November 2015 Work Planning

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Been a while since I've posted on the weekday effort but I mean to do so more regularly.  So here's an attempt!

Yesterday, Monday, Nov 2, Jonathan finished making connections from the tank to the injectors.  Last week he finished the vacuum brake plumbing- this all major plumbing on no 9 is complete.  Some of it has been removed for paint access.  Brendan continues work on interior tank braces.

Today Josh is up to essentially complete no 9 electrical.  Tuesday Phil (Bleauvelt) will likely finish the steam line to the generator, while I'll make some slight mods to the frame casting to clear a washout plug and then work on vacuum brake and generator exhaust lines.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we'll switch the yards out, do some minor inspection work at the bridge and make a repair to a ToM switch.  Starting Wednesday we're going back to very limited access inside the tent so Stewart and Marcel can work on finish application of wood cab components, paint, and varnish, without worrying about us marking up the paint job mid way through.

Thursday will likely see some coach brake mods as we give the paint crew space...   We'll also begin on a new plow mounting arrangement for 52 soon.

No 9 is nearing a test fire, as you may have guessed.  It won't be this month- as it looks now...

See ya
Jason

[Paul Uhland]

Jason...Wow, lots going on between weekends!
Always appreciate detailed updates.

[Mike Fox]

Also, on Sunday, Brendan and I removed the ailing Kubota motor and continued disassembly. No time frame for completion.

[John McNamara]

We'll also begin on a new plow mounting arrangement for 52 soon.

Sounds interesting. Can you elaborate? (Does this new arrangement include a place for our Montreal friends to store their snow shovels?  )

-John

[Jason M Lamontagne]

The new arrangement involves hanging a man (or woman) basket off the front of the engine whew up to 4 show shovelers can shovel snow as the engine moves forward.  We figure maximum speed with this arrangment should far exceed that of the current arrangement.  We're looking for volunteers to test the system...

Or- we will replace the 1" bolts that currently attach the plow with 1" slotted studs.  The stud will have a 1" threaded end to go in the loco frame, while the outer end will have a slot which will hold a tapered key.  Thus- to mount the plow, slide over the studs and drive in the key- instead of the current arrangment of lining up to the holes and trying to start the threads.  The new arrangment was cooked up by Mike Fox as he's seen it on some industrial equipment at work.  Actually seems so logical it must be standard.

See ya
Jason

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

Will the Taper keys have a retainer chain/ cable so when it falls out it can be found?
Also when it is 20 below and someone drops one it is simple to retrieve from the snow.

[Mike Fox]

Carl,  yes. They keys did not come with them originally, but I asked for a simple hole and a length of chain be added for just such a reason.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday Nov 7:

* Car barn: battens, north wall, attaching/building track 3 inside the barn.
* Loco 9
* North end: Getting the dozer to the north end.
* Kubota: Repairing
* Track work: Now that we no longer have scheduled trains, we should be doing track work.  I will take out a track crew if anyone's interested, just find me.  Either morning between 8 and 9, or in the afternoon right after lunch would be the best times for longevity of work.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Fabulous idea on track work, James.  I encourage big joe going out, and hitting several low joints adjacent albee's field.  They've been eating at me...

Jason

[James Patten]

Those were the first places I wanted to hit.

[Bill Reidy]

...I will take out a track crew if anyone's interested, just find me...

I'd like to help this Saturday, but with work obligations and, more importantly family plans, it looks like December 5th will be the soonest I can get back to Sheepscot.  Regardless of when I get back, if the ground isn't frozen, I'd be happy to work on the track crew.

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Ill be around James. I know Ja wanted to touch base for brakeman training. Maybe I can plan around that.
Steve

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday Nov 7:

* Car barn: battens are done on south side.  Staging has been taken down.  Door put in on the side.  I found some joint bars and attached the 4 sets of joint bars on 2 sections of track on the west interior track, and did a little spiking on the third bay track.
* Loco 9: Stewart was doing some primer painting of pipes.
* North end: Mike got the dozer on 126, then he and I headed north.  The crane car was already up there.  We assembled the ramp (using the crane to move the large timbers), then after lunch got the dozer off.  Mike was not thrilled at driving it down such a steep ramp.  After he took me back to Sheepscot he went back and did some ROW work.
* Whitefield Section House: Stewart put down some more flooring, moved the stove onto the flooring, then linseed oiled the floor he put down.
* North Yard track: Jason said "Hey lets get the switch to Bay 3 working!"  The problem was that of alignment.  We pulled some spikes around the frog and pushed and tugged and got some alignment fixed.  Then we went to work on the closure rails up to the frog.  We discovered the closure rails was too short, which was messing up the math.  So we pulled the remaining spikes, and cut ourselves two new rails.
* Archives: I think Linda worked on Archives.

[Mike Fox]

A benefit of having just 2 tracks in service in the car barn. Room to walk in the shop, for now.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Wow... looks like some of the enginehouse shots from the original RR !