EACH locomotive took an average of 1500-3000 hours of SPARE time to construct from the ground up. You have to know a bit of EVERYTHING to do what Vic Shattock did.
Foundry work, tin smithing, sheet metal work, soldering, machine tool operation, tool and die making, brazing, silver soldering, welding.. You name it!!
He told me when I was very young, that he "READ" everything he could on those different subjects. He was a long time correspondent with Britain's "LBSC" and the "Model Engineer" folks published by Percival Marshall, Ltd..
TIME AVAILABLE (grin): What time?? Ha,Ha...
He raised SIX children of his own.. Was active in his Masonic Lodge.. Was Co-Chairman of the Live Steam Standards Committee for the NMRA in the 1940's ...
Worked on the Southern Pacific Railroad for 36-years. Division grievance Chairman...
Was Secretary-Treasurer for Lodge 407 of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees RR union..
Was Asst Chairman as well as Chairman for the "Pacific Federation" for unionized railroad employees on the West Coast. Was SP Western Division "Water Service Foreman" with office in the Tin Shop in West Oakland.
Used to be the "PUMPER" at the pumphouse at Oakland Pier, years earlier..
And then this: Took in an 18-month old BABY at the age of 59 years, cause the kid needed a home. So he raised ME as his 7th child. How could I escape TRAINS ? (grin)
Photo 1. SP 2422 sits on the SP 110-foot turntable... 55-inches in length.
Engine built in 1929.
Photo 2. SP 2422 TODAY !!! Vic sold the engine in 1952... It was owned by various collectors over many years!! Our family lost track of it!
Then, a miracle ! I tracked it down like Sherlock Holmes and found an International collector who had the engine on display in his Restaurant !!
In August-1992, after paying $ 2000.00 to the guy, our family got the engine back after 40-Years ! Is that the will of God or what ??
Today, it sits on display on top of my wife's china hutch !
Cheers to all.
KRK
