News from Pine Creek RR

Tom Gears · **Posted:** Tue Jun 17, 2003 10:26 am

Does anyone know if the nice folks at Pine Creek have the Porter restoration finished yet?

Thanks,

Tom

Bob W. · **Posted:** Tue Jun 17, 2003 1:27 pm

> Does anyone know if the nice folks at Pine
> Creek have the Porter restoration finished
> yet?

> Thanks,

> Tom

I don't think you will ever have to worry about that running. They are too busy buying CNC machines and scaring off members to work on it.

Bob W.

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Tue Jun 17, 2003 2:00 pm

> I don't think you will ever have to worry
> about that running. They are too busy buying
> CNC machines and scaring off members to work
> on it.

Please bear in mind that this forum has a strict no-flames policy, and that includes drive-by potshots at fellow preservation organizations.

For a refresher on the Interchange Terms of Service, click Guidelines and Rules at the top of the Interchange home page.

Polite, constructive criticism, and polite responses to same are welcome.

Quick, disparaging references to fellow organizations, without adducing an argument to support them, are not.

eledbetter@rypn.org

J.R. May · **Posted:** Wed Jun 18, 2003 5:32 pm

Geez, take a few days off, and look what happens!

For the record, I have no idea who Bob W is and would welcome an email directly from him.

The Porter is coming along just fine, although not as fast as anyone would like. Brand new tender is done (trucks, frame, tank) and just needs some brake work and paint to complete. All new tires are on the locomotive and journal boxes are nearly ready for reassembly. The boiler, as with the rest of the locomotive, was worse than expected but is coming along nicely. We had a problem with a supplier which set us back about two months for code boiler material. We fixed this without further cost. New studs were made in house with code material buy our student members. That took longer but now we have several members who can thread a tapered stud. Not bad in my mind!

We have never done such a total and complete rebuild. No part is going untouched. Axle journals were an unexpected mess and cost $17,000 to repair and several months of lost time, but its done right.

As to the CNC machine, we do not own a CNC machine. Never have. We did buy a new mill with a digital read out as our old Cinci #2 with the ancient BP head was just about dead and could no longer hold a tolerance of any kind. The new machine allowed us to bolt the new flue sheet to the table and drill/bore all the holes very precisely and quickly. Yes, that's a new flue sheet. Under our R-Stamp we can do such things. Without that stamp, this project would never have been affordable.

If anyone wants to come out for a look, feel free, to contact me.

BTW, we did roughly 18,000 hours of volunteer hours last year. That number continues to rise each year. Check our web for some pictures that were put up a while back.

J.R. May
NJMT, Inc
Chairman of the Board

> Does anyone know if the nice folks at Pine
> Creek have the Porter restoration finished
> yet?

> Thanks,

> Tom

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

Tom Gears · **Posted:** Wed Jun 18, 2003 6:31 pm

Thanks for the information. You folks have done a lot of cool stuff and I am sure that this locomotive will run for many years to come. Best Wishes.
Tom

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Wed Jun 18, 2003 7:14 pm

I have removed a second post from Bob W for violating the Interchange's Terms of Service--specifically, the no flaming, one strike your out clause. Actually, the fellow got one strike out of the kindness of our hearts; he insisted on swinging again.

eledbetter@rypn.org

J.R. May · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 7:50 am

Erik:
Many thanks for your work on this site. I can't imagine what this is all about. But thanks for being there for us.
J.R.

> I have removed a second post from Bob W for
> violating the Interchange's Terms of
> Service--specifically, the no flaming, one
> strike your out clause. Actually, the fellow
> got one strike out of the kindness of our
> hearts; he insisted on swinging again.

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

Russell Underwood · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 12:35 pm

Any word on the SS&S 26?
Last I had heard, it was destined to be a lawn ornament, due to some boiler problems. I would love to see the problems corrected, and the engine run again, since I missed it on my last (only) trip to NJ.

Thanks!
Russell Underwood

NFDRwy@Cox.net

J.R. May · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 2:19 pm

We have a multi year plan in place focusing on the overhaul/repair of all our steam locomotives. Once the Porter has been completed, Q&TL #6 rolls inside. The Ely-Thomas Shay will follow the Quincy #6, with Lady Edith and #26 to follow. Its not a quick process, but we are pushing hard in an effort to comply with Appendix C.

> Any word on the SS&S 26?
> Last I had heard, it was destined to be a
> lawn ornament, due to some boiler problems.
> I would love to see the problems corrected,
> and the engine run again, since I missed it
> on my last (only) trip to NJ.

> Thanks!
> Russell Underwood

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

Dave Crosby · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 2:25 pm

Hello

I'd just like to say you folks do a great job there. As a child growing up in the pine-barrens, the place was like a second home before I moved to PA at age 9. The shay was the first steam engine I ever rode behind and got me hooked from day one. Everytime I return I've met friendly, wonderful people who always take the time to answer a question or two.

Thanks for everything!

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

Tom Gears · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 4:54 pm

The best of everything to you nice folks over in Jersey. The Q&TL locomotive would be a great one to see run!

Thanks for the Info,

Tom

Kip Harris · **Posted:** Thu Jun 19, 2003 6:34 pm

I agree--Pine Creek is a great museum. One question for J.R.: any chance the line could be extended through the Allaire historic village and made into a point-to-point with wyes instead of one large loop? I find the loop arrangement somewhat dull but I guess it's practical. Just curious.

Kip

> The best of everything to you nice folks
> over in Jersey. The Q&TL locomotive
> would be a great one to see run!

> Thanks for the Info,

> Tom

JR May · **Posted:** Fri Jun 20, 2003 9:07 am

Kip:
Our master plan shows an extension but there is no schedule at this point for its implementation. It will be made more difficult by modern wet lands regulations and the boom in golfing which has impacted the direction we would have liked to have taken. For some reason, steam whistles and golf don't mix well.

There are other issues to look at it, and this may be of interest to other smaller operations. I believe the average passenger enjoys our loop and I am not convinced an extension would increase ridership at all. The business case, or return on investment, is not clear for me. We carry roughly 50,000 people each year, much of it repeat business. I don't believe a longer track would increase ridership nor income.

If we were to go after it, we would need an individual to pursure it from every angle. Environmental would be the biggest issue. Funding would be the next big issue as bridges and fill would be required.

At some point it will be done, but number one on our priority list today is returning steam to Pine Creek.

J.R.

> I agree--Pine Creek is a great museum. One
> question for J.R.: any chance the line could
> be extended through the Allaire historic
> village and made into a point-to-point with
> wyes instead of one large loop? I find the
> loop arrangement somewhat dull but I guess
> it's practical. Just curious.

> Kip

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org