Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

Located at

Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

Roger Harnish of the Lake Shore Live Steamers gives talks about the steam engine every year and its sorted by age groups and here we see the children getting a lesson on how at steam engine works. Roger brings his steam engine and puts it up on the turntable by the steaming days and discusses the aspects of the steam engine tailored for each age group.

The Tremendous trains program is presented in conjunction with the Park system that requires the parents to sign up and pay for the class presentation in advance. The Park arranges the ages and class sizes and collects the fee for the different presentations which recently we have three a day for two days.

After the presentation by Roger, those that have signed up for the class are given a ride on the trains which Ken Vendlinger is the engineer on this first train. Ken is back at the station and has his train loaded with the second half of the group and ready to depart the station.

Since today is also work session, Dick Clark and Frank Foti had waited for the club engine, the GP 38, to free up from its duties to move the ballast car that they loaded.

Paul Emch looks over the chassis of the work engine #101 as Don Speidel talks to Joe about the problem. Dick heads down the ballast siding out towards the mainline leading to the Branch Line where the ballast will be dumped.

Some ballast has already been dropped alongside the Branch Line where we were working to add a passing track. After Dick with the ballast car arrived the diversion plate was pulled open and the ballast started dumping alongside the rail as Dick slowly pushed the car ahead of the engine.

After two loads of ballast this is how the track work looked. After we tamped the ballast between the ties, Frank used the broom to sweep the ballast down as John Koont watches still holding a tamping rod.

As Dick levels the track Frank and John continue with the tamping to support the movement of the track that Dick did to level it. We had a fitting that developed a leak and was overtightened so the engine repair group are going to fit a new hydraulic hose to the threaded opening you can see at the right side of the picture above the axle.

Rogers engine sitting on the turntable is a Pacific because of its wheel designation of 4–6–2 which means you have four wheels on the pilot truck, six on the driving wheels and two on a trailing truck that supports the firebox. The group of kids for the one o'clock session are being led down to the steaming bay area.

This group receives the same talk on the engine and now have moved on to describe the variety of railroad cars and what they do and the loads they carry. Roger holds most of the kids attention as he discusses the different items that can be carried by some of the cars.

Natalie Schroeder, an Interpretive Naturalist, with the Park service who is handling the Park's duty for the presentation assists with questions from some of the youngsters. Roger stops during his talk to field any questions that the kids may have and some have real good ones.

It's definitely a hands-on experience for some of the children. Roger winds up the talk on the cars as Natalie gets ready to dispense the tickets for the train ride that the Park has made up for the event.

Ken departs the station with this trainload of passengers that Roger has loaded. Ken has brought the train back into the station, unloaded and the second half of the group is all loaded in preparation for their ride through the woods.

The hose has been replaced on the Park engine and now all that has to be done is to test the engine by running it on the track and checking for leaks. With the lift lowered back to ground, Dave Foster at the controls runs the engine off the lift in preparation for the run to test the engine.

Houston we have a problem! Someone working on the club engine mounted the old-style coupler upside down so the knuckles don't align, the boxcar on the left has it the correct way. A view of the Branch Line that we moved over to add two new switches is all ballasted and swept down.

A view of the first switch that we ballasted with the points screwed down so a train can't be diverted out onto a track to nowhere. The last group of children have already gone through the stages and are talking about the different railroad cars and the loads they can carry.

Roger answers a question from one of the adults before proceeding with the description of the cars. Paul Emch is at the controls of the GP38 as he heads out of the station with the first load of riders from this group.

This picture shows Paul arriving back at the station with the second group of riders. Natalie Schroeder, of the Park system, who worked with Roger to help make this event possible is enjoying the moment.

Natalie and Roger pose for a picture taken by the photographer at the conclusion of the program for today, Part 2 next Wednesday. Paul arrives back at the station with the third group of riders which concludes the program for today.