September 2015 Work Planning

[Mike Fox]

I am now anticipating to just get the ramps built, which means hauling the excavator North to build the one at end of track. And depending on potential use, the excavator may return to Sheepscot for the week.

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday Sept 12:

* Car barn - Zack wanted some 6x6 headers over the door posts to make it a door frame and give some extra stability to the north end. He notched one of them today and got it placed.  Meanwhile some of the other scafolding was getting taken down and some got put up on the north end.
* Earth moving - Mike was doing stuff with the tractor and bulldozer, and trying to use the excavator but it appears to be down for the count for now.  We talked him out of moving equipment to the north end, since we won't have any opportunity to lay track there this work weekend.
* Loco 9 - Brendan is sandblasting the inside of the tank and it's going slowly.  Marcel keeps working on the cab, replacing many of the old worn out pieces with new.
* Charter - About 2:00 the first bus showed up (there were 3 buses, and 90 people) and soon the place was mobbed.  The first trip (2:30) went out on time, the rest not so much.  However everyone seemed to be having a good time and the last train got back in time to get everyone aboard the last bus and out on time.

[Bill Reidy]

Kielbasa Dave and HWMNBN went up to Head Tide and cut the brush on the elevated right-of-way between Head Tide Road and the Head Tide cut.  The top and everything on the west side (facing Route 218) of the fill was cut.  About half of the east side of the fill was cut, so the other half remains.

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Work done on Sunday Sept 13:

* Whitefield Section House - The remainder of the roof rafters on the back side were cut to the correct length, which allowed us to remove the last staging from the section house walls. The building is now ready for the application of housewrap, trim, and windows. Hopefully it will be shingled and completed during the Fall Work Weekend.

* Car Barn - The bay 3 header for the car barn was fitted into place

* FWW - the layout and parts of the 3 way switch and stand in Sheepscot yard were cataloged and marked so that they can be replicated in the North Yard.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday Sept 19:

* Car barn - mostly roofing, I'd guess
* Loco 9 - cab reassembly?
* FWW prep - switch assembly, tie cutting and storage in the car barn, etc.

[Paul Uhland]

Can't wait for pics of all this work.
BTW...what does FWW stand for, again?

[Ed Lecuyer]

FWIW,
FWW = Fall Work Weekend.
(FWIW is text code for For What It's Worth)

[Mike Fox]

Grade in the building had a slight slope, front to rear, with a drop of about 3 inches. I cut the North end down before the cement went in. Now it is less. Side to side is higher in the middle, with the outside being about 2 inches lower at the exterior wall. This is just by my eye, so could be off a smidge. But close enough for a car barn. And when we can get the shallow ditch around the outside, will keep the water from standing inside. And getting the dozer in now may be tricky through the purlins.

[Brendan Barry]

The museum had the chance to salvage some switch stands from some old industrial tracks being ripped up at a redevelopment project in Massachusetts. Dean Copeland lent his bobcat and truck to the salvage efforts a couple weekends ago.

[Steve Smith]

Thank you Dean and Brendan!

[Paul Uhland]

Don't mean to be critical, but with your laser level and a rod,  leveling the floor AMAP would discourage spotted, heavy railcars from accidentally creeping into the slightly lower back wall, without wheel stops, done before door work was my concern.
Bro and I leveled my sloping Sandia foothills back yard with an OLD borrowed Gurley level and a home-made rod, driving small  hubs every ten feet square. Worked fine.
Shoreline Trolley had their GC level two new, higher car barn sites before the metal structures went up, then used a Bobcat and a small rail hopper/dump push car to spread interior ballast.
Good luck.

[Paul Uhland]

Brendan...
Nice, economical find.
A little sandblast, repair, flatten the targets, paint=three 'new' switch stands.

[Bill Reidy]

Thank you Dean and Brendan.

[Mike Fox]

Paul,
Ballast and track can be somewhat level North-South. I cut most of the height down, which was at the doors. If we had something other than clay to work with, I could have been real accurate. I am interested in Brendans findings when he shoots it. Lasers work good indoors, or in low light situations.

[Ed Lecuyer]

David Buczkowski deserves a big thank you for making the contacts that yielded the switch stands.

There's a lot that goes on "behind the scenes" at the WW&F - making true teamwork.