From what I heard, the work session was pretty normal, with brush-cutting and weed-whacking at crossings, etc. Frank Glatzl operated the rail-mower, which was towed by the A-car. However, the rail-mower broke down after a few miles. Frank later diagnosed the problem as a worn groove in the governor shaft, allowing an E-ring to slip off, resulting in major damage inside the engine. He ordered parts, fabbed a new shaft with the right size groove, and got the rail-mower engine running again. Of course, all this involved removing and disassembling the engine and then re-installing it, this time up at Frank's place. As so many times before, the rail-mower would have died a permanent death without Frank's attentions. When the August 25 work session came around, he brought the rail-mower to Llano, hooked it up again to the A-car and this time it worked perfectly all the way to Scobey Spur and back. That's not to say the group mowed all that way, just that during the periods when they did mow, the rail-mower did not break down, which what I consider a major step forward.
I had a project of my own on Aug. 25: installing 35 feet of 25-lb rail that I donated to RPI to store the A-car and rail-mower on inside the storage container. New members Jay and Cecil Walston helped me drive in two inch wood screws with a portable drill and portable impact driver. They hold down mending plates, which in turn hold down the rail by pressing against the web of the rail. We spaced them about three feet apart. Here are some photos of the results:
In the foreground of the second photo is the connecting piece between the railroad and the rail inside the container, fabricated by Jerry Light. It is removable so as to be able to close the doors and lock them. The new rails provide a way to securely store the A-car. And not putting any lumber between them enables us to move items to and from the back of the container (for example, there's a refrigerator back there now used to store herbicide that keeps the herbicide cooler than it would otherwise be inside the container).
I didn't go down the line with the motorcar operators since I wanted to finish up this project. So I stayed behind, finished up and just then saw John Pattison, our RPI VP, arrive. It was a major shock to see John since he can hardly ever get off from his job with Amtrak to come out for work sessions, and I was real tired what with the heat, so at first I just stared at him like he was a ghost. Then I showed off the work and we drove down separately to Spyke's to have lunch with the group. Before they arrived I mowed the track at the Spyke's stop with a wheeled weed-whacker to give them a clear area to dismount and, if necessary, work on their motorcars:
After lunch, the group headed off to Scobey Spur. While they were gone, I took my BCS two-wheeled tractor off my trailer and started mowing the really tall and thick sunflower stalks. After only a short while, I felt tired and hot, so I sat down, drank some cold water and rested in the shade for a while. I got back up and went back to work and almost immediately felt the energy just draining out of me. I think the body just decided the heat and humidity and exertion were too much, so it sent me a signal to call it quits for the day. I did but I hung around another 20 minutes or so and the group returned by then, so I got some shots:
The top shot shows Lou Houck with his Northern Pacific M-9, and Marty Reimer riding with him, bottom shot shows the A-car with a whole bunch of workers. Preceding both of them was Jerry Light in his hy-rail Gator.
That about sums it up for the Aug. 25 work session. Next session is Saturday, Sept. 29, again at Llano. I hope to attend but can't be sure right now since I do tax preparation for a living and the extension season is upon me. Have to give priority to getting my customers' returns done by Oct. 17. But if I can make it, will be there.
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