Sheepscot Passenger Platform Reconstruction - Official Work Thread

[Jeff Schumaker]

It looks great, Brendan.

[Graham Buxton]

Note the style of fence matches the Wiscasset platform of the common carrier era.

Hmmm . . . . yet the decking boards orientation is reversed from the 'common carrier era' photo. 

[Dave Crow]

Brendan,

The platform looks great!  I seem to recall there will be platform(s) that wrap around the gift shop/freight station?

Dave Crow

[Brendan Barry]

Brendan,

The platform looks great!  I seem to recall there will be platform(s) that wrap around the gift shop/freight station?

Dave Crow

When were done there will be platform all the way down the backside of the station and shelter area. The new wheelchair ramp will be located behind the Sheepscot station building.

[Brendan Barry]

We finished the railings and on the platform extension this morning.





After lunch we pinned the timbers onto the piles in the shelter area.

[John McNamara]

After lunch we pinned the timbers onto the piles in the shelter area.

When you mention "the shelter area," what are the boundaries of that area?

-John M

[John Kokas]

Gee Brendan,  were you really drilling pins or drilling for oil?  That was a mighty big drill bit you have there. 

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

I do get that the deck boards need to be transverse for

wheel chair safety (wheels getting stuck) and the height to meet code

But it really needs a top cap to finish it off IM(not so  )HO

[Brendan Barry]

After lunch we pinned the timbers onto the piles in the shelter area.

When you mention "the shelter area," what are the boundaries of that area?

-John M

The area where the old passenger shelter was. The new shelter will be the same width as the freight station/gift shop.

[John Kokas]

Will the new shelter be directly connected to the station/gift shop.  Would be very convenient during the fall/winter months.

[Benjamin Richards]

Will the new shelter be directly connected to the station/gift shop.  Would be very convenient during the fall/winter months.

I think this idea has potential. The current arrangement is somewhat of a choke point with two-way traffic through a narrow area. It would take some doing to rearrange the gift shop inside to facilitate another door.

[Mike Fox]

More than one entrance and exit to the gift shop could open up other potential problems. It may seem like a choke point, but it works well.

[Benjamin Richards]

Potential problems, like what? Let's talk about it. There might be easy solutions.

I would say it doesn't work well. On busy days it's pretty difficult to get in and out.

[Dante Lakin]

One problem I can think of is possible shrinkage as it's called in the industry. As it is right now all giftshop customers have to pass by the counter on their way out, making it easier for the gift shop crew to see any activity going on. If an alternate exit was put in then people could pick something up and wander out without second thought, and the gift shop volunteers might not catch it as easily, since a customer can completely avoid the counter. One remedy to this would be to have an entrance *only* on the north side of the building and essentially make the gift shop traffic one way, so everyone exits by moving past the counter.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Until the old platform was removed there were two points on entry / exit from the gift shop.  Visitors came in through the end door and then exited through the center double doors.  This has worked well for about 30 years.  The only time there was a bit of a bottleneck was when the front doors were closed due to bad weather.  On a few occasions one front door was left open to allow for a larger number of visitors.

The lack of a platform has caused a bottleneck but it's only a temporary problem.