Messages

1

Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 28, 2023, 09:49:29 PM »

* I'll let someone who attended the show report on it, but as of now we made over $4700 there today (known thanks to our Square POS system!).

Show team managers will have better information, but I'm not surprised based on the show attendance I saw today.  If not as strong as pre-pandemic, it was very close.

A couple of photos of our tables in the Narrow Gauge Corner 78 of the Young building.




Our tables are next to our friends at the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad Museum.  A photo of SR&RL president Sharon Barber talking with Savery Moore today.


And Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum has a nice display in the Better Living Center.


As noted in this post, Cindy's family and friends are remembering Don Sanger this weekend.

And as noted in this post, Maine Locomotive & Machine and Edaville have an outdoor display this weekend.


Seems like the Maine two-footer community is well represented at West Springfield this weekend.

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Massachusetts' Two Footers / Edaville and ML&M's display at the 2023 Amherst Railway Society's 2023 show

« on: January 28, 2023, 08:36:57 PM »

Edaville and Maine Locomotive & Machine Works' have a terrific display outdoors at the Amherst Railway Society's West Springfield, MA show this weekend.  A few photos...

Edaville No. 11 was under steam, blowing the whistle from Maine Central's No. 470 now under restoration.


Planned 2023 Edaville events.


The outdoor tent's booths for Edaville and ML&M.


A sign displaying ML&M's abilities and achievements, not a surprise to us.

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 21, 2023, 10:50:24 PM »

Some photos from today, starting in the shop building. 

Fred Morse tending the coal supply for one of the shop's two coal stoves.


A look at progress on one of the Jackson & Sharp passenger trucks, with brake hanger parts for multiple trucks.


The view in shop bay 2.  The immediate focus is the front and rear frame components for our future locomotive No. 11.  But the hidden highlight here is the LED lights Brendan Barry has been installing over the center of each bay, above the overhead cranes, improving lighting for the shop crews.


Now out in Sheepscot lower yard and on the road, clearing snow.  I joined the crew clearing the line to Top of Mountain.  Sheepscot received about 6 inches yesterday.  Fortunately not as wet/heavy as Jason witnessed in Bath.  To start before lunch, switches in the lower Sheepscot yard were cleared, as well as Jayne's Way crossing.  This view shows the three-way switch cleared, while Steve Leet cleans the Tank switch.  Mike Fox had just plowed the roadway to the left.


While the lower yard switches were cleared before lunch, Dave Buczkowski was cleaning the turntable, as James Patten cleared the turntable ring rail.


After lunch, Jason led the crew with No. 52 with its plow and flatcar No. 126 loaded with tools out for the trip to ToM and back.  The crew (left-to-right Dave B., Steve L., James Patten and Jason) cleaning the Maine Locomotive & Machine (MLM) Works' crossing.


Once cleared, Jason ran 52 through the crossing.


Further north, at Trask's crossing, Steve Leet demonstrated use of the electric hammer he has provided to help clear ice at crossings.  Here he made short the work needed to clear the crossing of compacted snow and ice.


On the return trip south from ToM, we had time to clean the MLM switch and pick up flatcar No. 118, which was brought back to Sheepscot.  Expecting to need to clear the Sheepscot upper yard upon our return, we were very happy to see the switches there had already been cleaned.  Thanks!

4

Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 19, 2023, 04:57:19 PM »

I got a phone call this morning telling me the dozer sprockets were done.

Done by Spacely Sprockets or Cogswell's Cogs?

People of a certain age will understand the question, and I like to help keep moderator Ed busy...

Thanks, Mike.

5

Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 18, 2023, 06:42:09 PM »

Hoping to be there Saturday, if work permits.  Was hoping to help on brush cutting, but wherever needed.

6

Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Re: MegaMillions award to the WW&F

« on: January 17, 2023, 07:46:38 PM »

Hey subs are very important, though here in RI we call them grinders, er grinda's

That's Dynamite! I keep supplies for making Grinders, Wieners, and Coffee Milk in a special Cabinet.

How's THAT for topic drift?

I grew up in southeastern Mass. (Edaville land).  There it was subs, hot dogs and (yes) coffee milk.  We always had a bottle of coffee syrup in the house.  Eclipse, I think, but it might have been Autocrat.

And, BTW, it was soda, not tonic.

I would also add coffee cabinets.  (See https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/05/492278535/whats-in-that-coffee-cabinet-a-delicious-taste-of-rhode-island-history#:~:text=Island%20Public%20Radio-,The%20coffee%20cabinet%20is%20a%20Rhode%20Island%20staple.,syrup%2C%20ice%20cream%20and%20milk.&text=Even%20if%20you've%20never,probably%20tasted%20something%20like%20it.
I had a definite preference for Eclipse syrup.  Last fall I went to the Star Diner in Taunton and got a coffee milk. Unfortunately I think they used Autocrat which is weak and sweet. Gotta have that good strong coffee flavor.

Digging a little further, it was definitely Eclipse we had growing up.  I understand Autocrat bought out Eclipse a number of years ago.  As a young adult I learned about the Rhode Island term cabinet for coffee milkshakes.  Sorry I didn't pick up Ed's Cabinet reference on the 15th.

Now let's talk about (South Shore) bar pizza.  Growing up, I thought this was the pizza everyone enjoyed.  Still enjoy it periodically during work events at the Amvets and Lynwood Cafe in Randolph, and Town Spa in Stoughton.

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Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Re: MegaMillions award to the WW&F

« on: January 15, 2023, 04:47:43 PM »

Hey subs are very important, though here in RI we call them grinders, er grinda's

That's Dynamite! I keep supplies for making Grinders, Wieners, and Coffee Milk in a special Cabinet.

How's THAT for topic drift?

I grew up in southeastern Mass. (Edaville land).  There it was subs, hot dogs and (yes) coffee milk.  We always had a bottle of coffee syrup in the house.  Eclipse, I think, but it might have been Autocrat.

And, BTW, it was soda, not tonic.

8

Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 14, 2023, 02:20:24 PM »

I was planning a trip up to Sheepscot today.  Got up early, checked the current weather and updated forecast for today... and went back to bed.

As Stewart answered, ZR is a meteorologist abbreviation for freezing rain.  Here's the symbol used on wx (weather) maps:

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Massachusetts' Two Footers / Carver's Edaville Looks to go Christmas-only, Add 40-B Housing

« on: January 13, 2023, 06:30:37 PM »

"On January 3, the owner of Carver’s Edaville theme park went before the town’s Board of Selectmen to propose developing a portion of the park’s property into housing units, including affordable housing, while making the park itself a seasonal attraction only during the Christmas season.

"'We stepped back and said look, we have to think about reinventing Edaville,' owner Jon Delli Priscoli told selectmen. 'How do we go forward and how do we make Edaville permanent? How do we make sense out of this property, and also figure a way to manage the open space and potentially do some housing, and do it all at one time?'"

Detailed story with video is posted here.

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 07, 2023, 08:33:28 PM »

A few photos of the brush cutting effort today.

A couple of inches of snow overnight set the winter scene at Sheepscot.


Our work train at the section house:  No. 52 with WW&F flatcar No. 126.  Tools have been loaded from the section house and the Fred Shed.


The morning focused on the lower portion of Davis grade.  We're looking south, toward Sheepscot.  Brush has been cleared from the east side of the right-of-way, a big improvement.  Work is underway on the west side.  The sapling across the track in the foreground is an example of some of the brush cleared today.


Late morning, James Patten cleans Sutter's crossing.  The Jayne's Way, Brook and Sutter's crossings were cleaned today.


The work after lunch focused on the upper portion of Davis grade.  In this view, No. 52's train is at Brook crossing.  James P. on the left, Scott Higgins at the throttle, and Brian Whitney on the flatcar.


We receive presidential approval of the work done.  Dave joined us after lunch to help complete the work.


Light snowfalls so far made it possible to complete this work today.  ROW brush clearing is miserable work during hot (and buggy) weather, and impossible if there's deep snow.

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Volunteers / Re: January 2023 Work Reports

« on: January 06, 2023, 08:24:18 AM »

Depending on crew size, I am thinking about cutting brush along the ROW Saturday starting at Brook Crossing and going North.

Hope to join you on that.  We'll see if work allows...

12

Museum Discussion / Re: Leaves on The Mountain

« on: December 31, 2022, 08:55:31 PM »

On our inspection trip this morning, I told Brian as we rode 52 north that his post about the need to clear ballast and debris off the top of ties struck me as spot on.  I half-jokingly said we need a ballast regulator and asked are any available for import from Australia or other countries?  He replied by asking if this could be an on-going work weekend maintenance project, which I think is a smart suggestion. 

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Volunteers / Re: December 2022 Work Reports

« on: December 31, 2022, 08:37:01 PM »

Mike beat me to posting photos of Fred and Stewart at work on the engine house, which is good, because he got better photos!  I'll add one from this morning of Stewart and Fred at work...


And another from the early afternoon, looking at the northwest corner of the building.  A lot of effort has been put in by Fred, Stewart and others to get the shingling done this far...


Now some photos of Mike and others at work.  New England experienced a strong gale on December 23rd, so the line needed inspection for fallen trees, as well as flangeways at crossings.  Mike preparing No. 52 for the trip north...


Our inspection/clearing crew consisted of Mike, James P., Brian W., Pete, Cody, and myself.  A dozen+ fallen trees were found, none of which were fouling the gauge, as James noted.  Mike clearing a fallen tree as Cody looks on from the ditch that had been heavily repaired at Location 12 on the Mountain.  Trout Brrok bridge can be seen in the distance...


James, Brian, Mike and Cody clearing a lower portion of the ditch...


The trip took about 2 hours from Sheepscot to Trout Brook Station.  An unseasonably warm day, with temperatures around 50F.

Happy New Year, all!

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Museum Discussion / Trains News Wire Year in review: Preservation stories from coast to coast

« on: December 24, 2022, 01:17:27 PM »

The WW&F leads Trains magazine's list of railroad preservation achievements in 2022.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/year-in-review-preservation-stories-from-coast-to-coast/

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General Discussion / Alna Store’s New Owners Ready for Grand Opening

« on: December 23, 2022, 08:03:29 AM »

"Concluding seven months of renovations, the new owners of The Alna Store are ready for the three-day grand opening weekend, running from Thursday, Dec. 22 through Saturday, Dec. 24..."

https://lcnme.com/business/alna-stores-new-owners-ready-for-grand-opening/