A workday was held at my house to build a many track panels as possible. This is the first time the club has had a track building day in a while, and I was not sure how much we would get built. There were eight members in attendance that day and we were able to build 74 panels in just over 3 hours. Spirits were high as the two groups building panels did not want to “lose” to the other team by being slower.
With all the track panels built and switches refurbished, it was time to get all this put back together. It was a very cold start to the workday but it finally got a little warmer as the day went on. We had a great turnout for the workday and got a lot accomplished.
The original configuration of the switches was changed slightly to eliminate as many s-curves as possible. Due to the configuration changes, the parking tracks were extended by at least 10 feet, with one getting an extra 30 feet.
After the holidays, it was time to get the area leveled and prepared for all the new track / switches that needs to be installed. Since it was the early part of January, we had to wait for a day where the weather would allow us to work outside. Instead of doing the work by hand, Crews Bassham brought out his skid steer and got the work done in just two hours. This was a huge amount of work completed in such a short time.
One of the projects on the club’s todo list was replacing the ties on the Shop Yard Bridge. Over the summer, some damage was caused to the switch on the bridge as well.
The weather was not the best, with light rain most of the day. Nevertheless, everyone worked hard and made sure to complete the project and make the bridge safe and functional again.
Work continues to get the track ready for the meet. One area identified that needed repairs was from the Tunnel to the Triple Bridge. Many of these ties are over 15 years old and in need of replacement.
At the last workday near Rockledge, we noticed that the two mainline switches were not in prime condition. It was decided the best option was to put in brand new switches that can handle all the mainline traffic in this area.
This summer was extremely hot so not much track work has been done since the Spring Meet.
Several members have been working during the week to start repairs around the layout.
One area that needed some attention was the tracks near Rockledge Siding. Multiple boxes of plastic ties were installed to get the track back in running condition.
Each year the club hosts a private Summer Night run for members and invited guests only. This is a great opportunity to get our an enjoy our tremendous facility in the middle of the summer, by escaping the heat of the day with late evening and night time runs. Unfortunately this year, it was still extremely hot and involved dodging some afternoon showers. Despite the weather, we still had 7 engines running for a majority of the evening. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the chance to get out and have some fun on the rails!
The first project of the workday was to get Station Track #2 back in action before the Spring Meet. The track was raised slightly (to align with the other two tracks) and leveled. Additionally, the switches before the area were gravel, leveled, and tested. These tracks are very important to track operations so a lot of care was given to this area.
Later in the day, a lot of time was spent filling in the areas between the tracks in the steaming bay yard. There is still more gravel to add to this area but some amazing progress was made today!
Continuing the work from the March 27th Workday, the majority of the day was spent ballasting Gaddes Yard “Phase 2” yard. The yard is designed to have 5-6 tracks but only 3 will be ready for use at the Spring Meet.
We were also able to add some additional gravel to “Phase 1” of the yard in places that needed a little attention.
At the last workday, there were talks about having an additional workday the following weekend. While many members could not attend, a few wanted to work on projects that had not been completed yet. One of these projects is Gaddes Yard “Phase 2”. This would allow for additional parking areas during the meet as well as more charging locations for electric engines.,
During the winter months, the track building team had built 30+ panels for this yard before all attention was shifted to the Station #2 track panel needs. As you can see, we were able to get 3 of the 5 yard tracks installed before the Spring Meet.
After the Fall Meet, it was determined that Station Track #2 needed replacing. Right after the meet, the track was taken up and Scott Hadfield took the switches home for a complete refurbishment. The new switches have been back in place for a while but the club had not had good weather to replace the track. The work day started off a little cool, but we had a great turnout of members to help with the work.
The plan for the day was to get all the panels connected and attached the second rail at the next workday. Due to the amount of help onsite and great determination, we were able to get all the track connected and ties secured. The amount of effort the membership to get the project done was truly amazing! All that is left is some leveling of the new track and some light ballast in some areas.
With the Spring Meet only 2 months away and absolutely perfect weather, many MSLS members came out to help during the workday. The main project for this day was to deck the new replacement bridge and get all the track reconnected.
After many hours of hard work, we were able to get all the track put back in position. The track still needs ballast and leveling when the meet gets closer. Huge thanks to all the members who showed up to help!
It was a cold start to the workday, but 4 club members braved the elements to being clearing out the trees and overgrown bushes that have been growing by the station. Back in 1999, only some small ground cover plants were planted. After many years, the area had been taken over by trees, thorns and some very large bushes. Once we started removing the overgrowth, the entire area looked so much better and that view of the station has not been seen in a very long time.
The next scheduled workday is December 11th, 2021. The plan is to continue the removal of the old plants and brush. Once that is complete, heavy machinery will be brought in to remove any tree stumps remaining. The goal is keep this area clear so the public can once again enjoy viewing passenger trains leaving the station.
On July 31st, the club held a “Learn to Drive a Steam Engine” event. Last month, the club put a sign up form on Facebook asking if any children would like to learn how these machines operate. We had 11 kids along with their parents show up to the event. The first part of the day was each person getting a quick tutorial about how a steam engine operates from Scott Ready.
Each child started off with an electric engine. Tyler and Brady Irwin were kind enough to not only loan their engines for the event, they also showed each person how they operate.
After taking a few laps with the electrics, the kids then were paired with a steam engine and operator. Each student got to learn what each control does in the cab. All the kids had a lot of fun and most made the comment they were unaware of how complicated a steam engine is before they arrived today.
A lot of great memories were made that day! Comments such as, “this is the best day of my life” were commong. Everyone had an amazing time at the track.
Huge thanks to Scott Reedy, Brad Malone, Mike Bassham, Michael Haywood, Matt Irwin, Tyler Irwin, and Brady Irwin for helping with this event.
As the Spring Meets gets even closer, an impromptu workday was called to install the rest of the new main line track. Four members spend a few hours installing 280 feet of track between the tunnel and the gauntlet bridge. The area is ready for ballast and final adjustments at the next workday.
The day was picture perfect for a workday and a large number of members came out to assist. The main focus of the workday was to continue work on the main line in the station area as well as rebuild the station yard. There were so many people doing a variety of tasks. Some were building panels, some were connection track, while others were screwing down all the ties. It was a real team effort and the results speak for themselves. At the next workday, we will complete the yard and mainline in preparation for the Spring Meet.
While most of the work crew was working near the station, Mike and Crews Bassham were hard at work fixing the grade issue between the tunnel and gauntlet bridge. They brought in multiple truck loads of gravel to correct the issue. Originally, the grade was not consistent, ranging from -0.5% to 3.75%, depending on location . This section of track has a constant 2.7% grade for the entire 290 feet.
The day started out cool, but while in the sunshine the weather was ideal for track work. The focus of the day was to begin installing the new track panels between the gauntlet and station. Crews also installed the deck boards for the small bridge neat the gauntlet.
Plastic ties are being used exclusively in this section of new track. Additionally, we are testing a plastic liner underneath the roadbed to prevent weed growth. This plastic will be covered by ballast and not visible.
A crossover is also being added to help facilitate direction changes of trains when needed before the station loop.
The workday started off cold and a light rain. As more members arrived, the weather improved and the work started. The first project was to install the lead in switch to Gaddes Yard Phase 2. This yard will be identical to the yard built last year.
With one crew working on the lower loop, others went to the station area to dismantle the station yard. To our surprise and shock, club member Chuck Norman had already dismantled the entire yard days prior. This was a huge project to undertake alone, so thank you Chuck for all the hard work.
The crew then started work on taking up the track between the tunnel and the gauntlet. While the track is being replaced, there will be some leveling work done to even out the grade through this area.
Since all the projects were going so good, the crews reunited back at Gaddes yard to continue work. We were able to get more installed that day then we ever thought we could. Thank you to everyone that came out and helped.
During the winter months, the club uses the time to complete major track improvement projects around the facility.
This years winter project is the replacement of track running between the station and the sidewalk gauntlet. This track section was originally install around 1998, when Sudberry Station was constructed..
7 1/2" Live Steam Train Club Located in Columbia, Tennessee.
