This weekend was expected to be busy, but it went beyond just busy. It’s a long report, but it has to cover what went on. The mechanics spent the time working on the compressor, getting the bad fuel out, running new stuff through, and by the end of the day, we finally managed to get it back up and running. Once it was running, Ken and Neil finished off the other tire for the Trackmobile. We now have 2 new tires/tubes on the drive wheels, and are just waiting for 2 more for the front wheels. Before shutting the compressor down, a bit of sanding was done on the cab of 9173. Allan and Mike also got the second grab iron off the nose of 9173, as both were badly bent and will be either straightened or rebuilt. Patrick also spent some time working on the Plymouth, lubricating some points, and checking over the injectors and such. Rick was sanding down the side of the flanger to prep it for its next coat of paint. With the grass already starting to grow, we got one of the riding lawnmowers ready to go. Our loader was definitely put to good use once again. A very handy machine to have, with forks and a bucket, it can handle most of the work we need it for. Today was moving rail and ties, and even used it to line the turnout into the new track.
James Petroczi came down this weekend to get as much of the track work done as possible. Didn’t get quite as much done as I hoped today, but the lead is back in service, and the switch stand was installed on the west turnout (track ED17) and adjusted so it’s fully operational and ready for service. It was after 8pm when they packed up to head out.

Sunday James and Nick returned to work on the rest of the track. They did some work on our south track (what will be known as ED19) grinding a few rough joints. Then moved to the north track (ED17) and did some spiking and tie spacing before getting the south rail in place and spiked all the way down to the turnout. They worked into the dark (again), finishing somewhere around 9pm!! We seem to have a bit of a shortage of 100lb rail now, so need to try to get a few pieces so we can finish the job. The track looks good, and it won’t be long before we’ll be able to move between all 3 tracks. That will allow for some repositioning of equipment. Thanks to James and Nick for all the work this weekend, it’s really getting close to being finished and something we can properly use. And a really huge thanks to Neil and Ken Sr. for being out there for much longer than expected, (Neil was out there both days for almost 12hrs each day).
Today (Monday), Allan and Ken Jr. were at the shop for most of the day. Allan spent the time installing the external sheeting on the west wall window panel it looks good, and definitely cuts down the wind. It wasn’t easy getting that panel to fit properly either, required quite a bit of fiddling over the last few weeks. Ken worked on the flanger, painting the end platforms. The east platform now has a first coat, and some touch up work was done on the west end. The more progress that’s made on this car, the more exciting it is to think of how it’s going to look when it’s done. It won’t be long before our sign painter David will be able to add his skills to the look of the car. Thanks to James, Nick, and all our dedicated volunteers (Neil, Mike, Ken, Allan, Patrick, Rick and Ken) who came out to work on the many projects this weekend.