Our final open house is only a few days away. There’s been a significant change in the appearance of the shop.? A lot of the graffiti is gone, and the windows are starting to get covered. The grass has been cut, and the shop prepared for visitors.? The only thing remaining, the visitors.? Come out and see all the work that has been done since July.? Our members have been working hard to improve our guest experience. Come out and support the great railway heritage that Niagara has, and see what we have in store for 2014.
September 2, 2013
August 31, 2013
More windows on the long weekend!
Progress on covering the south wall windows
The NRM crew managed to install 7 more pieces of PVC to the windows at the Museum shop, bringing the total to 21 pieces. There is still another 72 pieces to go on the South wall, but progress is being made.
Once again Attar Metals loaned us the use of their Genie lift, a valuable piece of equipment when doing work like this. While waiting for more framing to be built on the ground, Ken and Aaron took a look at the roof and exhaust vents, and started to put together a plan to cover in part of the high bay windows before winter. Some issues were identified which need repair prior to sealing those windows.? The goal for the South wall is to have enough of the PVC installed to allow HEPC 46 and the Plymouth diesel to be out of the elements. All this work is progressing as time and funds permit, but as of now, things are progressing well.
Whiting 250 tonne overhead crane
View looking west from roof
Always lots of work to do out at the shop as we head into the final week before our final open house. Come out and see all the great work our dedicated members have been doing since July.
August 18, 2013
More progress is making a difference
I don?t really know how todays work session could have been any better. A 6 person crew came out to the shop today, and took on 4 different projects. The main goal of the day was to start covering up some of the hundreds of broken and missing windows.? We decided the easiest way to do this was with clear corrugated PVC panels. As work started in the morning, however, it was quickly discovered that manpower could be utilized in a number of different projects.?
Rick finishes off the assembly of the transmission for the Whiting Trackmobile
Rick went to work finishing off the transmission for the Whiting 2TMA Trackmobile, bringing that restoration one step closer to completion. Ken Sr. worked on cutting down some of the weeds around the track, and assisting the window crew when required.
John continued with painting the south wall, and got another 2 1/2 sections finished. We hope to have the south wall done along the work platforms by the September open house.? If that is done, we will proceed with painting the north wall of the heavy repair bay.? The paint has made a huge difference in the appearance of the shop interior, hand has all been donated by members.
The window crew went to work just before 10am, starting with 2×4 framing to secure the PVC panels to. We had 25 pieces to start with, which would be about 1/4 of the south wall.? Marcel and Jim assembled 8? long frames on the ground while Ken worked in the Genie lift placing the frames and securing the PVC panels.
?Home Depot in Niagara Falls gave the NRM a discount on the PVC panels, which was a great help.? Once again all the funds for the purchase of the PVC were donated by NRM members.
None of this window work, however, could have even been attempted without the continued assistance of Attar Metals in Fort Erie.? Milton offered the NRM use of their Genie lift to get up to the windows.? It was perfect for the job, and made the work go so much easier.? In the end, 14 pieces were installed, a total of 7 sheets (we get 2 pieces per sheet)? Milton and Attar Metals have been continued supporters of the NRM since they located to the area about? 2yrs ago. Without their continued support, a lot of what we do just wouldn?t be possible.
The first 2 PVC panels are in place.
Ken is up on the lift installing the 2×4 frames and PVC panels, closing in the south wall of the shop.
After 7hrs of work, 14 pieces were installed.
John continued painting the south wall, finishing another 2 1/2 sections. The new paint on the north and south wall have made a significant difference inside the shop.
Be sure to come out to our final open house of 2013 on September 7 & 8, 10-4 both days, rain or shine. See all the changes and improvements that have been made, and see how you too can become involved with the Niagara Railway Museum Inc.
August 11, 2013
Paint, Paint, and More Paint!
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.
August 5, 2013
And the work goes on…
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.
August 3, 2013
More progress, moving forward.
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.
July 29, 2013
Change of September open house
Due to a schedule conflict, the date of the September Open House is now September 7th & 8th, 10am-4pm both days. The event runs rain or shine, and admission is by donation. For more information, please contact the Museum.
On another note, it was a fairly productive weekend at the shop. More of the junk from the drop table pit was removed, and its starting to look a lot better. The beam scale, donated to the Museum by CN, was cleaned and readied for painting on the weekend. It was also reassembled and now sits on display inside the front room. Work continues on this coming long weekend. Stop by Saturday from 9-12 and check out the progress.
July 20, 2013
A rainy weekend
Well, despite some heavy rain Friday night into Saturday morning, we still managed to get some things done at the Museum. It was raining on and off Saturday morning, but cleared up enough for the 2 man track crew to get some work done on the track. Marcel and Ken extended the operable length of track another 45? or so, and we are now at the location where the #8 frog will be located. The next track session will be the big push to get as much of the turnout in as possible. The turnout is being constructed in a rather unorthodox way, using only 8ft ties. It?s not perfect, but will allow us to connect the 2 tracks for the time being.
The brackets from the beam scale that were damaged when it was moved to the shop have been repaired and will work just fine for display. We have started cleaning the old flaking paint off of them and they will be repainted black for display. (left) The plan is to have the beam scale restored and ready for display by the September open weekend. Rick spent the morning work on the Trackmobile, and I?m quite pleased to say that he was able to get it wired up from the key switch. the motor and everything seems to be turning and working just fine. The propane tank and line still need to be hooked up, and we are waiting for the final bearing for the Transmission to arrive. Work it progressing very well. it will be great to see this unit, which came to us damaged and in pieces, up and running at the Museum. Also inside the shop Ken Sr. worked on cleaning and organizing some of the material we use for track work, and such.
Still lots of projects on the go out at the shop. Paint removal from E-7 is continuing, and will be a bit easier and faster with the larger angle grinder, which now has an 8? wire wheel. Some other work was also planned out, mostly dealing with visitor and member safety. Those items will be brought in as we continue to improve and clean the shop.
All in all it was a very productive weekend, and i thank the 4 members that came out for it. Progress is ongoing, and I think by the time September rolls around, there will be a lot of significant changes at the shop. Come on out and join us. Not sure what day we?ll be there? email us to find out.
July 19, 2013
Saturday track work
It appears as though the weather is going to stay decent for this weekend so the planned track work session for Saturday July 20th is still on. For requirements to take part, please see the previous post. Plan is to still start at 0900 and be done by 2.
July 15, 2013
Track work Saturday
In order to push forward with museum development, the NRM will be working this Saturday, July 20, 9-2, on track construction. No experience is required, and tools are provided by the Museum. You do not need to be able to swing a spike maul. Other tasks include packing ballast, lifting ties for spiking, gathering materials, etc. The day is however weather permitting. A final announcement will be made on Friday night and will be posted on here, or you can email to find out.
Those taking part must come equipped with the following: Steel toe safety footwear, safety glasses, reflective/high visibility clothing or vest, and a hard hat.
If you would like to take part in the work party on Saturday, please email the Museum.