PRESIDENT’S Newsletter Message to Members
August 2004
This month
I would like first to comment on the work that we have been doing on our
business plan. I am frankly very
surprised and encouraged that we were able to fine tune and agree upon very
similar goals within this process. Of
course, we must continue the momentum that will be needed to see the plan
through. I am also very grateful to Jim
Whitney for taking the time and initiative for this much-needed help to put us
on this course. With our commitment and
I underline this, we should be able to make this work one step at a
time.
In the yard and particularly with our SW8, our mechanical staff has been working over the last few weeks on replacing brake shoes. They have also discovered a bent traction motor case, the result of a past derailment. CMO Bruce Van Wyck is looking into a possible replacement casting for the engine. The bent case is causing binding in the brake swing arm on the forward truck and must be replaced.
Metro North has requested an estimate for the repair of our yard lead. They apparently don’t have the manpower or time to do the work. I have met with Mike DaMour at the location in the yard to look over the damage. We will be submitting this estimate to Metro shortly. Mike estimates the work should take about two days and cost about $5,000.00. He will be replacing about forty ties and 75 ft of rail bed and reuse the existing rail, tie plates and joiners. Speaking of track work I am trying to spend time each weekend tightening and replacing track bolts where necessary with our limited track crews. In the very near future, we will be installing a point protector at the change over switch. This will hopefully force the wheel sets away from the problem area in that switch and allow us to run out to Track 42 and the south yard. I must maintain that we have to complete yard work on this and all active trackage on a more regular basis. I’m hoping for at least a few hours per weekend, of course, with our volunteers attending.
Our yard crew has also moved a freight truck and two speeders along with a boat dolly onto the 34 platform. My intentions are to enhance the display area on this platform and to clear the rip and wreck tracks for further display areas. I also intend to move the NYC caboose onto one of these tracks once cleared. Ed Bowers will be taking his wheel sets back to help us with this cleanup. They have taken up valuable display space for quite a long time. We plan to rearrange some of our equipment shortly to help accessibility of the equipment for our visitors.
Crew training sessions are continuing at a low pace with very few new volunteers turning out. I have much apprehension and hope that we can keep our yard locals running through this season.
In closing, Metro’s Day GetAway program is picking up and this is positive encouragement for our efforts.
Help support our Museum,
Ira