Two weeks in one

Today is Sunday August 27, so it's time for an updated post.
Since I didn't have a working camera last week, I couldn't take photos and I guess I just plain forgot to post what went on.
Here we go.....
For the last two weeks, our President John Specce, has been working on site with our Electrician Steve Bauer to continue putting in our electrical system for the yard and Turntable.

This is the newly installed power head for the turntable. It was installed just below the cross arms which carry the wires to the collector arch.

This photo shows the Main power head assembly going to the Meter Pan which will supply the entire yard with electric. Just to the right of the head you can clearly see the rack which is holding the power conductors from the LIPA pole on Harbor Place.

During the past 2 weeks, Paul and I have been busy needle scaling paint off of the Ping Pong Coach stairs while George, Bernard and John were removing the panels under the windows and removing all of the insulation so we can finally weld up the  rust holes. Also removed were the seats and the heating vent covers. Also removed was the actual heating pipe. It had to be cut out.

At this time we only have to remove the panels under the car floor which will then allow us to break up ALL of the damaged concrete floor from the center beam to the north side windows. We will then weld on an angle bracket along the bottom of the windows and lay in corrugated metal onto which we will then pour lightweight concrete to complete the floor on that side of the car.

When dry, we will remove the seats, wall panels, heating vents and piping on the South side of the car just like the North in order to pour a new floor there as well. Our final plan is to re-install Marmoleum floor tiles to approximate the original flooring.

This is a shot of the paint on the step as I was in the midst of removal.

What is very interesting is that I found a very red glossy color paint under all of the other layers of paint  but right on top of the primer. Strange! I guess I will have to look into it.





As all of this was going on, John Petsche and Fred Rubin were busy getting the forklift running again. We will definitely need this as we will be receiving from the LIRR the M7 and DE/DM simulators that are being scrapped AND we will be receiving our 40 foot x-New Haven boxcar via truck. Our plans are to place the M7 where the Steam Engine is and place the DE where our Forklift is. We will move the crossing shanty west of where it Is and place the steam engine there. We will also move the tender trucks between the locomotive frame and the boiler  as well as move the tender frame so as to make room to place the boxcar between the Coach and the Fence line.

Also going on is that John Petsche has been steadily completing the static restoration of the yellow "dinky" in preparation for its move onto the turntable after the turntable is operating.

Now, For those of you who don't believe that we really work, here is a photo of me taken yesterday when I got home. Believe it or not, this is after a cursory cleanup before I took a shower!

No comments, please but feel free to laugh all you want!

Gary

Sunday in Riverhead

Hi folks,

I received these shots from Ronnie the other day and just sat down to post them for you all to see.

Our 2nd P72 was moved into the LIRR Riverhead yard for long term storage and we promised the LIRR and Town of Riverhead that we would get all 3 of our cars painted nicely to discourage any new vandalism and to brighten up the area. The other 2 cars were already painted.

Thanks to Don Fischer of RMLI for providing us with the correct Benjamin Moore color mixes.

Top photo is of the south side after scraping and painting.

This photo shows us the north side after scraping and painting.
That is Gerard coming towards the camera.

This is a view of  the west vestibule end. The patches which the LIRR riveted on over the rusted out areas have been removed and new patch panel will be flush welded to repair these ends correctly, not just expediently!

EVERY P72/P75 and the MP versions had this problem area. The crap that was thrown up on these ends kept these sides quite moist.

After this, all that is left is to scrape and paint the roof of this car #2935.

Our crew does an amazing job!

Thank you Ronnie/Gerard/George and anyone else who I might have missed!!

Gary

On Vacation

Hi Folks,
Well, did ya miss me??
I took off a few weeks for a well earned and deserved vacation from work/OBRM/Baldwin Historical Society/Life in General-etc.
BUT, I'm back.
Now lets get down to the business at hand.


Mike Bartley and I busted our humps for over 4 hours putting together the pipe frame and drilling into the new sidewalk to install it. Then George came by, after finishing in the yard, to help us put up the banner. NOW, everyone walking down Audrey Ave, Railroad Plaza and from the LIRR station can see this sign and hopefully dig deep to donate.  Placing this banner here will also allow our contractor ample room to set up their scaffolding so that they can restore this side of the station.

Just before we hung the banner, the 3 of us were joined by Paul and Bill K when a Sagamore Hill NPS ranger brought over 20 people for their tour about Teddy Roosevelt. Seems the station is still part of this tour which I hear ends in a few weeks.

Thankfully these fine visitors were able to see the inside while I told them about the history of the building and they could see us as volunteers. We were well received, BTW!



And speaking about the yard--
While Mike and I were beating ourselves up with the banner, George, Paul and Bernard were busy kicking ass on the Ping Pong Coach #7433.
They took all of the seat cushions off of the North side and turned them over onto the South side seats.
Then they removed the frames from the walls and again, tried to remove the stand attached to the floor.
They managed to remove 2, however a suggestion was made to NOT remove these brackets as they really do not want to come out and cutting off the heads of the mounting bolts really sucks!
I took a look before I closed up shop and I have to agree with Bernard.
My revised plan is to break up all of the concrete floor on the north side of these brackets and remove the inner wall sheets on the North side of this car under the windows to remove any insulation. This will allow us to start welding up any holes and not worry about setting anything on fire! always a good thing

Then we can determine just how the steel plate holding the seat frames to the floor is attached. My educated (?) guess is that it is somehow set into the concrete.
Over the course of the year we will keep the car closed to the public as we will raise a lot of dust and the possibility that there may be some lead in the paint. We cannot take any chances with the kids!
We will also have people needle scaling the paint starting on the west platform and vestibule. Just in case, we will tarp off these sectinos so we can vacuum up any dust and paint chips to keep the little ones safe.

 The photo above shows the empty North side of the car with the remaining seat floor brackets. We will strip the paint in place. The side sheets are located under every window.

 Here is a piece of vinyl floor that was left under one of the seat floor brackets which was removed.
Always take the easy way out. Don't remove the seat brackets when you replace the floor around it! LIRR? K&K? We'll never know

This shot above shows the outline of a steel plate which is what the seat floor brackets bolt to. It runs from the East end of the car until just past the last west end seat bracket. I will have to "assume" that on the South side of the car, this plate also does not go to the end of the car.

Yes, those are my work shoes in the photo.

Tomorrow, the "Riverhead crew" consisting of Ronnie, Gerard and whoever else they get will paint the 2nd P72 coach which was recently brought into the River yard by the LIRR. The first coach and our BM60 baggage/mail car were recently re-painted and look real good. Thanks Jordan for painting the axle covers on the BM60, yellow. Smart move.

Stay tuned for more action packed stories!

Same Bat time-Same Bat station!

RIP Adam West 

Gary