Messages

1

Volunteers / Re: February 2025 work reports

« on: February 05, 2025, 08:57:32 AM »

February 2025 Railroad Snow Removal and Inspection Plan

Thanks to Dan M and Brian Whitney for clearing the railroad this past Monday.

Upcoming weather events and our planned response:

Thursday 2/6/25 afternoon- overnight: Snow 3-5”.

Friday 2/7/25: X52 snow clearing and inspection (Help Wanted!)

Saturday 2/8/25: X9 Public operations

Sunday 2/9/25: Snow 4-6”.

Monday 2/10/25: X52 snow clearing and inspection (Help Wanted!)

Tuesday through Thursday 2/11/25 to 2/13/25: Snow 2-4”.

Friday 2/14/25: X52 snow clearing and inspection (Help Wanted!)

Saturday 2/15/25: X9 Public operations.

Each snow clearing and inspection operation also includes clearing and salting crossing flangeways and blowing/ sweeping all switches required for public operations.

Thanks,
Jason

2

Volunteers / Re: January 2025 work reports

« on: January 28, 2025, 03:12:21 PM »

Railroad Clearing and Inspection
Monday February 3, 2025

Folks there’s a relatively minor weather event forecast for Sunday evening into Monday that they’re saying will bring 2-3” snow to Alna.  However a few contributing factors are causing us to schedule a line clearing and inspection operation next Monday, February 3, 2025.

Unfortunately I will be out of town and cannot help, but I am grateful that Dan has agreed to come in on that unusual weekday to lead the effort.  We would GREATLY appreciate getting Dan some help- he can’t do this alone.  Please let us know here or directly.

2-3” isn’t much however it’s on top an existing 2-3”, meaning the railroad will need to be flanged.  Monday’s forecast temperatures are in the 40s, making this fairly trivial, however following that temps drop into single digits for the rest of the week- which would make a deferred clearing operation somewhere between miserable and impossible.

As an additional heads up Dan will also need to run an clearing and inspection operation prior to Saturday’s public trains- he says either Friday or Saturday AM.  When you see Dan please smile and thank him for taking care of the railroad.

Thanks- let us know if you can help!

Jason

3

Volunteers / Re: January 2025 work reports

« on: January 21, 2025, 07:57:19 PM »

Thank you to Dan and Bryce for singlehandedly clearing the railroad today.  Dan blew out all the switches in the AM; after lunch he and Bryce went north to clear the railhead, flange, clear crossings and blow out the ToM switches.  Now the sun can attempt to work some magic in the sub-zero temps this week.

Thanks guys,
Jason

4

Volunteers / Re: January 2025 work reports

« on: January 20, 2025, 11:11:39 AM »

Line clearing and Inspection
Tuesday January 21, 2025

Hi folks,

Asking for any and all help to clear the line tomorrow.  We’ll clear the yard in the morning mostly with the blower, take lunch then head north around noon.  Please let us know here or privately if you can make it to help.

Thanks
Jason

5

Volunteers / Re: January 2025 work reports

« on: January 17, 2025, 10:29:22 AM »

Saturday January 18, 2025
Plow preparation and line inspection

Hi folks,

Tomorrow I plan to install and test 52’s plow, then perform a riding inspection from SS to ToM (and hopefully return), presalting crossings.  I probably won’t get started until 10 or 10:30- to let the day heat up a little first.

I will gladly accept any and all help!

Dan is under the weather so I’m covering these activities for him prior to the predicted snow and cold weather next week.

If you know you cam help and can let me know here, please do so.

Thanks
Jason

6

Work and Events / Re: WW&F No. 10 - Official Work Thread

« on: January 05, 2025, 09:12:52 AM »

Hi John,

These rivet flanges will be butt welded to the edges of the flanged throat sheet knuckles and radiographed in compliance with Section I.  This has made fit up significantly easier.

Thanks
Jason

7

Work and Events / Re: Coach 9 - Official Work Thread

« on: December 16, 2024, 10:55:45 AM »

John, in studying the Miller system we’ve come to understand the Miller “hook” was part of a much broader system called the “Miller Safety Platform,” which combined a series of platform trusses, body-in-line buffer and captured draft hook which significantly stiffened and strengthened coach platforms over predecessors.  We also realized that when converted to Janney, the Maine 2 foot cars had their Miller trusses hacked off.  W&Q 1,2 and 3 were built with Miller Safety Platforms and lost them.

We want to reconstruct the Miller system for a number of reasons- to achieve the proper safety platform, to construct coach 9 as coach 2 was built, and to use our unique circumstance as a captured railroad to demonstrate a working Miller system on a train set, as was common on Maine two-footers in the 1890s. 

The Janney adapters for the Miller heads are a concurrent development to ensure continued interchangeability.  However to at least some of us- the no-brainer is to not waste this opportunity to do right by the coach 9 historical reconstruction and coach 3 restoration by, in part, equipping them with proper Miller Safety Platforms.

Thanks
Jason

8

Volunteers / Re: December 2024 Work Reports

« on: December 10, 2024, 08:32:46 PM »

Locomotive work sessions.

Folks, Build11 will hold its December 2024 work session this Thursday thru Saturday, 12/12 thru 12/14.

Loco10 work sessions occur nearly every Friday, including this Friday, 12/13.  Work focuses on mechanical aspects of boiler work.

Thanks
Jason

9

Volunteers / Re: December 2024 Work Reports

« on: December 10, 2024, 08:31:08 PM »

Yes- likely Friday.  Dan can confirm his preference.

Thanks
Jason

10

Work and Events / Re: Pattern storage

« on: November 18, 2024, 09:52:10 PM »

Russ,

Thanks for continuing this work.

The pattern in your photos is for the truss rod termination block on the Sheepscot Station turntable. 

Thanks
Jason

11

Volunteers / Re: November 2024 work reports

« on: November 17, 2024, 03:40:55 PM »

I haven’t seen this “tree,” but there was most definitely a duck..

12

Work and Events / Re: WW&F No. 10 - Official Work Thread

« on: November 15, 2024, 06:01:13 PM »

Great teamwork today including Bob L, Dan, Bryce and myself.  Noticeable progress each time we get together, so far.

See ya
Jason

13

Work and Events / Shop Annex

« on: October 06, 2024, 11:32:52 AM »

Hello folks,

As everyone knows our shop annex, which is essentially a stock room used for the purpose of maintaining usable workspace in the shop proper, has grown to be quite frustrating in its untidiness.  Wayne and Kitty Laepple used to keep after this when they were able to do so.  The lack of a space “keeper” over the last year has really shown.

Also as many of you know, my father, Joe Lamontagne, has been volunteering significantly of late- usually 5 days per week.  A couple months ago he offered to adopt the annex, give it a major overhaul and organization, and most importantly- he’s offered to be the keeper of that space once it’s under control.  He was a career warehouse manager at BIW and comes with a wealth of ideas. 

When he offered he asked if his proposal needed any sort of formal approval.  I didn’t think so as someone volunteering to clean up our mess seemed just dandy to me.  He’s now asked me to let folks know of this plan, so he isn’t bumping into anyone else’s potential plans.  He intends to tackle it as a winter project, beginning after Brendan is done needing him for the enginehouse project this fall.

Hopefully everyone else is as excited about this as me!

Thanks
Jason

14

Work and Events / Re: Fall Work Weekend 2024

« on: October 06, 2024, 11:23:44 AM »

Hi folks,

Thanks Ben for posting the small project list.  A couple minor caveats on two of those items: the house switch was never finish spiked as the closure rails need additional ramp down shimming.  If anyone is willing to lead this effort please check in with me and I’ll be happy to pass on details. 

I thought I had a flag on the turntable wall tie anchors but just doing the anchors is fine.  At some point those ties may need to be removed for an elevation correction on some of the enginehouse leads but having anchors in place won’t hurt as long as the studs can be removed from the anchors and the ties slid out toward the pit.  If the studs aren’t removable, the rails rolls have to be lifted to correct these tie thicknesses so that’d be a bother.

Thanks,
Jason

15

Work and Events / Re: Fall Work Weekend 2024

« on: October 04, 2024, 09:49:20 AM »

Full list of projects that I know of:

Mainline track maintenance (Dan Malkowski)
Trout Brook Station improvements.  (Brendan Barry)
Build11.  (Rick S/ Gordon C)
Coach 8 detailing.  (Eric Schade)

If anyone knows of others please do drop them in here.

Thanks
Jason