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Volunteer Railroaders
1. Everett L.
2. Jason R.
3. Angela A.
4. Andrew A.
5. Glen A.
6. Wimbley V.
7. Daniel L.
8. Cason L.
9. Issac I.
10. Carson S.
11. Chris S.
12. Toby S.
13. Kira S.
14. Ayden S.
15. Mike M.
16. David H. Sr
17. Joe S.
18. Tucker B.
19. Christian S.
20. Jim B.
Accomplishments
1. New windows installed on M4
2. M4 seats removed, repaired, and reinstalled to allow for windows and
paneling
3. First round of Planer Mill window frames wire brushed
4. Switch components recovered and assembled for installation
5. Switch assembly for third Engine House track finished
6. Final track materials to finish third Engine House track staged
7. Second guard rail installed on third Engine House track
8. Engine House Track #1 repaired
9. Train rides for Earth Day Volunteers from LSUA and for bridal party
Thank you to all of our volunteers who came out this past weekend to
make it such a great success. There was a tremendous amount of
preparation work both for physical components and planning / logistics
that contributed to the weekend being successful. If you’re reading this
and couldn’t make it out this weekend, but would like to support these
projects, please contact us today!
Friday
Before the weekend, Glen was hard at work measuring, designing,
fabricating, and painting window frames for our Fernwood, Columbia &
Gulf M4 motorcar. This past Friday was the day the M4 took a major leap
forward in terms of finishing it out completely and properly. Glen,
David, and Tucker removed the seats, installed the windows made by Glen,
and re-installed the seats further from the walls to allow for the
windows and paneling to be installed. The windows are excellent at
preserving the interior of the M4, not to mention keeping it clean on a
daily basis. Glen designed each window to fit exactly where it is,
taking into account all the nuances of each window. There is tremendous
variety from each window opening to the next. He even put trim on the
window frames so that interior paneling could be very easily measured
and installed over the edges of the frame. He also made the top of the
windows an armrest when the window is down. Simply brilliant and the M4
looks fantastic! Window opening and closing training was conducted with
the volunteers and ZEP window cleaner is the best to use on these
windows. It is recommended that museum personnel (staff & volunteers)
handle the raising & lowering of windows instead of riders.
The M4 seats are on Thomas school bus seat frames held up by two metal
legs and one wooden block. The seat side opposite the metal legs
attached directly to the school bus wall, so the wooden blocks were
installed as the other “leg.” During the course of the seat removal,
several of the wooden blocks were in terrible condition and several of
the 90 degree angle brackets on the seats were in rough shape. Glen
procured lumber and screws and David got more angle brackets to properly
repair and re-install the seats. The wooden blocks were doubled up and
fresh angle brackets went in to secure them to the floor. During the
seat disassembly, this was a good time to clean out the years of dirt
and leaves that had accumulated in between the seat cushions.
During the M4 work, Everett was hard at work recovering needed switch
parts on the sawmill pad. He used a cutoff wheel to free up transit
clips from a broken switch bar on a pair of 75 pound switch points. No
small task on 1 inch bolts! He then cleaned up the clips on the bench
grinder & wire brush and affixed them to the switch bar the Akin
brothers straightened out at the last session. As Tucker and David
worked on the M4 seats, Glen cleaned up the windows with ZEP window
cleaner. The windows were so clear, you could hardly see a window there
at all!
Saturday
After the morning briefing, the volunteers split into several groups. Up
at the Engine House, the remainder of the M4 seats were re-installed by
Glen, David, Jason, Andrew, Ayden, and Tucker. With the seats in place,
Jason and Ayden brought M4 down to the Commissary Depot for the day.
Glen, Andrew, David, and Tucker then started bringing up the final
sticks of rail from the Sawmill pad for the third Engine House track.
At the Finished Lumber Shed, Mike taught Wimbley, Daniel, and Cason,
later joined by Isaac, how he wanted the Planer Mill window frames wire
brushed. These are the original window frames from the Planer Mill, the
oldest building on the museum complex. Mike has engineered a system to
retrieve them from the mill and to lower them down. That way, the frame
repair and repaint can be done in a small shop format inside the lumber
shed. Mike is taking down several at a time that will be wire brushed,
repaired, painted, and then re-installed before the next group of
windows come out. Many window panes are missing, so new panes are going
in to protect and preserve this historic building.
The Planer Mill windows are a major priority project at the museum this
year, requiring financing and time. If you can assist, please contact us
today. Any and all help is needed.
Christian Singletary, the museum intern from LSUA, organized and led an
Earth Day of Service at the museum, which marshaled many students and
professors from LSUA in various projects at the museum. They cleaned up
the Resilient Forest Nature Trail which had numerous blown-down trees
from past storms and hurricanes. They also went around with soap water
buckets and rags and gave all the museum information signs a good clean.
With their day of service complete, Jason, Wimbley, and Carson gave the
volunteers a ride around the loop aboard M4. After that, many of the
volunteers came up to visit and see our ongoing railroad work. It was a
great opportunity for all the parties that helped make the LSUA
internship at the museum successful to meet, interact, and to enjoy time
together.
During the course of the day, the museum had numerous visitors. Angela,
Kira, and Toby helped shuttle visitors on the golf cart and to provide
informational tours.
In the mid-morning, with the frames wire brushed, the M4 at the Depot,
and the morning to-dos completed, the whole crew fell in to finish
installing the switch assembly for Engine House Track #3 and finishing
the turnout. Everett, Joe, David, Jason, Ayden, Andrew, Wimbley, Cason,
Isaac, Daniel, Glen, and Tucker worked all day to install the switch
assembly and to finish the turnout. The closure rails were joined
together up to the points, the stock rail was unspiked and swung out,
ties were adjusted for the stock rail, a tie removed to make room for
the switch tie, the switch tie installed, the switch bar installed, a
switch stand brought over from the sawmill pad, and everything connected
together. This was just plain hard work with tongs, shovels, picks,
wrenches, claw bars, lining bars, grinders, cut off wheels, bolts, nuts,
washers, ties, rail, joint bars, chains, the tractor, and plenty of
sweat. Everett and Ayden put together the switch bar with transit clips
and secured them to the switch points. Everett, Ayden, and Angela were
also rounding up nuts and bolts for the switch bar assembly and track
bolts, nuts, and washers throughout the day. Joe and David disassembled
the switch stand to free it up while Tucker cleaned the switch housing
plate and bolts on the bench wire brush. Jason, Andrew, and Joe muscled
the switch stand in place and then secured the bars to the stand.
Everett and Glen were constantly moving about drilling holes for spikes
at the switch stand and on numerous ties as the whole crew alternated
spiking rail down and spiking the switch stand down.
The final task was to cut a piece of rail to make the final length of
one of the closure rails. David inserted two flat washers into the rail
saw arbor to secure the cutting wheel more snugly in the saw. David got
the cut started, but two discs were broken in the process. A very
vigorous discussion ensued on the size and thickness of rail saw discs.
A third disc was put on and Joe found the magic touch on the saw. He
finished the cut smoothly, with one wheel, and earned his spot for a
“job well done!” Chris provided some advice on the saw as well and
joined the discussion with Everett, David, and Joe.
As Jason, Wimbley, and Carson headed down to the Commissary, the
volunteers back at the switch installed the last length of rail, now cut
to the right length, and finished the switch assembly. Down at the
Commissary, with the bridal party aboard the M4, now adorned with great
windows, with time to kill, the crew took two laps around the main loop.
The whole group greatly enjoyed it, for we could see the bridal party
having a grand ol’ time on the second lap, waving and cheering as they
went by!
During these runs, the rail head was ground down at one joint for a
smooth meet and Everett worked on the other rail meet that needed
grinding on Sunday. Everett also grabbed the red and green paint, and
after knocking off the rust, painted the switch target for the upcoming
test. The big test came when the M4 crew returned the Doodlebug back to
the Engine House. Jason backed the M4 slowly over the newly completed
switch assembly as the whole crew watched closely. When he gently parked
M4 in the Engine House, all were glad to see the hard day’s work pay
off. As the day wound down, the crew gathered for a celebratory picture
on this occasion. The switch stand throws very smoothly and the switch
is complete. For the first time since 1954, there are four switch stands
north of the Engine House.
After the M4 rolled into the Engine House, Joe and Chris noticed a crack
on the switch stand on the track-side leg. The switch stand held up
fine, but they put together a plan to nickel weld the crack on the cast
iron stack, a future task that will take this switch project from good
to great.
During the late afternoon, Joseph Jr. found broken pieces of the
builders plate for Meridian Clyde Skidder builders #310. It was found
just behind the new switch stand past a few pine trees in the dirt where
the old Ford pickup truck had rested for many years. Joe found an
additional piece on Sunday. These pieces are an electrolysis bath
getting much of the corrosion off and preparing them for an exhibit in
the Commissary. Even today new and interesting artifacts are discovered
or “re-discovered” at Long Leaf.
With the cutting and hammer swinging, and several tools such as the rail
saw put up, several of the younger volunteers, such as Joe Jr and
Karleigh, were able to get involved turning wrenches on track bolts at
the joint bars. A small step in a big way to allow for positive
contributions by all involved.
Sunday
With a sprinkling of rain, the crew of Glen, Wimbley, Everett, Jason,
David, Joe, Andrew, Angela, Ayden, Toby, Kira, and Tucker delved in to
finish the switch turnout. Glen brought his cutting torch to cut the
needed bolt holes on several pieces of rail. With the holes cut, the
final bolts were secured to the joint bars. David and Joe used the
tractor to bring in two more lengths of rail and to push out a stick of
rail with a bad bend in it. The final joint securing for the turnout was
then completed with several joints put together. Ayden, Kira, and Andrew
drug over the good tie taken out the day before. This tie was inserted
to help support the switch turnout after digging out a tie space.
The second guard rail was then positioned into place. Glen cut the bolt
holes on the rail to secure the guard rail while Everett and Ayden cut
pipe for spacers between the guard rail and the stock rail. With the
guard rail secured, Jason, Joe, Tucker, David, Wimbley, Andrew, and Glen
positioned the rail for gauging and spiking on the May 6th weekend.
Everett, Angela, Wimbley, and Ayden, while the rail was being positioned
on track 3, went to work on track #1 to fix a wide spot and a narrow
spot near the switch frog. The dirt was cleared away and additional
spikes hammered down to correct the wide spot. A positive gauge bar was
installed at the narrow spot as well. This will correct the flange
squealing and issues equipment has had coming in and out of track #1.
With major successes complete, the volunteers shook hands, said
goodbyes, made plans for the next sessions, cleaned up at the lodge, ate
a quick bite, and made the road for home as the sun peeked from behind
the clouds and made for a beautiful Louisiana day.
-Tucker "Who Dat" Baker
RR&G Road Master
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