wheel chair accessibility

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

I'm not suggesting this is something we need to do but there has been discussion about this before and this certainly is an idea. With larger wheels something like this might work on rougher ground and could be kept in a small shed when not needed near the track. https://www.wllr.org.uk/news?fbclid=IwAR1cnkYjc5nEgtx1wF-ASw_ugP-i41uh74id6hVn8ZPXK9ENCMefnKL6S5w

[John McNamara]

We have been making good progress in the access area, most notably with the addition of a baggage/wheelchair door to coach 8, a car used in most trains for that reason. A professional ramp is used to "mind the gap." The Sheepscot Station platform is fully accessible, as is the restroom building and the main floor of the Percival House. While the Percival House is not yet a public area, it may be in the future. One of our members uses a power wheelchair and has been gracious enough to serve as our test case for these various improvements. Further improvements are certainly being considered, and the power lift you show is a worth addition to the list of possibilities.

[John Kokas]

With Coach 8's modification, this type of access would be of great use for debarking handicapped passengers at Alna Center for events.

[Keith Taylor]

Having spent several years in a wheelchair myself, I can tell you that we still have some areas that need improvement. For instance, yes the public bathroom is accessible. But for anyone in a regular non-powered wheelchair......getting from the parking area or bathroom to the depot is very difficult.
The easiest way would be to head out to the paved road. Then traveling on the road in a wheelchair is risky at best. Some hard surfaced walkways would be a benefit to not only those in a wheelchair, but elderly and disabled folks with walkers.

Keith

[Mike Fox]

We do have several improvement plans already for the Sheepscot campus proper, to improve both the visitor experience and handicap accessibility. I had drawn up ideas and thought about improvements. One provided direct access to the shop, crossing all the tracks. A board walk. Then Brendan came up with almost the identical idea. So we are thinking about it. Time is the big thing.

[Philip Marshall]

My wife Kara has also suggested we have additional benches or other seating, both along the walkway and scattered around the campus, so visitors have convenient and obvious places to sit down. This is especially important for people with mobility issues (not all of whom are in  wheel  chairs), but would enhance the visitor experience generally.

[John McNamara]

The bench idea ties in well with the "Turntable Park" idea, which was a hard[surface walking trail from the rest rooms to the Sheepscot Station building, passing south of the turntable and through a small parking area immediately south of the shop building doors.

[Al Michelis]

I think the board walk (aka wooden sidewalk) idea is a really good one.  It would be period correct, provide a way to cross wet areas and provide safer track crossing points.  This is a project that moderately skilled volunteers could accomplish and could have low impact on ongoing major projects.

What happened to the ramp discussion for Alna Center?

[Mike Fox]

I think the ramp idea at AC ties directly into the Pavillion. We could do a nice prtable aluminum ramp (was discussed a couple board meetings ago) to make the building look period appropriate when possible. I looked and the ramps weren't too bad in price.

There is a sketch that Brendan commisioned his daughter to do that shows the general idea of the board walk. But the board walk will have to be tough. You know Fred would want to drive his tractor on it..