NOV. 2 - WORK-EVENT- ROCK THE MOUNTAIN!

[Ed Lecuyer]

This just in...
In lieu of Albion Day, we'll be having a "Rock The Mountain" workday on Saturday, November 2nd.

Details will be forthcoming, but save the date to help get a head start on the ballasting needed to open the Mountain Extension. We'll need a bunch of help to pull this off, so all ages and abilities are welcome. (First-time volunteers are always welcome, but would be very helpful on November 2.)

[Dave Buczkowski]

The FWW fun continues!

[Roger Cole]

Everybody enjoys a rock festival.

[Bernie Perch]

How come work has stopped in Albion?

Bernie

[Dave Buczkowski]

Bernie,
When I called Phil Dow earlier this year he couldn’t come up with anything for us to do. They have more regular volunteers now which is good.
Dave

[Ed Lecuyer]

Can we have an approximate idea of who is likely to be attending?

Also, the departure time from Sheepscot has been proposed at 7:30am. Is that too early for most folks? Would 8am SHARP be better?

To do this efficiently, and minimize downtime between stone loads, we should run two trains - but that requires two train crews and a dispatcher all of whom would then not be available for ballasting.

Thoughts?

[Bill Piche]

I will be attending the wedding of my cousin in Falmout MASS this weekend, so I will not be able to attend.

[Bill Reidy]

Can we have an approximate idea of who is likely to be attending?

I'll be attending, barring a last-minute work crisis.  Under separate email I volunteered to be on train crew.

Also, the departure time from Sheepscot has been proposed at 7:30am. Is that too early for most folks? Would 8am SHARP be better?

Too early, Dave?  7.30 a.m. is fine for me.

To do this efficiently, and minimize downtime between stone loads, we should run two trains - but that requires two train crews and a dispatcher all of whom would then not be available for ballasting.

I expect to be shoveling stone as conductor/brakeman.  Two trains would be great, but shovelers are more important.

Thoughts?

We should ask volunteers to indicate if they will attend on our Facebook page.  Stewart has made a good effort to promote the event -- https://www.facebook.com/events/515101269330913/permalink/519864178854622/

[Mike Fox]

I am planning to be at Alna Center to load the second loads. Cars are or should be leaving Sheepscot loaded to remove the ballast pile from the parking lot.

[Dwight Winkley]

I plan to be there. Doing what ever is needed.  dwight winkley

[Dana Deering]

I will be there.

[Gordon Cook]

To do this efficiently, and minimize downtime between stone loads, we should run two trains - but that requires two train crews and a dispatcher all of whom would then not be available for ballasting.

Thoughts?

Running ballast is going to be a bottle neck. What if we moved some stone to the north end of the track like was done for FWW, and used 52 to shuttle loads from there to the north end of the work, and steam from AC up to the south end of the work area?

Double your pleasure, double your fun. 

[Ed Lecuyer]

The optimum arrangement would be to have two trains, each with two ballast cars.

One train unloads on the mountain while the other is loading at Alna Center. Trains meet at ToM.
If you run steam, you need water, which is back at Sheepscot. So steam can run to SS while loading is occurring at AC - and also double as a crew shuttle.

So far, we have availability of four ballast cars, but not enough crew (yet) to run two trains. The trade off is that running two trains also pulls potential workers from ballasting operations.

[Stephen Piwowarski]

I'm going to be your cookie for the day. Thinking chicken and dumplings or beef stew and biscuits. Maybe split pea soup. Pies or cobbler for dessert. It'll be simple, good, and warm you up on a cold day.

Steve

[Stephen Lennox]

I can't be there, still recovering from surgery how ever, the lunch menu would want to make everyone show up.