Our next club meeting will be this Saturday, August 2nd at 10 a.m. This represents a time change. We are also planning on a small workday to finish installing a retaining wall for the Grandma Line. Work on the retaining wall will start at 8:30 a.m. and continue after the meeting is over.

See everyone around the railroad.

After years of dedication by John Tuten and others, the infamous “Grandma Line” is now complete. The 250-foot project involves shifting the mainline traffic from running alongside the yard to moving through the woods. Today’s crew consisted of John, Wes, Calvin, Gene, Brandon, Kenneth, Brooke, Norm, Robby, and Scott.

This project could not have happened without the help of so many other club members through the years. Thank you to everyone involved.

After more years than we can count, the “Grandma Line” will be completed this weekend. Come out on Saturday, July 26th, starting at 8:30 a.m., as the final 40 feet of track is installed and celebrate with the first train to officially travel over the new line.

Bring lunch, water, tools, and a good sense of humor.

After more years than we can count, the “Grandma Line” will be completed this weekend. Come out on Saturday, July 26th, starting at 8:30 a.m., as the final 40 feet of track is installed and celebrate with the first train to officially travel over the new line.

Bring lunch, water, tools, and a good sense of humor.

The dog days of summer are certainly in full swing but working in the shade made the day productive for the crew this past Saturday. The morning started early with getting the club riding lawnmower up and running with a new battery with Robby getting things started on the west end of the railroad plowing through grass that was about two feet tall or taller in some places. Darryl took over and spent the rest of the day tackling the east end of the railroad having to cut some areas twice because things were so tall.

The rest of the day consisted of John T., Rick, “Bob Jr.”, Dave E., Robby, and Norm working on the Grandma Line. The crew got a lot done but fell 4 panels shorts of completing the project. The crew will be back out on Saturday, July 26th to finish the project and perform test runs on the new line. We invite everyone to come out for the big photo opportunity for this project as many of you know it has been a project of passion for John for several years and we want to celebrate the moment.

Our next workday is scheduled for this Saturday, July 12th starting at 8:30 a.m. It appears that the goats have been on vacation this summer, as the grass is extremely tall and in need of cutting.  If you have a riding mower and can bring it to the site to help cut grass that would be greatly appreciated. Our club riding mower should be operational but may need a little encouragement to get started. We are also looking to make big progress on the Grandma Line this weekend.  John T has most everything ready for us to install the last 60 or 70 feet of track, and if we get a large enough group for the workday, we could finish the Grandma Line this weekend.

A small crew went to the site this past Saturday and worked on a variety of projects. The crew consisted of John T, Calvin, Kenneth, and the Howards. John T reports that he thought that Kenneth worked the hardest picking up limbs and debris along the track most of the day, while John H and Calvin braved the direct sun to work on locomotives. Meanwhile in the shade, John T lifted track panels and set the crush and run forms on the remainder of the Grandma line (except for the grade crossing).

We are almost done with the Grandma Line. Be on the lookout for a big workday push to finish the Grandma Line in the coming weeks. If all goes well and we have enough volunteers, we could finish the project in a single workday.