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Volunteers
1. Glen A.
2. Chuck L.
3. Don F.
4. Mike M.
5. Mike B.
6. Tucker B.
7. Jason R.
8. Joseph S.
9. David H. Sr
10. Wimbley V.
11. Clint L. Jr
12. Michael P.
13. Kira S.
14. Ayden S.
15. Leo P.
Accomplishments
1. New floor boards installed on new floor joists under jack chain at
sawmill
2. Continued brush clearing and preparation work at caboose frames at
Sandersville
3. Fallen trees and debris removed and cleaned up from track, from
around locomotive 400 and Clyde skidder, and from behind engine house
4. Main Loop track inspected
5. Herbicide sprayed over main loop track and trackage near engine house
6. Tin that blew off car knocker shed recovered and stored for reuse
7. M2 brake rigging removed for brake pad repair
8. Former Jackson tamper car frame flipped over for axle realignment
Before the Weekend
On Monday, Chuck and Don installed new floor boards at the sawmill
underneath the jack chain. These new boards now rest on the new floor
joists installed as part of the sawmill renovation efforts. Next up is
work on the window area by the jack chain. The sawmill is much improved
in this section and we salute these hard efforts there.
Glen brought his tractor and spent many, many hours the weekend prior
cleaning up fallen trees from the May 29th wind storm. The wind storm
blew tin off the car knocker shed, lifted up some tin on the engine
house roof (not on the new clerestory roof thankfully), blew part of the
machine shop west wall off its foundation pier, and felled numerous
trees around the museum. A very large oak tree, approximately 4 feet in
diameter, fell across the main loop track near Long Leaf road. The
Forest Service came and cleared off the large oak tree off the track.
Glen was able to clean up considerable fallen trees, including two
nuisance trees the museum had felled earlier in the month near the
Commissary and the CCC lodge.
After the storm, Mike M completed a partial repair to the machine shop
west well. He was able to set the wall back in place, made angle iron to
adhere to the wooden wall support and the concrete pier, drilled bolts
through the angle iron to hold everything in place, and then poured
concrete on top of the pier to hold the wall securely to the pier.
Friday
Mike B continued clearing brush, debris, and trees away from the two
caboose frames near Sandersville. He has been working to move the frames
into an easier position to extract them to the museum. Glen has made
wooden bearing blocks for their move to the museum. An additional brass
bearing was ordered to make a complete brass bearing set for one frame
as well. This is a continuing and ongoing effort.
Saturday
After the morning briefing, the volunteers split up into various groups
and then rejoined for combined efforts.
Mike B. continued cutting up trees and brush from around the caboose
frames at Sandersville. He was at the effort early in the morning.
Mike M was replacing the small side porch roof at the Commissary near
the road. Wimbley had assisted him earlier in the week. Mike was
focusing on getting the framing for the roof stood up.
Jason, Clint, and Wimbley headed up to the car knocker shed. They picked
up and recovered all the tin that blew off the car knocker shed roof
from the recent wind storm.
David and Joseph headed down to the CCC building to cut up the remains
of the catalpas tree that was felled recently. With Joseph’s chainsaw
and David’s excavator, the pair made quick work of the tree. They loaded
up the tree on David’s trailer and hauled it out.
Tucker and Kira got the tractor and trailer hooked up for the day. There
would be several trailer loads of logs, debris, and branches hauled
throughout the day. They met David at the burn pile to unload the first
haul.
With the small tasks out of the way, the crew of Kira, Ayden, Jason,
Clint, Wimbley, David, Joseph, Tucker, and Leo gathered to clean up the
tree fall near locomotive 400 and the Clyde skidder. Numerous trees were
down, but chainsaws, the mini excavator, and plenty of hard work had the
area cleaned up by lunch. Several smaller trees that were leaning in the
area (likely struck by the bigger trees that fell) were cut down as
well. This will assist in removing further nuisance trees in the next
controlled burn we conduct in this area.
After lunch, Jason, Clint, and Wimbley took M2 and the track gauge for
an inspection of the main loop track. Jason noted some minor points to
note for future repair, but all of the gauge was found to be within
tolerance. After that, Clint, Wimbley, and Michael P hooked M8 and the
sprayer car for a herbicide train. They sprayed the main loop and the
trackage in and around the engine house.
Behind the engine house, David, Joseph, and Tucker began clearing more
trees that fell in the recent wind storm. The large oak tree in the
camping area fell and another oak fell behind the supply shed. This
second oak was leaning precariously toward the supply shed (which
already suffered one tree blow several years ago in the mini tornado
incident), but thankfully, the strong winds pushed it completely away
from the shed. Same as near 400 and the Clyde, several smaller trees
were removed in the area as well for continued area clean up.
In the late afternoon, Joseph, Jason, David, and Tucker removed the
brakes from M2. Wimbley was taking them home for Glen to repair. Brake
shoe material will be added to lengthen their lifespan as the shoes have
worn significantly over time. The plan is to reinstall them at the next
session.
Once the herbicide spray train finished, the whole volunteer crew went
out over the wye to remove the last of the fallen trees and limbs over
the tracks. With all tracks clear and the equipment put away, the day
was called and the tired volunteers headed up to the lodge. After some
hydration, snacks, and good discussion, the day was concluded and
several volunteers hit the road for home for Father’s Day. We thank them
for sharing part of their weekend doing hard, but necessary work.
Sunday
On Sunday, Tucker cleaned out the lodge, emptied the garbage cans in the
engine house, and finished the final cleanup from the weekend. As he
drove up to the museum, the “welcome committee” of cats came to greet
him at the gate. Mike M drove up at the same time to feed the cats, one
of his daily tasks and many things he does at the museum folks don’t
always see.
Later, Mike and Tucker reviewed the long-term repairs needed on the
machine shop west wall. There were prior repairs completed many years
ago where the original 4x6 beams were replaced with 2x4s. In some places
these smaller boards meet at three-way intersections, making them
weaker. The plan is that volunteers will remove the windows, set them
aside for safe keeping, and then long-term repair work will begin. A
long 4x6 will be inserted to reduce the many three-way support
junctions. This will be an ongoing effort at future volunteer sessions.
After Tucker picked up some barrels and drums near the main loop track
and relocated them to a good home at the museum for long term storage,
the weekend was concluded.
-Tucker "Who Dat" Baker
RR&G
Chief Engineer
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