Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

Located at

Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

For today's work session, we are going to cut in this switch into the mainline for the siding to be two way accessible that is a located across from the coaling tower. After deciding the exact location Frank Foti started cutting the steel rail with a hacksaw.

At this point both rails have been cut on this end where the switch panel will be cut in and the existing track has been lifted out of the ballast. The track panel has been cut, removed and Frank Foti and Ron Trenhaile scrape out the existing ballast.

With the switch panel in place Dick Clark gets ready to measure the length of rail needed to close the gap. Ron Trenhaile and Perry Taylor add ties under the diverging route of the switch.

After putting the rail gauges in place Frank is ready to fasten the rail down to the ties that we added. Frank continues with screwing the rail down to the ties as Ron and Perry watch the work progress.

Ron Trenhaile and Ron Malinowski add another tie so the rail joints will be supported at each offset. Ron drives home the rail splice clip as the other Ron holds the rail to engage the open end of the clip.

While the crew worked on the switch I checked out the storage barn were Paul Emch and Greg Guy were working on our new control cars, enlarging the hole in the coupler pocket for the pin. Out in the yard behind the Willis Car Barn, Judson Elliott was checking and adjusting a switch.

Wayne Boron, heading for the car barn, stops to watch the progress of the crew working on the diverging track from the switch to the siding. Frank adjusts the orientation of the tie before he screws the rail down to it.

Perry watching as Ron flattens over the aluminum rail clips that we use for the aluminum rail that are on the existing ties. Ron and Perry work on making the connection for the rail section being added to the newly placed switch from the siding rail.

With the sections of rails connected to the siding track and to the switch, new ties were placed and Frank started screwing the rail down to the ties. A view from the diverging route of the switch towards Frank showing the length of the track to tie into the siding.

Well the switch is in, the track from the switch to the existing siding is all connected, we just need to ballast the track. Ron backs the train with the ballast car over our newly laid track.

Perry cleans the gravel from the frog and the guard rails after the ballast was dumped. The ballast car running over the track dumping ballast as it is pulled into the siding.

Perry works cleaning the stone from between the points of the switch that we installed as the others take a break from tamping the ballast. The ballast is in, it's all swept down and tamped, as Ron checks the throw of the switch.