2017 Spring Work Weekend

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Hello,

The board discussed a basic priority list for Spring Work Weekend in 2017.  

1.  Make main line extension down the mountain serviceable for work movements.  
2.  Repair sheepscot station platform
3.  Complete door project in coach 8.  (Edit)
4.  Humason trestle retaining wall (Edit)
5.  Possibly extend the mill siding.  
6.  Main line maintenance.  
7.  Possibly begin a spur into ML&M.

The lower numbers are more iron clad than the higher ones, though we still have time to optimize the list.

Jason

[Bill Baskerville]

Item 7 is an interesting project.  Combined with our woods track for loading onto RORO trailers it would provide the WW&F with a customer who could transfer his projects to and from his shops via our parking lot and railway.

[Bill Baskerville]

Since Randy has created a big hole in coach 8, am I to assume finishing the first baggage door will also be a project?

Bill

[Ira Schreiber]

ML&M?

[Bill Baskerville]

Ira,

Maine Locomotive & Machine Works.

I had to think about it to figure it out.

Their shop is where we were going to put the saw mill at one time.

Bill

[Philip Marshall]

I'm curious how a siding to ML&M would be arranged, since it looks like a steep climb. Is there room for a switchback?

[John Kokas]

Phil,

I believe the thinking is to cut in a switch several hundred feet uphill (northbound) from the grade-crossing and then a gradual grade up to the shop.  I'll let Mike fill in the details as I seem to remember he had scoped this out in detail a while back.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Oops, yes, there's a big hole in coach 8!  I'll edit the post...

Jason

[Mike Fox]

The ML&M siding would be their project as far as grading. We would or could do the surveying, but ML&M has a contractor that could do the work in our ROW as an easy addition to the work performed on the ML&M property. Our trackwork would end at the limit of our ROW.

The switch would have to be a north facing switch. Grade would be managable, but for safety a derail will be used. The open rail type. Could be like half a stub. But unless the ground firms up quickly, installing a switch may be all we can get done.

One add though Jason. Retaining wall at Humason?

[Jason M Lamontagne]

You're right, Mike, thanks!

[Joe Fox]

I think mill siding extension should be a lower priority than main line work.

[Fred Morse]

I'd like a load or Two of ballast put on the switch for the TOM siding as nothing heavy can go over it until that's done, no even the rail car.

[Bill Baskerville]

If we have enough ballast, perhaps we could taper ballast out 30 to 60 feet into the siding to balance the stress on the switch.

[Joe Fox]

In my personal opinion, Mill siding work can be done with a smaller crew maybe on a normal Saturday or planned track extension day in the summer. But the neglected main line should really be priority over the siding. Although the main line is still in decent shape, my fear is if we continue to do "preventative maintenance" in the near future we will need to put a lot of work into it. What currently needs to be done is more than any ONE man or even five man crew can handle by themselves. Where as the siding can be done with a crew of 5-10 which could potentially be organized in the summer.

[John McNamara]

I'd like a load or Two of ballast put on the switch for the TOM siding as nothing heavy can go over it until that's done, no even the rail car.

Lack of ballast also makes walking on it or near it a bit hazardous.
-John M