2016 Fall Work Weekend

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Sunday October 9th, Day 3 of the Fall Work Weekend.
On and off showers all day didn't stop the crews from working on a number of projects.

* Woods track - The railhead was extended into the parking lot.

* Turntable - The rail stringers and rail were finished, rail ends cropped, truss rods tightened and clearances checked to the ring wall.

* Turntable track - The ditch crew spent most of the day doing retaining wall construction for the turntable track.  At the end of the day, a load of stone was brought in to ballast the west side.  Ties and rail were set, extending the track to the ring wall.  The turntable was lined for the TT track so the rails could be cropped for the right length.  The south end of the lead still needs stone and tamping. 

* Roundhouse track - Ballast was added to the roundhouse lead and it was lifed and hand tamped.  Rails still need to be extended to the TT pit.

* Flanging machine - Harold Downey worked on the compression parts doing machine work and assembly.

* Shop - The riveting machine was used to set the last rivet in #9's original smokebox ring.

* Meals - Our wonderful kitchen crew served a nice lunch and a great spaghetti supper.

* Volunteers - Over 80 people had signed the book by 6:00 PM. 

[Philip Marshall]

* Shop - The riveting machine was used to set the last rivet in #9's original smokebox ring.

Sadly, riveting is still unfinished. The riveting crew was mostly new people this weekend so we were still learning, and both the first and second attempts at setting the last rivet were unsuccessful -- they failed to head over properly and so were rejected, which meant much time was wasted cutting the bad rivets out of the hole. However, with Jason's help we did set several successful rivets in the demonstration plate, so we know what we were doing wrong now, but Wayne had to leave at 3:00 so a decision was made not to make a third attempt.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Thanks for the additional information Philip.  We didn't know that the riveting crew had problems* but are sure that youz guyz will have better results next time.

* This is what happens when you stand in the mud all day!

[Mike Fox]

Jason sent me these.


#9 Northbound at Alna Center




#9 Southbound with a North facing locomotive



Group shots with #9 on the Turntable

[Wayne Laepple]

That's just fabulous! Kudos to all the folks to worked in the rain and mud on Sunday to make this happen.

I take full responsibility for both failures of the final rivet. The first time (during the NG Convention)I didn't notice that the rivet was the wrong length and the hammer malformed it. So on Sunday morning, Don and I drilled out the defective rivet. Later in the day, having recruited Phillip and another guy who wanted to work in the dry for a while, we heated up a new rivet and I put it in the hole incorrectly, so that the rivet head was not on the die side of the machine. The result was another malformed rivet. I should not be allowed to work with the riveting crew, I guess.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Monday October 10th, Day 4 of the Fall Work Weekend.
Most of the work today was on the turntable and flanging machine -

* Turntable - The track crew started right in working on the turntable and roundhouse tracks.  More stone was added to the turntable lead and more tamping was done.  The roundhouse lead rail was extended to the ring wall and spiked in place.  More stone was brought in to ballast the track.  While this was going on, the turntable crew was installing the ring rail which required a good bit of bending.  Most of the track crew helped on both projects to get things set by lunch time.  More testing of clearances was done and ring rail travel was tested with Rick and Jason.  After lunch Jason had engineman Bullet Bob and ashcat J.B. Smith bring #9 slowly down the turntable track.  After a long bolt was cut from the ring wall timber, Bob brought #9 onto the turntable.  Cheers and applause went up from everyone watching.  When the locomotive was centered, the bridge was turned with relative ease.  The northward facing #9 then ran up to the car barn on the roundhouse lead and got flat 126, car 108 and coach 8 for a run to ToM to get track tools.  Most volunteers took the train that made a stop at AC for Fred to get the tractor.  Many photos were taken at AC showing #9 facing north for the first time since 1933 or '34.  The crew had to fight the urge to give "back" signals on the trip up.  More photos were taken at ToM before a group of tired but happy volunteers came back to Sheepscot.  #9 was put away facing north, looks a bit strange but we like it.

* Flanging machine - Harold Downey worked on more parts assembly, telling us how "each day the parts get heavier!" 

* Kitchen - Once again our super kitchen crew made a wonderful lunch for us.  Thank you Sue and crew!

[John McNamara]

Any news on the phone system repair.  An ex telco person wants to know.

Tom C.

The "repair" was mostly a prevention of future problems. Many months ago installation of a new cable for about 1000 feet between Sheepscot Station and Brook Crossing brought substantial transmission improvement. The second phase of that installation was to be burial beyond the reach of brush cutters and forest creatures. For convenience in burial (avoiding tree roots) we placed the new cable near the track. The gamble was that the required equipment would be available, and burial would take place before brush cutters and forest creatures attacked the cable. This turned out to be a bad gamble, as the new cable has been damaged in four places, one sufficiently that the wires are visible (but not stripped). Since equipment availability is unlikely this year, we moved the cable back to the boundary of the woods where it will be quite a bit safer. Burial is hoped for in the spring. Thanks for asking.

[Philip Marshall]

I should not be allowed to work with the riveting crew, I guess.

Don't worry about it, Wayne. It was a learning experience for all of us, and I look forward to riveting with you again in the future.
Just remember, the factory head of the rivet goes on the anvil side, not the hammer side!

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hi All,

I just wanted to reach out to everyone who participated in this years' Fall Work Weekend and say thank you again for an amazing time. It is no small wonder that so much gets accomplished when we have such a wonderfully talented, kind, and giving group of people descend upon the museum in such a blitz. Of course it goes beyond my own appreciation to something greater and that probably reaches each of us a little differently, but I am beyond thankful that such a place does exist and becomes a more and more tangible reality as each year passes.

The stories and memories that I've witnessed over the years mean more to mean than you can imagine and I will do my best to remember them and pass them on for as long as I am able.

This year I am especially thankful for those of you who helped prepare and paint the South wall of Sheepscot Station and the Trim- Stewart, Annie, Mark, Bryce, Dan, and Steve Z. Sometime next year lets aim for a repeat performance on the East wall and the North wall. I also want to thank those of you who  in the pouring rain no less- helped to design and build the culvert and retaining wall that made it possible for #9 to get onto the turntable by Monday. Your perseverance and patience will not soon be forgotten.

Thank you, everyone, again for carrying on the living tradition of narrow gauge railroading in the Sheepscot Valley.

Steve

[Mike Fox]

All this celebration about the turntable, and I realized thecwoods track was not properly presented...here it is, ready for ballast.

[Ken Fleming]

It's time for an aerial photo of the Sheepscot campus.  Post FWW, to see turntable, woods track and other track work.

[Fred Morse]

Something little noticed was that Josh Recave finished the lighting and outlets in the Three bay garage, He's worked for over a year getting it done when he's gotten here from Cape Cod. Thank you Josh

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Thanks for reminding us Fred.  Josh installed the lights last month and finished the work bench outlets during the FWW. 

[Mike Fox]

And what a difference it has made. Now you can see what you are tripping over