Messages

1

Work and Events / Re: Engine House - Official Work Thread

« on: March 31, 2023, 06:49:18 PM »

Perhaps this is a dumb question; but why are not the windows on the east side evenly spaced?

Ted Miles, WW&F Member

The new engine house is a replica of the original W&Q/WW&F Wiscasset engine house so the window spacing matches the 1894 version.  Harry once explained that the window spacing allowed for a diagonal wind brace timber to be built into the wall fairly close to the center.  That's why there was no 4th window and there is a wide space between the second and third window. 

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Work and Events / Re: Engine House - Official Work Thread

« on: March 26, 2023, 07:27:18 AM »

The last window and the east door have been installed. Saturday's crew of Brendan, Fred, Zack, James and Start worked on the building.  Work included cleaning up scrap wood + adding more shingles on the center and east stall walls.

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Volunteers / Re: February 2023 Work Reports

« on: February 27, 2023, 09:17:21 AM »

I'm coming up for both Tuesday and Wednesday this week. What time does the work start on Tuesday?

Hi Dante,
Steve Lennox can confirm but the track crew generally starts 7:30 - 8:00 am. It varies depending on the weather and project.  The engine house crew starts 8:00 - 9:00 am, again depending on the weather and the type of work.  Shop work: Coach 9 / Eric, or truck construction / Carlos. Start time is usually 8:00 - 9:00 am.  Other projects could be any time before 9:30 - 10:00.  If you're there around 8:00 you can join just about any group.

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Work and Events / Re: Engine House - Official Work Thread

« on: February 22, 2023, 08:55:57 AM »

Fred and Randy spent a good bit of time cleaning up on the west side of the engine house after the staging was removed.  The area looks much better and the photo on the FB page is the first view of the west side after the clean up.  To reward the crew, everyone took a break to enjoy Fred's (belated) birthday party in the Percival House at lunchtime. 

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Work and Events / Re: Engine House - Official Work Thread

« on: February 21, 2023, 01:46:45 PM »

The west wall shingle work was completed Monday afternoon, Feb 20th.   The staging was removed during the clean up on Tuesday the 21st.  Photos will be posted on the WW&F FB page.

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 19, 2023, 07:00:02 PM »

Work done on Thursday, January 19th -

Engine 9 - Wes and Roger worked on the locomotive for a couple hours in the afternoon.

Archives - Linda worked in the office and received an interesting parcel in the mail.

Campus - Brendan made a dump run with construction debris and then worked on the snow piles, moving them back to make room for snow from the next 2 or 3 storms.

Engine House - East side shingles are now as far as can be applied until the window re-frame is done. Work now goes back to the west wall: more staging was set up so the tar paper could be finished.  When the tar paper was in place, the final trim cleats were added to the front corner post.

Gift Shop/Store - Some large orders for railway books were shipped out. Earlier, Cindy and Linda finished the merchandise inventory, checking stock in the temporary store (the SR&RL combine).

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 14, 2023, 01:24:29 PM »

What's ZR, Stewart?

Jeff

Hi Jeff, 
ZR is an abbreviation for freezing rain, it's used in weather alerts that are sent to fire personnel when storms are in the forecast.

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 14, 2023, 09:33:04 AM »

Alna - as of 9:00am this morning the temp is 30 with sleet and ZR. Many roads in the mid-coast region are coated in black ice with local law and fire reporting a number of accidents. Road crews are responding but Lincoln County EMA suggests that everyone stay home until things get better (hopefully) this afternoon.

9

Volunteers / Re: A few stories ...

« on: December 31, 2022, 01:46:43 PM »

The Nail -

A recently retired fellow had been hearing about his local railway museum so he decided to visit one Saturday.   He met a couple of volunteers that were rebuilding a wood bodied boxcar and they asked if he wanted to help.  He had carpentry experience so he jumped right in adding sheathing to the inside of the car.  Before he knew it, the day was over and he headed home.  His wife asked how things went and he told her about the project.  She seemed concerned that he would spend too much time there so he said I may go back every once in a while.  Later as he took his keys out of his pocket he found a nail left over from the sheathing job.  The next weekend he told his wife that he accidently brought home something that belonged to the railroad and needed go back to return it.  He spent another day working on the boxcar and making new friends. At the end of the day he drove home with, you guessed it... the nail still in his pocket.  He told his wife well I had such a nice time meeting new friends that I forgot to return the item so two weeks later he went back to the museum.  That was 15 years ago and he is still a regular volunteer with a nail in his pocket.     

10

Volunteers / Re: December 2022 Work Reports

« on: December 28, 2022, 05:01:41 PM »

No more weekly dump runs, Stewart?

Wayne, 
I have been doing the once a week trip for years, mostly because I take my home trash along with the railroads stuff.  Sometimes there are 10 to 14 large bags and it's a lot of work. The dumpster will reduce the number of dump runs, maybe to every two weeks.  I'll still take my trash over and I'll grab a bag or two of the railroads stuff if the dumpster gets full. 

I hope that everyone working in the shop (machine + wood shop) will take their trash to the dumpster every week.  This will reduce the number of full cans in the main shop which keeps the place cleaner + more fire safe.

11

Volunteers / Re: December 2022 Work Reports

« on: December 28, 2022, 04:00:18 PM »

Work done Wednesday, December 28th -

* Coach 9 - Eric worked on the clerestory window frames.

* Engine house - Fred applied more shingles to the north wall of the center stall. He quit just before the snow started.

* Executone phone system - The 30 hour Christmas eve power outage caused the business phone system to lose its programming. The first attempt to reprogram the system failed.  The CPU card was replaced and the system was then reprogrammed.  To anyone using the system: the direct call (station to station) buttons may not work properly but the rest of the buttons work for making/receiving phone calls.

* Shop - Roger and Jason have been keeping the coal stove going. Jason was also working something, vacuum brakes?

* Back lot - This was the first day I saw the truck show up to empty the new dumpster.  Shop, restroom and house trash (properly bagged) should go to the dumpster which is in the parking lot near where the old woods track used to end.   

12

Museum Discussion / Re: Finding the WW&F on Facebook

« on: December 27, 2022, 12:07:58 PM »

Thanks Ed but I can't take much credit, it's a team effort with a number of contributors of news, photos, maps and videos.  Just like the content of our excellent newsletter (thanks to Bill Reidy), everyone who is on a crew whether track, train, shop, carpentry or other contributes to the content.  The end game has always been to provide an on-line place for people to become interested in what we are doing.  Interest hopefully leads to people joining the museum and then contributing in whatever way they want. 

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Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Re: New WW&F Song...

« on: December 17, 2022, 09:05:58 AM »

Ed -- are you and Fred collaborating?

You guys have too much time on your hands!

I think Fred has been writing song lyrics while working on the engine house... that would explain the rhythm of the hammer.

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Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Re: New WW&F Song...

« on: December 17, 2022, 05:24:43 AM »

One for Fred -

Plowing through the snow, on the Sheepscot narrow gauge
O'er the grades we go - to Trout Brook today.
Bells on boilers ring, headlights shining bright
what fun it is to sing a song on the two foot gauge tonight.

Oh... Ringing bell coal smoke smell steaming all the way
oh what fun it is to ride on the Sheepscot narrow gauge, hey!
Ringing bell coal smoke smell steaming all the way
oh what fun it is to ride on the Sheepscot narrow gauge.

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Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Re: WW&F song from the old forum??

« on: December 16, 2022, 09:14:21 PM »

Not really Christmas but "WW&F Song" made me think this narrow gauge knock-off that was posted on the old forum:       
(from memory written to the tune Moon River)

Sheepscot River, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style, narrow gauge.

Oh steam maker you coal breaker,
if switches are lined up I'm going your way.

Two coaches off to see the north,
 there's such a lot of track to see.

We're after the same two-foot train, waitin' round the bend my little Forney friend
Sheepscot River and me.