Handle with care: A high profile move on the WW&F >>>PHOTO ALBUM<<<

Folks,

On Tuesday, March 7th, 2023, crews from the WW&F Railway Museum staged a move of a high profile load....literally. As you may have seen from some of the posts by Brendan Barry and Stewart Rhine, the museum is in the process of rebuilding the passenger platform facilities at the Sheepscot Station. After decades of use, the existing platform had been settling in the soft Maine soil and the supports needed refurbishment. In addition, these platform facilities needed significant enlargement in order to handle the increased passenger traffic that comes with the enhanced schedule of events, which now run year-round. The disassembly of the existing facilities created an interesting opportunity for the museum. The passenger shelter in Sheepscot, while still structurally sound, was too small to be part of the upgraded station. But with 3 other stations now on the railroad, the opportunity was there to repurpose that shelter and use it to upgrade facilities elsewhere. The obvious candidate was Top of the Mountain (TOM), which is fast becoming the most popular destination for themed trains. The existing facilities at TOM were pretty spartan, and lacked adequate shelter for passengers, especially during inclement weather. Relocating the Sheepscot Shelter to TOM would be a major win....but how to get it there? The answer of course, was to ship it by rail.

Rigged on a 24" gauge flat car, that passenger shelter was probably the largest and heaviest load ever moved by the museum. And yes, the high center of gravity was a concern. But with a lot of planning, checking clearances, careful rigging and expert train handling, the crew up there made it look easy. The whole operation was completed in under 3 hours. And of course, it was hauled by steam. The 1891-vintage WW&F #9 did the honors.

I was fortunate to be able to be present for the move and shot as many photos of the operation as I could. I even brought out the drone for a few shots....when it wasn't snowing too hard. For those who would like to see what it looked like, including some of the switching moves at TOM, I have created an album of photos on Flicker. I hope you will give it a look!

A "high profile" move on the WW&F

Thanks!

/Kevin Madore