September 2012 work planning

[Mike Fox]

Wish you would have come North with the crane. You had more help putting it into the truck then we did taking it out. But a very nice addition to the museum, and once set up will give us more lifting options.

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday 22nd:

* Big Joe: Jason installed a piston which will eventually take over the in-out function of the tamper heads (inside or outside of the rail).  Some other parts and pieces were worked on by Mike and others.
* Crane car: Mike took the remaining pieces home
* Gantry: Josh arrived with the gantry crane.  I don't think I know where it ended up.
* Surveying: Jason and crew staked out the location of the car shop, then surveyed for height at the corners and in other places, so that when our contractor arrived he'd know what to do.
* Steam: We ran steam from 10 - 1.  The British came (by land) before 10, and appeared to have a good time.  The 2 PM was canceled and visitor prospects were poor so the steam engine was put away by 2:30.

[Steve Smith]

Did any of the British happen to say whether they were with steam preservation groups in the UK? I was wondering in particular whether any were from the Welsh Highland or Festiniog Railway.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The British group was part of a UK railway preservation group but I didn't hear which one.  I spoke to Christie Castillo, the manager of The Shuttle Connection from Linclon NH.  She was operating the tour and told me that the group traveled all over New England in the last two weeks visiting railroads and historic locations.  As James noted, the guests had a great time despite the rain.  They stayed over an hour after their train ride.  Some got a short railcar ride in the yard.  They even asked if we would drive the AA truck outside for photos.  It's probably the first time a photo line was arranged to photograph the truck. 

Chris Walker from Wales came back, he was not with the tour but rode the train with them.  He stayed for 3 more hours getting information for an article he is writing for a French railroad magazine.

A note of the building site survey.  Jason and Mike set up the crew and we plotted and marked the loaction of the car storage building, roundhouse and turntable center.  Survey stakes were set and elevation notes were taken.  The survey is a primary plot for the grading contractor but it shows where everything will go.  We also plotted the elevation for the roundhouse spur and decided where the switches will go for the car storage building and woods track(s).  Mike came up with a good place for a woods track that allows some of the trees to remain.

Stewart   

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Sunday afternoon was fairly quiet but we did have visitors from NY, MD and CO.  Also, Randy Dickey stopped by for a railcar ride.  He is the fellow who made the headlight for engine 9 and had not been to the railroad in 16 years.  He sat up front in the railcar and commented "you've really built a lot of track" as we worked through Sutters.  He said "wow" at Alna Center when I explained the events we hold there.  He enjoyed the rest of the trip so much that he cranked and turned the railcar for me.   

Stewart

[Mike Fox]

Actually, I decided to leave the boom at Sheepscot. I did not want to try and man handle that at home. Hopefully in a couple weeks, it will all return to the museum.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work on the weekend of Sept 29:

* Saturday is our Fall Festival!  All hands on deck are needed for crowd/parking control, train crew, Alna Center crews, etc.  Unfortunately the weather forecast doesn't look too good at this point, but maybe it will improve.  Because of the festival, we probably won't be doing much on the restrooms, or #9, or other projects.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

This week -

Jason worked on #9

Fred and Leon brought a load of 2X6's (donated by Fred) to use on the restroom building or other projects.

Steve Z. installed the ridge vent on the restroom roof which completes the roof.  Staging was removed and the planks taken over to the freight house for use during the Work Weekend.

A reporter from the Times Record in Brunswick visited, took photos and got information for an article on the Fall Festival.

Monday a tour bus from Saint John N.B. brought about 20 guests to the museum.  The tour was a mystery tour and the people were given lunch in the Percival house prepared by Steve Z.   They had a great time eating in the kitchen, touring the shop and riding the train.  One fellow told me his father worked on the New Foundland narrowgauge.

Keith, a camera tech from WMTW channel 8, Portland toured the museum Thursday.  He was impressed by the facilities and equipment.  His station may send a crew to do some live shots for their weekend morning show.  The event would most likely be Victorian Christmas.

Stewart  

[Mike Fox]

I have watched their live shots. The show ends at 7 so we may have to show up extra early for a little activity in the background. And someone will need to be interviewed. Sounds like a job for none other than Santa.

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday Sept 29:

* Surveying - Rick S was up, and he is our Surveyor (capital S).  He and a bunch of other people surveyed the roundhouse/turntable/car shed area and stuck grading stakes everywhere.  In some spots the grade will need to come down by 2 feet.
* Grading - Jeff Verney showed up with his excavator and started working on the culvert for the parking lot, and did a little other parking lot work.  However he expects to be working on it in earnest toward the end of October.  Meanwhile he will be grading in the area just surveyed.
* Spur - the spur rails and ties were pulled up back a ways, so that Jeff could grade.
* Fall Festival - the threat of rain kept away the ponies and the Model A hayrides, and kept away a lot of people.  We did OK for the day, most trains had at least a couple of families.
* Restrooms - I think some work went on with another interior wall.

On Monday Big Joe gets some work which should have it self-propelled during work weekend.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Keith from WMTW came back with his two boys.  They rode the train to AC and then took a railcar ride to EoT, returning to AC.  The kids decorated pumpkins and enjoyed the warmth of the AC coal stove.  He said they had a great time and wants to work with us to get a broadcast crew up for the Saturday morning show.  We will be emailing his producers about Victorian Christmas with hopes they can show some of it before the show goes off at 8 am.   

Dana wigwam our track super was at Sheepscot to run #10 in the morning, then check the sawmill for dismantling.  He also rode to EoT on the railcar, checking for the best place to move the rail pile from Sheepscot yard.  BTW - There will be a loader on hand next weekend to load rail onto the flatcar, saving a lot of work.

Stewart   

[Fred L. Kuhns]

  Stewart, The Fall Festival, story of the kids decorating pumpkins by the warmth of the coal stove, and the tours give by volunteers.  Thanks  Fred L. Kuhns

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The pumpkin patch and kids activities were held in the field n/e of the crossing at AC.  The station was the place for the crew to phone the dispatcher and have lunch.   The kitchen crew sent soup which we kept on the coal stove.  (Soup does taste better when warmed on a coal stove)  The stove was going all day, giving us a place to warm up between trains.  A few kids did come into the station with their parents including Keith's two sons.

This is the second year that rain has kept people from attending the Fall Festival - let's hope for better weather next year.

Stewart