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News Letter Index |
Various members give a report of happenings at the railroad.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Rolling Stock
I finished the 11th car of this 12 car project. I had some problems with two couplers. I also repaired the brakewheel staff on one of the brake flats. The weld had broken loose. It also occured to me that with the addition of the new car, i can take one of the extra brake flats out of service and hold it in reserve. Jim Scott
Maintenance Of Way
Work continues on Wednesdays filling the footing holes at the passenger TurnTable with concrete. These will support the new ring rail the table turns on.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Rolling Stock
I fixed the coupler problem. We didn’t move any cars due to rain. Next week I will finish the last car. The 251 gondola will be done at a later date because Dale is using it now as part of the Signals maintenance train. Jim Scott
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Motive Power
Steve Haack was working on the 5205 testing the hydrolics and deciding a course of action for improving the horsepower. The ratio between the engine, pump, and motors needs to be corrected.
Maintenance Of Way
A crew of Hank Welsh, Mike Lorance, Steve Marx, Rich Owings, and Jim Greathouse started the day cutting up more of the trees that were felled behind the carbarn. Then they took the maintenance train with a load of the excess dirt from Dale's digging at Bluffs down to Summit. Greathouse engineered 704 sounding the horn as they approached Bluffs to warn Dale who was digging more of the trench for the signals. Upon arriving at the east side of Summit, the excess dirt was used to continue building up the shoulder so the ballast they put in there to level the track doesn't roll down the hill. The crew then continued to the Wye where Owings and Greathouse cleared leaves from the tracks while Walsh, Lorance, and Marx cut up the felled trees from a few weeks ago. These trees were removed to make a wider drainage ditch for improved water flow. Once completed the work train headed back to the station. (or so they thought) As they crested Summit, Rich Owings, engineer on the return trip brought the train to a stop. A large tree had uprooted between Dry Gulch tressel and Swampy Creak tressel. The crew cut enough of the tree to get the train under the branches and then continued the trip back to Glencoe. Hank will put a crew together to remove more of the tree as weather permits over the next few weeks.
Signals
Dale Bitsch continues digging and burying conduit at Bluffs. One line will carry the electrical power while the second line will carry the signal information. Once this section is complete, there will be an west approach signal just beyond the crossing that will indicate if the main line is clear along with an indication for switch at Bluffs Siding.
General News
We are keeping an eye on the Meramec River. Currrently there is minor flooding predicted downstreem at Arnold, MO., with several days of rain forcasted for this week.
We have a new active member in the form of Tom White.
Heading back to Glencoe, we came up on a tree at Summit that had uprooted while we were at the Wye.
Due to the late hour, just enough of the tree was cleared to allow the work train to pass under.
Rich Owings safely navigates 704 under the tree and on back to Glencoe Yard.
