Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum
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Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum SHEEPSCOT STATION, PO BOX 242, ALNA, ME 04535-0242 May / June 2009 Wayne Laepple and Steve Hussar operate the new “Big Joe” tamper during the Spring Work Weekend. Photo by Bob Cavanagh “Big Joe” joins the Spring Work Weekend Crew Dana Deering Thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication, along and the WW&F volunteers, from the regulars to those who with some help from the weather gods, we had another can only come once or twice a year, are second to none. very successful work weekend! There was work going on They all give 100% and do it with panache. I enjoy the great everywhere, and much was accomplished along with the camaraderie and the humor. It’s nice to share a dream with ballasting, surfacing, and lining of the track that was put down such a fine group and to see it materialize — and I love moving in the Fall. We didn’t get all of it in service but I hadn’t expected that red flag northward! Thanks to everyone who showed up that we would, and we got more done than I had hoped. to lend a hand, and to the kitchen crew for keeping us fed! Of all of the new volunteers who showed up, I think We’re in the talking stages for the Fall Work Weekend, so everyone was especially glad to have our newest volunteer, we may include finishing the ballasting, surfacing, and lining “Big Joe Tampiere,” on hand. Big Joe was able to tamp using as part of it, or we may pick away at it throughout the summer. four air hammers at once, and although he started off a bit Watch the forum (http://forum.wwfry.org) for updates. “shaky,” he soon got the hang of it, and then nothing could For details on the design and development of “Big stop him except when he ran a little low on “juice”. Joe,” along with the reason for his name, please see Jason Plans are only as good as the people who carry them out, Lamontagne’s article on page 4. Visit our web page at: http://www.wwfry.org 1 2-Foot Musing No. 42 Adding a Presence on Route 1 In this Musing I am going to talk a little bit about the For several years, the Museum has had State of Maine vacuum brake system. Every Maine 2-footer used vacuum official business directional signs on Route 1 in Newcastle, brakes except the Monson which used hand brakes during northeast of Wiscasset. These signs direct visitors through its entire life. The Sandy River eventually converted to air Sheepscot Village to Sheepscot Station. This route is convenient brakes, but the Bridgton & Harrison, the Kennebec Central, for southbound visitors, but not so convenient for northbound and the WW&F all stuck with the vacuum brake. So, for this visitors. We have always wanted some sort of signage or reason, I think it is important for serious (and not so serious) publicity on Route 1 southeast of Wiscasset to capture the students of the 2-footers to have a general knowledge of how attention of northbound visitors. To date, this has not been this important piece of equipment functioned. It will take two possible due to Town of Wiscasset signage restrictions. Musings to cover the subject properly. This Musing will be A new development, called Maine Heritage Village, has a discussion of the pros and cons of vacuum brakes. In the now been constructed a few miles southwest of Wiscasset, next Musing, I will attempt to explain how the vacuum brake opposite the Wiscasset Motor Lodge. While the developers system works. will be charging local merchants and handicraft artisans a The conventional air brake uses air pressure, usually 70 modest fee to display their wares, they have graciously offered pounds per square inch (psi) on freight trains, to activate the to provide free space for nonprofit organizations if those brakes on each car. It is not my intent to explain how the air organizations will provide their own small structures. brake works other than to say it requires an air compressor Both the WW&F Museum and the Boothbay Railway and storage tanks on each locomotive and a complicated valve Village have accepted this kind offer and have constructed assembly and an auxiliary air tank on each car. All of this small buildings containing displays and brochures. Steve equipment costs money, and at some point in time, after the Zuppa constructed our building and tells the story of its creation Westinghouse air brake had been accepted as standard, a man in the article below, “Next Stop: Prebles.” Thanks, Steve! by the name of Eames developed a way to take advantage of atmospheric pressure to activate the train brake. The vacuum brake system was manufactured by the Eames Vacuum Brake Company in Watertown, New York. The Eames Company later become the New York Air Brake Company, and Next Stop: Prebles is still very much in business as the only American competitor to Westinghouse. This project started with a question on the WWF Forum The big advantage of the vacuum system was its much (http://forum.wwfry.org). “What can we do to have a presence lower cost to purchase and to maintain. It had practically at Maine Heritage Village?” I think it was Mike Fox who first no moving parts, and did away with the valve assembly and suggested Preble’s as being suitable. auxiliary air tank on each car as well as the compressor and I scaled out the only known photo with a drafting rule to get storage tanks on the locomotive. Offsetting the cost factor, the dimensions. Ed Gilhooley offered to talk to the folks at N. however, were a couple of drawbacks. Atmospheric pressure C. Hunt Lumber in Jefferson about donating the framing and of 14.7 psi does not provide anywhere near the force that is sheathing materials, so I gave him a stock list. After looking available in conventional air brakes. Although the full 70 psi for windows of the right size without success, I ordered two is not available to apply the brakes directly, it is still way more from Poole Brothers, which we bought. We also purchased than the vacuum brake can supply. the shingles there. The trim pine and the flooring came from The other more important drawback was that it was not the material left over from the water tower project. I built the fail-safe. If the train line ruptured, all braking power was lost, building with some assistance from Fred Morse, Bill Horton, whereas a break in the train line of an automatic air system puts and whoever else was around on the Spring Work Weekend. the brakes on each car into the emergency position, stopping At an early stage in the project, Bill Reidy offered to do the the train. A form of automatic vacuum brake was developed signage, so we exchanged emails with ideas and drafts until in England, but it never caught on in this country. we came up with what we have. Bill then produced them and Despite its disadvantages, the vacuum brake’s cheap cost had them printed and laminated. Richard and Leon Weeks did made it attractive to non-interchange operations with light the moving with Richard’s trailer and Leon’s rigging. trains. Many narrow gauge roads outside of Maine used While the Museum paid for the shingles and windows, vacuum brakes, including the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn in everything else was donated or on hand. A donation bucket steam days. The other major application was on steam-hauled soliciting funds for the shingles was placed at the Percival elevated trains with lightweight, wooden, rapid transit cars. house over the Work Weekend and raised over $200. Our total Even the mighty New Haven used a few Forneys equipped out of pocket expense was around $250. I put in about forty with vacuum brakes on the Harlem River Branch that operated hours on the building. Maine Heritage Village staff will open into the 129th Street elevated station. and close it; we just need to keep it supplied with brochures. In the next Musing I will reveal the secrets of vacuum brake Steve Zuppa operation and you all will become experts. Ellis Walker 2 Prebles flag stop, 2.4 miles north of Whitefield, in the early 1900s. Arthur King is person in the photo, and we believe that he has just left the milk cans on the platform.. Photo from the Clinton Thurlow collection courtesy of Michael Burns Steve Hussar’s son reprises the role of Arthur King in the original Prebles photograph for the benefit of his father’s camera. The reproduction version of Prebles flag stop, located at the Maine Heritage Village, is a foot or so taller than the original, as people today are substantially taller than they were 100 years ago. Photo by Steve Hussar 3 Leon Weeks, Mike Fox, Jonathan St. Mary, Vern Shaw, Dwight WW&F Railway Sports Winkley and others. Also, to Dick Edling, John Nau, and Bob New Tamping Machine Haines, whose monumental last minute effort got Big Joe decked minutes before the weekend’s rented air compressor While many of us at the railway have always tried to was loaded on the Thursday prior to work weekend. maintain historical accuracy in everything we do, there have Thanks to everyone’s efforts, Big Joe was put into been occasions when we must break from history with modern immediate service on Friday morning of work weekend.