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Messages - Ed Lecuyer

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1
via Email, in response to a thank you for donating to the Build 11 campaign...

I only wish I could donate more! I whole heartedly believe in what you are doing! 40 - 50 years ago, we could only dream of bringing back one of the 2 footers or rescuing #9 from the Ramsdell farm in Connecticut. You all are making it happen in spectacular fashion, no less! Keep up the excellent work and I will try to make it there this summer.

2
Work and Events / Re: WW&F No. 11 - Official Work Thread
« on: April 11, 2025, 07:21:56 PM »
Build 11: April 2025 Update

Our latest Build 11 work session was held on March 25-27. Rick Sisson assisted by Bob Longo and Quentin Bethune fabricated the “fire ring” that we will use to heat the driving wheel tires during installation planned for our Spring Work Weekend. Our design is scaled up from the fire ring we built to install lead truck tires years ago.

Rick and Bob used the hydraulic press to form the straight pipe into a ring. We also used our flanging machine to correct some bending errors.



Once the ring halves were bent holes were drilled to form makeshift gas ‘nozzles”.



Harold Downey and Quentin fabricated chain hangers and ring supports.



We performed a limited number of tests of the ring and tire assembly and determined the tooling is ready for the tire installation.



After these tests we added turnbuckles to allow us to level the tire and ring assembly.



Gordon Cook drilled and tapped the holes required in the wedge bolt straps and pedestal binders. The wedge bolts will be captured by these straps; the straps will allow us to adjust the vertical travel of the wedges.



Finally, we see the pedestal binder lift in action (that’s actually Gordon lifting the binder in place).



Harold kept busy meticulously machining the faces of the shoes based on exhaustive measurements he had previously made. Quentin brought wedge washers he machined at home; these will be used to secure the shoe bolts.



Our friends at Mountain Machine Works have completed quartering of the driver wheelsets; they achieved 90.000 +/- 0.002 degrees. They bored the crankpin seats and are machining the crankpins. We will retrieve the wheelsets and crankpins in time to install the driver tires during our Spring Work Weekend.



Quentin went to pick up our crossheads from D. S. Greene Co. in Wakefield Massachusetts. They Blanchard ground our crossheads as well as the eccentrics that Quentin is working on at his home shop.



On the fundraising front, we have ALMOST unlocked the $60,000 challenge! Thanks to a very generous (and unexpected) donation we are only $5914 shy of reaching our goal! Can you please help put us “over the top”? Any donations received beyond the 2025 funding goal will be used to build the locomotive faster (by hiring more contractors) or reduce the “ask” for 2026.

3
General Discussion / Re: Brunswick-Rockland passenger trains?
« on: April 09, 2025, 05:34:25 PM »
On the right conditions, you can hear them in Alna blowing for crossings. No horns yet that I've heard, but I did see a highrail on the bridge in Bath on Monday. Also the approach signal has been lit behind Taste of Maine Restaurant for at least a few weeks. Let's hope Maine Switching Services can make a go of it.

4
General Discussion / Re: Brunswick-Rockland passenger trains?
« on: April 09, 2025, 04:44:40 PM »
WW&F Connection...
"Maine Switching Services" is also the operator of the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR. So now our historical northern and southern extents are under the same operator.

(Standard gauging of the WW&F to connect the two lines will begin on April 1, 2026.)

5
Volunteers / Re: 2025 Rules Class and Volunteer Recruitment
« on: April 05, 2025, 07:54:09 AM »
Livestream is available @ wwfry.org/meeting

6
Volunteers / Re: 2025 Rules Class and Volunteer Recruitment
« on: April 04, 2025, 09:57:58 AM »
I will try to set up a livestream at the usual WW&F meeting link: https://wwfry.org/meeting

Note: I will be generally occupied with the Volunteer Recruitment activities (except during the Safety session at 12:30pm) so there may be a delay in admission to the online meeting, if it is even possible to stream it reliably. We'll see...

7
Massachusetts' Two Footers / Re: Edaville Railroad Sold
« on: March 28, 2025, 12:16:33 PM »
Another article that offers additional information including a comment from Maine Locomotive & Machine:
https://wbsm.com/carver-king-richards-faire-sold-moving-edaville-ride-auction/

Auction link (note that some of these rides date back to the early years of the railroad.)
https://www.spiethandsatow.com/edaville-family-theme-park-april-30--1030am.html

8
Two Footers outside of the US / Re: Rillé steam railway society
« on: March 17, 2025, 06:08:00 PM »
2 more photos

9
Two Footers outside of the US / Rillé steam railway society
« on: March 17, 2025, 06:07:18 PM »
We received the following invitation and photos from ANOTHER French two-footer...

Please tell your members that they would be most welcome on our train if they come to visit our region some day!

The 2025 season will begin next May and (as usual) we are very busy, preparing the rolling stock and locos.

All infos, photos and videos about our railway and society are on Internet: aecfm.fr

All the best to you all!

Jean

Rillé steam railway society

10
via email...

I have just discovered your railway on Internet and was enthusiast about what I saw on the different videos .
Congratulations to all the volunteers of your society !

Jean DAVID
Chairman of the Rillé steam train society ( FRANCE )
also a two foot heritage steam train

11
Volunteers / Re: March 2025 work reports
« on: March 15, 2025, 06:25:30 PM »
Quote
Hopper car work: Brendan and crew was building a cover for the South African hopper in worse shape.  Or maybe a platform for turning into a dome car.

The purpose of the deck is to use the car as staging in Bay 1 of the Morse Engine House while installing the celling and smoke jack over the pit. See the Engine House work thread or Stewart's photos on Facebook.

12
via email...

Dear Build [11] Team:  Once again, as always, you folks continue to amaze.  When we started telling people that the WW&F Museum was building a locomotive from the ground up they would look at us with that "yea, right-that'll happen" expression.  Your photo journal sure wipes that smirk off of their faces and helps them realize this is a real hard working museum, not just some small time operation.  Keep going-we're all proud of you!

13
Moderator Announcements / Re: NEWSLETTERS!!!
« on: March 12, 2025, 09:38:16 PM »
March / April 2025 Newsletter is posted at: https://wwfry.org/newsletters/ (4-digit code required as password.)

14
Work and Events / Re: WW&F No. 11 - Official Work Thread
« on: March 11, 2025, 07:26:10 PM »
Build Locomotive 11: March 2025 Update

Our latest Build 11 work session was held on February 18 - 20. Brendan Barry and Jason Lamontagne picked up driving wheels, axles and counterweights from Mountain Machine Works in Auburn, Maine and transported them to Millinocket Fabrication and Machine on Tuesday where they were joined by Quentin Bethune and Rick Sisson. Preliminary inspection of the axles was performed and additional work identified. On Wednesday MFM personnel – Robert, Rodney and Gary joined us in the fabrication shop and prepared their 200 ton hydraulic press to press our wheels and counterweights onto the driving axles. These guys were great to work with, took pride in their work and treated our components with care.

After getting fixturing in place on the press, and modifying keys for us, the gang pressed the first pair of wheels and it was lunch time. After lunch the remaining wheels and counterweights were pressed in less than an hour and a half. Brendan and Jason then brought the driving wheel assemblies back to Mountain Machine Works where the quartering will be checked and crankpins turned to final dimensions. We plan to install our tires (finished by Mountain Machine Works) during the WW&F Railway Spring Work Weekend.

This photo shows an overall view of the press:




Rodney, Gary and Robert (l-r) from Millinocket Fabrication and Machine:




One of the keyways – we put each key outside (in the snow) for a while to shrink the key:




We took care to ensure perpendicular alignment to the axle:




Pressing the counterweights:




Pressing the second wheelset:




On Thursday, Quentin turned an aluminum fixture plate that he will use to bore and turn the valve gear eccentrics. Quentin also brought back the cylinder heads that he worked on at home:




Harold Downey has also been developing a fixture to accurately position the shoes and wedges for machining. Harold has completed his tram measurements with which he can complete the shoes and wedges.




Noah MacAdam has continued to work on the lead truck journal boxes as seen here:




In other news...
Rick started to form part of the fire ring we will use to install the driver tires during the Spring Work Weekend: April 25-27, 2025.

Gordon Cook has been refining our 3D locomotive model so that the team can determine the center of gravity and weight on wheels so that we can specify and order the suspension springs.

Jason and Rick have reviewed and revised the main and parallel rod models and drawings and are prepared to send these components to outside machine shops for quotation.

Our 2025 fundraising - $120,000 challenge to put Build 11 On the Fast Track - is well underway. To date we have received $33,313 which will be MATCHED by an anonymous member, bringing us to 56% of the $120,000 goal for 2025.

Recent donations included an unsolicited check for $10,000 and $1309 from Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (in appreciation of our CMO, Jason Lamontagne assisting Maine Locomotive & Machine Works in repairs on a locomotive just a tad larger than no. 11.)

Remember, you can donate directly by check to the museum, use a credit card to donate through the gift shop, PayPal, or you can go to www.build11.org.

15
Volunteers / Re: March 2025 work reports
« on: March 08, 2025, 08:28:43 PM »
Quote
* Steam Maintenance Day: A good sized crew worked with Roger and Wes on #9.

Some photos by Jason Lamontagne of today's "Back(shop) to School" session.

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