February 2017 Work Planning

[Bill Baskerville]

I like the idea of two containers with a joining roof/additional storage area.  There are steel roof kits that connect and/or cover two containers with up to 20 feet between the containers.  Note that the kits are for 20 foot lengths so two kits would be required to connect two 40 foot containers.

https://www.podroofusa.com/standard-kits/

Of course our several excellent carpenters could stick build a roof and end walls that would better match our existing campus and probably cost less.  But this provides an alternative.

Bill

[John McNamara]

I have some vague recollection that the 470 restoration folks were doing something involving containers. Jason?

[Ira Schreiber]

Seashore museum in Kennebunkport has about 8-10 40' containers double stacked. Second level has walkways and they have lights. Very handy but well hidden from the public.

The 470 group is erecting a shop made up of storage containers with a permanent fabric roof enclosing them all. It is sold by a Canadian company.

[Wayne Laepple]

The first container has not even been delivered yet. Let's take a few breaths here and get this first one into service before we get more. It took several years to convince the Powers That Be of the need for one, much less a colony of them! The most important thing is to have the items stored within organized and inventoried so we know where things are.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday Feb 25:

A whole bunch of melting going on this week.
* Boxcar 67
* Snow- and land-scaping

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

As stated in my original post, any further container purchase/placement is probably years away.  It's also a Board decision.  The reason for bringing up the idea of a second container is to show how much thought and planning went into staging the first one.  The area west of the Woods track was picked because of possible expansion at some point.  Having a "garage" type area between two containers would be a good fit for the dozer and excavator if we ever do it and the building would be hidden in the pines.

The second container idea comes from wanting our equipment under cover.  Mike, Brendan and others have many hours of repair and maintenance on the machines and inside storage is a big help in keeping them in good condition.  The first container will go a long way with clearing areas in the shop and garage, we hope to be able to keep Fred's truck in the garage when the first bay gets cleaned out.  The Dodge truck has saved us much time and $$$ with plowing.  The cost of a low mileage 4X4 3/4 ton plow truck is $14,000 or more so it's worth it to keep Fred's gift in good condition.

[Mike Fox]

I would rather hope we don't need a container village. I do think a lean-to style roof on one side may provide additional cover for items we want undercover, but don't need to secure.

One thing is for certain, buy or build, we have enough stuff to fill it. Probably have enough from the shingle mill to fill a 20 footer..

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday Feb 25:

* Boxcar 67: Zack was unable to work on the boxcar because of illness, but Jay was working on building the wooden part of the trucks.
* Grounds prep for container: Earlier in the week Fred and friends cut down some sizeable trees and hauled them out into the parking lot to be cut up; some ditchings from last year was used as fill for where the container will go.  Today Fred dropped the big pine tree, then cut up the trees pulled into the lot.  Mike and I dismantled a section of track on the woods track so that gravel can be put in the area to firm up the very muddy area, and later the container will be brought in that way.
* Archives: Linda's been working on Museum photos and I helped her with dating them.
* Loco 52: Brendan rewired from the battery to the starter, pulling out the old wiring and putting new wire in old air hose.  All a part of giving the engine a little makeover, I guess.

[Bill Baskerville]

Thanks to the hard work of Ed Lecuyer and the editing skills of John McNamara and Jason Lamontage, and a tiny bit of final organization persistence by myself, Grant applications for our vacuum brake project and throttles for our new boilers were submitted to the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and the Mystic Valley Railway Society (MVRS) respectively.

With a little luck, perhaps we will get funding to move these projects further along.

Bill

[Fred Morse]

A couple of fires today. cleaning up some of the top of the big pine, it's a start.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Fred, I'm glad you got us started on that clean up, it looks a lot better in there.

[Mike Fox]

If I knew you were going to do that Fred, I would have chopped it up a little finer for you when I cut it up on Saturday. Hoping we get the dozer running Saturday to finish that area.