Hi folks, didjamiss me?
Sorry, but that's my native Queens tongue coming out.
Anyway, here's where we are.
Our new (used) forklift arrived and we tore into it to get it prepared for our use.
Body work, a new custom exhaust due to the nature of a seaside use in East Hampton, all new window glass, a new battery, a cleaned out gas tank and fuel filters.
We still have not drained the oil or hydraulic fluid, which we will do over the next few weekends.
WE were informed by our rigger that we should be getting delivery of our boxcar from the LIRR Dunkirk yard in a couple of weeks and we should be getting our old blue Hyster forklift back as well.
The motor is in great shape but the clutch/transmission is shot.
We'll remove and salvage the engine for sale and scrap the rest for $$$
Unfortunately, during the delivery the steering went a bit wonky and we had to have a forklift repair tech, Joe come up to take a look and upon inspection, he determined that there is something amiss inside the steering box itself. Our rigger was called and will take the unit to his Hauppauge warehouse where the repairs can be made. Joe will also address the master cylinder as the brakes do not work and will adjust the clutch for us.
Our old forklift didn't have brakes either and we were able to get around just fine for over ten years!!
Work has been progressing quickly on the cab repairs and Turntable work has been slow due to the weather and safety issues having to crawl up onto the bridge to do most of the work.
This coming Saturday, 4/20/19, we hope to have all 8 of the power feeds connected on the contacts inside the box on top of the bridge. If this can be accomplished, then ALL future work will take place on the ground or in the turntable pit.
Our dinky #398 has been readied for start up and was found to have no leaks. We will attempt a clean out of the sanding system/tanks so we can blow out the concreted sand that has been sitting inside for so many years.
Keep the faith
Gary
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Monday, January 21, 2019
Baby, it was cold outside
But shockingly, not a disaster!,
George, Fred, Steve T and Gary braved a cold day that was to wind up late after 5pm.
As Fred and John P have been working diligently to finish up the sub floor steel work on the cab of #35, all that was left to fabricate and install were 2 more pieces of angle iron. After Fred measured and created the 2, he welded them in and then moved on to fabricating a new step riser for the North East stairwell of the Ping Pong Coach. This top riser was so badly deteriorated at the top edge where it was welded to the diamond plate platform that there was no way we could weld anything to it. SO!, We made the decision to cut it out and replace it. We have found that we will also need to do the same thing with the opposite side top riser, next week.
As to #35's cab, at this point, I believe that we will need to remove the piece of diamond plate that is in one of the parts storage trailers to fit it up onto the new sub floor and measure for anything that will need to be added/replaced/removed. Our goal is to be able to add the shaker bars, firebox doors and seats in their original places to create another simulator.
We still need to complete the needle scaling of the interior and the paint removal on the exterior so that both John and Fred can continue their fantastic pace of restoration.
As for the Ping, after the riser is removed, we will be able to focus solely on installing metal on the interior.. THIS is a great thing.
We should be able to re-start working on the turntable collector box above the turntables arch as our electrician is scheduled to return from his winter vacation this week. As I can see, we need to hook up the 4 wires coming in from the power supply side through the underside of the collector box and the 4 wires that run inside the slip ring of the turntables delivery side. This will/should leave us the opportunity to actually energize the motor directly to see if we can move the turntable. IF all goes well, we then have to wire up the control stand and resistor bank to the motor. Hopefully, if all goes well, we can be completed by summer.
Gary
George, Fred, Steve T and Gary braved a cold day that was to wind up late after 5pm.
As Fred and John P have been working diligently to finish up the sub floor steel work on the cab of #35, all that was left to fabricate and install were 2 more pieces of angle iron. After Fred measured and created the 2, he welded them in and then moved on to fabricating a new step riser for the North East stairwell of the Ping Pong Coach. This top riser was so badly deteriorated at the top edge where it was welded to the diamond plate platform that there was no way we could weld anything to it. SO!, We made the decision to cut it out and replace it. We have found that we will also need to do the same thing with the opposite side top riser, next week.
As to #35's cab, at this point, I believe that we will need to remove the piece of diamond plate that is in one of the parts storage trailers to fit it up onto the new sub floor and measure for anything that will need to be added/replaced/removed. Our goal is to be able to add the shaker bars, firebox doors and seats in their original places to create another simulator.
We still need to complete the needle scaling of the interior and the paint removal on the exterior so that both John and Fred can continue their fantastic pace of restoration.
As for the Ping, after the riser is removed, we will be able to focus solely on installing metal on the interior.. THIS is a great thing.
We should be able to re-start working on the turntable collector box above the turntables arch as our electrician is scheduled to return from his winter vacation this week. As I can see, we need to hook up the 4 wires coming in from the power supply side through the underside of the collector box and the 4 wires that run inside the slip ring of the turntables delivery side. This will/should leave us the opportunity to actually energize the motor directly to see if we can move the turntable. IF all goes well, we then have to wire up the control stand and resistor bank to the motor. Hopefully, if all goes well, we can be completed by summer.
Gary
Monday, January 14, 2019
Weather? we don't need no stinking weather!
Actually, we don't care about the weather (to a degree).
Last Saturday wash a washout, so what to do?
Have a volunteer jam session on Sunday!!
It's been a long time since that happened and although I missed out at my local Historical Society day, , it proved to be a boon for OBRM.
We had quite a few hardy souls arrive to continue working on the cab of #35 which has seen tremendous strides over the course of 2 weeks. I'm writing this on Monday January 14th 2019 so this is right after this past Saturdays session where we had about 10 volunteers up and ready to move the cab project and the Ping Pong Project forward.
Back to the Cab's progress.
When we began this project , Steve Nappy was working out the steel reinforcements for the frame while John Petsche was going like gangbusters on #398, our GE 25 ton diesel locomotive.
Steve got very sick and needed time off to recuperate which I am very happy to say, he is. It was a long haul, but seeing him this past Saturday was great.
after #398's heavy work was completed, John P took over the cab work and fell in love with the planning and execution for this project. He took the BULL by the horns and ran with it even to the point of busman's holidays at the RR Museum of Pa to gather photographic proof of how the cab was erected.
with these and blueprints , he embarked on the cab restoration.
He planned his work and is working his plan using the talents of Fred Rubin who is our master fabricator and welder. Fred worked for the Staten Island Ferry and is using his many years of experience to create the parts needed to make our repairs.
as of right now, the lower frame for the ca has been created from 3+1/2 in steel angles to which were welded 1+1/2 x 3+1/2 in steel angles to create a 5 inch channel with 3+1/2 inch flanges. Both sides and the rear have been completed and n extra 5 inch channel was fabricated and welded across the cab from side to side effectively boxing out a portion for the installation of the floor material.
Our volunteers began to needle scale the interior surfaces to remove the many ears of crappy insulation and coal dust/tar. this will allow safer and cleaner welding.
John's plan is now going to focus on the front sheet which goes over the boiler, then I believe the roof will be next..
Both lower walls on the engineers and fireman's sides have been completed with all new steel and the lowere rear wall sections have been drawn out to be fabricated this coming weekend. Assuming that we do not get the predicted 14 or so inches of snow, this is very doable!.
Until next time folks!
Gary
Last Saturday wash a washout, so what to do?
Have a volunteer jam session on Sunday!!
It's been a long time since that happened and although I missed out at my local Historical Society day, , it proved to be a boon for OBRM.
We had quite a few hardy souls arrive to continue working on the cab of #35 which has seen tremendous strides over the course of 2 weeks. I'm writing this on Monday January 14th 2019 so this is right after this past Saturdays session where we had about 10 volunteers up and ready to move the cab project and the Ping Pong Project forward.
Back to the Cab's progress.
When we began this project , Steve Nappy was working out the steel reinforcements for the frame while John Petsche was going like gangbusters on #398, our GE 25 ton diesel locomotive.
Steve got very sick and needed time off to recuperate which I am very happy to say, he is. It was a long haul, but seeing him this past Saturday was great.
after #398's heavy work was completed, John P took over the cab work and fell in love with the planning and execution for this project. He took the BULL by the horns and ran with it even to the point of busman's holidays at the RR Museum of Pa to gather photographic proof of how the cab was erected.
with these and blueprints , he embarked on the cab restoration.
He planned his work and is working his plan using the talents of Fred Rubin who is our master fabricator and welder. Fred worked for the Staten Island Ferry and is using his many years of experience to create the parts needed to make our repairs.
as of right now, the lower frame for the ca has been created from 3+1/2 in steel angles to which were welded 1+1/2 x 3+1/2 in steel angles to create a 5 inch channel with 3+1/2 inch flanges. Both sides and the rear have been completed and n extra 5 inch channel was fabricated and welded across the cab from side to side effectively boxing out a portion for the installation of the floor material.
Our volunteers began to needle scale the interior surfaces to remove the many ears of crappy insulation and coal dust/tar. this will allow safer and cleaner welding.
John's plan is now going to focus on the front sheet which goes over the boiler, then I believe the roof will be next..
Both lower walls on the engineers and fireman's sides have been completed with all new steel and the lowere rear wall sections have been drawn out to be fabricated this coming weekend. Assuming that we do not get the predicted 14 or so inches of snow, this is very doable!.
Until next time folks!
Gary
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Baby, it's cold outside
But not up in Oyster Bay!
You heard me right.
After a few really freakin' cold days, we had a "warm" one.
Since our weekly "call to arms" didn't go out on time, only 3 hardy souls were able to show up.
I had a plan to install ALL of the cross pieces that our master fabricator/welder, Fred Rubin previously fabricated.
Since Fred texted to tell me he wouldn't be able to come over, we took it upon ourselves to "work my plan", so to speak.
We brought out a loaner 120 volt MIG welder (thanks you John Petsche for leaving this for me) and welded tabs to the tops of the cross pieces, so we could drop them all in place.
Since I am, in no way, a welder, this was a good opportunity for me to practice.
We laid out every piece on the South half of the car and began to grind the metal and tabs clean to ensure good penetration of the welds. These were only tack welds but still needed to hold a lot of weight. This side went well but slow, so after a slight break, we tackled the North side.
Same sequence of events, however, I had more confidence and I predicted a finish time of 1:30.
The last piece of steel dropped into place at 1:33.
You heard me right.
After a few really freakin' cold days, we had a "warm" one.
Since our weekly "call to arms" didn't go out on time, only 3 hardy souls were able to show up.
I had a plan to install ALL of the cross pieces that our master fabricator/welder, Fred Rubin previously fabricated.
Since Fred texted to tell me he wouldn't be able to come over, we took it upon ourselves to "work my plan", so to speak.
We brought out a loaner 120 volt MIG welder (thanks you John Petsche for leaving this for me) and welded tabs to the tops of the cross pieces, so we could drop them all in place.
Since I am, in no way, a welder, this was a good opportunity for me to practice.
We laid out every piece on the South half of the car and began to grind the metal and tabs clean to ensure good penetration of the welds. These were only tack welds but still needed to hold a lot of weight. This side went well but slow, so after a slight break, we tackled the North side.
Same sequence of events, however, I had more confidence and I predicted a finish time of 1:30.
The last piece of steel dropped into place at 1:33.
After we finished, we cleaned up, locked up and went over to the visitors center in order to remove the display of Railroad Advertising that we had for the year.
We then moved the model steam locomotive (damn heavy!) and dropped the doors off at the Historic Presidential RR Station for storage.
We finished off before 3 and on my way home I dropped off some raffle prizes to Dodds and Eder to be packaged for the Holiday Express Weekend that we are holding Saturday and Sunday December 8&9 at the visitors Center. We have held this event for many years and look forward to it.
********Saturday we have noted LIRR author/Station Restoration Chairman and all around great guy, Dave Morrison signing his latest Arcadia book, Main Line East.
Sunday we have Santa and on both days, our horse drawn carriage rides.
CHEERS!
Gary
Saturday, November 10, 2018
everyone knows it's windy!
HI folks,
today, George, Bernard, Ronnie and I helped Fred to install the angle braces under the bathroom floor which allowed us to fit up the toilet flange. The flange plate sits on top of these anglse which Fred welded to the perimeter frame and center sill of the Ping Pong Coach.
It never ceases to amaze me about Fred's expertise. He makes it look so easy.
I even had Bernard take a couple of photos of me testing the toilet to make sure it would hold weight!
And yes, I have no shame!
Enjoy the pictures below.
Gary
today, George, Bernard, Ronnie and I helped Fred to install the angle braces under the bathroom floor which allowed us to fit up the toilet flange. The flange plate sits on top of these anglse which Fred welded to the perimeter frame and center sill of the Ping Pong Coach.
It never ceases to amaze me about Fred's expertise. He makes it look so easy.
I even had Bernard take a couple of photos of me testing the toilet to make sure it would hold weight!
And yes, I have no shame!
Enjoy the pictures below.
Gary
Monday, November 5, 2018
do we need service?
we did, but know we don't!
As of this past Saturday, we have PROPER 120 and 240 volt service right where we are working.
So, we took advantage of this and Fred, George, Paul and I installed the first new piece into the Ping Pong Coach. To us it was HUGE!
To most people, they would look at a 3ft by 9 inch sheet of metal and go, hmmmm.
this part was fabricated by Fred and welded into the south west corner under the bathroom floor and will allow us to add the steel angles that were previously fabricated under what will be an installed toilet flange.
Next week! those angle braces.
Gary
As of this past Saturday, we have PROPER 120 and 240 volt service right where we are working.
To most people, they would look at a 3ft by 9 inch sheet of metal and go, hmmmm.
this part was fabricated by Fred and welded into the south west corner under the bathroom floor and will allow us to add the steel angles that were previously fabricated under what will be an installed toilet flange.
Next week! those angle braces.
Gary
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
In the trenches
Literally!
when you last read about our work, You were able to see a couple of photos of the torn up yard. As of today, Tuesday 9/25/18, except for a very small area by the Ping Pong coach/Tender-the yard looks like it did before all of the digging.
All that is left to do is to run the conductors through the conduit and hook up the circuit breakers and outlets. We will have to fabricate 2 different sized 240 volt/50 amp extension cords to allow us to move the welder inside or under the far side of the Ping Pong Coach/Tender to allow us to weld.
I missed the Volunteer session this past Saturday for a personal issue but can't wait to see what the yard looks like now. In my absence, Steve and Leon had the crew complete many small tasks to update the grounds and for safety sake.
Keep the faith folks!
Gary
when you last read about our work, You were able to see a couple of photos of the torn up yard. As of today, Tuesday 9/25/18, except for a very small area by the Ping Pong coach/Tender-the yard looks like it did before all of the digging.
All that is left to do is to run the conductors through the conduit and hook up the circuit breakers and outlets. We will have to fabricate 2 different sized 240 volt/50 amp extension cords to allow us to move the welder inside or under the far side of the Ping Pong Coach/Tender to allow us to weld.
I missed the Volunteer session this past Saturday for a personal issue but can't wait to see what the yard looks like now. In my absence, Steve and Leon had the crew complete many small tasks to update the grounds and for safety sake.
Keep the faith folks!
Gary
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