Train News
March 2010

With the cold start to this year and a much needed rest from the Christmas season, there wasn't much to report over the winter.

We did have a nice in January where the guys rented a portable brush hog and cut down a lot of growth along the line. This is like a lawn mower on steroids. It cut about anything up to 1.5 inches in diameter.

The switch stand ties from the House track to the Main line were removed and replaced with new 16 foot ties. It may sound like a simple project but have you ever tried to move 16 foot ties? heavy heavy.

We recently had a couple of 6 Flags Over Mid America - St. Louis train engineers come down to volunteer for a weekend. Projects included cleaning up some of the old ties along the tracks, minor track repair, and tree trimming. They were a great help in removing the tables and benches in the passenger car being remodeled. (see below)

There was a leak at the seal in the Water Pump on the center cab switch engine #911. This was replaced then filled temporarily with water to test for leaks.

Work also included loading an 80 foot flat car with dirt and rock to be used as fill along the tracks. That bucket holds a lot more than a shovel but it still took a long time to fill the car one bucket at a time.

The biggest project so far this year is the stripping and remodeling of our front passenger car. All the seats and tables were removed to be sanded, stained and polished. The walls will all be sanded and repainted. Then new carpeting will be installed. Once the carpeting is in, all the benches and tables will be bolted back into place.

Stay tuned for more news.