Author Topic: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!  (Read 4670 times)

Ed Lecuyer

  • Administrator
  • Superintendent
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,274
    • View Profile
    • wwfry.org
SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« on: April 24, 2020, 02:44:05 PM »
So today was supposed to be the start of the 2020 Spring Work Weekend...

Let's report on what we did. Have a little fun with this, please. (It does not have to be strictly WW&F-related.)

-----

Work Report, Friday 4/24:
- Read and answered WW&F Discussion Forum Postings.
- Noted slight uptick in "no" votes on discussion topic.
- Checked WW&F FB page; added link to Gift shop in related post.
- Noted recent FB post got 15,000 views. Nice!
- Received complement on Forum management.
- Received complaint regarding Forum. (So I guess I'm doing it right :-)
- Texted with Jason.
- Posted PDF for Jason.
- Sent Jason a video link (again) to share with Amalia.
- Received text from Jason saying Amelia loved the video.
- Traced MEC Calais branch during "testing" at work.
- Wished we had the 60# rail that used to be on parts of the MEC Calais branch and spurs.
- Pondered that I would have been dispatching at SWW right now; and actually kind of miss doing it.
- Started "Spring Work Weekend 2020" thread.
Ed Lecuyer
Moderator, WW&F Forum

Bill Baskerville

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,414
  • Life Member
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2020, 03:28:56 PM »
For those of us in the Far Away Crowd, on this, the first day of the SWW, I slept late, which means I didn't get up at the ungodly hour required to be at the Ry early.  In fact the only times in the year that I get up early is for the Spring and Fall Work Weekends and during my summer month at the Railroad on weekends when I have train duties.

I spend a few hours in my new train room.  In moving to senior living, my train room went from 27' x 17' to 12' x 14'.  I am now going thru my 82 boxes of train stuff to sort out the things that I now know I will never need or be able to use to try and get down to a smaller amount of stuff that I can use, a selection of HO standard gauge, mostly Southern equipment, a lot of HOn3 that will be the primary focus of my new layout, and a smattering of HOn2 that I am determined to work into my new empire.

Of course, in this current unpleasantness, this is what every day looks like.  Rinse and Repeat.

Stay safe out there,  Looking forward to perhaps late July/August in Maine.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2020, 09:06:55 PM by Bill Baskerville »
~ B2 ~ Wascally Wabbit & Gofer ~

Bob Holmes

  • Museum Member
  • Conductor
  • *****
  • Posts: 758
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2020, 05:50:04 PM »
Have been working (with Pres Dave and others) on getting a brass engraved memorial plaque in honor of the donors for the restoration of the tank car.  Helps me feel useful without actually being in Sheepscot.

Stewart "Start" Rhine

  • Museum Member
  • Superintendent
  • ********
  • Posts: 3,020
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2020, 06:16:53 PM »
Since we are listing things, here are a some of the jobs from this week including today:   

* Clean up - museum trash collected and taken to the transfer station.
* Mail orders - gift shop merchandise pulled from inventory and packaged / shipped to customers.  Recent sales have been close to $1,000.
* Track - two problem areas were inspected and plans made for repair.
* Engine 11 - The design crew has been busy (working from home).
* Car barn - Brendan has worked on the display addition most days.  Work includes: window installation along with applying battens, frieze boards, shadow & rake boards and soffit paneling. Most of the work has been on the east side and south end.  The west side will be the last part finished, battens will be made from the old lumber that covered the front of the car barn. Zack has donated some osb board for the west soffit. 
 
We really missed seeing everyone for the SWW.

John McNamara

  • Operating Volunteers
  • Supervisor
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,586
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2020, 08:11:58 PM »
Hey Stewart, look at all that unpainted wood! :)

Mike Fox

  • Museum Member
  • Empire Builder
  • ********
  • Posts: 5,634
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2020, 08:59:44 PM »
Since I am essential, rolled out of bed at 4, which is about normal for me, even when not working. Started work at 6. Texted Jason a few times and then a phone call. Discussing repair activities and how to best handle the railroad. Finished work and punched out at 2 minutes past 5..
Mike
Doing way too much to list...

James Patten

  • Administrator
  • Superintendent
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,215
  • Loco for 6
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2020, 05:48:43 AM »
Friday was much like most every work day for the last month - get up at 6, start work around 7 in my home office, clock out 3:15 with two 10-minute hikes around the driveway during the day, plus lunch at noon to watch the noon news (which at the beginning of the pandemic starred the Maine CDC director holding a daily press conference, but they've since moved that to 2 PM which means I can't watch).

At least I am still working (I work for State government), although as the economy tanks and tax receipts drop off, I would expect with the next budget (starting July 2021) that there will potentially be scheduled state shutdown days and other budget cut methods.

Ed Lecuyer

  • Administrator
  • Superintendent
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,274
    • View Profile
    • wwfry.org
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2020, 08:10:55 AM »
Saturday 4/25 - (Early) Morning Report

I arrived at Sheepscot much later than I had hoped, to find nearly 100 people there that I did not recognize. They were camped out and looking for work.

Meanwhile, Jason was trying to get a small track crew going, but the whole scene was chaotic with all the unexpected guests there.

James N., Bryce, and Dan buzzed by in a handcar - heading up the line to do trackwork.

Finally Jason was calling for Dana (who wasn't there) to try to start a work crew.

Then I woke up. 2:30am.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2020, 09:34:25 AM by Ed Lecuyer »
Ed Lecuyer
Moderator, WW&F Forum

Jeff Schumaker

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,350
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2020, 08:53:46 AM »
Friday April 24:

Woke up early, fed the cats, had breakfast, read my email.

Debated with myself the +/- of selling #10. Cats were no help.

Did some work in my train room - installing a sliding shelf to hold my DCC controller/throttle. A couple four legged inspectors came to see what I was up to, and why was I not downstairs catering to them.

Planned to do some 2 ft gauge research, but was distracted by the above.

It did not hit me that it would have been the 1st official day of SWW. I normally arrive on Wednesday. I did realize this Wednesday that I would not be flying out to the museum.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

Ed Lecuyer

  • Administrator
  • Superintendent
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,274
    • View Profile
    • wwfry.org
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2020, 08:36:16 PM »
Sat Day/Afternoon:
- Made preparations/announcements for the "Virtual" Annual Meeting.

- Went exploring the ex-B&M Hillsboro branch looking for light (60#) rail. Found a few sticks of 56# rail on an old siding. Also found a stash of small tie plates. I still need to confirm if they will be useful.

- While looking for rail, met two young children collecting stuff along the railroad (and in sight of their parents.) Showed them the small tie plates that I was looking for. After telling them about the WW&F, they agreed to help look for them, and leave me a pile. I then taught them some basic rail safety, such as not to walk on the rail, and always to expect a train.
Ed Lecuyer
Moderator, WW&F Forum

Bill Reidy

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,414
  • Life member. Ack.
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2020, 07:06:02 AM »
Friday, April 24th:
-- Weekly grocery shopping, wearing my standard uniform that includes mask and nitrile gloves.
-- Made the family breakfast.
-- Worked most of the day from home, as I have been doing since March 13th.
-- Rained all day, so no neighborhood walk today.

Saturday, April 25th:
-- Made the family breakfast.
-- Chores around the house in the morning.
-- Pulled a burn permit online in the morning and burned brush out back in the afternoon.  I didn't get my fill of tree cutting and slash burning this past winter at the Museum.
-- Spoke with Dave over the phone late afternoon, talking mostly about the next Newsletter.
-- Made pizza for the family for dinner.

Today: 
-- Will be working most of the day.
What–me worry?

Stewart "Start" Rhine

  • Museum Member
  • Superintendent
  • ********
  • Posts: 3,020
    • View Profile
Re: SPRING WORK WEEKEND 2020 - WORK REPORTS!
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2020, 08:01:16 AM »
Saturday, April 25th -

We worked on the car barn which some of us are now calling the exhibit building.  Brendan, Mike, James and I were up while Fred and Zack were the ground crew.  We started by installing more of the roof.  Well, I started a bit late due to some Saturday morning fire department work but I got right into the roof work when I arrived.  We were hitting a good stride building the roof when we ran out of steel.  Brendan's photos show where we had to stop. 

We climbed off of the roof and some of us went to the front, collecting pockets full of nails before climbing to the top of the staging.  Mike went over to the west parking lot to cut the tree that fell on the trailer and get ready for his culvert repair project.  The rest of us, joined by Dave, cleaned the concrete floor and set up to cut the lumber for the front trim work. Brendan and I made a number of trips to the top of the scaffold to build more of the soffit and install the rest of frieze and rake boards on the gable. 

While the front construction was going on, the inside crew fixed the track alignment for the third display track.  The mill steam engine and Brookville were rolled into the new section so the rest of the stored rolling stock could be shifted south about 15".   This brought 320 completely inside and the north end doors were closed (for the first time this year).  A rain / snow storm is forecast for Sunday into Monday so it's nice to have the building secure.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2020, 08:17:19 AM by Stewart "Start" Rhine »