October 2016 Work Planning

[Stephen Lennox]

I can be available on 10-22

Steve L

[Ira Schreiber]

We are, in fact, very short on spikes. I counted them, and before the turntable leads, there were only 210 spikes in inventory.

[Wayne Laepple]

I sure hope more spikes are on order.

[Ed Lecuyer]

There is (was?) a small stash (~10) of spikes in a small wooden box on the shelf in the shed/section house. They are used but in good condition. I found this stash of spikes (likely gathered when I was a kid) when I was cleaning out my parent's house and brought up the usable ones.

[Charlie Lacasse]

Unfortunately I have a work interruption on the 15th and the 22nd, so I have to be there instead.

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday October 15:

* Top of Mountain: Mike did more grading work, then loaded the bulldozer on the flatcar (brought up on the 2:30 train) and brought it back.
* The flatcar had stone on it, and the stone was emptied on various tracks.
* Steam: #9 was fired up for a birthday party (an 80th+ party - I forget how old exactly), which had Coach 3 and the caboose on the 11 AM train.  Then the 12:30 train had a troop of boy scouts.  The 2:30 train was a 5-car train with the flatcar, switching it into place then returning, with the diesel having followed and the diesel was used to bring it back.

#9 was put on the turntable over lunch for a photographer from the newspaper to report on.  It was then rotated a full 360 before going back on the train.  Then after the last train, after putting the train away, with the diesel and bulldozer/flatcar occupying the roundhouse run-through track it went back on the table to go over a few degrees to the run-through track where it sparked  the firebox.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

* Track - Ballast was spread on the north end of the woods track and some additional stone was put on the turntable lead.  

* Campus - Zack and Fred ran a major clean up around the turntable and the Prebles building where much turntable work was done.

[Bob Holmes]

Mike successfully unloaded the bulldozer using a trailer, not a ramp.  He was pleased with the result.

[Mike Fox]

Bob I am always pleased when my hair brained ideas actually work.

I had to stop this morning and take this picture..



Made it onto the trailer. The John Deere really wasn't happy, but the trailer was on blocking..

[Keith Taylor]

it went back on the table to go over a few degrees to the run-through track where it sparked  the firebox.

What exactly is "sparking the firebox" and how did the new turntable accomplish this?

Keith

[James Patten]

Should have said "sparking the smokebox".  Sparking involves feeding boiling water into the smokebox in order to clean out the cinders in the smokebox.  It makes a mess.  #9 was moved to near the coal pile to do it.

[Keith Taylor]

Thanks James!

[Gordon Cook]

A quick explanation:
After the last run Saturday we put the cars into the carbarn, then we were going to run 9 over to the roundhouse lead next to the coal pile to clean out the smokebox, but #52 was coming back in, so we ended up running back to the south yard and onto the turntable so we could 'switch' over to the roundhouse lead from the south end. Fun and useful!
JB Smith was fireman with me Saturday and over the previous work weekend and he said they kept forgetting to clear out the smokebox. Figuring 9 would be quiet for a while, we wanted to get as much ash out as we could. There was at least a foot of ash in there!  

I was surprised at how easily the turntable rotates with that much weight. A very clever design that basically uses a giant roller bearing to take all the load. And a faithful and precise implementation by Harold Downey and the Sheepscot construction crew.

[Bob Holmes]

Amen to your comments, Gordon.  What happened Saturday shows the vastly increased flexibility of the two yards due to the turntable, and once again the improvisation of a real working railroad!

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday October 22:

* Top of Mountain - my guess is getting the Kubota back is the plan.
* Turntable decking - I think I saw the lumber had been delivered.
* Boxcar 67