County named after him. Organ pavilion and an amphitheater. I've been a San Diego County resident since 67 currently live near Campo, where the museum is located and very close to this trestle in the video. I actually live closer to the famous tunnel where the train goes into Tecare, Mexico, for a short distance and back into the United States.

[JunkYardLoungeTV]

Sure was a blast hanging out with you guys on that adventure! Thanks for the good time!

[lancecorey]

The ties in the middle of the tracks is for the hand carts to turn on. They are moved to the side on the wooden rails to allow trains to pass.

[shaggy]

The ties between the rails with two additional ties perpendicular to the side; This is a motorcar set-off. Maintenance workers have to get out of the way for the trains. Each morning before the workers went out on the tracks, they got a “lineup”, or train schedule. Trains run on strict schedules….sometimes late, but never early. The workers would drive to the “set-off”, slide out two long lifting bars, pick up the back of the motorcar, and spin it 90 degrees on those ties between the rails. They could then push the motorcar out onto the ties that are perpendicular to the rails, park it, and wait for the train to go by. After train passes, the push the car back and put it on the rails. These were also used as turn arounds. Rather than backing the motorcar all the way back to the maintenance shop, they would use the set-off to turn the motorcar 180 degrees and drive back going forward.

[stuemler]

Thank you for being the men to finally move that boulder. Well over due!!!

[luthiermatt]

That's the nicest rail cart so far. Much more stylish than a 4x8 hunk a ply, two lawn chairs and a Harbor Freight 4 stroke. Those larger wheels cut right through the shallow sand.

[terryhayward]

After turning the model T, I guess you can see what the wooden structures were for. Turning hand carts off the track.

[cayminlast]

Nothing beats Sunday morning coffee and watching Merlin's antics.

[richwilsey]

Found this rail track by accident, was hiking here in the early 80, s..ran into the big steel gate and walked over the hill it block off, to get to the other side.amazed that it went on forever, so I just kept going, , something I'll never forget !

[wjhjr]

I don't watch videos more than once but I will watch this again.

[Corvaire]

Who needs a bucket when you can create your list as you go. ;O)-

[williamevans]

When I visited, over a weekend in the 70's, us Scouts discovered that 17 of the support foundations were washed out, and/ or the vertical timbers were just dangling in thin air.

We walked the catwalks, collected honey from a hive, played grabass.
Fun times😊

[davefontes]

The oil box is a flange oiler. It helped reduce drag of the wheel flanges on the curves. The timber strucures are speeder "set outs". Track crews had to stay out of the ways of trains. The speeders were light enough to pick up one end, rotate 90 degrees, and roll on the timbers at track side. Looks like fun.

[stephend.mixell]

amazing adventure that Merlin and Brad have taken us on. Beautiful country and historic railroad tracks. Thanks for taking us along Merlin!

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[chuckster]

Hey Merlin,
That was just too cool !
Once in a lifetime adventure.
Thanks for taking us along.

[rockercover]

Railway looks as if it has been maintained. Especially the bridges and tunnels.

[LifeOfSarge]

For anyone curious the water tower was Dos Cabezas Station. Steve from sidetrack adventures did a video on the history of it about a month ago it was very interesting and cool to see it in Merlin’s video

[OlneyaTesota]

Was surprised the ‘speeders’ didn’t know about the motor car set-offs. Also surprised you didn’t back down to one to help you turn the “T Model” around. 😊