December 2013 work planning

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday December 7:

* Train show: I think John R will be representing us at a train show at the Maine State Museum.  But that could be another day?
* Garage: Put up the doors, shelving, and plywood on the ceiling.
* #9: Keep quartering.

[Mike Fox]

Trailer work also. Might be able to use a hand if someone is looking for something to do.

[James Patten]

Work done Saturday Dec 7:

* Garage: Zack laid 10 feet of 8-foot gauge track in the garage - on the ceiling!  That is, the track to run the west-most door up and down.  Also a number of large heavy plywood sheets were put up on the ceiling over the east-most bay of the garage.  Late in the afternoon the west-most door was running up and down, the east-most door was installed (but not tracked), and the man-door was in.  Keys have been distributed.
* Trailer: Mike got clever and lowered the angle of the rear tongue of the trailer over a longer distance (on one side), to roughly match that of the track.  He then installed some of the boards.  The other side of the trailer he'll do next week.
* Car 103: John M installed grab irons on the east side of car 103.  These will be for Victorian Christmas.  I'm guessing additional grab irons will be installed by next summer.
* Victorian Christmas planning: Jason developed and fine-tuned the operating and crew plan.  Steve Z went to AC to prep Santa's throne.  Jason and Steve also measured out for step boxes at AC.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work Saturday Dec 14:

* Christmas prep: whatever we've got to do, this is the weekend to do it.
* #52: Put on the plow (see bottom)
* Garage: Continue with door tracks
* #9

Snow is currently predicted for Saturday night/all day Sunday.  Maybe as much as a foot.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The Hauling & Rigging crew plans to get car 65 from Wiscasset on Saturday.  Anyone that can help please see Brendan.  Also, the H&R Dept needs two sticks of 25lb rail from the pile on Davis curve and would like to get them on Saturday. 

 

[Mike Fox]

I will be available for the maiden trailer voyage, barring any unpredicted blizzard. Trailer modification can resume any time, but would like it done soon.

[Mike Fox]

All of a sudden have an open spot in my schedule for tomorrow. Perhaps the trailer will be closer to completion after all before it's maiden voyage.

[Brendan Barry]

The dairy car was loaded up in Wiscasset after lunch and trucked back to Sheepscot.

[James Patten]

Work done on December 14:

* Trailer: As seen above, a contingent went to Wiscasset after lunch to get the creamery car.  The Yeti only needed to block traffic a couple of times to get the trailer lined up right.  With help from a new winch and Stewart's truck to power the battery, the car had very little trouble being moved.  The Yeti and trailer with car are now at the north end of the parking lot waiting for late January, when everything will go to the Springfield train show.
* Garage: Mike and Stewart started hanging tools on the wall.  Zack worked on the exterior garage doors, making them look pretty.
* #9: Eric and Greg were working on something under the cab.
* #10: Gordon watered up the locomotive for next weekend.

[Hansel Fardon]

Zack worked on the exterior garage doors, making them look pretty.

Did he paint the faces of #9, #10 & #52 on there?

[Gordon Cook]

Pics of the return of car 65 to Sheepscot:





The intrepid hauling and rigging crew admiring their work:



The temperature was in the single digits all day, with snow due that night. Winter has arrived in Maine!

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for weekend of Dec 21:

* Friday: Prep for Victorian Christmas next day.  Plowing, shoveling, sanding, salting, etc.
* Saturday: Victorian Christmas!  This is an all-hands-on-deck kind of day.  Last year we had over 1100 people.  This year the forecast doesn't look so great, but we still should plan for large numbers of people.  We need parking attendants (in our large new lot!), crowd control on the platform, help in the gift shop, train crews, people to give tours of the shop buildings, etc.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Friday work -

Jason has advised that meet time for the plow crew will be 9:30.  Joe Fox will be there Friday and starting the yard work at 9:30 will give time for switches, etc. to be cleaned.   In addition to the plow extra, we need to clear the walkways and platforms at Sheepscot and AC.  The area from the depot to the road at AC should be cleared since this is where passengers will que up for the southbound trains.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

This week -

* Food - a crew (spread across 3 states) has been busy making cookies and other goodies for Victorian Christmas.  Some shipped their goods to Sheepscot in packages.

* Parking lot - Steve Z. has plowed both lots twice.  The shop and house entrances have been shoveled.

* PR - a couple of volunteers have spent time answering the railroads' phone this week.  There have been quite a few calls requesting information on Victorian Christmas.  It's not surprising since the Christmas trains are the museum's biggest event with 1,157 visitors last year.  If the weather holds out we should surpass that number this year.

[Wayne Laepple]

Weather's not looking too promising for tomorrow. But folks in Maine are pretty tough and resilient. So good luck. Keep 'em on the shiny side!