John, Marcel and Aaron are seen barring rail into position.

And the progress just keeps on coming!! May 31st was yet another incredible day at the NRM. A 7 man crew worked on 3 different projects, with 2 major milestones reached. The Museum?s 5 man track crew worked to get all the rail laid out on the centre track with a goal of reaching the #8 turnout. While the rail is not yet barred or spiked, the rail is in place to the frog, and the frog was installed and bolted into the track as well.? This is a big step towards connecting the south and middle track of the shop to allow equipment to be moved around when necessary.

Wayne spent the day cutting the trees from around the sand towers and cutting up other wood laying around. In addition to that he also scrapped down some of the railings and stairs of the sand towers to get them ready for painting back to the way they looked when the shop was open. He also built wood covers for the open culverts out in the yard area and repaired the missing bricks in the shop walls.? All this will really add to the historic interpretation of the shop.

Setting up the tow chain to move the out of position rail with the tractor.

But the biggest news of the day by far was the project Rick has been working on for almost 2yrs.? A few years ago the NRM acquired a Whiting 2TMA Trackmobile, basically in kit form. Rick was handed a box of transmission parts and to to make it work.? After replacing all the bearings, welding, machining, etc, our 1970 Trackmobile came to life!! Not only was the engine running at a normal idle, but the machine also moved under it?s own power for the first time in we believe 15-20 years. This was the second milestone reached in the day, and one that will allow us to move equipment outside for display easier.

There?s still so much more happening at the Museum.? Some big news will be coming soon, and we are still working on getting our CP Boxcars moved. We are also seeking donations to help offset the cost of moving the cars over the road, and if you can help, please click on the Canada Helps button on the main page of our website.

At the end of the day, the frog is in place, bolted into the track, although ties still need to be installed under it.

Looking towards the west wall, the cleared out sand towers are ready for painting.