Next: In-park Work Party August 13, 10 am to 2 with Pizza
Tasks:
- clean up windfalls from the loop/trestle areas. Chainsaw and stack burnable wood for Ghost/Santa fires, and put the remainder in the fall-burn pile..
- install the five blocks for the shed extension
- install the new switch-stand that Rick is making
- Do a walk-the-track session and collect windfalls for the fall burn pile. While doing that, Select, mark, note the location of the worst danger trees and advise FAI
We had a great work party on Tuesday, July 23, from 10 am to 2:30 pm. Thanks to Karl, Mary, Bob, Aldo, Dan and Dave for attending.
A major task was to dig in the 3/4″ black poly pipe, connect it to a garden tap, and leave the other end to connect to the Water Tower. When we add gutters to the Station, this will collect rainwater for the garden
The above was the fun part. Then, when moving the windfalls, Dan’s eLoco quit working; no battery, but then mysteriously started working later.
While attempting to get the non-working eLoco home with the gas loco, the brakes failed. While looking at those Bob and Karl realized a weld job was needed so Karl took that home.
While looking a the brakes, Bob/Karl realized the rubber drive with chunks out of it wouldn’t make it next Sunday, so tried to install the new white cone. But it doesn’t fit. So they put in a new rubber one. We tested it, and it works fine. Yea!!
By now it was 2:30. We had worked past lunchtime; not a Pizza work party, so Mary’s blueberry muffins saved the day!! Thanks, Mary.
Read more for work done at previous work parties
Tuesday July 9 – at the park, joining the Farmers Market folks at lunch for pizza. Thanks to Dan, Bob, Rob, Karl, Mary, Russ, Dave, and new member Aldo Conti . Photos by Karl and Dave
We moved the fence to save a volunteer fir tree.
In discussions,
- we decided to expand the station pour to the south post line, making 15×37 rather than 12×37′
- We came up with ideas for a portable G-Scale display box for railroad logging rolling stock that Goeff may donate. e.g., make it 2′ x 8′ x 1′ deep with lexan or plexi viewing window that serves as a fold-back door to access the display. it could be locked in the shed in the summer, displayed on the 10′ trestle, and stored in a warm-dry location in the winter. Rolling stock would have to be clipped securely to enable moving the box without removing and packing the rolling stock. Interpretive photos of local railroad logging could complete.
Next outdoor work party Aug 8, 10 am to 2 pm, pizza lunch with the Market folks.
.. add Carb cleaner to the loco gas if not already done
.. Clean up windfalls from the loop/trestle areas and chainsaw and stack burnable wood for Ghost/Santa fires
.. move three 4x6x8′ boards from the Donkey to Dan’s; available for benches or whatever
… do the Ghost/Santa lights repair
Next indoor work party for Climax, right-hand switch and 80′ track for the shed TBA
July 5 – Dan made 6 new pucks from hockey pucks
Tuesday, June 18 , 6:30 at Dan’s shop:
July 6, Dan replaced the battery in #1 loco with this one that came out of Dan’s eloco
Shop tasks:
- Climax frame – continue welding the 3″ supports for the frame; drilling the side-frame with pins for the bolster
- continue on some switch-posts to replace some that we now kick
- make more rope-post steel supports: 30″ with 3 holes
See all our projects here
Upcoming Park tasks
- add carb-cleaner additive to the loco
- do any needed track levelling, and some hand-weeding
- Repair the Ghost/Santa Train light strings
- review signage and plan any new signs
Previous work below.
Tues June 11, from 10 am to 2 pm. Allen, Karl and Mary, Dan and Lynda, Russ and Dave met to complete park tasks and enjoyed pizza lunch with the Farmers Market folks.
- Dan adjusted the gas loco and easy access car brakes. A bigger job than realized; several members learned the process
- Oiled the track switches (actually done last Sunday)
- brought the five boxes of ties and a few laths from Dan’s, and installed them in the old shed rafters
- We all walked around the track and removed some windfalls; Mary drove the elloco with handicap car to move windfalls to the burn pile
- etched “PVR” on hidden spots under the picnic tables
- Russ did some major waterwheel maintenance; added a screen around the intake, balanced the wheel, etc. A new pump is in the shed but is not needed yet.
- Karl made and brought a good lever with bolt for derrails; its in a rack on a car. Russ made and brought a step-on 2×4 with roller to help the door closing on the old shed.
- Some ideas for a throttle extension were discussed with Dan
- Members agreed we need to have a unique place for many tools; Russ will add some tool holders and add silhouettes.
- We tested the brakes and provided engineer experience for Russ and Allen
- We installed a post support; only one remains.
Monday June 3: Thanks to Karl and Allen who installed the picnic tables on Monday afternoon with me. Welding and drilling the anchor parts was done at Karl’s place. The Market’s picnic table is now west of the loading ramp. The padlocks are slightly underground, the tables could be moved or stored inside for winter. Keys are in the sheds on the same ring as other locks.
On Tuesday evening, May 14, Dan, Karl and Dave:
- made more wood ties; remaining 2x2s will be stored for future
- Dan made some hockey-puck drive cones from hard pucks donated by Karl
- Rope-post repair: cut and drilled 30″ rail pieces and installed them
- April 16
- Apr 16, 9 am to 2 pm We got ready to open the railroad.! Seven members came out on April 16. We had a terrific work party; thanks to Dan, Lynda, Bob, Laura, Stephen, Geoff and Dave for being there…. and Juhli/Farmers Market for the Pizza lunch Done Apr 16:
… Stephen took the lead on the drive repair. Shortened the cone and used shorter bolts. A test run confirmed his re-design is right, but a new shortened rubber cone is needed
… Using Dan’s ATV and tailor, Moved the event-location woodpile and clean up partially burned wood to the main burn pile
… collected windfalls and had a fire in the main burn pile (but still have many windfalls to collect around the track)
… blew track, lopped low branches and cleaned gutters
… didn’t identify any track levelling problems on our one test run, but more testing is needed
… Laura tidied the garden in the Y and changed decorations on the station ropes
.. Dan brought the tractor down and moved some of the mulch from the tree grove area and other tasksRolling stock tasks
.. service loco oil … complete essential repairs on the loco drive (Stephen did this May 3)
Other tasks.. saw deck boards on Donkey (Mark Mathews did that another day)