NRM Banner

August 21, 2011

Sunday shop report

In addition to work that was done at the shop on Saturday (see previous post), I spent another 4 hours out there today. My goal for today was to set up and get operating, a set of crossing signals.? This set does have to be semi portable, so I went with a PVC pipe? instead of the standard railway grade pole (that will be for the permanent set inside the shop!).

The display crossing lights, about 60% complete.

The bracket the lights are mounted to has a hole to allow for wires to be run down the inside the pole and into the ground to relays and such.? So, one must first cut a small oval in the pole, which a hole saw works nicely for. After that, I filed it down, made sure it was smooth, and mounted the lights.? They fit quite well, so that part is done.? I managed to stand the whole thing up, which is a pain, as it is quite heavy.? The pole was secured to the railing so I could work on it upright.? With a 12v battery ready, I managed to scrounge some wire from around the shop.? The lights I was using have been sitting outside for

almost 15yrs, so I didn’t know if they’d even work.? Well, I figured out what wires and terminals were for what lights, and to my amazement, all 4 lights lit up.? Before starting all of this, the shields and hoods were cleaned and painted.? So, 2 of the lights got thier shields and hoods back, the other 2 will be next weekend.? The post, which was white, was painted silver to look like an actual post.? Right now all 4 lights are wired on, as I hope to have the actual flasher relay this week.? When complete, this post will be displayed at certain events throughout the year.? The first one will be the Steam Era show in Milton on the Labour Day Weekend, September 2-5.

Despite a very heavy downpour of rain, which created a waterfall in the heavy repair bay, it was a good working day inside the shop.? Once the sun came out and started to dry things off, I managed to get a bit of? primer on the bare metal that was cleaned off on Saturday.? Not likely to get a coat of paint on it by the September 10/11 open house, but at least something has been done.

HEPC E-7 gets a bit of primer

Still lots of work to be done out there.? If you’re interested in helping out the NRM, please email us or give us a call.

August 20, 2011

E-7 cosmetic restoration

While the weather is still great, I felt it was time to start making some progress on equipment restoration.? The Plymouth is a fairly easy project, but is currently undergoing restoration to operating condition.? HEPC 46, our steam locomotive, needs some extensive cab work before the cosmetic can begin on that.? So, the only piece remaining is HEPC E-7, our electric locomotive.? It’s a very slow process, using an angle grinder with a wire wheel to remove in some spots 7 layers of paint! The good thing about this is that there is no actual rust, only surface rust, which cleans up fairly well with the wire wheel.

Stripping the paint, the slow way!

The body is being taken down to the bare metal, and will be primed and painted a coat of black, which is what it wore when in service in Niagara Falls back in the 1920’s.

Down to the bare metal, waiting for primer.

Track work is also progressing at the site, with more ties laid for track 2.? Rail has been placed, but is not yet gauged and spiked.? Just waiting for the rest of the roadbed to be cleared, and we’ll be into the turnout.? Site cleanup is also moving along.? The old storage trailers along the south side of the building have been moved.? The grass has been cut around the turntable, and soon a section will be cleared out so we can see what condition the pit was left in when it was filled in.

Lots going on at the Niagara Railway Museum Inc.? If you have some spare time, and want to come out and help, we have lots of tasks that can be taken care of.? No skills necessary.? Just drop us an email to set up a time.? Weekends are the normal work days, but some members do head out there during the week.

June 23, 2011

NRM Secures Museum Property!!

It is official.? After some 14yrs of trying to find a permanent home, the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. has secured a long term arrangement for the use of the former CNR diesel Shop and surrounding property in Fort Erie, Ont.? Plans are already underway for the rebuilding of the shop, starting with new windows to help keep the weather out. We have started our fundraising efforts, and are accepting donations for various projects.? The big one is the building fund.? The money raised for the building fund will go directly towards the upkeep of the shop itself.? The equipment fund maintains and restores our locomotives and cars, and the general fund goes towards everything else, like artifact acquisition and restoration.? If you would like to contribute to the NRM, please click on the Canada Helps like on our main page, for a secure online donation.

In other news, the next Museum Open House is coming up fast.? July 2, 3 & 4, 2011, 9am-4pm.? All 3 locomotives will be on display, there will be model train layouts, Ontario Northland Histocial Society, Southern Niagara Model Railway Club, motorcar rides, and other displays that are still being worked on.? Come on out and support Railway History in Niagara, as the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. works towards creating a Museum to showcase the vast railway heritage of the entire Niagara Region.

May 22, 2011

NRM May Open House

The Niagara Railway Museum had its first open house of 2011 on May 14th/15th.? Despite a lot of work being done during the week by members to get the facility cleaned up and ready to go, it was a very poor turnout for the event.? Saturday saw rain on and off for the day, although we did have some visitors through.? Sunday was even worse as it rained the entire day.? Saturday morning saw one of the workers from our new neighbour, Attar Metals, http://www.attarmetals.com/ who recently took over the former car shops at the west end of the property.? We were trying to find a way to pull the Plymouth diesel forward to allow visitors access to the cab.? Milton from Attar Metals?offered to bring down their brand new Volvo front end loader to pull it forward for us.

Attar Metals Volvo makes easy work moving the Plymouth

Those that did brave the weather to visit us were impressed with the progress, and could see the benefit to having this building as our home.? The Plymouth was even fired up periodically throughout both days to show the work that has been done to get it running.? The Ontario Northland Historical Society & Southern Niagara Model Railroad Club also came out for the weekend with their HO Layout and displays, and Dean Brown was selling his railway DVDs as well.

My thanks go to everyone who helped prepare the shop for the weekend, and who came out to help work the event on both days.? Despite poor weather, we still put on a great display.? Our next open house at the shop will be July 2, 3,4, 2011.? We’re working on new displays for that weekend, so keep checking back on this blog for the latest info.

April 22, 2011

A very good Friday

The back of the Plymouth before painting

It was a very good Friday out at the shop.? Despite a small 4 man work party, a significant amount of work was done.? William and Eric worked on cleaning more debris out from some of the corners and from under racks, and by the end of the day, it was looking pretty good.? Ken Sr. was working on sealing up the office window panels, and did a bit more painting on the shop walls.? Ken Jr. spent the day working on the Plymouth and E-7.

Half of the back of the Plymouth cab was worked on,with the rust bubbles being removed and rough paint smoothed out. By the end of the day, a coat of grey primer was applied.

Primer applied

A set of ditch lights off an Ontario Northland F unit have been acquired and will become the new headlights for the Plymouth.? The?Plymouth will also have a bell from a VIA F40PH added in the spring.? If all goes well the

rest of the back wall of the cab will be done by the May open house, showing good progress on the locomotive.? E-7 got a bit of attention, just testing out the paint remover.

A small section of the cab was taken down to bare metal and a coat of primer applied.

E-7 with the new dock plate and paint test.

We also cut a dock plate to allow safe passage between the work platform and the locomotive. This needs to be a bit wider for safety, but will be good for the volunteers to get over the 10″ gap between platform and locomotive.? The final thing was the donation of a large set of steel steps from Paletta International.? They are tearing down the old Chef Boy R Dee plant in Niagara Falls, and these steps were once used to cross over a conveyor system. They’ve been outside the plant for a while, and were donated this week.? While not suitable for public use, they will be good for members to use to work on equipment.

Our new work stairs.

CN SD70M 8927 at Fort Erie, April 22, 2011

April 1, 2011

Recent happenings

With the snow finally starting to disappear, NRM Members are back out at the site on a regular basis. Projects are starting to be worked on again, and the site is being cleaned up, to be ready for our May Open House. The Plymouth diesel is recieving quite a bit of attention right now with the cab interior being worked on, replacing the rotten wood floor, and damaged air piping. One of our members has also had the seat recovered, to go along with the work he’s been doing inside the cab. We are hoping that the engine will at least be able to be “fired” up for May, to show the progress being made. Track work is scheduled to begin shortly too, as soon as the ground thaws enough to allow more of the roadbed to be removed. The first plan of attack is to continue the south track into the #8 turnout, that will be connnected with the middle track of the shop. There will be a lead stretching towards the CN Fort Erie South spur, which we hope will eventually connect back up with that line. For now it will give us a much needed switching lead to move equipment between the 2 tracks.

Other events/projects include the 1st Annual Niagara Railway Museum Golf? Tournament.? This event will be held on May 29th, 2011 at ICC?in Stevensville Ont.? Information and an entry form for a foursome can be found on our website.?? Come on out for a great day of golf, OR, come on out afterwards for the steak dinner.? The NRM gets a portion of each meal and golf foursome.? For other events the NRM is taking part in, please see our events page on the NRM site.? Still lots going on including the Crazy About Trains weekend at Puddicomb Farms April 31/May 1, 2011.
Interior work will include painting, and finishing off the architectural plans for the office/display room. There are lots of things going on out there in the spring, and if you’d like to become involved, please drop us a line. We’ll tell you who to contact, and when the work days are.? We are currently seeking out funding for these projects, and are always looking for any financial contributions to make this plan a reality. All donations are eligible for a Charitabel Tax Reciept, and donations can be made safely and securely by following the link on our main site (www.nfrm.ca).

February 5, 2011

Despite the ongoing snowfall, and cold temperatures, there are still lots of things going on with the Niagara Railway Museum.? Our next display will be at Niagara Square Shopping Centre in Niagara Falls, on February 18, 19 & 20, 2011.? We are one of many local history groups taking part in this annual display of local heritage.? The event runs during mall hours, and there is always a lot to see (and learn).

After that, we have the 11th Annual Niagara Falls Model Railway Show on March 6th, at Optimist Park Hall in Niagara Falls.? The show runs from 10am-330pm, and features model railway vendors, layouts, and railway displays from across Ontario.? There is something for everyone, and the best Railway Chili around.? This is our major fundraiser for the year, so come on out and support the Niagara Railway Museum.

The Museum is still seeking funds for the move of the flanger, and for the purchase of track materials.? If you would like to donate to the NRM please see out website.? If you would like to become involved with the Museum in any way, a volunteer form can also be downloaded right from the website, or stop by any of our upcoming events and talk to one of our volunteers.

January 30, 2011

Well, despite the winter weather, we are still working out at the shop.? With the lack of windows in the building, it cuts down on the length of time, and number of volunteers that come out, but we are still moving forwards.? The Plymouth diesel has had many of its air lines removed, inspected, and re-installed.? Some lines are being replaced due to rot.? There are some water issues in a couple of the air?lines, and they are being thawed out, inspected, and replaced where needed.? If it’s a heavy snow outside, chances are it’ll be snowing inside, as the 2 photos below show.? These were taken at 12 & 2pm on January 22nd.? Oh well, it’s still better than working outside.

Cold, but very little snow.

And now theres snow

The next display for the Niagara Railway Museum will be at the annual Heritage week event held at Niagara Square mall on February 18th to 20th.? This event gathers groups from across Niagara to display thier historic artifacts.? Then, just 2 weeks later, the 11th Annual Niagara Falls Model Railway Show.? See the website events section for more details on both of these events.? The development of the CNR diesel shop into the Niagara Railway Museum relies on fundraising and donations, so please come out and support the NRM as we move forward to create a great railway attraction in the Niagara Region.? All donations over $25 are eligible for a charitable tax reciept. Donations can be made directly on our website through the secure server. www.nfrm.ca?

December 19, 2010

Happy Holidays

On behalf of the members and volunteers of the Niagara Railway Museum, I would like to take this time to wish you and yours all the best this holiday season.? The NRM has progressed far in 2010, and with continued support from the Community and abroad, we look forward to even bigger and better things to happen in 2011.? Have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Ken Jones Jr.

President

Niagara Railway Museum

?

November 21, 2010

NRM’s Plymouth comes to life!

At 12:12pm on Sunday November 21st, 2010, the Niagara Railway Museum’s 1953 Plymouth MDT40t, returned to life.? After a few months of work, the 8cyl. engine, which has not run in about 20yrs, was turned over on Saturday November 20th, and fired up and idled on the 21st.

There is still a very long way to go before the actual locomotive is operational, but this is the first major accomplishment.? Most, if not all of the hoses will need to be replaced, as will all of the wiring, and probably the gauges in the cab.? We are also in need of new batteries, as the ones we had were on loan for the day.? The air compressor was severely damaged and is seized solid, and cracked.? The entire air system, which not only operates the brakes, but also the transmission, will have to be rebuilt.? We have managed to acquire a bell for the diesel, and will also add a set of? air horns, which once served on a CP Rail snow plow.? We are still raising fund for the restoration of the locomotive, and donations can be made directly to the Museum off the main page of the website.? As always, donations to the NRM are eligible for a tax receipt.

Revving up the engine!

I thank Bill McCraw, one of our newer members, for spending so much time and effort to get the Plymouth running.? Bill used to work on that type of motor for a living, and without his expertise, we would not have managed to get the engine running this soon.? Along with Bill, William, Scott, Eric and Steve also helped out when they could.? There were 6 of us working on it today to get it running and Bill’s friend Russell donated a set of batteries for the day, in order to make this happen.

On a personal note, when I founded the NRM in 1997, I always said the day we have an operating locomotive was the day I feel we have really accomplished a goal.? Today was that day.? Thanks to our members, donors, and Babcock & Wilcox in Cambridge who donated the engine to us 3 yrs ago.

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »