Author Topic: Fall Work Weekend 2018  (Read 53915 times)

Bill Reidy

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Fall Work Weekend 2018
« on: September 15, 2018, 10:29:08 PM »
It's getting time to note plans, preparations and progress for the 2018 Fall Work Weekend.

Fred Morse has led volunteers the past many weeks so that 1,000 ties were ready by the end of today (Saturday, September 15th).  Don't believe his claims we overwork him -- we had trouble keeping up with him today cutting and stacking the last bunch of ties!  Here's a photo of the tie piles at Sheepscot -- there's many more staged at Top of the Mountain.  Cut tie ends at Sheepscot were treated by Mark Cheetham later in the day.



Roadmaster Joe Fox and fellow volunteers have sorted and stacked 100 sticks of 60-pound rail.  Here's a small sample of the rail stacked, with layers sorted by 5 east and 5 west running rails, ready for transport to the Mountain Extension.



Today (Saturday, September 15th), Joe led a group of volunteers to dig through our inventory of rail joint bars and identify 235 that fit our rail and are judged good.  The bars were stacked on pallets.



Plenty of track bolts and spikes are stored at Sheepscot, so all track material is now at hand to build new track down the Mountain.  Thanks to Mike Fox and assistants, the right-of-way is ready for the goal of 1,400 feet of new track Columbus Day weekend.  We know that amount of new track is possible -- in 2001 we completed the push from Sheepscot Mills over the new Humason Brook trestle, and in 2003 from Trask's Crossing to Alna Center.  While some of us may have gotten older, we're fortunate to have younger members and friends join us since then.

All we need now is good weather Columbus Day weekend Friday - Monday, October 5th through 8th, and a strong volunteer turnout.  Work weekend volunteer turnout has never been a problem.  Can we set a new work weekend record of 100 volunteers on site Saturday?
What–me worry?

John Kokas

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2018, 09:47:45 AM »
Is the plan to start staging track material along the ROW to help speed up the construction process?
Moxie Bootlegger

Joe Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2018, 12:39:32 PM »
This question has come up a lot. Once the rail crane is built, the plan is to load up a car load of rail at Sheepscot at the end of each night. More than half of the ties are currently staged at ToM, and we havent set up an official loading time on that yet. My guess would be the same thing, ties get loaded at the end of the day at ToM by the crew before returning home. Spikes, bolts, and joint bars will be on a yellow work car pushed ahead of the track building train if everything goes well.

I have been told the rail crane will be operational in two weeks, to allow some time to test it and make modifications if needed.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2018, 01:19:32 PM »
Joe,

You answered my question. I wondered how long it would take to build the crane.

Jeff S.
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Joe Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2018, 12:17:42 PM »
You know what I just realized is that we sorted the bars into 3 piles. "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" Good being ones that we are using, and bad being the scrap, and ugly being odd balls out.

Wayne Laepple

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2018, 02:38:36 PM »
All the focus seems to be on building track, yet I know there are other projects in the offing. Perhaps someone in the know could list EVERYTHING, since there are bound to be folks who may not be interested in building track but want to be useful otherwise.

Joe Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2018, 06:50:44 PM »
This work weekends main focus will be track work. April was ok, however we could have used many more hands for track. Thus the result is any other projects will be absolutely minimal.

Projects will include shop projects (bare minimal crew), stair building and other wood projects around Sheepscott, parking lot clearing, etc. The projects will all be going on, however we ask everyone not designated for certain projects to please take a ride north to see if there is any help needed with track building. If no extra hands are needed with track building then the extra hands can fill in at Sheepscott. But where track building is critical we wouod like as many volunteers up north. April we really got the short handed with help and are trying to minimize that this time around as many volunteers felt like they were forced to work which is not how we want people to feel.

Also we understand there will be times people will want to check out the progress on the rail grade, and bridge which is always welcome as well.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2018, 06:59:30 PM by Joe Fox »

Mike Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2018, 07:34:06 PM »
List of projects is as follows.
Track extension.
Parking lot clearing.
Constructing a deck on the front of the Percival House
Burying conduit from shop to house.
Machine shop crew will be manning the gantry so doubt anything will be going on there.
Mike
Doing way too much to list...

Wayne Laepple

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2018, 07:35:25 AM »
Thanks, Mike. That's just what I asked.

Mike Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2018, 05:38:15 PM »
Joe has repaired the insta-track, and also made a new one.















Joe has also made an insta-track repair kit.

Mike
Doing way too much to list...

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2018, 05:51:03 PM »
He does good work, just like his dad.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

Joe Fox

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2018, 06:28:37 PM »
Thank you Jeff. The new one was made with a 4×4 laying around at my house just itching to be used. After making several wood blocks today, with more to make later this week the end result will be a Insta Track repair kit which will include a hack saw, hammer, small vice grips, pliers, washers, wing nuts, bolts, and blocks so that we will have a way to repair any insta tracks that get broken during the day.

Bill Baskerville

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2018, 10:06:55 PM »
Joe,

You are really on top of it.  Sort of like a chip off the old Insta-Track Block.

That is not a dig at your dad (the real digger in the family).
« Last Edit: September 30, 2018, 10:08:46 PM by Bill Baskerville »
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Dave Buczkowski

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2018, 10:21:32 PM »
Methinks our new Roadmaster will work out fine. Joe always seems to be thinking one or two steps ahead.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2018, 02:43:08 PM by Dave Buczkowski »

John McNamara

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Re: Fall Work Weekend 2018
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2018, 10:48:32 PM »
....and Joe Fox is now a licensed contractor of Insta-Trak Corporation, a major supplier of railroad track materials with offices in principal cities. (Maynard MA and Auburn ME)