Mountain Extension - Official Work Thread

[Ed Lecuyer]

Well, tell me when the tracks are going in... I may be poor, but this is one project I don't want to miss.

We have a "Carpool" section of the forum that has been un-utilized. I'm sure if a request is made in advance, someone from your area will be happy to give you a ride. (Heck, if you can get as far as Haverhill, MA - I'll pick you up.) Overnight accommodations at "the Sheepscot Inn" are usually available for $10/night.

[John Kokas]

Ira,

I love your idea of a "vacation" camp ala the D&S.  Maybe a "members only" camp as another enticement for volunteers to stay for a spell but to also bring their families along.  Or maybe a WW&F version of the Shady Rest Hotel for those old enough to remember a certain TV show.

[Wayne Laepple]

In discussing the camp over the weekend, it was referred to by several folks who have inspected it as "the Porcupine Palace." I'm not certain what that connotes, but I can imagine.

[Dylan Lambert]

Why not make a public campground of it? With some proper promotion, you could get people in... The train gives them something to do in addition to hiking, fishing, yada yada. Problem is if there's enough demand for a campground in the Alna area...

[James Patten]

I haven't seen the camp, but I was told the building hasn't been maintained in recent years.  I think it's open to the elements, and apparently lots of porcupines have wandered through.  It would require some amount of reconstruction to make it habitable.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Noticed this morning that the Wiscasset Newspaper article on the WW&F land purchase, posted on the Museum's facebook page has had close to 1,200 views.  Nice to see the museum getting such good press, especially when the newspaper version hasn't even come out yet.  Thanks to everyone who shared the story on line.  One fellow commented on fb that he's "catching railroad fever"  Hope it's contagious.

[Dave Buczkowski]

All;
The proposed north/south property line separating our 23 acre lot from Mr. Clark on the preliminary plan drawn by the surveyor is 584.6 +/- feet and grows to 653.6 feet along the western boundary. Those lines are roughly parallel. However, the ROW proceeds from south to north on a westerly angle. So that means the actual ROW is probably greater than 600 feet due to the angle. tTe southerly bound is 1,643.1 +/- feet and the northerly bound is 1,641.2 +/- feet. Mr. Clark retained approxinmately 21+/- acres. Our easterly boundary is very roughly 1215+ feet from Route 218.
Dave
Real Estate & ROW Dept.

[Mike Arnold]

I just think it would be great for members for work weekends to have a place to pitch a tent for out of state members. As well as if you don't see it from the train and ruin the scenery. Just a stupid question how much row is owned by the museum north of 118?
Mike Arnold
US merchant marine
Www.twinforksnrhs.org

[James Patten]

We own ROW from the property line of Fossell/Kelly (the Kelly parcel) down to 218, on the other side of 218 (assuming the State owns the road itself) along the river to half-way through Head Tide Church cut.  Then somewhere on the other side of Head Tide Road beyond the Red Cape we own a small chunk of ROW between the cape property and the Alna/Whitefield town line, but I don't know exactly where that is.

Going further north, we own ROW in Whitefield (Kings Mills) from where Rts 218 and 194 meet along the Sheepscot river and then back across 218 to some point further north.  And I think we own another parcel further north, but that's even hazier.

The W&Q owns large chunks of ROW in Whitefield, but I don't know how much and where.  Alna's tax maps helpfully put the WW&F ROW on the maps so that we know where it is.  I know that Whitefield sort of does (as a dashed line) and I don't know about other towns.

[Dylan Lambert]

Alright, that just sounds overly convoluted the farther you get from Top of the Mountain. I would imagine that figuring that out now isn't that important, only because there aren't the available assets to cover a ten-mile operation yet. That, and nothing has been planned out that far yet... I would imagine getting some tracks down into Wiscassett might help with public exposure, but the FRA requirements and whatnot might make that a tad bit more difficult... Not insurmountable, but just a headache.

[John McNamara]

I would imagine getting some tracks down into Wiscassett might help with public exposure, but the FRA requirements and whatnot might make that a tad bit more difficult... Not insurmountable, but just a headache.

Dylan,
There are some very substantial difficulties about getting to Wiscasset. There is a place on 218, just north of Old Sheepscot Rd, where the ROW runs parallel to 218 between the highway and a stream. Over the years the road has been widened, and the stream has eroded the ROW. A G-gauge garden railway would fit there, but not anything wider. Further, there are two or three houses that are on the ROW, and I do mean ON.

I'm very much on hopes that a presence on 218, the Turner Centre car at Wiscasset, and publicity in printed and social media around the completion of 9 will get us substantial public exposure. Who knows, maybe someday we can offer a connecting shuttle bus to Maine Eastern trains at Wiscasset. I can see it now - through ticketing Boston to Alna Center!

-John

[Dylan Lambert]

I would imagine getting some tracks down into Wiscassett might help with public exposure, but the FRA requirements and whatnot might make that a tad bit more difficult... Not insurmountable, but just a headache.

Dylan,
There are some very substantial difficulties about getting to Wiscasset. There is a place on 218, just north of Old Sheepscot Rd, where the ROW runs parallel to 218 between the highway and a stream. Over the years the road has been widened, and the stream has eroded the ROW. A G-gauge garden railway would fit there, but not anything wider. Further, there are two or three houses that are on the ROW, and I do mean ON.

I'm very much on hopes that a presence on 218, the Turner Centre car at Wiscasset, and publicity in printed and social media around the completion of 9 will get us substantial public exposure. Who knows, maybe someday we can offer a connecting shuttle bus to Maine Eastern trains at Wiscasset. I can see it now - through ticketing Boston to Alna Center!

-John

That would be a problem, wouldn't it? Well, unless someone wants to plan out a deviation-level project...

[James Patten]

Some photos that are posted on Facebook:

Mike starting down the ramp:


Mike turning the ceremonial first bucketful, for my camera:


This was Mike's progress after 2+ hours of work:


Expect to see railroad track getting laid here on Fall Work Weekend!!!

[Eric Larsen]

Mike:  How far did you get today?

[Brendan Barry]

Loading up the excavator last weekend 6/21/14 for the trip to the end of track. The flat cars have their brake wheels at opposite ends so the excavator was loaded on flat 126 and then backed onto flat 118 in the yard.

Prepping the ramp on the North Yard lead.





Mike heading up the ramp and onto car 126.























Switching cars around for the transfer between cars









The car switch