Red River & Gulf Railroad

Work Session

November 6, 2021

To join the fun, contact the railroad at: Work-Session @ RedRiverAndGulf.net (no spaces)

Volunteers
Glen A.
Wimbley V.
Carson
Mike M.
Mike B.
Angela A.
Andrew A.

Everett L.

Blake

Gerald

Brief Recap
Today was the big day. Santee River Hardwood #3 made it onto live rail last night (11-5-2021) was moved up the hill, through the switches and into the Long Leaf Machine shop.

While one group of volunteers swung the track that had connected with loading spur with the Main, back on to the Main line alignment and then get it connected, gauged up and spiked in place. Glen A., with this tractor and backhoe worked with Doug, Blake and Gerald to repair the broken water main by the planer mill.

With the water main repaired, and the track spiked back, it was time to start up the hill with #3. Amazing enough, the museum tractor pulled #3 with almost no effort through the switches and up to the road crossing by the Engine House when the crew broke for lunch.

Just before lunch, the yard crew, led by Angela as yardmaster, and including Andrew, Carson and Wimbley fired up the M-8 and began clearing off Track #1 so that SRH #3 could be pushed into the Machine Shop. The M-2 refused again to start, so the M-8 with Wimbley at the throttle was forced to do all of the work.

After lunch, Gerald brought the M-4 out to help with the last pull up hill before backing down to the Engine House and Machine Shop. The M-4 almost did the job by itself, but a little help from Glen and his tractor got #3 past the Engine House lead. From there it was all down hill into the Engine House. Well, not quite. #3 could not make up its mind whether it wanted to go back down the main line or into the Engine House, and split the switch. Good communication and observation stopped it just before it would have derailed and the crew got everything straightened out and #3 headed in to the Engine House, towed by Glen on his tractor. A little more track gauging and by 3:00 #3 was tucked away in the Machine Shop for its first time inside in more than 50 years.

While the crew cleaned up hammers, spikes, spike mauls, gauge bars etc. Everett went to Oakdale for a new battery for the M-2. This turned out to be both good and bad. M-2 started fine on its initial crankup, but on a second try, there was a bright flash underneath the car, and then everything stopped. So, more work on M-2 next week.

Sunday morning it was cold (36 degrees) foggy and extremely damp. Never the less, Angela, Andrew and Everett turned out a 8 am to rebuild the unloading track since the gauge bars had been removed and leap-frogged around #3 to get it onto main line rail for movement on Saturday. Mike M. soon showed up at find the work underway. Together the four volunteers removed the remaining gauge bars from the main line, gauged up the unloading track and spiked it into place to be able to spot the log car on Friday. By 10 am, the crew was done, so it was decided to start building temporary trestlework underneath the suspended pit rails, so that light equipment can be moved across the pit and worked on there as well . With Everett cutting the supports, Andrew barring up the rail, Angela holding the cross members in place, and Mike in the pit securing the cross members with the X braces the first phase of this support was completed by noon, at which point the exhausted crew knocked off and went home. Before going home, the crew looked in on Santee River Hardwood #3, and found it resting comfortably in the shop.

Friday the log car arrives, and if anyone is around on Saturday, we will be working on adding some more bracing of the pit rails, as well as repairing the dead short in the wiring of the M-2 (since we can now get it over the pit).

-Everett Lueck
RR&G General Manager