Work Session

March 18, 2023

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

Volunteer Railroaders
1. Jason R.
2. Noah R.
3. Tucker B.
4. David H. Sr.
5. Mike M.
6. Andrew A.
7. Angela A.
8. Everett L.
9. Kira S.
10. Ayden S.
11. Casey A.
12. Cody A.
13. Dwayne S.
14. Wimbley V.

15. Isaac I.
16. Glen A.
17. Joseph S.
18. Sam E.
19. Jim B.
20. Ron C.


Accomplishments
1. M4 cleaned from front to back for public rides
2. Clearances fixed for M4 mirrors at passenger ramps
3. Installed switch frog, guard rail, and first lengths of rail for 3rd Engine House track switch
4. Bent gauge rods and switch rods straightened out for future use
5. Guard rails recovered from bypass corridor for future use
6. Public rides aboard M4, including delivery of bridal party to the Planer Mill
7. Replace old/broken bolts on newly installed switch frog
8. Gauge, tamp, level, and spike recently installed ties on main line north of Engine House
9. Main Loop track inspection
 

Before the Weekend
Jason and Noah arrived late Wednesday evening to spend Thursday and Friday volunteering at the museum. On Thursday, they cleaned out M4 from front to back, applied Armor-All on the seats, cleaned the windows, and set the mirrors in place. They then took M4 around the loop, checking clearances, and making adjustments at passenger ramps to ensure the M4 and the mirrors had clearance.

On Friday, Jason, Tucker, and David cleaned out one of the rooms in the carpentry building.
 

Saturday
Saturday was cool, crisp, and beautiful Louisiana day and a great time to be outside. Forest Hill was hosting their annual Nursery Festival to recognize the economic impact of the container and seedling plant nurseries in the area. Board member Sam Echols again arranged for the museum to have a booth at the festival. Board members Jim Barnett and Ron Chance helped man the museum booth on Saturday with Director Doug Rhodes, selling T-shirts, books, train ride tickets, and sending folks down to the museum after visiting the festival. Throughout the day, Jason, Wimbley, and Ayden operated several train rides to museum visitors. Angela was quite busy in the afternoon giving tours as well. Mike was assisting at the commissary throughout the day.

The Saturday morning briefing was held at the lodge kitchen. Saturday’s objective was to install the switch frog and its guard rail for the third Engine House track switch. After the briefing, the volunteers then split to move supplies as needed for the day. David, Angela, and Tucker fueled up the museum tractor and golf cart, with David donating the diesel for the tractor. The oil was checked in the tractor and oil was added for the golf cart. Andrew brought a gas can for M4 down to the commissary passenger ramp to stage for use during the day. Wimbley and Isaac took M8 around the loop, sanding the grades and checking for any obstacles. Jason fired up M4 and ran it down to the commissary so it was ready for train rides for the day.

The switch installation work was carried out in several phases, with several crews. The first phrase was gathering and staging equipment. Everett and Kira went to the sawmill pad to measure and mark rail and switch points to be moved up to the work site. David, Andrew, and Dwayne worked with the museum tractor to recover guard rails from the bypass corridor near the camping area before moving to bring in switch points and rail from the pad. Cody and Casey used the torch cart to heat and straighten several gauge rods and switch rods. Jason, Joseph, Tucker, and Ayden began staging the track tools and equipment, including the rail saw.

With the prep work complete, the attention turned to cutting in and installing the switch frog, the X-shaped piece of rail that dictates the turnout. Spikes were pulled off several crossties for the switch frog and dirt was cleared off the ties in the area. After triple measuring and checking from Tucker and Jason, it was time to cut rail and insert the frog. The rail saw was used for a majority of the cut before finishing off the web with the cutting torch. Tucker and David alternated cutting with the rail saw while Joseph handled the final torch cut. Then the whole crew of Cody, Casey, Everett, David, Joseph, Andrew, Jason, Ayden, Wimbley, Isaac, Tucker, and Dwayne fell in to get the frog and guard rail installed. The frog was then lifted with rail tongs, inserted into place, and then the joining and hole drilling began. The drill bit Everett got unfortunately didn’t fit in the rail drill, with the drill housing being an oddball size. After measuring with a joint bar, the torch was used to cut the bolt holes. With the new holes cut, the frog was joined on both ends and installed on the track.

Next up came the installation of the first guard rail on the straight stock rail of the parent track. A guard rail recovered from the bypass corridor earlier in the morning (literally pulled out of the woods) was inspected and pressed into service. The spikes were pulled where needed and the guard rail was lifted into place. Everett and Ayden then cut pipe into small lengths to use as spacers on the bolts used to join the guard rail to the straight stock rail. David and Cody then cut the three bolt holes on the stock rail. Meanwhile, Casey, Tucker, Jason, and Wimbley shoveled dirt in order to shift ties into the final position for the switch.

After lunch at the commissary cafe, the crew returned to the worksite to continue working on the switch turnout in the next phase, building the turnout. Using the tractor, several sticks of 45 pound rail were brought in for the track after the switch and several lengths of 60 pound rail were brought in for the components contacting the switch points and switch frog. The switch points, closure rails, and rails contacting the switch frog will all be 60 pound rail. The remainder of the third Engine House track will be 45 pound rail. Then came the joining of rail, cutting bolt holes where needed, installing joint bars, and tightening everything down.

Wrapping up the work for the day, the curved closure rail coming from the frog (toward where the switch points will be) was spiked down so it would not stick up in the gauge. The unused pieces of rail and guardrail were moved out of the way. The rail past the switch frog was aligned, several ties were adjusted, and a few ties were spiked down to hold the rail in place.

In the evening, after the hard work was done for the day, the bridal party for a wedding at the museum was delivered by the M4 to the Planer Mill, with Jason as motorman, Wimbley as conductor, and Ayden as brakeman. A job well done by the train crew!

After the train ride for the wedding party, Jason backed M4 into the Engine House as the whole crew watched to see how their switch work held up. The trip was smooth, but after inspection of the frog, two bolts were found to be old and in bad order. Using rebar, a hand sledge, and alternating with volunteers, the team had to knock out the old bolts that were rusted in place. With the old bolts pushed out, replacing them was on Sunday’s to-do list.

After setting up the tools and picking up equipment, the Engine House lights were turned off after a long day of work and the volunteers headed in to wash up and head to beans. But the day left one more surprise! After the volunteers enjoyed dinner that evening, they found the groom’s cake in the kitchen looking right back at them. This was no ordinary cake, but a full-size cake in the immaculately detailed and life-like shape of a bull elk head with a cigarette in its mouth! If you were there that weekend, you know what we’re talking about! (The cake was good too!)

Sunday
The volunteers split into two groups on Sunday morning. Everett, Glen, and David set to replace the bolts on the switch frog. Tucker picked up a three foot length of threaded rod for replacement bolts before going down to the museum that morning. Everett, Glen, and David then cut the rod to length using the saw in the machine shop. With the rod installed with washers and nuts on the switch frog, the frog is ready for many years of service.

The second group of Cody, Casey, Jason, Tucker, Andrew, Ayden, and Wimbley set out as the spiking gang. They leveled, tamped, gauged, and spiked down the ties that were installed at the prior session with the mini excavator. This included several switch ties and ties near switches, all key points on the railroad. A washout hole was filled in and several ties were tamped in for good measure.

With the morning work done, David and Tucker went back to the carpentry shop to finish the room clean up started on Friday. Glen and Everett discussed potential sites for a new motorcar house and finishing the M4 interior, future projects on the horizon. Everett also sent Cody and Casey home with one of M4’s original sanders. The goal is to see if another can be fabricated and sanders installed on the M4. Wimbley, Andrew, Ayden, and Casey also completed a track inspection around the main loop with M8.

As the wedding folks returned to pick up the aforementioned elk cake, the volunteers cleaned up the lodge, with Kira making sure the garbage was taken out as well. With the cleanup down, the volunteers headed home for the weekend. Thank you to everyone that came out!

 

-Tucker "Who Dat" Baker
  RR&G Road Master

Thursday

Northbound UP Train approaches Long Leaf on the Lake Charles Subdivision

Video Compilation from Thursday

Jason and Noah re-work the dock railing at the Planer Mill so that mirrors on M4 will clear them.

A view not often seen in these reports.

MP 12.65 - Planer Mill Junction

Noah - Future RR&G Railroader

Cleaning up the cut

Mission: Accomplished

The same issue needed to corrected at the Commissary/Depot

Mission: Accomplished

Lennon: The Commissary/Depot Agent

Some severe weather rocked Long Leaf that evening

Friday

Robin and Mike finished up the new "Groom's Room" at the Lodge.

This space will double as volunteer sleeping quarters when it's not being used by a wedding party.

Saturday

Morning Safety Brief at The Lodge

A rare selfie of Jason and he sends his regrets...

We expected a large volume of guests this day because of the Nursery Festival in Forest Hill, so Jason wore his RR&G uniform.

David and Andrew drag rails out of the woods along the old bypass main line.

These rails were used on the new Engine House Track #3

Andrew & Dewayne move rails from the pad to the Engine House

A new generation of RR&G railroaders looks to former generations for inspiration.

Our future is inspired by our past.

Casey & Cody use fire to bend metal!

Several items were bent returned to their proper alignment

Loosening bolts

Tucker uses the rail saw to cut rail for the new frog on the Track #3 Switch.

Blade #1: Destroyed

David takes a turn

Wimbley & Andrew use rail tongs to move a section into position

Dewayne and Isaac get the other end

Blade #2: Destroyed

After the 2nd blade was damaged, we discovered that a bushing was missing from the saw.

Fortunately the critical part of the cut was complete by this point and the torch could be used to finish it.

Team Work!

With the saw out-of-commission, Joe uses the torch to finish the cut.

Lennon: The Commissary/Depot Cat

Lunch at the Commissary Cafe

How many thousands of lunches have been eaten here by RR&G railroaders through the decades...

Back to work, David uses the torch to cut new bolt holes.

Joe takes a turn

Hand-tamping ties

Carson, Ayden, Andrew, and Tucker move a section of rail

David and Joe tighten bolts

Cody and David

Wimbley takes a turn so the old guys can rest

Makin' progress

Cody drives a spike

David cuts more bolt holes

Setting the angle bars.

More leveling and tamping

M4 was used to take a bridal party to the wedding this evening.

Prior to the departure we swept out the M4 and dusted off all the seats so those pretty dresses wouldn't get soiled.

As we waited for the ladies to arrive, Lennon showed up for a surprise inspection.

She was very thorough and made us remove those leaves that had blown in since we swept.

Lennon concluded her inspection and cleared us for departure.

The ladies arrived and M4 departed with Jason as Motorman, Wimbley as Conductor, and Ayden as Brakemen.

The trip was completed without issue and we wish the couple many many years of marital bliss.

After the bridal party departed, we took M4 back around the Loop and then put her back in The House for the night.

Ayden re-lines the switch at Main Line Junction so we can get to the Yard.

Done for the day.

"Where are we goin' for dinner?"

We went to Mamma Bear's Cafe in Forest Hill again.

Dinner was excellent, as usual.

Sunday

Late Saturday night, the wedding party brought this guy over for storage in the Lodge kitchen.

Every RR&G dude there has the same thought at the same time: "Let's mount that bad boy on the front of M4!!"

But, it turns out that it's made of cake and fondant.

Sunday morning, we gathered in the kitchen to watch the hysterical reactions as the late comers arrived.

Much hilarity ensued.

Back to work: Cody and Casey drive spikes on replacement ties at the Car Shop Switch.

Wimbley knocks one home

Progress!

When we left, this dude was still sitting at the Lodge waiting for the wedding party to retrieve him.

Yes... he's smoking. We felt he deserved a final smoke.