W.W.&F. Discussion Forum
WW&F Railway Museum Discussion => Work and Events => Topic started by: Russ Nelson on January 15, 2023, 07:42:31 PM
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The first weekend in May (board meeting day) is the 6th, so the Spring Work Weekend is April 28, 29, 30, and May 1 (Friday through Monday). The most people show up on Saturday, but many are working Friday and Sunday, and some stay over to Monday. Hope to see you there!
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And, this just in...
On Saturday, April 29th, we'll be having the raffle drawing for a complete G-scale WW&F train set!
(https://giftshop.wwfry.org/uploads/1/2/7/5/127500296/s651317049172484381_p637_i2_w802.png)
LGB has donated this train set from their 2022-2023 catalog, showcasing our railroad! Here's your opportunity to own the complete set - including the special LGB Club edition of Boxcar 309 - while supporting the museum.
The retail value of this set is nearly $1500.
Buy your electronic raffle tickets for the drawing to be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023 during Spring Work Weekend. (https://giftshop.wwfry.org/product/lgb-raffle/637?cs=true)
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2023 SWW
Work List
Track: Foremen: Dan, others TBD.
Friday: Construct Garden Track off turntable
Saturday: 2 Crews. Crew 1: ballast, tamp, reballast Garden track. Crew 2: Main line- remove excessive ballast from track, change ties.
Sunday: 1 crew: Main Line: remove excessive ballast from track, change ties.
Car Painting (130, 554) Friday-Sunday: Shop bay 1. Crew from Mt Washington Cog
Head Tide Trail Saturday only, Steve P Foreman.
Trout Brook Station Painting- Will a crew foreman please step forward for this?
Brendan may have enginehouse work arranged.
All readers- please let us know here or by direct contact if you plan on volunteering on one of these crews (and which crew you prefer).
Thanks,
Jason
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FYI the paint for 554 was left inside 554 all winter at ToM and froze, so someone will need to procure new paint.
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I enjoyed working on the engine house in the Fall, and would like to continue that work.
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I would be willing to run the tamper.
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Ben I apologize for the paint, but as long as someone picks up the names for each color they should be able to finish Caboose 554 at the very least. I know the Tan paint had the name of, "Sandy Hook Gray".
The Ballast removal should have the primary focus on the mountain, removing Ballast from within the gauge in spots where the Ballast exceeds to the top of the rail. Once the spots on the mountain are done then the crew can continue back along the main. Or at least that's what I understand, Jason and Steve will tell me I'm wrong but that's what I know.
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I plan on having a small clean up crew on Saturday 4/29, cleaning up the spoils from this winters plowing. Hoping to have a power broom or 2 on hand to make things easier.
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I should be up there for most of Saturday and Sunday with at least one other Stone. Glad to fill in with either track gang if that's where the need is.
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Further refinements on Specifics for each day of the Track Crew.
All of this was talked over and approved by Jason.
Friday: 2 Crews
Crew 1 = Crew Forman - Dan M.
Building and Finishing Garden Track.
Crew 2 = Crew Forman- Bill R.
Stone removal from within the gauge.
Mountain is priority, then the rest of the
main. Return for lunch.
*Please note that if the area that you are working in has stone up to the railhead inside and out of the gauge, the stone should be shoveled onto a flatcar as not to waste. If stone is up to the railhead only on the inside then it is ok to just put to the side.*
Saturday: 1 Crew - Tie Changing.
1 Crew with 4 sub crews, just like Tie & Dine.
Sub Crew 1 = Pulling spikes. Objective will be to stay ahead of other crew pulling spikes on the ties that are to be changed and loosing the spikes two ties on either side of the Tie that is to be changed. Then move on to the next Tie.
Sub Crew 2 = Preppers. Objective is to dig out holes for track Jack's, lift the rail, pull the Tie out, and lower Jack's. Then move on to the next Tie
Sub Crew 3 = Installers. Objective is to dig out hole for new Tie, insert new Tie, Gauge and spike the tie. Then move on to the next Tie.
Sub Crew 4 = Tamping. Objective is to go through and dress and tamp the Tie.
If all goes well this should work like an assembly line.
Sunday: 1 Crew - Stone Removal
It will be the same attack plan as Friday continuing from where Fridays crew left off.
I'm trying to think if I left out anything but I'm sure Jason could add any points that I may have missed.
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For Friday's crew 2, I plan to have X52's train ready for the trip north to Top of Mountain by 8.30 a.m. for departure from Sheepscot at 8.45. The weather forecast looks very good for the day's scenic trip up the valley and work on the Mountain. Hope we have a good turnout for this important maintenance work. Thanks to all who attend.
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Where should we park?
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Where should we park?
The main lot should have enough room to accommodate everyone. There are no public train rides this weekend.
By FWW, the new "Northwest" lot should be available, which will more than double the amount of available parking at Sheepscot.
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I plan to be there tomorrow morning all day, was not planning on Sunday (weather looks to be pretty lousy). Is the general start time at 8am like previous years? I am happy to be on track/ballast crew or help at head tide (I assume that crew is clearing brush like years past when I helped).
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Yes, ideally 8am is when people begin to gather now for track work as well as a few other projects.
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10-4. See you all tomorrow morning.
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Some belated photos from the first day of Spring Work Weekend April 28th
Garden track construction, as seen in the early morning.
(https://i.imgur.com/pCsyAQa.jpg)
Around lunchtime.
(https://i.imgur.com/ELvvBdI.jpg)
On the Mountain, crews cleaned up about 400 feet of track that either had an excess of ballast (to the top of the rails), or needed more stone added to bring the ballast to the top of the ties. The ties that been buried were wet but quickly dried out.
(https://i.imgur.com/AvDoIN6.jpg)
The morning crew on the Mountain.
(https://i.imgur.com/MI80WCr.jpg)
The afternoon crew. Dave B. and James P. were on the crew earlier.
(https://i.imgur.com/5Nr6YfU.jpg)
Josh Recave continued work on the wiring for the new Archives room.
(https://i.imgur.com/BGNWuYs.jpg)
Meanwhile, Linda and James were busy in the Archives room upstairs.
(https://i.imgur.com/7he1qyY.jpg)
The locomotive No. 11 crew was also busy with frame drilling and riveting.
(https://i.imgur.com/BbDdnyE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/f6CiwPt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MC1a9IC.jpg)
Stewart painting exterior window trim for engine house bay 1. Bill Sample also painted.
(https://i.imgur.com/uW5ysEZ.jpg)
The above was only a fraction of the work underway Friday. Among the other work was spraying fire retardant inside the engine house, painting prep for caboose 554 and painting open car 130, and the excellent meals provided by Nancy Weeks and crew.
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Photos from the second day of Spring Work Weekend, April 29th.
Painting crews were busy on caboose 554 and open car 130.
(https://i.imgur.com/l3rOeUi.jpg)
Nancy Weeks and crew have provided excellent meals this weekend.
(https://i.imgur.com/S2EXipe.jpg)
A large group worked in several groups on tie replacement and tamping between Trask's and Rosewood crossings. A lead crew pulled expired ties and inserted replacements. Crews followed spiking the new ties. Joe Fox followed with the tamper Wilmar tamping the new ties and occasional low joints. Here a crew spikes some of the first replacement ties just north of Trask's.
(https://i.imgur.com/INkJdWG.jpg)
A lead crew pulls expired ties and inserts replacements near Alna Center.
(https://i.imgur.com/5kZieLF.jpg)
Replacement ties inserted (light in color), spiking crews approach Alna Center.
(https://i.imgur.com/L0pTJUj.jpg)
Joe Fox follows up with Wilmar. Watching the tamper in action is impressive, as in Joe's hands it makes short work of tamping that would have taken much longer by Big Joe.
(https://i.imgur.com/RXtm5pz.jpg)
A train led by No. 9 provided support. In the late afternoon, volunteers aboard the train collected the expired ties.
(https://i.imgur.com/BMCcnSr.jpg)
The train also towed Wilmar back to Sheepscot at the end of the day. Here Joe Fox (left) talks with other volunteers during a brief stop at Alna Center on the trip back south.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZYTMpDC.jpg)
Dan Malkowski led Friday's garden track construction and today's tie replacement work. Despite being busy, He did have time for some laughter today with Bryce Weeks.
(https://i.imgur.com/NTLNtdb.jpg)
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A couple of photos from this morning, April 30, the final day of Spring Work Weekend.
After two days of great weather, the expected rain set in overnight, so Sunday work was focused indoors.
The volunteers repainting caboose 554 this weekend worked on the final details today in engine house stall 3. They have done a terrific job with this car.
(https://i.imgur.com/Mb0S68M.jpg)
First thing this morning, another crew worked on some cleanup in the car barn, including the floors of coaches WW&F No. 8, F&M No. 2, and W&Q No. 3. This work is in anticipation of public trains next Saturday, May 6th.
(https://i.imgur.com/lXcG1Zv.jpg)
I left for the trip home shortly after 9 a.m. It was great to see so many friends again this weekend and the work they accomplished.
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Thank you to all who came and spent your valuable time we us! We would be nothing without our dedicated volunteers. I was especially heartened to see so many young volunteers many of which came for the first time.
Dave
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ML&M 556 got some exterior paint..
(https://i.postimg.cc/MZgyxpm7/0429231234-HDR.jpg)
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So who won the raffle?
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So who won the raffle?
CONGRATULATIONS are due to Sarah F. who purchased the winning ticket for her 5 year old son, Finn! Sarah reports that Finn is "bouncing off the wall with excitement". She sends her gratitude: "You have made a little boy’s dream come true!!"
Thanks to everyone who helped raise over $3600 which is earmarked for acquiring artifacts related to the WW&F and placed in our collection of archives.
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For those of you that can't remember (like me 8) ) what was the raffle prize that got Finn F. so excited, here you go . . .
And, this just in...
On Saturday, April 29th, we'll be having the raffle drawing for a complete G-scale WW&F train set!
(https://giftshop.wwfry.org/uploads/1/2/7/5/127500296/s651317049172484381_p637_i2_w802.png)
LGB has donated this train set from their 2022-2023 catalog, showcasing our railroad! Here's your opportunity to own the complete set - including the special LGB Club edition of Boxcar 309 - while supporting the museum.
The retail value of this set is nearly $1500.
Buy your electronic raffle tickets for the drawing to be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023 during Spring Work Weekend. (https://giftshop.wwfry.org/product/lgb-raffle/637?cs=true)
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I just wanted to share this little bit from some folks I talked to, met, and got to know over the work weekend:
First and foremost, thank you to EVERYONE who went above and beyond, like we are so widely known to do, for making everyone, including new volunteers feel welcome, and important. There were a few new volunteers that this was their first time being at the museum. I can not stress enough how great it is that we have and keep such a welcome environment.
Job well done to everyone, and as always, it was great to see everyone, make new friends, and to be a small part of such a tremendous organization. We are continuing to carry on the memory of many dear friends, and passing the memories of them along to future generations as well.
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Well said, Joe.
That was the experience working on the engine house, many volunteers stopped to look at the building and chat or they wanted to know where the other crews were working. There were so many new faces, the old saying "just be kind to everybody" was the rule. Working near the rolling stock paint crew was good since we lent them sections of staging and a few other things to help their project. The results speak for themselves and the SWW pics on the WW&F Facebook page have gotten a few thousand likes.
Your comment about remembering dear friends is so true. In the back of my mind I kept expecting Dwight, Don or Paul to walk around the corner of the engine house and say hello. We sure miss them but they were there in spirit.