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Volunteer Railroaders
1. Mike M.
2. Mike B.
3. David H.
4. Jason R.
5. Joseph S
6. David H. Sr.
7. Glen A.
8. Wimbley V.
9. Carson S.
10. Nick P.
11. Clint L. Jr
12. Chris S.
13. Kira S.
14. Ayden S.
15. Angela A.
16. Andrew A.
17. Dewayne S.
18. Leo P.
19. Tucker B.
20. Jacques D. (Port Allen)
Accomplishments
1. Moved Insley to new home near Saw Mill green chain and new dry kiln
2. Newly acquired railroad equipment transported from Port Allen to
museum
3. Brush cut and herbicide sprayed around Planer Mill
4. Returned Model T parts to motorcar sheds area
5. Herbicide sprayed on Main Loop, Sandersville line to washout, and
storage track
6. Herbicide sprayed around Saw Mill and behind Machine Shop
7. Model T rides and operation
Thank you to all our volunteers who worked both at the museum and on the
trip to Port Allen to transport railroad equipment back to the museum.
Thank you to David, Jason, and Glen for driving and thank you to Glen
and David for use of their trailers and torch rigs.
Friday
After the executive committee meeting, Tucker prepped for the weekend by
corralling 5-gallon buckets for the Saturday trip to Port Allen and
getting the lodge ready for a full weekend crew. The air conditioner was
turned on the rooms and two 6-gallon water coolers were procured for
volunteer use. David Hearne dropped off one of his trailers for Jason to
pull to Port Allen on Saturday.
Saturday
The volunteers met at 0800 for the Saturday briefing and then split into
two groups. Jason, Noah, Glen, David Hearne, Clint, Wimbley, Carson, and
Nick loaded up and hit the road for Port Allen. Earlier in the month,
Everett, David, and Jacques had visited a gentleman in Port Allen
selling various railroad equipment from sugarcane railroad operations.
At that time, Everett and Jacques purchased two cane cars, a
maintenance-of-way car stripped to its deck, coupler pockets, a coupler,
approximately 800 pounds of spikes, and a few joint bars for the museum.
The Port Allen crew this past weekend used the torch kits to extract a
coupler, cut levers, and coupler pockets. Trailer winches were used to
load up one cane car and the MOW car. With the gear loaded up, the road
crew headed back to Long Leaf.
Back at the museum, the volunteers were working in various crews. Mike
B. continued work on the Heisler, setting up an A-frame to lift and
maneuver the smokebox. Mike M. continued with his many great projects
around the museum. You can even see some of the Planer Mill windows
partially finished in the finished lumber shed and they are a testament
to a job well done and a priority project at the museum.
One crew of David Hamilton, Joseph Swan, and Tucker Baker worked to move
the Insley dragline from the Engine House down to the paved area behind
the Saw Mill and by the new dry kiln. A battery was borrowed from the
M22 locomotive to start the Insley. After some discussion and
instruction by David, the work moving the Insley began in earnest. Much
of the early going was working the Insley, making adjustments with a
homemade (and very important) sheet metal wrench, and working on the
brakes. After chaining the swing lock for the house in place (it was
coming loose and moving the house when not needed), the movement went
much quicker (even though the Insley moves at a slow pace). After
working the Insley back to the bypass corridor, Joseph took the cab and
ran the Insley down the corridor, past the car knocker shed, and up to
the road crossing.
A second crew of Kira, Ayden, Andrew, and Dewayne used the museum pole
saw, loppers, and hand sprayers to cut brush and spray vegetation around
the Planer Mill and the Planer Mill power house. They did a remarkable
job helping keep the area looking good so we can hopefully keep the
vegetation down through the 3rd Annual Steam Up and Fall Festival.
With the first crew on the Insley reaching the road crossing, and the
second crew finished at the Planer Mill, they met up to get the Insley
across the track. An attempt was made to cross closer to the Saw Mill
with many wooden blocks, but Joseph was able to take the Insley easily
across the track at the current road crossing near the Angelina County
Lumber Company steel log car. With the Insley on the Saw Mill pad, all
volunteers met down at the commissary cafe for lunch.
Throughout the morning and the day, Angela was giving tours and giving a
great Long Leaf orientation for Leo, who came up to visit from southeast
Louisiana. Dewayne also used his drone to take several aerial photos
around the museum.
After lunch, David Hamilton continued walking the Insley down to its new
home in the area near the new dry kiln. This area will prevent
vegetation from growing on the Insley and will give plenty of space to
repair the Insley, especially its boom.
Kira, Ayden, Tucker, Dewayne, and Joseph used M8 and the sprayer car to
return the various Model T parts on the Saw Mill slab back to the
motorcar sheds area. This was a good opportunity for training and
practice for Ayden operating motorcars. Ayden and Tucker also took M2
and the sprayer car around the main loop spraying herbicide and giving
Ayden more operating practice. With Angela on the golf cart, Joseph
returned the battery from the Insley back to M22.
Around 4 in the afternoon, the crew from Port Allen arrived with the
equipment and all hands fell in to unload. Both cars were unloaded on
the wye east leg near locomotive 400. Jason drove the tractor to unload
the spikes, cut levers, coupler pockets, and coupler as Tucker and
Wimbley fired up M22 to move the cars onto the storage track. Jason also
moved up M4 out of the Engine House to clear the way for M22. With all
hands present, the cars were chained up to M22 and the first
diesel-powered multi-car train in many years moved along the track. With
the cars placed on the storage track, all the various motive power was
returned to the Engine House, equipment picked up and cleaned up, and
the volunteers concluded a very long day. The newly acquired cars will
be restored in future projects for various maintenance of way and
railroad use.
Sunday
After a long, hot Saturday, the volunteers took it easy on Sunday. With
the museum tractor, the wooden blocks were picked up from the Insley
move and returned to the Saw Mill and the garbage cans were emptied from
the Engine House. Ayden, Andrew, and Angela took M2 and the sprayer car
down the Sandersville line spraying track. Joseph, Jason, Andrew,
Dewayne, Ayden, and Kira sprayed herbicide around the Saw Mill to keep
back vegetation.
The real fun on Sunday came when Glen and Wimbley brought the Model T
out to the museum for rides. Glen wanted to have a closed course to run
the Model T a good bit, to see how it would handle, and the museum on a
Sunday was perfect. Everyone greatly enjoyed riding along, and several
of us really enjoyed operating it! Glen’s hard work and resources poured
into this project are very exciting and we look forward to more good
times with the Model T. The plan is to convert it to railroad use, much
like the Model T cars that operated out of Long Leaf, making it an
extraordinarily unique car.
After the Weekend
Following the main weekend, on Wednesday, Jacques Dufrene and his father
Karry Dufrene transported the other cane car from Port Allen up to the
museum, giving a fleet of three steel-body cars for various railroad and
maintenance of way use. Clint met them at the museum to help them unload
it.
The next volunteer sessions are July 8 and July 22. On July 8 we’ll be
doing some equipment work on M4, M22, and other environs around the
Engine House. On July 22, we’ll have our primary rules clinic and
training for operators. Updated timetable and rule books will be passed
out at the July 8 session. Please contact us today if you’ll be able to
join us at either session.
-Tucker "Who Dat" Baker
RR&G Road Master
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