Craig Leigh Gets a Facelift

Craig Leigh Gets a Facelift

You will recall in the most recent blog entry how we dismantled the subroadbed throughout the entire length of Craig Leigh's passenger terminal.

This took a full day of work this past Tuesday.

Today the lads worked from 8:30 until 4:30 to rebuild the subroadbed for the entire swath of the passenger terminal area - a total of 32 linear feet.

At 8:30 AM, this is what faced us.

By 4:30 PM this is where we ended up.

Yes, it looks like a simple, basic, Spartan job...but it was anything but!

As you follow along through our images and captions you will see the many problems we encountered and the solutions we came up with to overcome them.

The shadows are long as the sun rises while Pat & Fred get ready to put in a hard day's work with Mike & Bernie.

The first job of the morning for Pat & me was to remove all those lengths of boards Bernie & I had pulled off the benchwork on Tuesday.

Pat & I wear gloves to protect our hands as there could very well be splinters.  Fred studies the situation.

Pat has placed the level on the cross braces where we learned that the entire body of the Craig Leigh terminal area slopes downward away from the wall.

Because all of the tracks in the terminal run perpendicular to this slope, the trains aren't really affected...but we decide to rectify the situation as this will be the only time available to do so before we add the planking that will form the base for the tracks.

Pat's idea of placing a C-clamp below the brace before we free it from the upright will ensure the bracing does not tumble to the ground and bring down the buildings along the garage wall with it!

Pat has now removed the screws.

I assist Pat with the raising of the brace on the leg support.

We pose for a picture taken by skipper Bernie.

All the while throughout the process we use the level to study the situation carefully.

The longer level comes in handy as we check one brace against its adjacent one.

Getting close to level!

With our C-clamps in place, I am able to begin creating the holes for the screws before Pat screws them in with his drill. 

 Having the two drills going at the same time was a godsend!

Fred is busy getting the 'chop saw' set up...an invaluable tool which helps speed up our work.

Fred will spend much of the day 'sawing logs' so to speak!

Pat studies this brace and upright leg carefully as it is the one that supports the electrical outlet.

Bernie begins cutting sections from the lumber we took from the location on Tuesday.

He removes sections that hold bracing on them.  

Some of these board lengths can be recycled to act as bracing between horizontal segments when we go to lay the new planking over the area.

Fred is 'at the ready' at the chop saw!

Seanna & Steve arrive to work on the pedestrian crossing signal box.

They have enclosed the electronics with sensors in a 'new improved' box.

This new box has special latches to ensure it stays shut when not in use.

Seanna showcases the interior of the signal box in this video effort.

Video of Uncle Fred cutting up some of the smaller leftover pieces of lumber that he can burn in his chiminea!

With all of our braces now raised across the entire length of the Craig Leigh terminal area, it is now time to lay the new lumber for the subroadbed.

In this blurry image we find Pat in motion...

...and Bernie too!

We place screwdrivers as 'spacers' for rain water to drain through.

Luckily Fred has this 'furniture' C-clamp which can clamp much larger distances.

It came in handy at the yard throat where the subroadbed had to be clamped to a vertical brace.

It is starting to get warmer so I remove my fall jacket.

I'm no Calvin Klein as my sweatshirt suggests...but I am a hard worker!

At least Father Fred says I am!  😀😁😄

We have our first row in place with our second one starting down at the far end.

Video of Bernie & Fred with steady hands cutting a specific length of board.

Fred has determined that he may need to head over to Home Depot to purchase some 2x4's to ensure the width of the subroadbed platform will work out.

In this video Bernie reminds all of us where he places this special furniture clamp.  

How many times do we place something down and then forget where we put it?  Research on memory indicates that when you forget where you placed something, it is not a 'memory' problem...rather - it is an attention problem.  Yes, we often place things down while we are focusing on something else, therefore there is a lack of attention pertaining to the tool we have just placed somewhere.  

On this day the four of us determined to always place our tools at either end of the Craig Leigh terminal area and nowhere else...except for that special furniture clamp which was much bigger - thus its placement on the ore dock.

It's lunchtime and Pat had to leave us.  

Bernie went out and got lunch for he & Fred from Timmy's.  I had brought my own 'special' lunch but I did get a Timmy's coffee!  Yum Yum!

We are now in the afternoon and Bernie goes on the hunt for some 2x4 lengths underneath the Northland Ore Dock.

Only a single older length of 2x4 was found beneath the ore dock and it wasn't a very long section so Freddie headed over to Home Depot on his tractor to purchase five lengths of the material.

Good job Fred!

It is now warmer as the rays of the sun peak higher in the sky so my sweatshirt is now off.

The grimace on my face tells the story of the many calories all of us were burning off throughout the day!

I gotta tell ya...pretty much every muscle in my body and my hands ached from the removal of those dang screws on Tuesday and from the shifting of lumber all around the yard!

Remember...many screws were buried "beyond belief' on Tuesday and they first had to be 'dug out' with a sharp mini-saw digging at the rotten wood.  

To add to the grief, the screw heads then had to be cleared and cleaned up of built-up 'gunk' from over twenty years of weathering!

The far siding beyond the main line at the yard throat always had an issue with cars rolling on the yardmaster.

So-o-o...we had to remove the 'hidden' screws from the far end of the far board and place shim beneath to raise that particular board in order for it to reach 'level'.

Bernie trusts his trusty level to determine the exact amount of shim required.

With a section of track and two freight cars with metal wheels we reach the appropriate level for the siding!

Check out just how high we had to lift the board to reach 'level'.  

No, this is no 'optical illusion' or 'reversing falls'.  The board to the left is actually the mainline out from the passenger terminal area...and, yes...it is (and always has been) on quite the grade!

Likewise, the board housing the ice house siding requires shim to reach level.

It does not require as much shim as the far siding did.

The test track and two cars ensure there is no more inadvertent roll.

Bernie manages to capture me studying the trackplan with a somewhat quizzical look.

Fred is kept busy making bracing sections for us.

We continue to use our screwdrivers as 'spacers' between the pressure treated spruce boards.

We are 'getting there' but we still have quite a lot to do in order to complete the day's job.

Fred now takes on the role of sawing the lumber into short 'extension sections' for the remaining 2x4 lengths.  They will finish up the width of the Craig Leigh passenger terminal area.

Bernie places the extension sections at each horizontal brace.

Here you see where I have screwed the extension piece to the existing horizontal brace where Bernie has rested the length of 2x4 on top ensuring it is flush with the end of the extending piece.

Again, lots of C-clamp usage and drilling and screwing in awkward places.  

This really taxes the body after countless repetitions.

Bernie grabbed my camera to snap this image of me underneath Craig Leigh.

And...this is what I see from my perspective 'down under'!  

We will clean up this whole area before leaving for home.

So...I grab the camera from my subterranean situation to grab a look at these two handsome lads!

And...we repeat the process over and over and over again!

As always Bernie checks the 'cup' of the wood...a tad more difficult on a narrower board as Fred looks on.  

Note the bracing and the extended piece along the edge of Craig Leigh to the lower right of the image.

Bernie seeks reassurances from Father Fred as to the 'cup' of this 2x4 length.

Bernie snaps a photograph of my brand new pair of running shoes - not!  

I'm not throwing this pair out yet!  Masking tape ensures I don't get a floppy lower lip!  😎

With C-clamps in place I finish up the job on the last section of horizontals.

Bernie & I now devote our attention to the thinner fascia boards.

We raise them above the platform to the height of the rails.

Looking great!

One thing I insisted on was the cleaning of the area beneath Craig Leigh.  

While the image is blurry (my hands must have been exhausted by this point) it showcases just how neat and tidy things are.  

We used leftover lumber that was removed from the original Craig Leigh base to create the lower shelf at ground level.

'Loverly' I say!

An aerial view.

Bernie gets the blower going!

I like the look of the 'underneath' area!  👍👍

The finished look.

I use the metal brush as a 'spacer' to allow me to cut the remainder of the notch for that end piece that 'finished off' the area near the ice house.

There we go!

We've added a shim beneath the far side of the ice house.

Looking good with that fascia now in place.  

And...no...that far section of lumber by the fence is not an error on our part...it is that leveled area for the far siding!  

Remember, it is the mainline that drops down from the Craig Leigh passenger terminal area.

Our job was nowhere near done.  

Fred then went and cut more lengths for me to place at ground level to act as a platform beneath Craig Leigh.  

Then Bernie, Fred & I had another full hour of 'clean-up' and 'putting away of all the tools in their proper locations'!

Final clean-up video.

We are all exhausted by this point but we are filled with contentment for a hard day's work done!

(Photo taken earlier in the morning.)

On behalf of our hard-working Father Fred, thanks for tuning in!

The last item on the agenda will be the placement of the tracks and an overhaul of any turnouts.

We are the WDFD crew of the OVGRS from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Yes, that is the "Workday Friday" crew!