August 2020 Work Reports

[Mike Fox]

Latest forecast is afternoon rain, which I am only planning on working until noon or so anyhow at the Pavilion.

[Stephen Lennox]

Completed work Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 August 2020

Tuesday:

*  Flat car unloaded, selection of various  switch parts loaded.
*  Number #3 lead to car barn lifted and hand tamped.  (Joe F, Steve L, Mark, Chuck)
*  Coach #3, plumbing and vacuum brakes.  (Johnathan)
*  Mowing SS campus (Fred) Mowing with 2 mowers AC (Fred and Randy)
*  Coach #9 assembly  (Eric and Ron)
*  Archives work on going.  (Linda)
*  Gift shop mail orders.  (Cindy)
*  Trash pick up and Dump run.  (Stewart)

Wednesday:

*  Switching, Caboose #320 returned to car barn.  (Mark, Steve L, Chuck)
*  Coach #3, plumbing and vacuum brakes. (Jonathan)
*  TOM, Tamper parts removed for repairs. (Steve L, Mark, Chuck, Fred)
*  Small engine repairs. (Jay)
*  Crew takes hand car with ties and tools and replaces 5 ties. (Dan, Brian)
*  Locomotive #9 repairs. (Roger)
*  Archives, grounds up keep.  (Linda)
*  Rail joints, 32 bolts tighten. (Mark, Steve L)
*  Gift shop mail orders to include one order going over seas. (Cindy)

[Stephen Lennox]

Work completed Tuesday and Wednesday 25/26 August 2020

Missed notes:

     *  Leon and Jarred (Weeks) additional blue flag device's to car barn doors #2 and #3.
     *  #52 spring repair rescheduled
     *  TOM switch rebuild rescheduled

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Dan Malkowski, Bryce Weeks and Brian Strait plan a tie changing party.  I’m sure they’d appreciate any help they can get.  No other trains are running so this is a great day for it.

Thanks,
Jason

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Work done on Thursday and Friday -

* Lowboy trailer - Brian Strait worked on cleaning rust and painting the WW&F Hudson Bros trailer frame.
* Gift Shop - More mail sales (some overseas) and work on the stock shelf covers for the railroad books.
* Percival House - A new entrance lock was installed on the north door. (same code)
* Shop building - The north doors were cleaned and trued up and to close / fit better.
* Engine 9 - Work on valve assemblies.
 

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday Aug 29:

* Pavilion: As mentioned in Mike's report, the trusses were uncovered, and the crane truck was fired up.  Then it started to rain so we headed back to Sheepscot.

And that was it.

[Wayne Laepple]

It's okay, guys. there has to be some rain to make the grass grow.

C'mon now, sing it with me: "The sun'll come out tomorrow....."

[James Patten]

Maine is in the beginning stages of drought, so the rain is well needed.

[Bob Holmes]

The lakes desperately needed to be refilled!

[Dan Malkowski]

Sunday, August 30th

Small crew of 4 (Brian, Nick, Bryce, and Dan) went out with 52 and a Flatcar and replaced 12 ties total.

We started the day by taking a trip to TOM to be able to run around the flat car then we headed back to Alna Center where we changed two red marked ties just south of the south switch. We continued then to Cockeye curve where we got one tie changed and were about to start on another two but come to find out that there was a bees nest in the first one we tried (no one was stung) and decided to not chance the other. (No it was not me who found this one). After that encounter we went to a section of track between Jane's way and Brooke crossing where there was a whole string of ties right in a row. we started to dig out the ties and then headed for lunch.

When we came back we started changing out the ties one after the other. We finished around 3:00pm.

Between the two days (Wednesday & Sunday) 16 total red dotted ties were changed.

Pictures will either come later (if I can figure it out). But they will also be up on my Facebook.

[Wayne Laepple]

We have a perfectly good tie exchanger. It cost us a lot of money to buy it and move it and regauge it. Why isn't anyone using it?

[Mike Fox]

Wayne, evidently there is a carburetor issue. The old updraft carb on it was challenging to get it running the first time, and took me over 100 pulls to finally get the right combination. I knew nothing of this issue until a few weeks ago, so could make no suggestions as to what I had done to get it running..

So the carb is off, I assume getting rebuilt.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Jay Barta has agreed to adopt this project and is mid process getting a new carb.  Jay is currently planned to be out for a couple months.  Upon his return this is on his list, followed by the Brookeville rebuild (which will be moved in to shop bay 3 for him).  Note the carburetor has likely never functioned correctly under our ownership.

Until and even after the tie changer is in service, the tie ladders provide a great service.

Thanks Wayne, all,
Jason

[Jay Barta]

One of the mounting posts for the float had broken off in the past, a repair appears to have been attempted eg: epoxy, JB weld ?? So the engine behaved like a sunk float. Found a trashed Zenith 63 L for cheap with a good cover, intact float posts, hope to "marry" the two.

[Wayne Laepple]

Thanks for the updates, Jay, Jason and Mike. From 500 miles away, it appeared that nothing was happening with the machine, and I put a lot of time and effort into finding it, negotiating the sale and shipping it to Maine. Mike worked hard to regauge it and as a bonus even repainted it. I just did not want to see it relegated to the scrap pile or something.