December 2022 Work Reports

[Mike Fox]

Since I am on vacation for a couple weeks, I can venture to the museum when I feel like pretty much. Today was that day.

Rocks are being stockpiled to use along the main line between the station and pump house. The bank keeps slumping causing the track to lean.



Keeping with the station area improvements, I found erosion control installed ready for the work to begin. It is a windrow of mulch.



Looking around, I found a couple of trees at Sheepscot that had fallen recently. Mike R. Elijah R. and myself have since cleaned these up.





Fred was shingling here on the North side, but I did not get a picture of him.



Stewart was working here on the East side this afternoon but left before I could get a picture of him either



Jerry and Carlos were hard at it on the trucks.







The truck will get vacuum brakes before they leave. This Vacuum pot is just resting there, actual mounting will begin soon.



Jason, Mike R., Elijah R. and myself fixed the Car Barn bay 2 doors. The board that was installed to keep the doors closed was insufficient in the powerfull winds and the doors were blowing in the wind. The hinges got bent. We straightened them and installed bolts to stiffen the hinges more. The doors shut better when we finished.
 
I myself besides the trees installed the vents on the new fuel tank, figured out what modifications needed to be done to the sprokets on the dozer and removed them, then tore into the Kubota to see what was bothering the controls. I removed the floor and I found it. Dirt, now frozen.. I started chipping it out.



Eric and Ron were also in working on Coach 9. See that thread for pictures of the car and them working.

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

I found the pix of the trucks I took about 15 years ago and
they had hex nuts (I was wondering) but the question then is--
were they originally hex or were they square?

Found this

""I believed the square nuts were replaced by the hexagonal about 1900 – Wrong! The hex head was developed as far back as the very early 1830’s (James Nasmith) , and the square continued mainly in the production of agricultural implements.""

Not the Basket Ball James Nasmith.

So I guess hex is historically correct.

[James Patten]

Anticipated work for Saturday, December 31, 2022 - the Last Day.

* Storm cleanup - perhaps a trip up the line is in order if it hasn't happened yet.
* Engine house shingling - it's supposed to be in the 40s or 50s Saturday.
* Vehicle repair work
* Station platform work prep

[Dave Crow]

Carl, you would have to look at the bill of materials as specified by Jackson & Sharp to see whether they used square or hex head bolts.  Certainly the square head bolts would be easier to hammer forge.  Many streetcars used square headed bolts in the truck frames until well past 1900: Brownell, Brill, any of the MCBs, etc.
Dave Crow

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Work done Wednesday, December 28th -

* Coach 9 - Eric worked on the clerestory window frames.

* Engine house - Fred applied more shingles to the north wall of the center stall. He quit just before the snow started.

* Executone phone system - The 30 hour Christmas eve power outage caused the business phone system to lose its programming. The first attempt to reprogram the system failed.  The CPU card was replaced and the system was then reprogrammed.  To anyone using the system: the direct call (station to station) buttons may not work properly but the rest of the buttons work for making/receiving phone calls.

* Shop - Roger and Jason have been keeping the coal stove going. Jason was also working something, vacuum brakes?

* Back lot - This was the first day I saw the truck show up to empty the new dumpster.  Shop, restroom and house trash (properly bagged) should go to the dumpster which is in the parking lot near where the old woods track used to end.   

[Wayne Laepple]

No more weekly dump runs, Stewart?

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

No more weekly dump runs, Stewart?

Wayne, 
I have been doing the once a week trip for years, mostly because I take my home trash along with the railroads stuff.  Sometimes there are 10 to 14 large bags and it's a lot of work. The dumpster will reduce the number of dump runs, maybe to every two weeks.  I'll still take my trash over and I'll grab a bag or two of the railroads stuff if the dumpster gets full. 

I hope that everyone working in the shop (machine + wood shop) will take their trash to the dumpster every week.  This will reduce the number of full cans in the main shop which keeps the place cleaner + more fire safe.

[Mike Fox]

I agree with Stewart, that thos will reduce fire hazard. Getting used to the fact they need to be emptied may take some getting used to. Stewart has spoiled them for years..

The dumpster in a necessity. We have been very fortunate to have Stewart going every week. The times he can't it becomes obvious. Wednesday is their normal day, and this is probably the 3rd time they have emptied it, doing it every other week.

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

Dave Crow

The article did mention agricultural equipment using square nuts,
I have disassembled & also repaired equipment from the late 30s and early 40s
with square nuts and bolts. I suppose it was because it is harder to round a
square nut with an adjustable  (monkey) wrench. 2 are all you need in the
field + a screwdriver and pliers. Those underseat tool boxes were not medium size.
And a knife to cut wrapped corn stalks or hay.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I agree with Stewart, that thos will reduce fire hazard. Getting used to the fact they need to be emptied may take some getting used to. Stewart has spoiled them for years..

I hope Stewart won't have to make runs between the shop and the dumpster.

Jeff S.

[James Patten]

Work done on Saturday December 31:

* Engine house: Fred and Stewart shingled.  The east side brackets and boards were brought down.
* Clean up trip: We took 52 up the line.  There was very little that fell in the gauge, but a few trees that fell to either side.  We went all the way to Trout Brook station.
* Garage area: Mike and Cody were working on bits and pieces for the new gas/diesel tank, behind the garage.  I found a shop vac and vacuumed out the dirt under the floor of the Kubota as best I could.

Happy New Year to everyone!

[Mike Fox]

I caught Fred today.





East wall after we removing the staging under Freds persistance..



And after we returned from up north, Stewart had just about completed what he could reach..

[Bill Reidy]

Mike beat me to posting photos of Fred and Stewart at work on the engine house, which is good, because he got better photos!  I'll add one from this morning of Stewart and Fred at work...


And another from the early afternoon, looking at the northwest corner of the building.  A lot of effort has been put in by Fred, Stewart and others to get the shingling done this far...


Now some photos of Mike and others at work.  New England experienced a strong gale on December 23rd, so the line needed inspection for fallen trees, as well as flangeways at crossings.  Mike preparing No. 52 for the trip north...


Our inspection/clearing crew consisted of Mike, James P., Brian W., Pete, Cody, and myself.  A dozen+ fallen trees were found, none of which were fouling the gauge, as James noted.  Mike clearing a fallen tree as Cody looks on from the ditch that had been heavily repaired at Location 12 on the Mountain.  Trout Brrok bridge can be seen in the distance...


James, Brian, Mike and Cody clearing a lower portion of the ditch...


The trip took about 2 hours from Sheepscot to Trout Brook Station.  An unseasonably warm day, with temperatures around 50F.

Happy New Year, all!

[Mike Fox]

Thanks for the photos Bill. In the photo of my good side prepping 52, I had just finished oiling the slides on the bearings. In the last photo, that is ice in the ditch below us, not white water rapids, incase anyone was wondering.

While the Mountain Extension is closed for operational use during the winter, I asked Steve Lennox for permission to patrol it since there was no snow.

[Jeff Schumaker]

Thanks for the photos, guys.


Jeff S.