Messages

16

Museum Discussion / Re: Useful Stuff on eBay

« on: December 17, 2018, 07:49:55 AM »

The link I included was from the page that I saw them on but once I posted it here we are got a different page....Not sure why.
I had opened a certain page that I usually look at for RR related hardware and saw a lot of whistles from different makers which is something I don't usually see on that page.  In fact, it was almost all whistles so I thought some one was selling a bunch of them.   Perhaps Ebay was having issues which they sometimes do and the search page was not the one I usually get?  Not sure.  I have noticed in the past that my saved search page for certain items comes back with all kinds of unrelated items during the Christmas vacation period or on other major holidays.  I have always assumed that is because the elves that run Ebay are all off skiing someplace for a week and things go down hill a bit until they get back to work.

17

Museum Discussion / Re: Useful Stuff on eBay

« on: December 16, 2018, 08:31:32 PM »

Not sure if we care or not but someone is dumping a lot of steam whistles on ebay.  Looks like many different types.   
https://www.ebay.com/b/Collectible-Railroad-Tools/4130/bn_3040821

18

Volunteers / Re: March 2018 Work Planning

« on: March 04, 2018, 07:19:38 PM »

Watched out my from window the last few days.  High tide never really reached the flood stage that I could see.  It was windy but nothing all that bad.  Coast was worse than interior.

19

Work and Events / Re: Mountain Extension - Official Work Thread

« on: January 15, 2018, 11:15:40 AM »

I wonder what the grade height was originally?  We are only looking at what exists now after almost 100 years of erosion and logging operations that widened and lowered the top of the grade a bit.  I would think it prudent to have the area north of the bridge start a slow southward incline to the bridge so that it could be as high off of the brook as reasonably possible.  That would also serve to minimize the amount of the grade further south and help get a better running start.  Of course I understand that gets expensive as more fill material is required but that would be the best way to do it I would think. 

20

Work and Events / Re: Head Tide trail bridges

« on: September 26, 2017, 09:21:09 PM »

Is it wide enough to get a mower over?  I used to use my mower as much as I could because it was faster as long as you didn't hit stumps and old barbed wire. 

21

Work and Events / Re: Mountain Extension - Official Work Thread

« on: September 24, 2017, 11:54:29 AM »

Looks interesting.
Going down the mountain I would think we would want to pay extra attention to ditching.  Larger volume ditches and perhaps an extra culvert or two to east the possibility of over stress ditches and culverts.  Since apparently we are not going to be cutting trees as far back as usual I would think that we should plan for sudden aqua events that could be caused by trees blowing over and becoming dams in places where there are currently no washouts.  I recall the big rainstorm we got about 15 years ago when we lost a culvert and the water was almost up to the shop building and station.  That storm took out some culverts on the road too and they were all either jammed with brush or to small to begin with.
Also, did yo guys already fill the washout north of Trout Brook just north of the curve?
Just curious.

22

Volunteers / Re: July 2016 Work Planning

« on: July 19, 2016, 10:43:17 PM »

Hows that bride we made years ago just before the swimming hole? 

23

Work and Events / Re: Sheepscot Turntable - Official Work Thread

« on: July 17, 2016, 03:18:30 PM »

Looks like Mulligan's steam shovel to me.   

24

US Two Footers / Re: New Hampshire Two footer proposed in 1893.

« on: May 22, 2016, 09:24:14 AM »

I'm guessing one of the reasons it wasn't built because it didn't go any place that other lines didn't already go except for Washington, NH.  Looking at the topographical maps and trying to figure out it's possible route one sees that it basically duplicates the Peterboro and Hillsboro RR for the first half and then heads off towards Washington, NH. That second more northerly section would be the only unique part of the line as far as service goes and would presumably comes out of Antrim going N-W through Stoddard to reach Washington. 
If you have ever been in this area and know the railroads that were there it sure would have had some interesting company but I would bet that the folks in Washington were the main drivers for the proposal.  It is a beautiful area but it is getting way up into the hills and it would have had to have been a dead end line without possibilities for future expansion or any through route further north.

25

US Two Footers / New Hampshire Two footer proposed in 1893.

« on: May 21, 2016, 08:03:17 PM »

I had seen this before years ago and had forgotten where to find it again.  Sure would have been an interesting line if they had built it.  Long & Otter Lakes Railroad.

https://books.google.com/books?id=MqtAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA593&lpg=PA593&dq=Long+and+otter+lake+RR+New+Hampshire&source=bl&ots=nr-gzY8R0D&sig=4JJQxCTBB1ezMiuCvI_-ZzEApBI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjImqmFuuzMAhWH6oMKHUuYCFEQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=Long%20and%20otter%20lake%20RR%20New%20Hampshire&f=false

26

Museum Discussion / Re: Trails at ToM

« on: June 03, 2015, 10:55:51 PM »

Hi Steve, Jason, others….  I have thought about this a lot over the years while out along the ROW between EOT and Head Tide clearing trees or cutting brush mostly by myself.  It is a great long term goal IMO and a joint effort with the SVCA would probably be a good way to accomplish it.  However for me a few things come to mind on this subject.
 Firstly, I think we need to focus our trail clearing activities to “the trail between EOT and 218 / Head Tide” for now.  Every three or four man crew we send out to make a hiking trail someplace now is a crew 3X bigger than the ones I have had for most of the past ten years clearing and maintaining the future ROW.  If I had had three guys working with me most of that time we would be done with most of the ROW clearing by now.  One guy like me can blaze a nice trail, then slowly make it wider and keep the brush from reclaiming all of that work but that’s about it. Three or four guys can clear the whole ROW if we were at it routinely for a while. 
 So, a great idea for a later time,  IMO.  The other issue is that if we invite another group in to build a trail on our land (in an area that some in the community view as a sensitive one) before we do what we need to do there we could just be inviting problems for our own aspirations.  I would rather that we get our main work done in these areas before we invite others in to “help” decide how we should do things on our property.

27

Volunteers / Re: May 2015 Work Planning

« on: May 20, 2015, 09:26:53 PM »

How clear was the grade from EOT to the brook?  I cleared the main falls and debris last fall but I'm sure the winter produced some new obsticals?  Then there is that darned appple tree in the s-curve.  That needs to go and spring or fall when there are no leaves or hornets on it is the time to do it.  My chainsaws are in the shop at the moment.....

28

Work and Events / Re: Work Car 1009 ("ROWMOW1") - Official Work Thread

« on: February 28, 2015, 08:22:01 PM »

Here you go Mike or Fred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l604G2TtRvI

29

The Original W&Q and WW&F: 1894-1933 / Re: Wiscasset & Quebec switch stands - Photos?

« on: February 28, 2015, 06:37:30 PM »

The half round versions that the museum has (Original and patterns/ unfinished reproduction) were also used on the SR&RL and may have been Portland Co. stands but I am not sure about the ones you mention in the Wiscasset upper yard.  I wonder if they are used in other parts of the country.  (Out west for example?)  They are not like ones seen on other NE lines that I know of.

30

Work and Events / Re: Kubota Excavator - Official Work Thread

« on: February 01, 2015, 01:30:31 PM »

Fred Morse, when he was a baby
 Settin' on his mammy's knee
 Picked up a weed whacker
 Said, "Kubota be the death of me,
 Kubota be the death of me"