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GSD Links | GSD Standards | Schedule | Update
JT&S Grand Scale Ry. Workday Schedule:
We are adjourned for the season. Have a great summer!
5/4/08- 15” Gauge Spring Meet Report.
The meet weekend of May 3rd and 4th was our best to date. Mike and Joseph spent the morning taking care of a few chores on the Shay, including repacking the piston rod glands, and cutting out the new gasket for the No. 1 steam chest cover. Mike soloed for the first time firing up and running, and did a great job. Our Number 6 never looked better, thanks to Dick Pantoja spending a great deal of Saturday morning wiping it down. Everyone is grateful to the guys for taking the time to get it back in good running order, including a quick fix on the air pump which gave us dependable brakes Saturday afternoon. Their pride shows.
Eric Bauer brought us a truckload of steel sheeting for enclosing parts of the Pullman shelter. Our thanks to him for thinking of us. Some of the steel will also be used in the fabrication of a breakfast bar.
There was great weather, fun people, tasty food, and lots of activities for all. Girl Scout Troop 138 from Lakewood camped out with us. They earned their railroading badge, peered into the heavens (thanks to Bill Souder's generousity setting up his telescope), and sang railroad songs while riding behind the Shay. It's great when we see our Museum fufill it's educational mission, this is how we justify our non-profit status. Thanks to Ole, who donated our new shelter! It was used officially for the first time during the potluck dinner Saturday night.
Sunday Mike and I washed the Shay's boiler. Thanks to Mike for purchasing the replacement wand and hose for the pressure washer. A few Shay parts were removed to be cleaned and renewed over the summer break, however a lot more needs to get done before it runs again.
Ken Eells plans to make progress over the summer fabricating steel for the roundhouse to be erected in the Fall. Thanks to our generous donors, Warren Roberts and Roger Stabler, whose recent contributions allow us to move forward. Everyone can keep track of donations on the Roundhouse fundraising page.
Project work dates for next season will be posted in August. Until then have a happy and safe Summer. - Chris Allan
Click here! The Roundhouse Fundraiser is on!
8"x10" matted art-director rendering of the future JT&S GSRy Roundhouse, by former Disney Imagineering artist Steve Abernathy, available for a $100.00 donation to the Roundhouse Fund.
Roundhouse Fundraiser - Click Here
3/31/08- 15” Gauge Engine Facility End of Season Report:
Looking south at the roundhouse foundation and turntable pit.
We are quickly coming to the end of another exciting and successful season on the Grand Scale Railroad at the Joshua Tree and Southern Railroad Museum. This season’s achievements would be the construction of the turntable pit for the 15” Gauge Turntable. Where there was only talk and dreams of such an amazing structure, it is now a physical and very imposing piece of the total engine facility puzzle.
More than 21 feet in diameter, the turntable project demonstrates both the scale and scope of just what it is we have set out to achieve. And thanks to the dedicated and driven crew of the 15” gauge railroad, this dream of ours is now reality. There is still work to do in order to get it up and running as well as “aging and graining” (A fifty dollar term meaning to create a distressed finish) . But make no mistake about it, size does apparently matter. And folks, it is just plain big!
The other major accomplishment was the installation of water/electricity/air throughout the yard area. This addition has proved to be the most helpful for accomplishing just about every project, large or small. Also, it will prove vital once the tracks are in and we are in full operation. Infrastructure is a great thing!
So what is next for the 15” gauge engine facility? We plan to begin final construction on the roundhouse in October. What will that take? The roundhouse will take somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of construction materials. And where might you ask is this money coming from? Donations.
Of the seven stalls being constructed, two are museum stalls where five are museum member stalls. About $10,000 is coming from the various members who are opting to buy in initially. The balance will come from other sources. Hence, a new fund raiser program is being put together and there will be more information regarding that in the next few weeks on the museum’s website.
For now, we invite all to come up and see what is soon become a world class railroading icon and hopefully pass along some of the inspirational fire that we feel when working and sweating together on these spectacular projects.
See you up the hill,
Kenny Eells
Ken and William curving the pit rail .
March workday:
Bill Shepherd setting concrete anchors in the new turntable pit wall built by him and Tom Arnold.
Dick, Mike and Joseph bolt together the steel structure that will become the new picnic shelter.
Bill Souder placing rocks in his "Zen" garden.
