October 10, 2018
This past week volunteers recovered from the grueling previous week in preparation and entertaining 2000 visitors to the annual open house. Wednesday some time was spent reorganizing the site for another years work. Items which were temporarily stowed away were retrieved and placed where they belonged so restoration work could resume.
Steam-up punch list items resumed. We received the machined repair parts for the root valve courtesy of Dick D. in Indiana. Repair of the worn valve threads began Saturday. Various unrelated components had to be removed so workers could more readily get to the valve.
Some areas of the tender and locomotive did not get polished prior to the open house so workers tackled that project.
Others were busy sweeping out soot from the firebox and got plenty dirty doing so. They looked like coal miners at the end of the day.
The store personnel were reorganizing the inventory after a hectic day during the open house. Boxes of various books and magazines were set aside not to be sold.
Others received more training operating the car mover with the locomotive air brakes as it returned the 2926 to the engine house.
**Our last day of summer hours will be on Saturday November 3rd. We will begin our normal winter work schedule on Wednesday, November 7th at 9:00, however the engine out crew should be on site around 8:30. Once we change to winter hours our general meetings will begin at 8:30. The visitor hours will remain the same, 9-2.
This coming Saturday is our general meeting which will be at 7:30. After that Jon Spargo will have his, more than likely, last new member class of the 2018 year starting at 9:00 in the Reefer office.
Keep on Steamin’,
Rick Kirby, CMO
NMSL&RHS