January 24 Workday

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Bill Gardei & Michael Haywood came out to the track to rehabilitate two of the switches on the mainline. The first switch is near the "bathroom curve" and completed the track work from the January 14 & 18 workdays. The track just beyond the switch was replaced last year due to the amount of sediment that has accumulated over the years. The same thing had occurred around this switch but has been corrected during the switch rehabilitation. The second switch that was rehabilitated is located just before the street crossing after the "Bypass" and Conner Siding. 

Montgomery Bell State Park Train History Festival

/ Montgomery Bell State Park /

Several club members attended the Montgomery Bell State Park Train History Festival this weekend to exhibit some of their engines. Everyone had a great time and the event was very fun. Thanks to Greg Glos for taking photos from this event.

January 18 Workday

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Bill Gardei & Michael Haywood held a workday to continue the installation of new track in the same area as the January 14th Workday. The first task was to put new ties on the siding switch. After that, the new siding was built and almost completed. The switch at the other end also needs some rehabilitation before connecting the siding.

January 14 Workday

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Normally, January in Tennessee is cold and no one wants to work outside. Luckily, this weekend was sunny and a high of 60F so many members decided to take advantage of this beautiful weekend. The next section of track that was slated for replacement was the main line and siding going towards the upper loop section of the layout. 

As you can see from the photo below, the switch leading to the lower / upper loop has been moved about 50 feet from its original location. Also, the siding entrance has been flipped from its previous location to allow for easier access and usage when needed. The siding, next to the main line, will be replaced on the next workday.

The switches still need some rehabilitation and minor tweaks to get their position correct. As with all the track replacement projects completed in the last 3 months, new track sections will be graveled on the same work day in the near future. This allows us maximum flexibility to make adjustments to the new track as needed until gravel day arrives.

50 Years Ago Today

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On December 17, 1966, 9 individuals came together to form the Mid-South Live Steamers.

On December 17, 2016, on the 50th Anniversary of that date, many members and their families came together at a local restaurant in Columbia, TN to commemorate that special day. Everyone had a good time catching up with friends and sharing stories during the dinner. It is one of the rare times members have gotten together away from the track but the general conservation was still about engines, track building, and having fun with trains!

December 3 Workday

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On the last official workday for the year, we had a good turnout and got a lot of work completed. I want to personally thank all the members who have came out this year to help with the track work. With the dedication of so many members, we have repaired and rebuilt more track this year then in a number of years combined. Of course, there is always more projects to complete in the future, our club track is getting in one of the best conditions it has ever been. It is all thanks to the generous donations and hard work of everyone involved.

Bill Gardei came out to the track earlier in the week and finished connecting all the rail to the new switch. The new switch and track going to Conner Siding looks amazing! 

Michael Haywood came out to the track the day before the work day to remove the old mainline in Conner Siding. This allowed the work crew on Saturday to start immediately installing new track.

On Saturday, the crew started to install the new track panels. The high never got above 50F but all the hard work kept the workers warm. Many members of the work crew expected to get maybe 50%-60%, of this area completed by the afternoon. As it hit 10:00 AM, we all realized that we were way ahead of schedule and a huge push was made to complete the install.

November 19 Workday

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Here in Tennessee, you never quite know what the weather will be like. On Friday, the high was 81, and on Saturday, the high was 52 with high winds. While it was a little cooler today, we got a lot of good work done on the track. Continuing with the lower loop rebuild and installing the new switch going into Conner Siding.

The last hour of the workday was spend removing all the tracks from the trple bridges on the upper loop. This winter, the bridge will have a new foundation constructed.

November 15 Workday

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With great weather today, several members came to the track to build some new track panels and dismantle some older ones. The first task was taking apart the remaining 15 panels that were pulled up last week. After that, the crew worked hard to build 36 New Track Panels, 26 of them have steel rail on one side, while the remaining 10 have aluminium rail only.

November 5 Workday

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We had amazing weather today during the work session. With a good crew there, we were able to make great progress on our track projects. The "Bypass track" is all connected and ready for gravel. 

We also began work putting new track on the Lower Loop. While working, it was discovered that the diamond had incurred some damage in it's 20 year life, so it is being repaired offsite. New wood will also be installed on the bridges in that area in the coming months.

With the amount of track being replaced, we have a crew dedicated to dismantling the old sections of track. They are sorting the good and bad rail and taking care of all the old ties.

November 1 Workday

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Its Finally Fall at Mid-South Live Steamers!

What started out as a preparation day for the workday coming up on November 5, turned into a major work day very quickly.  Bill Gardei, Lutz Braun, & Michael Haywood arrived at the track Tuesday and got a lot of work completed. This puts the club in a great position for the upcoming work day. Project #1 was the replacement of "Bypass Track" and you can see below, a great deal of work was completed Tuesday!

Winter Meet 2016

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The Winter Meet was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time. The weather got cooler as the weekend progressed but the steamers were nice and warm! Want to thank everyone, the public and engineers alike, for attending the winter meet.

Tuesday and Wednesday before the meet was spent making new track panels for this winters track improvement projects. Below is a track map showing where the club will be doing these repairs. These are slated to be completed before the Spring Meet in 2017.

Fall Meet 2016

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The 2016 Fall Meet was a lot of fun and a huge Success. We hauled over 2000 people from Thursday to Saturday. It was a hot, but dry meet reaching into the 90’s every day, quite abnormal for late September. Want to thank everyone, the public and engineers alike, for attending the fall meet.

Jimmy Cunningham installed the beautiful 50th Anniversary Charter Member Bronze plaque on the south side of the caboose.

Before the Meet Started, Lutz Braun refinished all the tables under the pavilion and did a wonderful job!

September 10 Workday

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With limited time before the Fall Meet, everyone at the work day was committed to getting this section of track rebuilt and graveled. Although we were all tired, at the end of the day we completed this project and the track is ready for the meet.

September 1 Workday

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In Preparation for the September 3rd work day, a few members went to the track to start on a track replacement project. This section of track, on the first curve of the upperloop, had very worn rail and even older ties. The 60 feet of track before this section were replaced before the Spring 2016 Meet.

The second part of the work day was spent dismantling all the older track panels from the area pictured above and some additional panels that were taken up from the storage yard project last month.

August 13 Workday

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With the 2016 Fall Meet only 5 weeks away, everyone is trying to finish up all the small track projects we have started this summer. We were finally able to ballast the storage tracks in the yard next to the storage sheds. We did not have time to level them as of yet but plan to do so in the next few weeks. This yard is now 1000% better then its condition just a few months ago.

After the Fall Meet, work will begin on the tracks on the other side of the trees in the yard.

August 6 RunDay

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The run day started off very hot and several rain showers passed threw the area.

As the afternoon went on, several members were able to get out and enjoy the track.

July 30 Workday

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Over the last two months, MSLS members Bill Gardei and Michael Haywood have been working on the storage yard tracks next to the sheds. The picture below was taken in late June 2016 after the two outer tracks had been repaired.

Since the weather was mild yesterday, they were able to complete work on two more tracks.

In the next few weeks, gravel will be put down and all the tracks leveled.

You will also notice that the 2x storage tracks that were closest to the trees have been removed. As the trees have grown up, the roots have pushed those tracks to high up to be used safety.  The remaining tracks will be spaced out a little more to allow easier walking between each line.

There are 2 more storage tracks on the right side of these trees that will be repaired sometime after the Fall Meet.

 

 

July 2 Workday

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Normally during the summer months, work days are limited to light maintenance, mainly due to the heat and humidity here in Tennessee. July work days are very rare but an exception had to be made this year.

Sadly, in the photo below, you can see the vandalism that occurred at the facility.

The word was quickly put out to club members of the damage to the caboose. A team was organized to come out and restore the caboose back to its former glory. 

We are very thankful to all the members who came out to the track and helped with this project.

May Projects

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With the 50th Anniversary over, a few members got together this weekend to take care of some small projects still on the to-do list.

The switch leading into Conners Siding had some drainage issues that were repaired in February. It was also planned to install new ties in the switch due to the water damage, just time ran out before the Spring Meet.

Also today, the crew repaired, leveled, and re-graveled the Electric Locomotive Yard. There are four tracks in this area and three were completed today. The 4th one will be worked on in the coming weeks. Due to the large trees in that area, the first photo shows more area but has a shadow over most of the yard.