With the meet two weeks away, there were some areas of the track that needed some attention. The weather was absolutely perfect and had a really good turnout for the workday.
The primary focus of the workday was to rehabilitate Wilson Yard. With so many people helping, we were also able to work on the mainline next to Wilson Yard as well as the mainline coming out of the tunnel.
One of the considerations of any railroad is how to access various sections to mow the grass. Since we are in a park, the large commercial mowers have difficulty crossing the track in several locations. With the help of a skid steer and some gravel, we were able to build new ramps at all the mower crossings.
While we had equipment out there, we took the opportunity to remove all the dirt that had acuminated in the unloading area and replace it with gravel. There was still work being down after these photos but will definitely help the mud situation in this area.
Lastly, the track connection the new ramp to the yard was completed. There is still leveling and additional ballast work needed before the meet, but getting closer to completion.
Chuck Norman has been working on the bridge between the bathroom curve and the tunnel. The bridge decking was in bad shape and in need of replacement. Chuck, over several days, removed the old decking, painted new boards, installed the decking, and gave the bridge a fresh coat of paint.
The workday was very busy and productive. We had several teams working on a number of projects at the same time. The main focus was to get the posts and ramp installed. It took a lot of pre-planning, but once work started, it well extremely well.
Other members were busy reconfiguring and reconnection track to the new unloading ramp. Additional members were replacing support posts in the steaming bay area,
One of the areas identified for repair before the meet was the upperloop crossover and adjacent tracks. The new switches were double the size of the old ones, so some modifications to the track layout was needed. After many hours of work, the work crew was able to get the new track / switches installed. Several members stayed even longer that day to get the track ballasted and complete initial leveling.
Track Gang #1 went to the track Thursday to work on a section of track near the covered bridge. All the wooded ties were replaced with plastic ties. After that, the crew leveled, graveled and tamped the track to complete the repair.
This was a spur of the moment workday that got a lot of things done. In preparation for the new unloading area, two yard tracks had to be moved over about 2 feet.
After the tracks were moved, we used the tractor to ballast, straighten and level the tracks. Since this went so fast and more members showed up, we decided to repair and re-ballast the entire shop yard.
It was a very cold day but an important one for the club. As discussed in the newsletter, the club is building an additional unloading / loading area. During the day, the transfer table rails were bolted and welded to the pad. After that, the transfer table was moved over to the new area.
While one team worked on the transfer table, another was installing the connection ramps to the new retaining wall over by the trailer unloading area. The new wall was slightly closer to the table then the old wooded one, so adjustments had to be made.
The following track work took place over three days, Dec 27 - Dec 29. Day one was getting the roadbed smoothed out and then adding additional gravel to match the height of the adjacent yard track.
After the roadbed was established, the new track panels were installed.
On day three, it was time to gravel the 380 feet of track that was installed the two days before. To speed things up, a skid steer was brought in to transport all the gravel.
The switch by the road crossing is in the process of being replaced but that should be completed over the next two weeks.
Over the next few months, the section from the covered bridge to the first yard switch will be replaced all well.
One of this years winter projects was the replace of track between the covered bridge and the street crossing. Because this is a long section of track, it will be done in stages. The stage was from the first yard switch to the street crossing.
After the track was removed, several members of the workday went on to work on another issue that has been discussed for a while. The area between the tunnel and the triple bridge has some areas of uneven grades. They were able to identify the worst area and make the necessary corrections so the grade is more uniform going up the hill.
The morning started off cold but it started to warm up quickly so everyone could get to work. One issue identified during the meet was the switch just before the covered bridge. It had been in place for 15+ years and was in need of replacement. No photos were taken of the work but here is the new switch installed and ready to go.
Another project on the club’s to do list was the installation of a bypass switch from the station loop track to the middle track near the triple bridge. As you may recall, there is already a bypass switch from the middle track to the track going downhill on the triple bridge.
This will allow a train coming from the station to get down to the yard area, due to mechanical issues or during workdays, to bypass the high bridge and all the loops in that area. There is still much grading and leveling that needs to be done before this new bypass track can be used and will be worked on in the coming weeks.
Club members have been working each Saturday this moth and some during the week in order to prepare for the upcoming Fall Meet. The primary focus is replacing rotten wooden ties, adding ballast in needed areas, and leveling track. Work will continue each Saturday leading up to the meet. The below pictures are from the Saturday workday and during the week. A big thank you to all who have helped get the facility in tip top shape for the meet!
Cub members gathered Saturday for the first official workday to prepare for the Fall Meet later this month as few areas needed attention on the track.
First, the main line through the Connor siding had been impacted by a lawn mower blade strike. Crews were able to quickly repair by bending the rail back into place and then replace several old wooden ties with plastic ties bringing the track back into gauge.
Additionally, there was a 50ft section of mainline between the No 1 cross over and the recently replaced bathroom curve bridge coming down hill that needed attention. Many ties were fully rotted out leaving the track out of gauge. Crews worked to replace almost all of the ties with plastic. This heavy traffic section of track is now ready for mainline passenger service.
During a recent mid-week workday, the club tractor seat failed do to a rusted backside and was replaced.
Finally, over the past few months, several members have been working at their home shops to refurbish the club’s ballast cars. Members completely stripped, repaired metal work, refurbished the trucks, and painted the cars. The cars were returned to the club at the work day and vinyl lettering was applied to complete the project.
On Saturday, August 5th attended our 10th Annual Summer Night run at the park. Several members brought out their equipment to enjoy late evening and night running at the park to beat the summer heat!
On August 5th, the Mid-South Live Steamers hosted our second Learn to Drive a Train Day at the club. This community out reach program invites kids ages 10-18 out to the club to learn about our hobby. Participants first have a safety briefing and learn the basics of steam engines. Afterwards, they take 1-2 laps around the mainline on a member’s electric or diesel locomotive. The idea is to learn engine control and the track before taking on the additional workload of a steam engine. After successfully demonstrating the ability to safely operate on the mainline, the kids hop on a steam engine and run several laps under club member supervision.
Despite rain showers, sun, and heat during a typical summer day in middle TN, we had 16 kids come out to participate! Each kid received an official engineers hat and two joined the club!
A special thank you to Greg Glos, Bill Bryan, Bob Auchenbaugh, Scott Reedy, Brad Malone, Michael Haywood, Brian Reedy, Ryan Malone, TC Poole, and Brady Irwin who donated their time and equipment to the day!
Several locomotives, including two steam engines, were onsite to run and have fun at the club’s annual Backwards Run Day. This is our day when we run the track in the reverse direction from normal providing a completely different experience.
With only a few weeks remaining before the Spring Meet, cool and wet conditions did not keep a good sized work crew from completing a number of key tasks. Most of the day was spent with two ballast trains running to complete the work around the station loop Track 1, which had been replaced with plastic ties earlier in the year. The team was able to complete all but one small remaining section of track before the rain became too heavy. This work will be completed at the next work day. A big thank you to all of the members and guests who were onsite to help out!
Despite sunny, but cool conditions, the monthly workday was a huge success with two key projects receiving significant work prior to the Spring Meet.
The first order of business, was the demolition and re-decking of what is called the bathroom curve bridge. Over the years, the deck boards had deteriorated causing issues on the mainline as well as pedestrian traffic. Additionally, during the Fall Meet last year, we learned the bridge had actually sunk down several inches due to water washouts.
Members spent the morning removing the old deck boards, raising the support joists, and re-painting all for steel infrastructure. The remainder of the day was spent completely re-decking the bridge. With this repair work complete, the bridge should last another 25-30 years and was the last bridge at the track that had not been recently rebuilt. The mainline will be reapplied in the next few weeks.
Finally, while one crew was working on the bridge, another crew spent the morning completing the Track 1 Station Loop replacement. This bypass track primarily used for steamers during passenger has now been completely rebuilt with plastic ties. Ballast will be reapplied during an upcoming work day.
Because of the dedication of our members who volunteer their time for projects like these, we are in great shape for the upcoming Spring Meet!
An unofficial workday was scheduled for Thursday, March 16th. With great weather, 10 members showed up to work on a variety of tasks. The club was graciously provided an Atlas lathe that can be used for small repairs onsite. As such, a new area in the track building has been designated for a small machine shop. Members spent the day, creating space, loading in the lathe, installing electrical power, and relocating the existing drill press.
Additionally, several members began prepping for a bridge replacement project by painting the deck boards that will be used in the replacement in the coming days.
Other members spent time replacing and repairing switches on the mainline.
Finally, crews graded the area around the station for the upcoming reinstallation of the Track 1 Bypass loop.
After so much progress was made last weekend, a few members came back to the track to finish working on this area. It was again a cold morning, but we were able to get all the 2nd rails connected and all ties secured down. The area is now ready for ballast and final leveling.
7 1/2" Live Steam Train Club Located in Columbia, Tennessee.
