If all goes well, our Whiting 2 TMA Trackmobile should be up and running next weekend.? Rick finished installing the rest of the drive chains and gears, and we have been given an old (but in date) propane tank from Attar Metals.? Antifreeze and hydraulic fluid has been added to the engine and fluid tank with no visible leaks. A new battery will be installed next Saturday, and if all goes well, the first test of the Trackmobile in a great many years will take place.? Also taking place on the weekend, we moved another 24 ties to the site, and hope to finish moving the remaining ties?on Saturday. this will bring our track construction at least into the turnout.? We have more than enough rail to finish off the middle track as well as a tail track past the turnout, we?just need more ties to finish off that part of the construction. Saturday will also be a track construction day as we install the #8 self guarded frog and stock rails.

Recently the NRM was given an opportunity to acquire 32 sticks (29?/stick) of 85lb rail.? This was a ?come and get it now? deal, as the group offering it needed to clean it up. So, a hunt for someone to move it for us at a reasonable price was now on.? We checked with Railroad contractors, but they were slightly out of our budget range. There was however an offer made to us that we could not refuse.? Wayne Ettinger from Trillium Railway offered to move the rail to our site, as long as we provided 2 people to help load/unload the rail. So 2 weeks after first seeing the rail pile, the arrangements were made and away we went.? The loading went well, taking just about 2hrs. The unloading at the Museum site was even better, at 1.5hrs.? The rail is stacked neatly so we can neatly drag it into position when we are ready. Despite it being only 85lb rail, it is still in very good condition, at least for what we have planned for it. This acquisition is almost 900? of rail, allowing us over 400? of track. This will allow us to connect the middle track to the turnout for the south shop track, and give us a tail track past the turnout to move equipment from track to track. This move would not have been possible without the generous assistance from Wayne Ettinger, owner of Trillium Railway Co. Ltd.? The Niagara Railway Museum Inc. thanks Wayne for his help with this project on such short notice, and another thanks for items previously donated, including our ex-CNR flanger frame.

Loading the rail.

Back in Fort Erie, Wayne Ettinger (left) mans the controls while NRM Secretary Aaron White sets the rail clamps on the next piece of rail.

The 32 sticks of rail stacked neatly awaiting installation.

Rick, Ken and Ken got the recently rebuilt transmission back in place on the Whiting 2TMA Trackmobile bringing it one step closer to operation.

Things are progressing well at the shop, and we are always looking for new members to help with our many projects. Members are generally at the shop on Saturday mornings, and sometimes during the week.? Contact us if you?d like to see our facility or come out and get involved.

Don?t forget the Annual Niagara Model Railway Show on October 27th, at the CAW Hall on Bunting Rd in St. Catharines, 10am-3:30pm.? The Show features Model Railway vendors, layouts, artifacts and model supplies.? Something for everyone. Admission is $5.

With the open house just a few days away, work is progressing well and everything will be in good shape for our visitors.  On another note, the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. is also in Facebook. You can get instant information when work is happening at the shop. The NRM blog will still be kept up to date as well, as both are very important tools in the Internet world. When you visit the museum, don't forget to "Check In" with Facebook on your smartphone. 

Hope to see you there. 

Completed north wall.

With the varying amounts of rain we?ve had in Niagara, the weeds and grass around the Museum site was getting pretty long.? Friday evening, the driveway into the site and around the front of the building, was cut down and this cleaned the place up quite well. There is still a lot of cutting to be done, and it?s often difficult to keep up with it all, but we do our best.

Saturday saw a crew of 3 (Ken, Aaron and John) with paint rollers in hand, continue with the painting of the North wall. With 3 people, the work went very well, with the North wall being completely repainted.? After that, the crew decided to get to work painting the South wall.

Aaron white brushes off any dirt and loose paint on the south wall prior to painting.

About 1/3 of the South wall has been painted, covering up years of graffiti. Again, still more painting to do, but it is making a big difference on the appearance of the inside of the shop.

The next major planned work session will be Saturday August 17th, 9am at the shop.? The plan, if all goes well, will be to begin sealing off some of the windows on the South wall along the driveway.? This will allow us to keep some of the weather off of our equipment.

Progress on the south wall

The NRM relies heavily on it?s volunteers, who do everything from keeping the grass and weeds cut, to working on equipment, to painting the walls.? We are always in need of more volunteers, no experience required, so if you?d like to help out, call or send us an email.? Also of note is that all the paint for this recent project was donated by NRM members.? Anyone donating financially or with materials can receive a Charitable Tax Receipt.

Ken is 3/4 down one section of the north wall. The paint is a great improvement over the graffiti.

Taking advantage of the extra work day this long weekend, 2 members were at the Museum today working away for over 4hrs. More was accomplished today, and there is still more to come.? The Spadina shop tractor got its first coat of orange paint.? It?s not an exact match to CN, but it?s very close, and will do fine for what we need it for. The tractor should have it?s cosmetic restoration done by the September open house. Ken Sr. started painting part of the north wall with a special concrete paint.? Just the one section took a gallon of paint, and at almost $50/gallon, we are going to look at other options as well. With just the one part done, it has made an incredible difference.?? A project that has been ongoing for a couple of months was the cosmetic restoration of the stove from the Michigan Central, Victoria Park Station at the top of Clifton Hill. The stove was reassembled in the office area and given a final coat of paint.

The MCRR Victoria Park Station stove is reassembled, and repainted in the office area for display.

The Spadina MP tractor starts to get a fresh coat of orange.

Great things are happening at the Museum, and there is a lot more to come. If you would like to get involved, send us an email.

The front door with a coat of CN #15 blue stands out against the brick.

Saturday was a great day at the shop, despite only 2 people being at the shop.? A fair amount of painting was done, including the front entrance door, which got a fresh coat of CN #15 blue with white trim.? Some of the handrails received a coat of yellow paint.? The old Spadina Motive Power tractor, which has been in the shop for well over 20yrs, received some attention having the hood scraped down and a coat of grey primer applied. A coat of orange will be applied as we start a simple cosmetic restoration to improve it?s appearance as a display item.? Ken Sr. also continued with the cleaning of the drop table pit.? Most of the plastic fittings that were thrown in there over the years have been removed, and now it just comes to cleaning out the leftover debris and dirt.? This has been an ongoing project, but it?s going well, and will be a big improvement come the September Open House.

The Shop tractor with a coat of primer on the hood.

Ken sweeps up some of the debris and junk in the pit.

The scale beam from the CN Fort Erie scale has been scraped down, cleaned, and reassembled in the office of the shop. The broken parts were repaired and cleaned as well before installation. An HO scale model will be built to show what the scale looked like when in service in the yard. There are many other projects in the works, and we are very grateful to CN for donating the beam scale to us, and for Attar Metals for removing and delivering it to the shop.

Work is always ongoing at the NRM shop, and new members are always welcome to come out and see what we?re all about.? You don?t need any skills to take part, as there are lots of projects that can be done by any skill level. Just contact us for more information.