Messages

76

General Discussion / NRHS Happenings for the former Depot Foundation crew

« on: November 09, 2012, 09:38:16 AM »

Just to simplify things, I'll quote myself from RYPN;
"The clerk for the ARS helped me by putting the word out on my chapter project, and Phil Johnson of Seven Railroads NRHS emailed me in the hopes I could help him with ideas on how to properly organize the chapter, which he admited had no real direction. After an email discussion, I recieved an email from him where he stated that the majority of the current membership had come to a consensus that they wished me to take over their chapter."
This is in regards to the depot project I was a part of in East Brookfield. Our original intent was to preserve the damaged Boston and Albany depot in East Brookfield. Suffice to say we failed miserably. The RYPN thread is linked below. On a different note, I've really noticed how much of a "geekwad" I was when I first started with the original effort. I'll note I'm lucky I had some people who were willing to provide guidance...
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31259&start=0
Edit: I forgot to note that the meeting to finalize all of this is Saturday, December 8, 2012 at the Steaming Tender in Palmer.

77

General Discussion / Re: Government Surplus

« on: October 09, 2012, 08:59:53 PM »

Dylan,
A volunteer brought his loader all the way from Massachusetts for the work weekend. He did an unbelieveable amount of work with it. It was my attempt at some irony.
Dave

* Facepalm 

78

General Discussion / Re: Government Surplus

« on: October 09, 2012, 08:19:51 PM »

Ahhh, front end loaders are useful I've heard...

Doesn't matter what you use them for, they're always handy! We normally use my grandmother's Cub Cadet/Yanmar EX3200 for yard work. My father has found another use for it as well - crane. Around here, my father stores the extra boilers his company cuts up for scrap (he works in HVAC). I've loaded and unloaded boilers into trucks, moved the cut up remains and have exposed nastily sized bee's nests hiding within the insulation of one boiler that has yet to be cut up. It just comes down to a question of whether you want to switch out the bucket for something like forks or a plow....

79

General Discussion / Re: MEC 470 in better days

« on: September 01, 2012, 11:15:11 AM »

Alright, I've heard through the grapevine that is Railway Preservation News that Richard Glueck is working on establishing a "task force" for 470 along side Leverett Fernald of the Downeast Scenic Railroad. Link to the thread on RYPN here;
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33773
In the meantime, let's talk history. Questions on design (Who designed 470? Is 470 a derivative of the USRA light pacific design?), pictures and documentation on 470's time in service, and anything else.

80

General Discussion / Re: MEC 470 in better days

« on: August 18, 2012, 04:44:16 PM »

Good point Richard. No is the worst thing that could come out trying to use a steam engine for PR... But hey, I'm just the crazy instant-gratification hungry high school senior (Not thrilled about the title... Tends to give people ego problems) 

81

General Discussion / Re: MEC 470 in better days

« on: August 18, 2012, 01:56:54 PM »

Hate to break it to ya Richard, but TIGHAR thinks they may have found the wreckage from Earhart's plane!
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/08/18/researchers-reportedly-may-have-video-that-shows-amelia-earhart-plane-debris/

82

General Discussion / Re: MEC 470 in better days

« on: August 18, 2012, 11:00:06 AM »

For the time being, I'm just going to sit back and watch.... Maybe the project I'm working on now might be of some use later on down the road. Still, quite depressing to see how bad the situation regarding 470 has gotten...  :'(

83

Other Narrow Gauge / Re: Dugas and Leblanc 0-6-2T Sartola

« on: July 09, 2012, 03:41:51 PM »

Alright. Thanks for the food for thought everyone! 

84

Other Narrow Gauge / Re: Dugas and Leblanc 0-6-2T Sartola

« on: July 08, 2012, 01:18:29 PM »

Sartola is from the same plantation as No. 10. Two other surviving Dugas and Leblsnc locomotives (an 0-6-2 and a 0-4-4) are in Texas. Links to pictures on waymarking.com and the database entry for steam locomotive info below;
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMC5ZD_0_6_2_Type_Locomotive_Simsbury_Connecticut
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=27087

85

Other Narrow Gauge / Dugas and Leblanc 0-6-2T Sartola

« on: July 08, 2012, 09:21:59 AM »

The purpose of this topic is to assist me in drawing up a proposal to take up with the group I volunteer with (although we are mostly rigged for "silent running" at the moment) with the intention to determine Sartola's availability for movement or transfer to another group, with the intent of gathering enough support on the local level to move it to a display location (which would need to be determined) in the town of East Brookfield, MA. I have a few potential locations in mind, but this is mostly a paper idea that I wish to develop. Sartola weighs in at 23000 lbs, whic (if I did my math right) equates to 11 1/2 tons. That is under the limit of 40 tons that would require a transport permit in MA, but I have yet to check the Connecticut requirements for a load like this. Then there would be a loading issue. Until I can make a run to Simsbury, CT to get a better look at the running gear, I'm running on the assumption that a crane would be required to unload and load Sartola, should this idea pan out. How should I go about this? I've had some experience in writing, but if this pans out, I'm flying blind on how to move the engine. I am thinking of a craneless solution, but I have some pricing and thinking to do before I consider such an option. I welcome any comments, criticisms and advice.

86

Monson Railroad / Electric Locomotives in the Monson Slate Quarries

« on: July 07, 2012, 04:49:25 PM »

Reading through Moody's account of his two foot tomfoolery (as recorded in The Maine Two-Footers), he stated how the internal parts of the quarry (i.e the mines and tunnels) were home to two foot gauge electric locomotives. However, he didn't descend to the mines to document them, on part due to a rickety elevator. Were the locomotives ever documented in some form? What happened to this operation? Is there anything to suggest there is still something in the mines? Has any sort of exploration or mapping of the mine railway been done? Does anyone even know how much trackage was in the mine? And more importantly, how did they get the locomotives down there?

87

General Discussion / Re: Who Am I? or, Let's Introduce Ourselves

« on: July 07, 2012, 01:16:39 PM »

Well, as the name suggests, I'm Dylan Lambert. I've only been involved in preservation for a few years, specifically an effort to save the former depot of the Boston and Albany Railroad in the town of East Brookfield, MA. The "Save The Historic East Brookfield Depot" campaign got started by two people who I credit with giving me a purpose when I needed it most. Dan Lambert and Dennis Lebeau both have continued to serve as mentors to me, and with the spectacular failure of the original campaign, which ended with the town (who really didn't bother with us) saving a few of the blocks of the granite facing for some sort of monument. At the moment, we're working out plans to replicate the wooden depot that served East Brookfield from the 1850s to the early years of the 20th century. Narrow gauge railroads have been a fascination of mine, mostly in companies like the SR&RL, Monson and Ffestiniog Railway, but I don't know enough! The quest for knowledge is unending, and narrow gauge knowledge is part of that quest.