Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

Located at

Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

Dave Foster brought his plasma cutter out today to do some work on the Park engine. The Park engine has been having problems with things overheating so we are going to cut open the housing for more air flow through the engine compartment.

With the area all marked out, Dave sitting astride the housing, begins using the plasma cutter to cut the opening in the housing. A closeup view of how easy it is to just follow the line and guide the torch as it cuts through the steel housing.

Another view of the cutting procedure and this shows how small the original vent hole was. Two more sides of the opening to cut through and we'll be able to put the screen in place.

Almost finished with the third side of the opening. A good view of the plasma cutter in action as it melts the steel and blows it out of the opening.

Ted Nyland took the original plate with the small opening and machined it out to match the size of the new opening Dave's cutting. Joe Banzer's taking off the bolts that hold the grills for the ventilators on the opposite end of the housing of the Park engine.

You can see the available open area is quite constricted for any air to pass through. Dave is now using the plasma cutter to remove more of the metal that is constricting the openings in the housing that holds the grills in place.

You can see the area of steel that Dave is removing by the pencil lines on the plate in this closeup view. Dave and Joe reinstalling the vent grills after their supports were modified.

Ken Vendlinger takes time to wave to the photographer as he cuts the grass behind the station today. Back out at the spur at Hilton, Dick and Ken Brooks continue to connect the track panels for the new spur.

A view of the connected track panels as they lay on the ground waiting to be ballasted and leveled. A view from the middle of the spur looking at the switch and the Stanek Barn with the new spur on the left.

A view from the switch looking back at the spur with the guys working at the end of it -- all we need is a bumper. Dick with Ken adding the bolts for the last track panel segment and this job will be finished except for ballast and leveling.