On the whole this site and its members provide a wonderful source of news about rail preservation across the country.

But it sure would be nice to hear something of a follow up to previous reports. Let me give three examples:

The railroad Museum of New England reported on their new Shop building. So what kind of locomotive and car restoration projects are being worked on in there this Spring?

Any number of locomotive restoration projects are under way. Has the PRR K-4 been moved to the Altouna Railroaders Memorial Museum? What is going there?


In the traction field, the National Capital Trolley Museum is going to build a new Visitor Center because of new highway construction. What is going on there?

I may not have some of these details quite right, but you get the idea! The preservation field is a series of baby steps that taken together mean progress in so many areas. If you have news bits to report do it as often as you can and do not leave us wondering about the next chapter!

Thanks,

Ted Miles

Our new display barn is complete and we are "this far" from getting our permits for the new visitors center and maintenance facility.

Wesley
National Capital Trolley Museum

Yes, and for other restoration and project news there are at least three BLOG style sites where more minute details of projects appear regularly. For the traction fans, look for the Electric Car Dept reports on our home page www.irm.org You may have noodle around a few links but that one has updates posted weekly or more often. Other Depts are being set up.

Bob Kutella

Well, here's an idea. Maybe every museum or organization involved in railway preservation could appoint a "spokesman" that would keep RYPN updated with their projects and activities. Might help if everyone here knew what the other guys were working on or doing.

Fred

Old Pueblo Trolley is making progress with the restoration of Lisbon Tram 524. Just a couple of weeks ago, the body was mated to the re-gaged truck and work on the electrical and air brake systems is progressing. We are also working to return ex-Brussels Tramways No. 1511 to service following a failure of the air compressor and work on the motor controller. We were fortunate enough to locate and acquire a second controller which is being used as a parts supply.

We have also been working with the City of Tucson to promote the development of a modern streetcar system. The project is now winding down the environmental impact phase and should be submitted for federal funding by early fall. One of the key improvements that we have sought for years is the replacement of the Fourth Avenue Underpass. That project (though six months behind schedule) is progressing and the first streetcar rails to be laid in downtown Tucson in over 75 years have been laid along Congress Street. We are working towards regular daily operations and other projects-some of which will not be discussed further here. On those matters, all I will say is keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.

At the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic, Ct http://www.cteastrrmuseum.org, we are nearing the completion of our Armstrong (human powered) Turntable restoration and installation.

Currently the bridge is installed with bridge timbers, outer decking, ring rail and bridge rail. The bridge rail has yet to be cut to final length. Currently we are progressing on getting prices to recreate the metal push arms that appear in an original photo from 1924 of the original roundhouse and turntable. Dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday June 8th. By then we plan on having one or more stalls connected to the turntable. The turntable bridge was built by Boston Bridgeworks in the late 1880s or 1890s, and was originally installed in Dudley, Ma on the Boston & Albany RR, later it was bought and removed by Nelson Blount (sp?) and stored at Edaville as part of the steamtown collection.

Pits 1, 5 & 6 of our rebuilt Columbia Junction Roundhouse currently have rail installed to just outside of the roundhouse doors and pit 3 is in process.

Regards,

Rich C.

Yes! Thank you for those up dates. Let's keep them coming along.

From my own western Railway Museum, the Jenson Memorial Car Barn will have it formal dedication on May 3, 2008

There will be a ribbon cutting and special tours.

There are about 35 items of equipment in the barn now. Some items are getting put through the Shop
for cosmetic work. A wooden box car built for the California Traction Company in 1910 has just been re-habbed with new siding, doors and lots of new paint.


Now the outside frame wooden caboose Sacramento Northern 1632 is in the shop for a
turn, with a new door, new window frames and
sash where needed. It will be painted in traditional caboose red instead of the MOW green that it has been wearing.

Thanks,

Ted Miles

I'm sure others would also be interested to hear how much progress has been made with several turntable projects. Has the Feather River group gotten its ex-WP table moved from Virginia City? Has the Great Smoky Mountain gotten the additional turntables it was seeking? Has any group moved or otherwise gotten use of a turntable recently, or have any in group hands been scrapped?

Several months ago, we uncovered the turntable pit at the Pemberton Township Historic Trust site in Pemberton, NJ. Winter set in and we had to stop digging when the ground froze. Now that spring has sprung, we intend to complete the dig to clean out the pit. We have two sets of drawings showing two different track plans utilizing the turntable. We also unearthed the footings to the freight house and the scale at the freight house. We also found the footings for the engine house and ash pit that was attached to it. We plan to locate a turntable to put it back in service.

Later!
Mr. Ed