Fall Work Weekend 2023 - Official Work thread

[Bill Reidy]

Outside work the second day of Fall Work Weekend, Saturday, October 7th, focused on reconstruction of the car barn track 3 lead and other maintenance in the Sheepscot north (upper) yard.

The track 3 lead track panels had removed in the past few days.  Mike Fox excavated the route of the track early in the day.


Mike finishing up the excavation as Steve Leet (left) and Steve Lennox look on.


While the excavation was underway, the track crew was busy lifting, leveling and lining portions of the North Yard lead.  Here they are walking back into the yard after working on a section near the North Yard switch.


The crew preparing to lift and level near the Barn 1 switch.


Bryce Weeks followed up with the Big Joe tamper.  The tamper Wilmar is currently located about 2.4 miles north at Top of Mountain.


After completion of the excavation, the track panels were put back into place.


And after much work in the afternoon rain, portions respiked and all ballasted, lifted and leveled.


The end result.


Jason Lamontagne (right) and Steve Lennox (left) also adjusted a couple of the north yard switches.  Jason discusses the work with Bryce.


Nancy and Joan provided great meals today, as always.  Dinner in the engine house tonight, inside from the pouring rain.


Other news from today:
-- Engine House dedication.
-- Successful vacuum brake testing.
-- Coach No. 8 maintenance progress,
-- Boxcar No. 56 progress.

[Bill Baskerville]

Also 52’s winter battery charger was reconnected inside the battery box.

After many complaints from the local moose community about 52’s wandering front ditch lights sweeping through the woods instead of shining down the rails stabilizing brackets were installed to correct this ludicrous lighting limitation.

[John McNamara]

Thank you for restoring luminosity despite the ludicrous lighting limitation.

[Bill Reidy]

A handful of photos from today, Sunday, October 8th, the third day of Fall Work Weekend.

The track crew focused on replacing defective ties along a portion of Davis grade and between Maine Locomotive & Machine and Humason Brook trestle.

Dan Malkowski led a safety briefing at the start of the day.


Tom Ross pulls a defective tie.


Dan inserts a replacement tie.  The rails are lifted slightly by the jacks to make insertion easier.


Dana Deering spiking a replacement tie.


With the heavy rainfall Saturday afternoon and evening, Humason Brook was roaring.  It was a small flow on Friday.


At 4 p.m., a memorial train for Wayne Laepple was run to Trout Brook station and return.  A drumhead was mounted on the rear of the train.


The memorial train crew:  brakeman Dan Malkowski; fireman Dana Deering; engineer Bob Longo (in cab) and conductor Bryce Weeks.


Midway down the Mountain aboard the train.

[Bill Reidy]

A few last photos of the 2023 Fall Work Weekend taken today, October 9th, a brilliant fall day, focused on a morning work train to drop ballast on the Mountain.

Flatcar No. 126 was loaded at Alna Center.  View from open car No. 131.


A view looking south from No. 131 toward Sheepscot while loading.  The fall colors really popped the past week.


A crew of five dropped ballast along the west side of the track at location 9 on the Mountain.  The west rail has dropped a bit, so it will be raised soon and the stone used to tamp under the lift.






After stone had been dropped, the work train met the first public Pumpkin Pickin' Train at Top of Mountain.  The first public train looked full, and I understand the rest were well-attended, too.


I also had some time early to take a couple of photos of coach No. 8 repair work progress.

Good to see many old and new friends this past weekend!

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Thank you to all of our 2023 Fall Work Weekend attending and supporting crew members.  What a tremendously productive week and weekend we had!  Sunday evening’s train in memory of Wayne was lovely. 

Just passing on my gratitude for our devoted volunteers..

Jason

[Dave Buczkowski]

Where are my manners! Thank you to all that helped out in any way. We could not do it without your help. I was really glad to see many faces adding to the mature ones. Our newer volunteers should know that the Fountain of Youth is in Alna, not Florida. Just ask Fred, Zack, Bill B, Ken S and others. Volunteering at the WW&F keeps you young!
Many thanks again to all of you!
Dave

[john d Stone]

I really enjoyed this work weekend. In fact, I can't think of any I haven't enjoyed! Thanks to all concerned for organizing these events and keeping this labor of love going! And as always, the food was great too!