Bits and Pieces

It's been a while since I've posted any pictures. I have so many of them, I've filled all of my memory sticks again; I just haven't had the time to process any of them. But I guess I'll do a stick today, maybe another one on Wednesday. Soon they'll all be in the computer. Then I'll need to get them backed up on CD's before a random hard disk failure makes them all go away. Computers are not made to be trusted!

Saturday was a busy day at the Trolley Museum. We finished the brakes on #4603 and then worked on the heat system until lunch time. As we sat around the table, Mr. Clarke asked "So what are you going to work on now?" I thought about it and replied, "We've had such a string of successes recently, I don't really know what to do next." He mentioned that the tamper was having trouble starting, so we decided to look at it when we got back.

As we were probing the circuits looking for an electrical problem, I came across a disturbing find: On the right side of the photo are shards from the air compressor connecting rod which shot through the side of its crankcase. Bad ... really bad. It's the kind of failure that can keep the tamper out of service for a long time - and right now we need it while we finish stringing the overhead wire. There are so many people working so many hours preparing for our Thanksgiving Day re-opening - and now we have to deal with this.

After working at the museum, I followed George over to the Agricultural Farm Park for a behind the scenes tour of the property. 450 acres of fields and trees, barns, even hogs. Some of you know my secret desire to own a sawmill. Well, they have one of those too; that's really what I went to see. I'm trying to link up with the crew so I can help cut lumber next time they fire it up. After we toured the sawmill, we stopped by the potato fields and I gleaned a few potatoes. You can see them on the left side of the photo. Potato fields are one of those things that never seem to run out. They'll keep getting smaller and harder to find; but if you dig for a little while, you can always find more potatoes. After that, we went to the building where they restore antique farm equipment. Wow, a whole new world. It's like a trolley museum for farmers. I need to find a way to join up with these guys; I need to find a way to retire now. The last photo is a picture of my friend George. Chain saws are so much fun!