If I maintain the right speed, I barely have to steer going up and down Germantown Ave in my Subaru Outback. I could put a "23" sign in the windshield, but I'd be worried people might try to get in.

Yes, but that's "Philly/Pennsylvania" gauge of 5' 2.5".

I've had plenty of experience rolling on disused standard gauge trackage in the streets of Baltimore and elsewhere. Every car I've owned "fits" standard gauge within about an inch or so--I might not get far trying to drive down the rails of stand-alone track, but driving on the rails of street trackage gives a far smoother ride (in my cases) than the surrounding urban streets.....

And the fact that so many compact cars fit standard gauge means that there is at least a little something to that old story about chariot/carriage/horsecart axles and the development of standard gauge..........

My civic fits stand alone railroad tracks. Keeping it on the railheads takes some skill though.

The 1958 Chev had no problems with gauge. You deflated the tires to say 20lbs and kept your hands off the wheel. Except when you approached crossings and had to use the horn to signal your approach. The ride, like gliding on thin air. Axle to rail clearance? No problem, keep your hands off the wheel and it becomes a non issue. Some old cars had great sounding horns too, the old Chev horn was awesome. Cheers, John.

Last week at WRM a contractor drove a Genie scissor-lift with solid tires up a track to install a new car barn door. The gauge was almost perfect. I don't know how well it would have done on a curve.

None of my sixties era Chevy or Ford station wagons needed the tires deflated, of course maybe that was because with the tires I could afford back in those days, they already were under inflated. In reality, the narrow 2"-3" wide bearing surface of the rail did a good job of pushing the tire into a pseudo spool wheel profile, at least with biased ply tires. Maybe steel belted radials are different. I'll second the motion not to touch the steering wheel; fastest way to put the car down on the ties.

Point is, just because your storage cars aren't by a road doesn't mean they are inaccessible.

If I had any say I would have the cars kept locked up tight and close to home. Boxcars, I think, are great storage devices and allot of farmers have old bodies that they use for just such cases. But in truth it all depends on how much the crook wants the stuff. Not even our houses are break in proof, no matter how much we would like them to be and we LIVE in them!

I hope that in his last sentence, American Standard meant to say 'OUR houses' and not 'out houses'. I know a pretty good cross-section of people, but no one I know lives that way.

Given the number of thefts and other problems at midwestern museums, I'm glad to see that the Illinois Railway Museum is stepping up their security efforts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diesel_Forces.jpg

Are you sure? American Standard is a manufacturer of porcelain plumbing fixtures after all......

dave

Haha you guys are funny!

My high school shop teacher told us "A lock is to tell the honest
that they don't belong"
The dishonest will find a way in if they want it bad enough.

Best of luck to Mid Continent on finding their missing parts.

Steve A W