Only one Partner still needed...

Thanks to more generous donations, the R&GVRRM's Partners in Panels fundraiser has now received donations for fifteen of the sixteen panels needed to complete the project.

Would you please consider being our sixteenth and final Partner?   Donation information can be found here including how to donate online.

The progress on the car has also continued.   We currently only have two full pieces and two shorter pieces of material to fit in order to complete the wall installation.   We hope to get close to finishing this during the museum's upcoming Saturday work session.   Help is always welcome!   We have also installed more new window sills and trim.   Here are two pictures taken during our April 24th work session showing the progress.

The east side of the car looking south with nearly all the new walls, trim and window sills installed.

The west side of the car looking at the south end showing the new wall panels, trim and window sills.

ESE siding - Another milestone reached!

Thanks to some warm and dry early Spring weather along with a lot of hard work from our Track Department, all of the rail up to the last section of the new siding west of the LA&L installed last year has been gauged and spiked.  

 The current end of siding looking northeast.

 Looking northwest at the entire siding which is currently over 300 feet in length.

 The museum's two ex-New York Central flat cars have been moved toward the end of track to allow for ballasting & leveling to start at the switch end of the siding.

The next steps will be to move the museum's B&O baggage car down the siding and then start ballasting and leveling the siding starting at the switch from the LA&L and working south.   At the same time, the museum's Construction Department will be working on the excavation needed to extend the siding some two hundred feet further south from the current end of track.   As always, the R&GVRRM is constantly looking for new volunteers to help us with both track work and to help us maintain, restore, and operate our heavy equipment.   Interested?   More information is available here.

NYC #2567 - Panels on both sides!

During the Tuesday evening work session, more progress on the interior restoration of NYC #2567 was made.  Along with eight permanently installed panels on the east side of the car with only one and a half panels to go to complete the side, work on the west side walls was started.  Four pieces of material were installed on the west side during this work session which can be seen on the left side of the image.

Additionally, more window trim was under installation during the work session as can be seen in the right of the image.   Over 24 feet of trim has already been installed, and most of the new window sills cut and fit for the east side.

We are also pleased to report that we have gained two more partners in our Partners in Panels fundraiser.   Only six more panels are seeking partners.   Would you help us by becoming a partner?   Donation information is available here.  Your donation will allow us to keep up our great progress.

RG&E 1941 progress - Out of the shop under her own power!

For the second weekend in a row, Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941 was test run out of the museum's restoration shop under her own power with both prime movers.   The ability to do this has been the culmination of several years of hard work which has included the total rebuild of one prime mover, mechanical improvements to both prime movers, installation of new exhaust bowls in the short hoods, a complete brake COTS, and much more.

The next steps will be a good cleaning followed by a new coat of paint, RG&E lettering, and the professional installation of all new windows.   The painting and window work is supported by grants from the Amherst Railway Society.   The R&GVRRM thanks them for their continued support of railroad preservation.

For now, please take a look at a video of #1941 exiting the building under her own power on April 10, 2010.

More progress on NYC #2567

 East side wall of NYC #2567 with its eight new wall panels & new trim/sills installed.

The crew working on the interior of New York Central Empire State Express coach #2567 has made much more progress in the past week including:

• Completed the installation of a total of eight lower wall panels (64 feet worth) with only 1.5 panels left to complete the east side of the car.
• Fitting of six new window sills.
• Fitting of twenty four feet of trim along the window sills at the intersection of the new lower panels and the middle panels.
• Tapping completed on the west side of the car for the installation of eight lower panels with tapping only left for 1.5 panels to complete the west side.
• Fitting of the first panel on the west side.

Work will continue on the car during both the museum's Tuesday and Saturday work sessions.   Upcoming work will include upper wall repair and some additional clean-out of the car to make room for paint preparation prior to a total interior repaint.   Help is always welcome!

Additionally, we have been successful in finding partners for eight of the sixteeen panels we need to raise the necessary funds to complete this project.   Would you help us by being one of the last eight partners we need?   Click here to donate.

New water system progress

On April 3rd, 2010, R&GV RR Museum volunteers installed an 8x10 wooden building that will soon house the chlorination treatment equipment required for our new well water connection. This building and foundation were primarily designed by member Bob Mader, and the building constructed and delivered by Wood-Tex of Himrod, NY.   The building will need to be finished with interior insulation and walls, a secure steel door and interior flooring.  After that, our contractor, Aqua Source, will install the chlorination equipment and well pump.  We are hoping to have our new water connection ready for inspection by the County Health Department by early May.

New Member Chad Timothy begins the excavation of the foundation and trenching for new water treatment building near the museum's restoration building.

The building is in place on the foundation after being craned into position using the museum's ex-US Military 5-ton wrecker.

 The building sits on Tuesday evening April 6th with its door and windows installed.