Tuesday, April 26, 2011

April 26, 2011

Hello Everyone

Well in spite of the weather we were able to accomplish a lot this past weekend.  I won't reiterate what Tim has already reported in his blog, but I will say that the museum is certainly changing for the better.  A lot of cleanup is occuring, and the momentum is carrying it.  We have gotten so efficient at cleaning up that computers that Xian had arranged for to be picked up for recycling were accidently put in the scrap dumpster for disposal.  The computers were later retrieved from the dumpster and have been picked up for recycling.  Having so many volunteers now thinking about how they can help clean up the museum is a real positive for the museum.

Coming up this Saturday (April 30) there is a fundraising meeting at 8:30 A.M. for anyone interested.

We expect that there will be a lot happening at the museum this weekend.

In the shop, work will continue on getting the lathe ready for turning 836's wheels.  A gantry crane has been altered (shortened) to fit over the lathe which will make loading of the wheel sets much easier and safer.  We expect to be putting the gantry crane togeather this weekend.  Also, once the machining is complete for the motor belt drive, the motor will be installed. 

At the visitor center, the shifting of the Mansfield caboose over one track is expected to happen this
Saturday.  This will allow the caboose to be moved under the train shed for work to commence.  The work on the roof and siding will start after the check ceremony on May 7.

A lot of cleaning up around the property has been occuring including cutting of trees.  I am sure that additional cleanup work will be occuring this coming Saturday also.

As usual, we are only restricted in our progress by the help we have on hand.  I have been delighted this spring at all the help we have had at the museum, and continue to look forward to seeing all the new faces and of course our usuals.

Don't forget our Annual meeting is on May 7, and we will be having the check ceremony with the Windsor Locks Preservation Association.  Everyone is welcome. 

Looking ahead, we have the Preservation (flea) market on May 21, and Larry Lunden will be holding a meeting on June 18th at 9:00 A.M. to kick off the planning for the Day of Caring.  this is the annual event where people from different companies volunteer for a day.  Last year, we had a great group of volunteers who helped re-landscape the front of the visitor center islands, and installed the brick pavers at our front entrance.  We need volunteers to help lead different projects, so if you are interested, come and help plan our effort this year. 

Hope everyone is having a good spring, and I look forward to seeing you at the museum.

Galen  

Sunday, April 17, 2011

April 17, 2011

Hello Everyone

We had another successful Saturday.  The weather wasn't very nice, which kept some of our volunteers away, but we still got a lot done.

Track work continued in Kelly yard, with the expectation that it will continue next Saturday.  Keep up the good work guys.

Work in the shop progressed on 836.  The car has now been jacked up, the west end truck removed, disassembled and the wheel set removed for machining.  During the week, a special tracing tool was purchased for the lathe which will allow the wheel work to progress.  Machining work also was done which will now allow the motor to be installed in the lathe.  This coming weekend, we expect to install the lathe motor, test the lathe, and start setting up a second gantry crane inside the shop to allow safer loading of the lathe.  Hopefully within the next two weeks we will have the wheel set in the lathe, and ready to start the machining work.

451 is in the shop and awaiting work on her control equipment.  Some patching work was done on her east end doors and the doors primed.

Hopefully we will get warmer and clear weather for next Saturday, and work can once again progress at the great pace we have seen this spring.

I would like to thank all the volunteers including the many new volunteers and returning volunteers.  It is a great pleasure to see progress being made in so many different areas at the same time.

Galen

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April 13, 2011

Hello Everyone.

Well the news has officially been released.  The Trolley Museum is the recipient of a generous donation from the Windsor Locks Preservation Association (WLPA).  The WLPA was formed to raise money to preserve the Windsor Locks Train Station.  Unfortunately, the plans did not work out for them, and the organization decided to disband.  They voted to turn over their remaining funds to the museum to fund two specific projects; the Isle of Safety and the Mansfield Caboose.

The Mansfield Caboose will get a new roof and exterior siding along with repairs to windows and doors to make her watertight and looking good.  The caboose will then be set up for birthday parties and other events. 

The money for the Isle of Safety will allow work to be done to repair the woodwork and roof structure and hopefully refinish the tiles, replace the missing tiles, and complete the roof back to her origonal green color.  We still have to get final prices to see how far the money will take us, and the hope is to raise enough money to reproduce the origonal walls that once provided shelter within the Isle of Safety.

A dedication ceremony regarding this bequest will be held on May 7th (Annual meeting day) at 2:00 P.M.  All are welcome to attend.

This year is shaping up to be one of the best years for the museum.  This past Saturday, we had an incredible turnout of volunteers. 

Work this coming weekend includes continuing track work in Kelly yard.  Also, now that we will need to get the caboose out for a dedication ceremony, there is a renewed urgency to building the temporary track in the visitor center area to move 1739 and 0206 out of the way before the caboose needs to be moved on May 7th.

Work of course will continue in the shop.

As always, the operators will be doing their thing to keep the public happy and the trolleys running.

If you have some time, come on down and join the fun.  There is plenty to go around.

Upcoming events include

Easter Bunny fun day on Saturday April 23
The Annual meeting and dedication ceremony on May 7th
Preservation Market on May 21.

Have a great Spring, and hope to see you at the museum.

Galen

Sunday, April 10, 2011

April 10, 2011

Hi Everyone.

Things are moving along very nicely at the museum.

We had a great turnout to do track work in Kelly yard and 7 timbers were replaced.  6 more timbers still need to be completed, then the rail changed out, and the repair to the switch will be complete.  It was a great chance for those interested in working on the track to learn from our members who are involved in the railroad industry.  A lot of good training took place along with all that was accomplished.

Work in the shop is progressing well.  The first motor for the type 5 was transported to a motor shop in bloomfield for an overhaul.  Once this motor is returned, it will be traded out of the car for a second motor and so on until all 4 motors in the car have been overhauled.  This will give us another larger capacity car in great condition that will be very dependable.

355 was reassembled, motors repacked with waste, and all maintenance work completed on Saturday, and the car moved back to Kelly barn for service.  451 is now in the shop for maintenance and to trouble shoot the delayed  braking issues with the car. 

Work on 836 is progressing.  We have the motor ready for installation in the lathe, but need to machine the assembly that allows the motor to drive the belt on the lathe.  Pat and John are working to get this done.  We have also located the tracing attachment that we need to purchase and are working to get that to the museum.  Once both of these projects are completed, we will be ready to jack and start work on the axles on 836.

On another front, we have started grading work to allow us to build the temporary track into the south side of the visitor center train shed.  This will allow us to put 0206 back under cover along with 1739.  As part of this grading work, fill is being placed in the area of the previous storage track adjacent to the single car barn which is required for the construction of the permanent track into the visitor center. 

We had a really great turnout of volunteers this past Saturday, with a number of new faces.  Because of this turnout, progress was made in many areas. 

Coming up this coming Saturday, work will progress in the shop on 451, and work on the lathe.

We also will be progressing with work on getting the trackage into the visitor center. 

I suspect work will also continue on Kelly yard track repairs.

Anyone interested in helping out, please email me or come on down on Saturday.  We have plenty to do, and hope to keep up the wonderful progress we are making this year.

Galen

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

April 5, 2011

Hello everyone

We had a very successful day on Saturday and accomplished a lot.

The motor for the lathe was removed from the box car, moved into the shop, cleaned out of a few mice nests, tested and is almost ready for installation to run the lathe.  We have some minor machining work to do to allow the motor to be installed.

We are also looking into purchasing a tracing tool for the lathe that should help speed up the work on the wheels.

As soon as we are all set with the lathe, we will be jacking up 836 to do her motor.

Work has continued on 355 with the compressor now completed.  The running boards need to be reinstalled that were removed to allow work to occur on the compressor, and routine maintenance needs to be completed.  The goal is to complete this work and move 355 out of the shop this weekend and release her for service.  451 will then be moved into the shop to work on her.

There will be a lot happening this coming Saturday (04/09/11).

Work as always will be occuring in the shop.  Maintenance work on 355, will be the main focus.

The track department will be starting work on repairing the broken joint in Kelly yard.  Ties will be replaced along with 1 rail. 

Please consider coming down to help out.  If you are not sure how you can help, please email me and we can talk about your interests.

For anyone interested, the next Directors meeting is on April 13, 2011 and the meetings are open to everyone.

Galen