Topics

1

Volunteers / 2025 Amherst Railroad Hobby Show - Volunteers Needed *SIGN UP HERE*

« on: December 13, 2024, 11:13:28 PM »

Hello All!

The volunteer sign-up for the Amherst Railroad Society's Railroad Hobby Show at the 'Big E' in West Springfield, MA is now live!

The show is being held on Saturday January 25 and Sunday January 26. Setup happens afternoon/night of Friday the 24th and takedown is immediately following the show at 5PM on Sunday. I've made an attempt to split the days up so people could still help the WW&F at our display and also enjoy the show, but if you need more specific hours or can only give part of a day, we are beggars not choosers, so we'll take whatever you can give.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CAFAF2DA3F9CF8-54039025-railroad

Some of you have already reached out to me (thank you!)

If you've never been, the show is a really fun way to meet folks interested in all-things railroad from around the Northeast, and really, the entire country. If you've already been, you know what I'm talking about!

Thanks for helping get this crewed so we can all go down, spread the good word about the WW&F, see old friends and make new ones and welcome some folks who don't yet know what we're up to in Alna

Best,
Steve

2

Volunteers / John Seigars' Fire Fundraiser Train

« on: October 24, 2024, 11:06:04 PM »

For those of you who haven't heard, our Cross Road neighbor (not directly next door- rather at the west end of Cross Rd.) John Seigars suffered a tragic house fire earlier this week. His home was a total loss and he lost a great deal of his possessions in the fire as well. John is 83 years old and has often been a good friend to the WW&F and others in town when they needed 'something' as John ran our local scapyard/fix-it shop/mend and repair lot out of his property. He held on to all kinds of things waiting for the right person to come along who needed it.

This Sunday, October 27, we are running a special train as a benefit for John- all proceeds from the train will go to John to help with his recovery from the fire and basic immediate needs.

You can find out more here:
https://wwfry.org/all-activities/fundraising-special/

3

Volunteers / Volunteer Recruitment Day, September 14th

« on: September 07, 2024, 09:29:49 PM »

Hope you are all well.

I'm reaching out because we have our second and final Volunteer Recruitment Day of the year next Saturday September 14th. Our hope is to encourage prospective volunteers to get involved in our activities at the railroad and show them the kinds of work we do and the fun we have while doing it.

The plan is for the day to be split into three segments. It will span from roughly 10AM until 2:30PM

Our timeline for the day is as follows:
10 to 11 a.m.: Small group tours of Sheepscot, to learn about our campus from the volunteer perspective (like where to sign in, get personal safety equipment, eat lunch, etc) Tours will begin at the Percival House with sign-in and depart from there.
11 to 11:30 a.m.: Lunch in the Percival House
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Mixed train round trip to experience the restored railway, with a volunteer project along the way.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Volunteer opportunity information sessions. Prospective volunteers can meet with department heads to discuss work in which they are interested.
2:30 p.m.: A raffle to close out the day.

To make a good showing for the railway, I hope that you can make it down to help share what we do. Word will be going out in the form of press releases to local news outlets this week, and also on social media and other similar ways. Perhaps most importantly, if you are comfortable, I'd suggest reaching out to a friend, coworker, or others who you think might be interested in what we do and personally inviting them- that sort of recruitment usually pays the highest dividends.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for things we may have missed.

Best,
Steve Piwowarski

4

Volunteers / Windsor Fair: August 24th through September 2nd *volunteers needed*

« on: July 13, 2024, 09:36:53 PM »

Hello All,

This year the WW&F has been invited by the Windsor Historical to have a presence at their site during the Windsor Fair. This is a major opportunity for us to get out and connect with people in our locale who actually live within a convenient drive of the railway. Many of them probably have not heard of us before. For starters, the fair has an estimated attendance of 150,000 throughout the week. And there will be opportunities, I am sure, to connect with people who were connected to the WW&F's pre-1933 operations, which always means interesting stories, etc.

We are planning on bringing the handcar (as a static display) along with other materials to the fair this year. It would be incredible to have a representative of the Railway on site during these times.

I am committed to getting the displays set up ahead of the fair and spending a day at the fair, but since it is the week before school, and I am a teacher, this is a difficult time for me to dedicate an entire week (its the week we need to go in for lots of meetings and prep for students). Because of this, I am reaching out to all of you to help staff the exhibit during the fair. I think we might even get exhibitor passes (I will check on this) which means entrance would be free.

Also, if you are are train crew member please consider that when considering helping out with this in the interest of making sure we have fully crewed trains. We can will endeavor to find non-operating crew volunteers to cover the slots on operating days.

If you are interested in helping out with this, please respond here or email me at stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org

Thank you!
Steve Piwowarski

5

Museum Discussion / Narrow Gauge Exhibition Building at Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden

« on: June 30, 2024, 05:34:47 PM »

Hi All,

Given the recent discussion and charettes relating to the eventual construction of an exhibition and archival space on the campus at Sheepscot, I thought I would share the following, which is a tour of the narrow gauge exhibition at Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden. The video also gives a pretty good overview of the layout and construction of their exhibition building, which might also be helpful. Check it out here:

https://youtu.be/KNYwoglOpz8

Best,
Steve

6

Two Footers outside of the US / Narrow Gauge Exhibit at Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden

« on: June 30, 2024, 05:21:24 PM »

Hi All,

Attached below is a link to the narrow gauge exhibit at Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden. This is probably the best exhibit that I've seen on the subject of narrow gauge, and it has several details I hope we can emulate in our own exhibits at the WW&F. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/KNYwoglOpz8

Best,
Steve

7

Two Footers outside of the US / Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden outside Leiden, Netherlands

« on: June 25, 2024, 10:48:32 PM »

Hi All,

Last summer my family had the opportunity to visit Netherlands during August for the wedding of a friend and we got to explore several very interesting heritage railway operations while we were there. One was Stoomtrein Katwijk-Leiden, which is actually the most expansive collection of narrow gauge railway equipment in the Netherlands. This organization has gone to great lengths to interpret the interesting variety of narrow gauge railways and operations in the Netherlands and runs a very interesting operation, with exciting plans for the future as well.

You can check out a video of photos and clips here: https://youtu.be/hpoCVmNo0lI

8

Volunteers / Volunteering at the WW&F

« on: March 15, 2024, 08:54:22 PM »

Hi All,

We're working on a project for new volunteers/volunteer recruits and would value some quotes from our volunteers. Specifically, we're interested in quotes about what keeps you coming back, how you see your work at the railway, and what you think might be interesting for a new volunteer to know.

Best,
Steve P.

You can share your responses in reply to this note. Thanks!

9

Work and Events / Volunteer Recruitment Day - Rescheduled to April 13th 10AM-2:30PM

« on: March 08, 2024, 09:37:03 PM »

Hello All,

Saturday March 23rd April 13th, the WW&F will be holding a Volunteer Recruitment Day. The basic schedule is as follows:

10-11:00: small group tours of Sheepscot, to gain familiarity of the campus from the volunteer perspective (so beginning in the Percival house with sign-in and fanning out from there.)
11:00-11:30: Lunch in the Percival House
11:30-1:30: mixed train and return with a possible volunteer project along the way.
1:30-2:30: volunteer information session- prospective volunteers can meet with department heads in the positions they are interested in.
2:30: end of the day participant raffle.
There will be light refreshments available at Sheepscot throughout the day.
If you have a friend or acquaintance that you’ve wanted to bring down to the WW&F or know someone who would be interested in volunteering, this would be a great day to bring them down to learn about the WW&F in a low-pressure situation.
People respond best to personal invitations and are more likely to connect with the railway if they have some personal connection bringing them here, so keep that in mind.

Hope to see you there!

10

Volunteers / 2024 Amherst Railroad Hobby Show - Volunteers Needed *SIGN UP HERE*

« on: January 03, 2024, 08:16:54 PM »

Hello All!

While not nearly as proactive as last year (November 11th!), the sign-up for the Amherst Railroad Society's Railroad Hobby Show at the 'Big E' in West Springfield, MA is now live!

The show is being held on Saturday January 27 and Sunday January 28. Setup happens Friday afternoon/night and takedown is immediately following the show at 5PM on Sunday. I've made an attempt to split the days up so people could still help the WW&F at our display and also enjoy the show, but if you need more specific hours or can only give part of a day, we are beggars not choosers, so we'll take whatever you can give.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CAFAF2DA3F9CF8-47049366-railroad

Some of you have already reached out to me (thank you!) and I'll attempt to plug you into logical locations.

If you've never been, the show is a really fun way to meet folks interested in all-things railroad from around the Northeast, and really, the entire country. If you've already been, you know what I'm talking about!

Thanks for helping get this crewed so we can all go down, spread the good word about the WW&F, see old friends and make new ones and welcome some folks who don't yet know what we're up to in Alna

Best,
Steve

11

Work and Events / Victorian Christmas 2023 - now collecting unwanted Christmas Decorations

« on: October 15, 2023, 09:12:54 AM »

Hello all,

In preparation for the Victorian Christmas this year we’d like to collect unwanted non-electric, non-tree ornament decorations for use in decorating our trains, the station at Sheepscot and our pavilion and station at Alna Center.

To take pressure off of the railroad for storing and sorting these items, please reach out to me directly so that they can be dropped off at my house for sorting an organizing, preferably prior to November 11th

Thanks very much,
Steve Piwowarski

12

Volunteers / 2024 Narrow Gauge Convention - Pittsburgh

« on: September 27, 2023, 07:44:19 PM »

Hello All,

I am working on arranging for us to have a table at the 2024 Narrow Gauge Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. Is there anyone planning on attending who would be willing to set up a table for the WW&F and man it at certain times?

If you would enjoy helping out with thus, please let me know either by email: stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org or by forum message.

Thank you!

13

Work and Events / Victorian Christmas 2023 - Decorating Party & Potluck Supper - NOW November 19th

« on: September 27, 2023, 12:03:23 PM »

Hi All,

This year, someone special will be returning to Alna Center for Christmas! We're eagerly anticipating returning to an event that is more in keeping with our Victorian Christmas Trains of years past.

Saturday November 18th Sunday November 19th we'll be holding a work party at the Railway for the purposes of getting the railway decorated for Victorian Christmas. We'll gather beginning at Noon at Sheepscot to begin decorating process, ride the train up to Alna Center to decorate there and follow up with a potluck supper back at Sheepscot when we finish up.

Please join us if you can, we'd love your help!

Best,
Steve

14

Volunteers / Remote Volunteering Opportunity

« on: April 08, 2023, 05:37:22 AM »

Hello All,

We have a volunteering opportunity open for anyone who might be interested. There are two places online- the Maine Office of Tourism and the Maine Tourism Association which both operate have events calendars/listings for activities going on in Maine throughout the year.

Creating and updating these listings is fairly straightforward. You basically access the backend of each website through a password protected portal, after which you enter the event information.

It takes a little time and patience, but once they are built out, you are all set.

Helping with this would require basic computer literacy and the ability to work with images. I would provide all of the descriptions, photos and information; you'd only need to take care of the data entry part.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in helping with, please reach out to me at stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org.

Thank you!
Steve

15

Museum Discussion / Volunteer Needed - Narrow Gauge Theory Exhibit - Layout and Design

« on: April 08, 2023, 05:08:37 AM »

Hello all,

For several years now, Jason Lamontagne and I have been working, in the background, on an exhibit on narrow gauge theory. This exhibit will be housed in the car barn extension. In the immediate past, this location was used as a staging area for construction materials for the enginehouse. With that project moving towards completion, the enginehouse will soon be able to provide its own weather-tight, secure storage of construction materials, so we plan to utilize the carbarn extension for the narrow gauge theory exihibt and other exhibits.

While the content of the exhibit is essentially ready to go, we need help with the layout and graphic design of these elements- neither of us has the time to move this project forward on the desired timeline, so your help would be much appreciated!

We are looking for someone with a graphic design and/or exhibit design background who would be willing to help us bring this idea to fruition. Before reaching outside of the organization, we thought we'd start here, since this part of the project can be accomplished remotely.

If you would like to help, please contact me at stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org and I will get back to you with more complete details.

Many thanks,
Steve Piwowarski