TCDA No. 65 (Reefer) - Official Work Thread

[Richard "Steam" Symmes]

Will the car eventually have a roof walk and vertical brake shaft and wheel? Or did the original not have such?

[James Patten]

It will eventually, but not until it returns to Sheepscot for the winter.

[Fred L. Kuhns]

 Stewart,   The metal roof, would the orginal car had such a roof ?   The roof really makes the car look finished.   Thanks  Fred L. Kuhns

[Ken Fleming]

It would be really great to take either the A or AA truck downtown, open the road side door and be handling cream cans as the Maine Eastern train comes through town.  Some great photos and/or video could be generated.  Think about it.

[Wayne Laepple]

Those are really nice photos, Mike. They put the car into context in Wiscasset. Now, if someone could sneak down there late at night and whack down that tree in the last view.....

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Hi Fred,

Sorry for the delayed response, I was off the air for a week.  The original TCDA cars; 65, 72 and 73 had tin roofs.  The tin was usually painted the same boxcar red color as the car body.  The milk car's new roof does look good although it is not quite complete.  The car will eventually have roof grabs, a brakeman's platform and roof walk.  These will be installed when the car comes back to Sheepscot.

Stewart   

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Saturday, Jason, Steve Z. and I had another planning meeting for the displays.  There will be a number of history panels with information, photos and maps.  Included will be panels on the history of Wiscasset with a time line.  Information on the original WW&F and museum. History of the Turner Centre Creamery.  Information about the milk car with specific details on the original and replica car 65. Most of the text has been written, some taken from Ruby Wiggin's Book Big Dreams and Little Wheels

Example;  
Beginning about 1911 and extending over a period of years the Turner Centre Creamery of Auburn maintained a plant at Wiscasset.  At first, milk and cream was received at the Albion depot. A few years later a platform was built along the track that once went to Chalmer's Grist Mill.  About the same time a small house was built at the end of the platform where the attendants "Kin" Thurston and Verne Sterns could keep warm in Winter and cool in Summer. One week Verne worked at the platform receiving milk brought in by the farmers while "Kin" accompanied the milk collected the day before to Wiscasset. The next week they worked opposite and "Kin" stayed in Albion while Verne went to Wiscasset.  Milk was also picked up at Johnson's Crossing as well as other points along the line.  Both men worked for the Turner Centre Company.
                                      __________________________________________________________________

The paragraph I have not completed is the information about the agreement between the TCDA and WW&F.  A search through waybills from that era shows no listing of milk or dairy products carried.  The little information we have points to the railroad being paid each month to have the milk cars in the consist regardless of how many milk stops were made or how many cans were collected.  The question is - does anyone have further info on the TCDA - WW&F payment system?  If so please back channel me asap.

Another thing that came from the meeting is an idea to promote the museum's web site.  I'd like to see a QR code on some of our panels.  The code would allow visitors to scan the box with their iphone, smartphone, etc which would take their phone to the museum's web page.  Ed and/or James - could you help with this?  I think it would be good for the museum to have at least one QR code.  It could also be used at Sheepscot.  John M. suggested we have one under a hinged shingle on some of the buildings.  That way it wouldn't show up in pictures but visitors could get info on the museum if no one is around - just like people in the dairy car.  It's not hard to get a new QR code but I don't know if there is a cost involved.  If anyone has info please let us know.  Once we have some numbers the BoD can decide if we should proceed with the idea.

Stewart

  

[Alan Downey]

I must say, that this thread has been a fantastic record of the construction of the reefer. It really looks fantastic down there on the waterfront!

Stewart, the displays sound great. To answer your question on the QR Codes- since they are just a binary representation of text, they are unique to the given task/URL. By using a QR code generator (there are a few on the internet), it will output a downloadable image, that simply can be used in whatever context you want. I don't believe that there's any need to register anything, and there is thus, also no cost. My computer isn't currently cooperating, so I can't get the download to work. But I would do a search for QR Code Generator, and assuming the downloaded output is indeed an image file of the QR code, you could just drop it in with the information being put inside the reefer already. The whole process seems pretty simple from what I can tell, and I think it makes your idea to put codes up around the museum for "off hours" visitors, an excellent one.

 In effort of full disclosure, I have almost no experience with actually using them, as my phone is not that "smart" (ha!). But I've read a little about them, and have a friend who answered many of the same questions for me awhile ago. But I hope this helps out some.

[Stephen Hussar]

It's a start, but the museum's new brochures, which are being designed now,
will have a QR code located on the front page. Seems natural that some will be available
at the display site...

Stephen

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Thanks Stephen.  Sounds like the museum already has a QR code in the works.  It will be handy, I've seen more visitors with iPhones, droids or other smart phones/tablets this year.  As many people are taking photos with their phone as with cameras.  Cindy's droid phone came with the camera and Optical Reader App which she uses all the time.  I may be stuck in the 1930's but my Mrs. isn't!

Stewart   

[Eric Larsen]

So it sounds like the Turner Centre folks just purchased a place or spot in the train?  This would make some sence since they already owned or leased thier own cars.  They just paid the railroad for being part of the train and providing the service of moving the cars.  No waybill would be needed as they were using thier own equipment.  Perhaps this type of arangement was better for them and is why they had thier own private cars in the fisrt place?

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Today -

The rest of the Car 65 history was completed.  Steve Z. made frames for the display panels out of sections of original exterior sheathing from boxcar 309.  Steve and Jason ran a recon mission to Wiscasset for final measurements for the glass wall inside the milk car.  The wall will be pre-fabed at Sheepscot and the parts taken to Wiscasset.  The wall will be built to allow (1) full viewing of the ice bin end by the public (2) access to the display area by easy removal of the glass (3) modular parts for future removal of the wall if necessary.  A few more items will be placed in the display before the wall goes up.  The artifacts include a Turner Centre one quart milk bottle and an old tin lunch pail.

Stewart

[Jeff Schumaker]

Is the ice trough in the car yet? Regarding the lunch bucket- is that the one you found at Elmer's?

Jeff S.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The ice bin was soldered by our roofing contractor, Andrew and the bin and drain installed a couple of weeks ago.  This morning, Steve Z. and I went to Wiscasset Glass and picked up the glass part of the display partition.  Steve had made all the wooden parts of the partition and dropped them off in car 65 Weds so everything was ready to install the wall.  A Turner Centre quart milk bottle and old tin lunch pail were added to the display and the wall built in front of it.  Thanks to Steve's pre-planning the partition went up in about half an hour.   The cost was kept down as well - most of the lumber was from surplus boards found in the shop building.  The glass was cleaned and we stepped back for a look.  The partition looks nice, the bottom 22" is 3/4" tongue and groove pine with a sill on top to hold the glass.

The next step is to make the display panels, mount them in the frames and install them in the car.  

Stewart

p.s. Stephen H. has added two milk car photos to the slide show on the home page.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

This week  on car 65;

Now that the partition is done - Jason, Bill R., Steve Z., Marcel, Stephen H. and James have been working on the the display panels for the interior.  Steve varnished the 10 plaque frames (made from old sheathing from boxcar 309) and picked up the hardware for mounting the panels.  Assembly and installation of the panels should happen in the next couple of days.

Steve has asked me to put out a request for members to photograph the ribbon cutting ceremony on the pier Weds afternoon.  The dedication is at 5pm.  It would be nice to have a few photos of the crowd as well as images of WW&F Railway and town officials gathered at #65's door.  Interior photos of the finished displays should be taken as well.  If anyone has questions please contact Steve at the railroad's number this weekend.

Stewart