Retired engineer builds his own train

WHO: Frederick J. Kingsley has constructed a train track along his property on Eastern Boulevard on the town of Pamelia and city of Watertown line. He has hand-built a locomotive and cars that are one-eighth scale of a full-sized train. The former New York Air Brake engineer said the project helps him enjoy retirement. He lives at the home with his wife of 53 years, Rosemary.

WHERE DID THE IDEA CAME FROM AND HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT? "I've loved trains and I've played with and owned HOs my entire life. I read in a magazine in 2001 that you can build these, so I thought I'd make one for the grandkids.

"I'm retired from the Air Brake for 38 years. I wanted to build a car like they had at the plant. From the 1950s to the '70s they had a shifter that pushed cars around the property. So I sat down at the drawing board.

"I've been working on this since 2001. I should have the track done in a few months."

WHAT IS THE LOCOMOTIVE MADE OUT OF? "The locomotive was built from damaged signs. There's a lawnmower engine from a tractor I picked up from a man in Black River. I told him I needed the engine and he said I can have it as long as I take the whole mower.

"It's a 12-horse Briggs (& Stratton) engine. It's a tired engine, but it still works. I also built a forward and reverse tranny. It's simple but it works. The two cars, they can carry about 600 to 700 pounds each. I could haul with them, but they'll only be used to ride in."

HOW HAVE YOU GONE ABOUT MAKING THE TRACK? "I buy the flat steel and the nuts and bolts. Everything else is things people have given away. The first 3,500 ties are from tractor crates. I've had about nine tons of stone delivered in the driveway. It's a lot of backyard engineering and common sense.

"I have the templates for my turns and I do a lot of planning. The only civil engineering in it is keeping the track level.

"The hill in the backyard has given me a bit of grief. What I want to do is loop around, so I decided to dig it out to keep the track level. Everything is sitting on at least four inches of crusher run. I bring it out in wheelbarrows and then if it's too far away, I'll use a tractor with a trailer."

WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM PEOPLE? "If you went by here last week, you would have seen me working on my hands and knees. People go by and honk the horn, and I'll honk back at them. It's a hobby and I'm retired, so it's what I enjoy and it keeps me busy."

WHAT DO YOU DO DURING THE WINTER? "I'll build more cars in the cellar this winter. I have one on the drawing board right now. I take the HOs, which are one-72nd scale, and I'll convert them to full size. I'll then do the division to get them down to an eighth scale."

WHAT CARS DO YOU EXPECT TO BUILD AND WHEN WILL THE TRACK BE DONE? "There's a flatcar; it's 40 feet at its actual length. I have a gondola and a tanker. I want to build a steam locomotive that I can fire with propane.

"I'd love to do it with coal, but I'd have to dump the ashes out on the track. Then I might have the same problems as the big railroads with the track catching on fire.

"That's a few years down the road though. My objective is to get the track done. I want to drive down the hill and back up without needing to turn around.

"This is something I enjoy. Model rails have always been a hobby for some years. There will always be a little kid left in you no matter what anyone else says."

If you know someone with an interesting hobby, contact Times Staff Reporter Robert Brauchle at rbrauchle@wdt.net .