Car Storage Barn Idea?

[Ed Lecuyer]

I was in Kingfield today and stopped by the former location of the yard.  The old SR&RL car building is now vacant because the auto dealership closed and the buildings are for sale.  It's too bad the station was razed for more parking which is no longer needed.

Radical idea...

Would it be feasible to purchase the former SR&RL car building in Kingfield and relocate it to Sheepscot? This would be instead of erecting a new barn/shed as laid out in the site plan.

I've never seen the building, and have no idea how feasible such an endeavor would be, but I thought I would throw it out for discussion.

[Allan Fisher]

The SR&RL group at Phillips was offered the Kingfield Station before it was taken down, but had to decline.

It was full of asbestos - and would have had to be separated into two separate units to be trucked as a very high and wide shipment to Phillips. Cost was estimated at $60,000 to $80,000.
And there was no leniency on time for it to be moved.

Now if you had only been around then, your check to the SR&RL for $80,000 could probably have saved the building.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Hi Ed,

The car shop building would be nice but it is only big enough to hold two coaches so it's smaller than what the BoD has planned.  The building we'd like to have at Sheepscot would be 110' X 32'.  That would allow the regular train set to be pushed inside at the end of the day without breaking the consist.  The other thing with the SR&RL structure is that the Dodge dealer added two more stalls on the right side.  The roof for the new part goes up to the ridge of the oridginal building.   So, while the old part is in good shape, dismantling and moving it would be very expensive. 

The original portion should go to Phillips if the building is ever in danger.  Of course the expense would be a problem just as it was with the station.

Stewart   

[Ed Lecuyer]

I agree that that ideal location for the Kingfield car shop would be Phillips. However, since they currently have their hands full, if the building is in danger, etc. it might make sense.

I did not realize that the Kingfield car shop was that small. Of course we could just extend it to make it long enough for a whole train. But then we would be back to a 2-track design (which was what was originally proposed for Sheepscot.) Since the building has already been modified, adding length would not destroy any "historic fabric".

I think it is worth keeping an eye on. With the land for sale, the building could easily not fit in with whatever the new owner has planned. Also, in some cases, land is more valuable without a "potentially historic" structure on it which could make development tricky.

[Wayne Laepple]

Much as I'd like to see an historic building saved and repurposed, I think we must keep our eyes on the prize. The proposed carhouse will not only shelter all our current equipment, it will free up plenty of space in the current shop building for restoration and new construction. In addition, the building as proposed will be far less costly than disassembling, transporting, re-erecting and modifying the Kingfield shop.

[John McNamara]

I've heard some rumblings that a metal building would be preferred for economy and fire safety. On this latter point, if we are going to have all (or at least most) of our eggs in one basket, it would be desirable to have a fire-resistant basket.

[Steve Smith]

Speaking of fire resistance and/or protection: This thought will probably be as popular as a skunk at a wedding reception, but I wish our major buildings at Sheepscot were protected with lightning rods.

[Matthew Gustafson]

When the new Storage Barn is complete, Will it handle a complete 3 or 4 car train and will it have 2, 3 or 4 bays of storage space for future equipment?

[James Patten]

Something along the line of 2 coaches or three freight cars per bay, with 3 bays.  That's the current plan anyway.

[Wayne Laepple]

As James noted, each track will accommodate 3 freight or 2 passenger cars. With proper placement, every car we currently own will be under roof in that building. The current shop will shelter the locomotives and the Model T railcar, leaving plenty of space for restoration and replication of WW&F equipment.

[Ira Schreiber]

With our new restroom and parking facilities coming on line soon, we will need more passenger cars and places to store them. Do not be short sighted.

FYI, Maine Narrow Gauge Museum has over 12 passenger cars.

[Mike Fox]

The building, in it's current planning, is 3 tracks at 120 feet long.

That's a lot of space. Definately will have everything undercover.

[Paul Levesque]

A fire resistive building isn't much good if the contents are combustible.  In the case of a metal building, if the contents ignite, the metal expands and the building collapses.  A sprinkler system is the only surefire way to contain a fire, really.  Just 2 cents worth.