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Volunteer
Railroaders
1. Glen A.
2. Wimbley V.
3. David H. Sr.
4. Dwayne S.
5. Joseph S.
6. Mike M.
7. Tucker B.
8. Nick P.
Accomplishments
1. Installed posts and frame for new museum sign on Highway 497
2. Installed railroad crossing signs at engine house road crossing of
main loop track
3. Installed erosion control wall at Planer Mill switch
4. Cleaned out drain culvert ends at engine house road crossing
5. Moved pipe and other material behind Planer Mill powerhouse so staff
can mow area
6. Cleared brush away from Insley crane and supply shed near engine
house
7. Sprayed herbicide on Main Loop track, Sandersville line, and wye
tracks
8. Mowed grass around engine house and near main loop track curve to
Planer Mill
9. Cleared out metal debris alongside mainline track near switch #9
10. Installed six fresh crossties on main line at switch #9 / engine
house track #1
Saturday
Glen has been working recently on a new entrance sign for the museum to
go across Highway 497 from Long Leaf Road (the museum entrance road).
Crowell Forest Industries has kindly allowed the museum to place a sign
on the east side of the highway in a prominent position. Saturday
morning, Glen and Wimbley arrived at 7:45 with a mini excavator rental
and the frame for the new sign. David arrived at 8:00, and after being
flagged down by Glen, was on the excavator clearing the sign site and
getting the post holes dug. The posts and frame were placed and braced
up with lumber by lunch. A large circular saw blade, approximately 48
inches in diameter, was placed on the frame and will be a prominent
feature of the new sign. The sign includes a roof and scrap corrugated
sheet metal from around the museum will be used for the roof. Glen has
designed and fabricated a wooden sign that will be affixed to the center
of the saw blade. The sign is coming along great and we’re very thankful
to see it!
While the sign crew of Glen, Wimbley, David, and Mike worked alongside
Highway 497, the crew of Dwayne, Joe, and Tucker loaded up M8 and the
sprayer car with tools for another project. After going around the wye
and parking on the Planer Mill bypass track near the boiler house, the
crew set to work installing an erosion control wall at the Planer Mill
switch. Over time, the ground beneath the track has been eroding down
the embankment to the pump house. With plenty of non-track-worthy ties
around from previous nearby track repairs, the crew dug out a channel
for the first tie layer to rest in. Old tie ends and blocks were sunk
into the ground as posts to keep the first tie layer in place. A second
layer of old ties was drug over and stacked on the first layer. The
metal cutter (aka pipe cutter) in the Machine Shop was used to cut rebar
into one-foot lengths and with holes drilled out, the rebar was driven
through both tie layers. A third tie layer and more rebar was hammered
in to complete the retaining wall. The crew also noticed the excellent
brush clearing work by AmeriCorps crews from earlier in the month. With
both crews finishing the morning projects, they met at the lodge kitchen
for lunch.
During lunch, Glen ran into Alexandria to pick up concrete and a
concrete mixer. Mike was working with the museum staff on various tasks
around the Planer Mill. Mixing and pouring concrete for the new highway
sign was the afternoon project. Tucker manned the concrete mixer near
the commissary, mixing batch after batch, while Dwayne, Wimbley, and
Glen loaded up 5-gallon buckets of mixed concrete, loaded them on the
golf cart, brought them up to the new sign, hauled them up the hill, and
poured them in the post holes. With no water or power near the sign, the
commissary was the closest water and power source for mixing concrete.
After twenty-five 80-pound Quickcrete bags were mixed up, multiple trips
uphill with the buckets, the bucket brigade had the concrete completely
poured for the new sign. Given the depth and concrete in there, the
whole museum might blow away, but that highway sign will still be there!
Its foundation is as solid as can be.
While the bucket brigade poured concrete for the sign, Joe was moving
along with the mini excavator. He dug out the post-holes at the Engine
House road crossing for the new railroad crossing signs Jason had put
together, cleaned out the drain culvert ends of the drain near this
crossing, and cleared significant brush away from the Insley crane and
supply shed in front of the engine house. He was able to uproot many of
the small sampling trees and pulled out several pieces of cut rail that
had good/recoverable joint bars on them.
Once the concrete was poured for the sign posts, a final batch was mixed
up for the new railroad crossing signs. The signs were raised, held in
position, concrete poured in, then dirt packed in on top. The plumb was
checked from several directions. After cleaning up the concrete mixer,
the golf cart, the tools, and disposing of garbage, it was the end of a
hot, but very productive day.
Sunday
Sunday was running the excavator for
other projects, final cleanup, and spraying herbicide over all trackage
as the volunteers split into several groups. David arrived at 0800 and
started his day as an expert equipment operator. He brought his
lawnmower and mowed around the engine house and the main loop track area
near the engine house and the curve descending to the Planer Mill. At
0900, the mini excavator was fired up again as David cleared the metal
debris away from the mainline track near switch #9 / engine house track
#1 so fresh ties could be inserted. Much of the metal debris is
miscellaneous and indiscernible metal pieces, pieces of cut rail (with
more good, recoverable joint bars on them), and various old spikes,
plates, and pipes. Only a minimum is being moved to allow for necessary
track maintenance.
Glen was an equipment operator on the museum tractor by moving out the
brush removed the day before near the Insley crane. He also finished the
dirt clean up around the new RR crossing signs and around the new museum
highway sign. On the track, Wimbley and Nick sprayed herbicide over the
main loop, the Sandersville line, and the wye tracks. There was a snag
when the electrical line disconnected from the gator clamps, but it was
a good learning opportunity for minor electrical repairs for Wimbley and
Nick. With the line repaired, the spraying continued. Mike and Tucker
surveyed the Planer Mill asphalt lot, finished lumber shed, and asphalt
area near the sawmill green chain to map out festival logistics and
plans for parking, vendors, food trucks, and steam up exhibitors.
Later in the morning, Wimbley and Nick brought up six fresh crossties to
the excavator work area from a good tie stack stationed near the main
loop behind the sawmill. Glen and Tucker used the tractor bucket to
relocate the metal debris that David had cleared out. Then the fresh tie
work began in earnest with six fresh ties in an area that really needed
them. Roots were cut out with David’s chainsaw and with the excavator in
order to get these ties in. We’ll get the ties tamped, leveled, gauged,
and spiked at a future session.
To wrap up the day, Wimbley and Nick cleaned off the sprayer car and the
M8. David used the excavator to pull out the dredge bucket for the
Insley that had long been a vine and brush climbing gym. The excavator
hydraulic line encountered a minor leak in the process. Fortunately, a
fitting was tightened up by David to stop the leak. With it being high
noon on a hot day, it was as good a stopping point as any. Glen and
David fueled up the excavator and loaded it up on Glen’s trailer for
return to the rental house. The dredge bucket can now be easily picked
up with a forklift and transported to a better long-term location at the
museum.
Thus ended a hot, but very productive weekend. The museum is really
getting into great shape in many areas ahead of the upcoming 2nd Annual
Long Leaf Fall Festival and Steam Up on October 22 and 23. The next
volunteer session, October 8, will be the last big volunteer weekend
before the festival. Please consider joining us if you’d like to be a
big part in making the festival go from good to great! We need all hands
on deck for this event.
-Tucker "Who Dat" Baker
RR&G Road Master
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