Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

Located at

Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

Chris Cooper and Dick Clark confer on the condition of the points for a switch on the mainline near our ballast pile as they look like they're getting piened over. Close-up view showing the condition that the point is in which needs some TLC.

Rick Nagy has been blowing the leaves off the track and around the area where we are going to extend the track in the foreground to the location of a new switch for our crossover as he has a discussion with Ken Brooks. Ken used his truck and five of us went over to pick up the picnic table that John Deptowicz donated to the club.

We muscled the table off the truck and around the back of the station because I believe it had to weigh at least 250 pounds. Ken Vendlinger is one of the groundskeepers and is running the riding lawn mower to cut the grass behind the station today.

Frank Foti, Ken Brooks, Bob Beardslee and Bob Gittenger have started to remove the ballast for the track panel to connect in between the 2 sets of tracks. On the branchline, the track panel section was removed and the switch at the left will be installed after the ballast is removed to a sufficient depth.

Ken uses the maddock and Frank using a shovel to remove the compacted ballast after it has been loosened up. Meanwhile up at the Willis Car Barn, Paul Emch has removed the cover off his tender to check out why the batteries aren't getting a good charge or to check the condition of them.

Ken Vendlinger checked out the capacity and voltage of the batteries and it was determined that the charger that is mounted inside the tender was bad. Track crew went for a coffee break and they had tentatively laid switch panel into place up to this point.

In the Switch Barn, Chris was helping Ted Nyland make up another switch. Bob was holding the rail as Dick uses the big screwdriver to drive on the clip for joining the 2 rails since one was steel and the other was aluminum.

One of the guys noticed 2 snakes in an armorus mood that were twisted together around each other in our Willis Car Barn. The snakes didn't seem to mind that we were there watching and they weren't defensive.

Can one of you guys go in the shed and flick the switch on the battery charger? Or reach in and pull out that SW6 on the bottom track? Hi guy, were watching the 2 of you.

We thought the 1st time we saw them that maybe they were going up into the rafters for the mouse nest, now I'm thinking maybe that's their nest. Notice anything odd with this picture? There's no light bulbs in that package hanging on the nail. So why is it there?

Scott Hewis was having a problem on his engine with the lights so was getting ready to remove the cowling and that's Don Speidel sitting on the bench. Paul Emch was giving him a hand and when they got the cowling up that far they found out that the wiring harness for the lights just wasn't plugged in. Turned out to be a simple fix.

Back at the switch installation, Frank Foti bends over the old rail clips so a screw can be put in to hold the rail onto the new tie, as Bob and Dick wait. With the track gauge installed and Bob Beardslee using the tie lifter Frank drives home the screws to hold the rail in position.

The crew continues working installing the rails that will connect the switch into the main track panel again. The track panel has been test fit and Ken surveys the work that has been done.

Frank Smoley brought several wheelbarrows full of ballast since we were so close to the ballast pile as Bob starts tamping the ballast in place. With the track work complete, at least with the joining of the rails together Dave Wollman tamps the ballast between the ties.