Mountain Extension - Official Work Thread

[Alex Harvilchuck]

Jeff is our contractor. He had constructed a road for us just for the purpose of filling the washout and slide. The road was never fully completed, but is within 50 feet of the grade. The plan is for him to complete the road to the grade, and then fill the hole we put the culvert in.

Glad to hear permission was secured to allow heavy equipment into the ROW to handle the fill for the washout. I can imagine how much effort it was going to be to try and do it via rail.

Next we walked to the slide. I am amazed that neither the Army Corps or the DEP are concerned about that. No permit required. We just need to be mindful of runoff, and control erosion.

Thinking of economies of scale, if the heavy equipment is in situ and no DEP or Army Corps permits are needed for the slide, why not take care of it now. Knock off as much of the low-hanging fruit (i.e. no permits required and culvert repairs) as time permits with the availability of heavy equipment. Getting the road access is a major enough game-changing event to revisit the original plan for this year.

Plus, the Museum is losing the "Mr. Scott" miracle worker reputation to the three-foot DSP&P usurpers in Como, Colorado.

[James Patten]

Thinking of economies of scale, if the heavy equipment is in situ and no DEP or Army Corps permits are needed for the slide, why not take care of it now. Knock off as much of the low-hanging fruit (i.e. no permits required and culvert repairs) as time permits with the availability of heavy equipment. Getting the road access is a major enough game-changing event to revisit the original plan for this year.

Alas, no money for it this year.  With the bridge arriving soon, that's occupied the Annual Fund drive letter for this year.  We probably won't be able to address it for a couple of years at least because of the bridge and ROW repairs needed beyond the bridge.

[Mike Fox]

Actually, it was discussed at the August board meeting. Cost and timing were both discussed. I was hoping for a start on it after September 30th. But that is when things start to soften again, and we could do a lot of damage to both the grade and the road. So we will discuss it again at a future board meeting, springtime sometime, again talking about timing and financials.

[Mike Fox]

She said yes..



Our contractor reviewed the approach to the grade. He asked that 2 trees be removed so he could make an easy transition. So I approached the land owner to get her permission. We have a leased right of way through here, and I wanted her aware of the modification to her land, and make sure she was alright with it. As you can see by the pine tree laying across the grade, she was.

This is how the inlet for the culvert looks today. Greening up nicely



I decided to re-set the culvert at location 2. I was in too big of a hurry last week. The culvert is in properly, under the direct supervision of Fred.

[Ira Schreiber]

Is that our ROW or the access road?

[Bill Reidy]

I decided to re-set the culvert at location 2. I was in too big of a hurry last week. The culvert is in properly, under the direct supervision of Fred.

Maybe we should send Fred with you on every trip up north.  It would keep him off the concrete.

[Mike Fox]

Ira, the dirt at the bottom of the top photo is the top of the fill to the washout we just installed the culvert. I removed the top layer, small stumps etc., last weekend. This is looking north. The access road is to the right of the tree that is across the grade.

This was last Saturday, just forgot to post..looking south

[Ira Schreiber]

Thanks Mike.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I decided to re-set the culvert at location 2. I was in too big of a hurry last week. The culvert is in properly, under the direct supervision of Fred.

Maybe we should send Fred with you on every trip up north.  It would keep him off the concrete.

Wouldn't that slow Mike down?

[John Kokas]

I can't wait to take a walk down the ROW during FWW.  Last time I saw it, it was brush, thorns, and just a jungle.  What an amazing transformation!  Keep up the good work Mike and everyone else who has helped.

[Paul Uhland]

Will Jeff  be able to fill the first washout to track subgrade level by FWW? The other smaller washout(s)? Trackwork possible by then? I'm wishing. 

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

If track gets built across the washout it can't go very far because it can't be built near where the access road comes to the grade.  It would block trucks and equipment from reaching the other places where the grade needs repair work.

[Bill Reidy]

I decided to re-set the culvert at location 2. I was in too big of a hurry last week. The culvert is in properly, under the direct supervision of Fred.

Maybe we should send Fred with you on every trip up north.  It would keep him off the concrete.

Wouldn't that slow Mike down?

As quick and thorough as Mike is with his work, I suspect he would have a hard time keeping up with Fred.  I know I can't!

[Joe Fox]

The current plan is to hold off on mainline track laying till next spring or fall, depending on how filling goes this year. The hope is to lay 1,000' at a time again like we used to do. If we can build 1,000' of track in 3 work weekends we will be almost to 218, and across Trout Brook. We have 7 work weekends between now and the estimated timeline for being over the brook if everything goes well. All of this will depend on money, and a few other matters, but that is the anticpated timeline.

[Mike Fox]

Fall of 2018, at the earliest. That is if we can take care of the slide. There is also a spot that we are going to need to do some work on that may delay this. We are in the planning stages on that, and may have decided on what needs or can be done there. We just need to research that and go from there.