July 17th Workday Wednesday
There were many items on the WDWD logbook page for today which required addressing.
No problem-o as we had quite a decent turnout of folks on this day!
This entry showcases all that was addressed.
First order of business...check the logbook for any issues that need addressing!
Item Number 1 - mowing the lawn. Bernie covered this area of business.
Item Number 2 - enjoying Fred's company.
Doug lent a hand in a variety of projects which you will learn about shortly.
Item Number 3 - Determine if the plastic hose is long enough to reach from the dispatch booth all the way over to the newly constructed engine house in Nelson Yard.
It will act as a conduit for the eventual wiring necessary to power the charger that will be placed in the engine house.
Item Number 4 - Remove all the circular coloured chits in Nelson Yard as the yardmasters there have determined that they prefer using numbers for track designation rather than colours...e.g. "We'll line you up for Track 5" rather than "We'll line you up for the orange track."
Henk tells us that the coloured chits will still be placed on the freight cars when setting out equipment pre-ops to their designated trains.
Doug has determined the hose is long enough to reach the engine house.
Item Number 5 - Weed the right of way!
Chris gets down to the job at hand here.
Item number 6 - Weed the Rust Garden.
Mike's job!
Aha! Another Narrow Gauge Convention T-shirt. This must mean...
...Mr Scobie is in the house - or the back yard! 😁
Item Number 7 - Cut the fibreglass flat sections (stretcher bars) with their rounded edges to act as a buffer between the bottom of the engine house and the planking in Nelson Yard.
This will also fulfill our other obligation of raising the engine house sufficiently to allow the doors to open over top the trackwork and to allow clearance for the locomotive to enter and exit the structure.
Henk purchased the fibreglass stretcher bars from our lunch budget.
Item Number 8 - Prepare the engine house foundation to receive the flat bars.
Item Number 9 - Removal of the round head screws.
He will replace them with flat headed ones so that the base is flush to accept the black bars.
The black stretcher bars are now inserted atop the foundation and screwed down.
Henk assists in this area.
Item Number 10 - Deliver the next Rail Ops papers.
Item Number 11 - Glue the roof atop the structure Lawrence had made last season that resides in Craig Leigh.
Bill & Doug get to work there.
Glued in place!
Well done lads!
Thank you Lawrence...we miss you dearly!
Item Number 12 - Remove the redundant patio umbrella from its location at Firgrove seeing as the overhanging branches from the hedge and trees that line the border of the property offer sufficient shade here.
Gone in a flash!
It's James Bond - with his umbrella arsenal!
Item Number 13 - Install the extra umbrella at the western throat of Nelson Yard.
I get down to business here!
Item Number 14 - Brace the handrail located over the western throat of Nelson Yard.
Aha! The lads combine work with play!
This leftover cut piece I found in the woodpile beneath Craig Leigh was the perfect angle.
Thanks to Chris for discovering this magic!
Item Number 15 - Remove the metal brackets which had held the wooden ties in place and reposition them.
Over time...the metal brackets had moved away from the ties by about an inch or so and they weren't really doing their job at all!
Looks great!
Item Number 16 - Add support to the other leg supporting the handrail.
Here's Pat! He was a great help with me in putting all that bracing together at the western throat of Nelson Yard.
And...Pat kept himself busy weeding in those "hard to get" places around the railroad!
Item Number 17 - Take measurements for the roof of another station structure that is being worked on by Bill and Doug.
They are such dedicated lads!
Item Number 18 - Determine if the addition of a single layer of fibreglass tubing is sufficient enough to raise the structure and allow the doors to open and an engine to clear the doorway entrance.
Perfect! Everything fits!
Item Number 19 - Thread the plastic conduit beneath the entire length of Nelson Yard from the Dispatch Booth and make the cut.
Chris does the honours here.
Item Number 20 - Thread a "threading cable" through the length of the conduit that we will tie to the wiring to allow it to be pulled through.
We determined that the cable we had on hand was a tad short and never made it out the other end of the conduit.
Chris reassured us that he has another cable at home that he can bring out next Wednesday.
No need to look too concerned Father Fred!
Item Number 21 - Cut the length of metal tubing umbrella support in two four foot lengths - done with no photos taken.
Item Number 22 - Use the portable pile driver to drive the metal tubing support two feet into the ground.
Tada! But we feel the umbrella is about six inches too low. Mike and Chris can fit in under, but perhaps some of our taller lads may bump their heads on the umbrella.
Item Number 23 - Cut some wooden strips six inches long, tie them together and then insert them into the metal tubing support so that the umbrella will ride six inches higher. Mike got down to that task.
Yes, that's better!
A perfect height!
Mike & Chris find solace from the sun's rays on a humid morning.
Yes, the support is off vertical to the east ever so slightly - because we listened to one of our WDWD buddies who insisted we move it there. We now wonder what he was drinking! 😎
While Pat was busy weeding he discovered a rare find!
What could it be Pat?
Aha - our long-lost Peter's Pond sign which Bernie had been wondering about for weeks now!
Needless to say, Bernie is a most happy camper!
Who's that in back with another umbrella weapon?
It's Billy Boy once again!
Chris and I determine the best location for this umbrella - where most of the turnouts are located where most operators stand.
That is also how we determined the placement of the blue umbrella in the distance.
The closer umbrella also offers shade for crews who must switch out Wellington Lake as well as crews who work Ironwood.
Mike takes a shift with the pile driver! Will he manage okay?
This video tells the tale!
Because the base of the second umbrella is bulbous only about six inches of the base is able to rest inside the support. We can't leave it up between sessions as it would blow off easily in a wind storm.
This plastic container offers up a safety top for the sharp edges.
Next week we will drill a hole through the base of the umbrella and through the sturdy ground base you see and attach a cotter pin of sorts to allow the umbrella to remain atop the base between sessions although folded up.
I know the image is dark, but you get the idea.
A lighter version of the image shows that much more of Ironwood is now in shade.
Looking across the peninsula at Spruce.
In darker lighting.
Looking from the eastern throat of Ironwood.
And...our new umbrella now located at the western throat of Nelson Yard.
Fred takes a break and sits down in the Glen.
He directs Chris...
...as Chris begins to feed the plastic conduit from this end of Nelson Yard.
Item Number 24 - Drill a hole through the base of the dispatch hut.
Chris is up to the task even if the corded drill isn't.
Slow and steady wins the race!
The end of the conduit tubing.
Item Number 25 - Feed the conduit through the wall at the base of the dispatch hut. The wiring job can take place next Wednesday.
Video of Chris & Fred's progress.
Item Number 26 - Test fit a real locomotive inside the engine house!
Et voila! She fits boys and girls!
Lovely!
Artsy low angle shot!
Item Number 27 - Charge all batteries for the tools of the trade!
Looking good Fred!
Item Number 28 - Clear debris off the tracks around the layout with the garden blower.
"Thar she blows, Bernie!"
And...we take another look at the rust garden with a few rusty-coloured lilies in bloom...
...and we say farewell for another week of Wednesdays.
Item Number 29 - Create the blog entry from the morning's activities!
It brings joy to me to bring joy to you through the blog.
Photo snapped at Tommy Hood's layout.
Final item - Item Number 30 - "Put all the tools back in their designated places!"
On behalf of Fred and the lads of the WDWD crew, thanks for checking in on what we managed to accomplish on this day.
And...our forecast is perfect for Saturday's Standard Gauge session! Yabba dabba doo!
We are the WDWD crew of the OVGRS in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Well done, all!
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