The Niagara Model Railway Show is this Sunday, October 26th, 10am-3:30pm at the Merritton Community Centre. More information is available at: www.nfrm.ca/nfmrs.php
October 23, 2014
October 12, 2014
Thanksgiving weekend track work and Model Railway Show
The display and storage cars are inside the shop, awaiting work on the doors and interiors.
October 11th was the annual Thanksgiving track work weekend at the shop.? The goal was to continue working through the turnout to connect the south and middle track. Ken, John, Wayne G and Aaron managed to get half of the turnout laid out and partially spiked.? One more full day and the turnout should be usable. Half of the middle track has also been gauged, as has the straight side of the turnout. Elsewhere Ken and Wayne M were cleaning up some brush? previously cut down.
As a reminder, the Annual Niagara Model Railway Show will be held at its new location on October 26th, from 10am to 3:30pm at the Merriton Community Centre, 7 Park St. in St. Catharines.? Information on the show including the show flyer and vendor form are available on the website at www.nfrm.ca/nfmrs.php
Work progressed into the #8 turnout, with half of the rail being installed, and ready for spiking.
CP 57974 sits outside the shop.
?
October 1, 2014
The Boxcars arrive home
401639 is the first to be lifted off it?s trucks and loaded for the move.
After almost a year in Stevensville, and even longer in storage in Niagara Falls, the Museums 3 ex-CP Rail boxcars have finally arrived at the shop. The move took place on Monday September 29th and took just over 12hrs to complete.
401258 is next, with the trucks shown rolled out of the way.
With very good summer weather (which we didn?t get this summer!), Ken, John, Rick and Gary from the Museum met with the mover, Pioneer Heavy Haul,and the cranes from Vic Powell Welding of Dunnville, at the former DMI Industries plant (now owned by Trinity Industries of Texas) in Stevensville, ON.? Ken Sr. and Wayne G were at the shop getting things ready for the arrival on that end. #401639 was the first car loaded, with #401258 second and #57974 last. The load was sitting high on the trailers as the air tanks on the bottom of the cars could not be removed. Blocking was utilized to keep the cars off the trailer deck. The first car took the longest for loading, having to have smaller blocks placed to lower it further to clear the wires. The lifts went well, however movement to the site was slow.
401639 & 401258 are loaded and ready to head for the shop.
It was a lengthy process getting the cars loaded and tied down. Attar Metals, our fantastic neighbours to the west of our location (Who operate out of the former CN Car shops), brought a flat deck over to move the wheelsets from DMI to the shop.? They also came over to the shop with the loader to pull the Plymouth and steam engine outside as 2 of the boxcars were going inside behind HEPC #46. Once it was all done, they also moved the locomotives back inside the shop.
57974 is the last car to be loaded, and was also the last car to be unloaded.
Milton from Attar Metals unloads the wheelsets while waiting for the first car to arrive.
CP 401258 arrived at the shop around 4pm and was quickly unloaded onto its wheels and moved easily inside the shop.? The Trackmobile was used for this, but it wasn?t really needed, as it rolled so well we actually just pushed it the final 20ft to the stop blocks. The final 2 cars arrived at dusk and were unloaded and placed onto their trucks in the dark. 401639 shares the track behind HEPC #46 with 401258, while 57974 is currently outside awaiting movement into the middle track behind HEPC E-7.
401258 is being readied to be unloaded.
401258 is the first car to be moved into the shop.
The Niagara Railway Museum extends its thanks to:
– Pioneer Heavy Haul and Vic Powell Welding for the floats and cranes for this move.
– Milton Braun and Attar Metals Fort Erie for their continued support and assistance. So much couldn’t be accomplished without their help.
– Preston Bass and Trinity Industries of Dallas, Texas, owners of the former DMI plant for allowing us to move the cars to their site, and for their patience as we worked through the lengthy process of making this move happen.
– The dedicated members from the Museum who spent the day making this move happen. (John Weylie, Wayne Gibson, Ken F Jones, Karen Jones, Rick Howard, Gary Eller, Ken S Jones)
HEPC #46 spends some time outside for the first time since she arrived 4yrs ago.
The Plymouth was also outside, and made it further down the track than ever before in order to allow space for the unloading of the boxcars.