**LONG ISLAND PRESERVATION NEWS**

You would not invest in a company that did not have sound business practices or a concrete plan for where your contributions would be going; the same standard should apply to RR preservation groups. OBRM is doing a lot of great things and, as far as I can tell, being very honest with its investors. Other preservation groups, however, have earned from from people based on ultra-top-secret-but-super-exciting surprises that never seem to materialize.

I'm all for contributing, but I think it is better for the effort and for the donors if we make sure of where the money is going.

Gentle Forum Members,

It has been a while since I checked into this thread. Thank you for your continuing interest and lively comments concerning the state of rail preservation on Long Island.

Kudos to MADDOG and the crew at the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum. We are all doing our part to maintain, preserve and exhibit the rich history of railroading on Long Island. Keep up the great work!

I'd like to express a few opinions I've formed following readings of this thread from time to time.

There should be no COMPETITION in historic preservation. Friendly rivalries between groups may be apparent through jokes and jibes over coffee, but when the real work of saving historic artifacts for our communities comes to the fore, we all stand united to get the job done. We all work together for a common cause, the safety of our history and the remembrance of those who went before us and created what we have today. We all stand on the shoulders of the men and women who built the railroads and made them run, together we celebrate them and through our good work we make sure they are not forgotten.

That said, it's not an easy job for volunteers and hometown organizations to SAVE everything.
First, the seasalt air environment we live in on Long Island! For car-saving stability we need huge storage facilities to get our railcars in out of the weather. None of us have that on Long Island. - - - - Even the big boys like the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg, who have the big barn resources to get the best of their collection inside, don't have enough roof covering to protect their vast inventory. Many of THIER fine pieces of PRR history are rusting away from the elements. - - - -
Second, when we get a coat of paint on a car, the very next day the elements are working to dull it, wear it down and let the rusting begin anew. I've said RMLI could use a full time paint crew, start them at one end of the yard and have them paint everything, once they get to the other end it will be time to go back to the beginning and start all over again. That's the nature of unprotected paint and steel.
Third, it all costs money - allot of money. The MPs at Riverhead did rust away. I can tell you they were tired, worn and rusting when they came to RMLI. LIRR's car sills are great harbors for winter road salt. With no cover and no available finances to get the work done their end was inevitable. Sadly, there comes a time when a railcar becomes so far gone that it becomes a safety and financial liability to an organization, then the only solution is to scrap the car.

A railroad museum is more than just a collection of cars. In the case of RMLI and Oyster Bay, we have buildings and property that has to be maintained and kept in a safe manner, up to code and in compliance with everyone from the MTA, insurance companies, county agencies and local town and village departments. Maintenance of our facilities, utilities, insurance and day to day operations consume allot of money. We have "small artifacts" collections that have to be preserved and kept in good condition and we have to exhibit what we have and make it available to the public to maintain our charters and our position as a non-profit educational institution. Unlike a club that just meets once a month in a restaurant or library to hold a meeting and hear a speaker or view a slide show, a museum has ongoing expenses that have to be met each and every month - or it closes it doors and it is no more. Then nothing is saved.

Defiance Engine #1may not have a New York or Long Island heritage, but it is a valuable resource to any museum that might have it. We are educational facilities. We are here to exhibit and teach. Engine #1 happens to be THE steam engine at RMLI in the best condition to be put back in service in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of money to get it done. The opportunity to exhibit a working steam locomotive and teach people, families and youngsters about steam locomotion is the focus with Engine #1. It is mounted on a trailer so we can take it to public events, we have a working tractor to pull it from place to place, we have the resources in place to get this exhibit up and running. It will be a great ambassador for the RMLI and it will be a live steam teaching tool. This is why efforts are ongoing to put Defiance Engine #1 in service during the summer of 2012. It is part of our Museum's long range plan to maintain a strong educational standing.

On the restoration front, I am happy to report that we did paint three cars in our collection during 2009. Detailing and finish work on those three cars will proceed in the spring. For 2010, a grant has been secured to cosmetically restore Brooklyn based BEDT Engine #16. Fabrication of sheet metal work has already begun and we hope by November to have #16 looking like the great railroading icon she is at the entrance to RMLI.

RMLI successfully exhausted the 1996 ISTEA grant for G5s Engine #39 on December 22, 2009. Work at Strasburg has been temporarily halted pending more funding. In March 2010 we will receive the paperwork for a major grant application for #39, it must be submitted by May and we will receive notice in the fall if we are to be successful. In the meantime we continue to work avenues of funding in the private sector. We want to get Strasburg back to work as soon as possible. All donations toward the restoration of Engine #39 are still greatly appreciated.

On the "giving" side of finances, donations are greatly appreciated at any museum. Applying for and receiving grants are another avenue of revenue, but the grants have to be for specific projects and can't be used for day to day operations. Membership dues are a big source of operating funds. Finally there are Museum admissions, gift shop sales and special event fundraisers. I can't imagine an all volunteer community museum or historical society being one to squander or pilfer hard earned funds. Small local museums haven't got a surplus to steal from - once again - their doors would be closed. That said, with so much distrust and lack of confidence in every sector of our society and culture, it doesn't surprise me that patrons of a museum "wonder" where their money is going. Gentle reader, everyone who donates to a non-profit can access the organization's annual IRS 990 report on: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990s/99 ... search.php You can easily see where your money is going. As for the RMLI, beginning in April 2010, we will be publishing our financial reports from the previous year, (2009 to start), in the April issue of the POSTBOY newsletter and we will be archiving our financial reports on a page of the RMLI website so everyone can see just where their money is going. In an ongoing effort at transparency, the RMLI in 2009 published it By-Laws and Operating Rules on its website for everyone to see http://www.rmli.org

Thank you again Gentle Reader for your continuing interest. Please continue to support the rail preservation organization of your choice. Your help is appreciated.

de Don n2qhvRMLI

Don Fisher, President
Railroad Museum of Long Island

I haven't posted on this site for some time until today and am slowing getting back into my interest of following the LIRRs rich history. I think the last time I Was on here may have been over 7 years ago or more. (Put it this way, Dave Morrison had tried to spur my involvement back then...thats how long ago. )And a lot has happened since.

I perused 4 of the last 11 pages and I think I am caught up.

To review, RMLI and OBRM are 2 separate entities?

What LIRR engines and stock are found at each?

THere used to be a site that cataloged where the GPs and FAs went in the earlier this decade. Have all been scrapped or found homes?

I pass the Pinelawn and Wellwood Ave crossings everyday and I occasionally see glimpses of the NYAA RR in action. If I were to take my son to see them in action, is there a time and place where I can be guaranteed some action?


I have to agree with the last post....at the end of the day, its important to remember what brings us all here.

mirrodie wrote:ITo review, RMLI and OBRM are 2 separate entities?

Yes.

What LIRR engines and stock are found at each?

See: http://www.rmli.us/RMLI/Welcome.html

See: http://www.oysterbayrailroadmuseum.org/

-otto-

Evening Folks!

We have been very busy at the Railroad Museum of Long Island this spring so far!

In Greenport the new exhibit for 2010 is underway and the restrooms are getting some renovations.

In Riverhead a lot has been going on as well. The last few weekends we have been working on getting the G-16 inch gauge 1964 World's Fair train ready! The locomotive and cars have been given there annual inspection and fluid replacement, and are ready to go. We have also done some major track work, which included pulling ties and cleaning out crossings and switches. She is ready to go and will be running when we open on April 10th next week!




We have also been working on the cosmetic restoration of BEDT 0-6-0T Engine 16. Plans for this loco include major wood replacement, paint, placing it on wheels and track, lettering and installation of working accessories such as headlights, bells and gauges. She will look good when she is done. Thus far we have put in new metal under her belly to keep her from falling apart and it looks great! Today President Don Fisher and I cleaned the belly and applied paint to the engine. It is starting to take shape but there is still a long way to go.

New shinny metal in place on a rusty engine




Painting today




The end result



This year there will be a lot of progress at the RMLI. We hope you will come out and pay us a visit this year! So far plans call for the compleation of Hack C-68 and coaches 2924 and 7737. A few of our buildings will also get paint and major work. There is so much to list, may be easier to come and see for yourself

Anthony DeBellis
Railroad Museum of Long Island

Great job at RMLI.
With the season starting to warm up, we at the Oyster Bay RR Museum (OBRM) are also starting to get out of our winter hibernation. as far as work at the display yard is concerend. There is always work being done year round as far as grant writing, political and restoration meetings, well, you get the idea.
We started our site work on Saturday 3/27/10 by ridding ourselves of the old Turntable ties and putting our scrap metal aside for pickup. This gave us a great work area to move our new visitors center east of its previous position. It is now in front of #35's tender.
The area it formerly occupied is now empty and will allow us to move our parts trailers forward so we can start removing pieces of #35 that our contractor needs to start #35's restoration. We have been given the task of cleaning and treating the entire valve gear's parts so they can be measured and a restoration plan put together. To say that we are "fired up" would be an understatement!
Yesterdays(4/3/10) work session was one of those that can best be described by people not involved in the day to day running of a museum as boring and mundane and not in keeping with the average persons idea of a railroad museum.
Never the less, it was as important or even more important than some railroad related work sessions.
Maintenance of equipment and I do not mean trains.
Our equipment that we use everyday to move parts, like our forklift and truck as well as use to give us more power, like our generators. We even made sure that our portable electric/mig welders were serviced too.
Looking back on our maintenance logs we found we were almost 10 years off.
A full tune-up with all filters and fluids changed out including the gas was performed on our truck. All belts were changed, the grease fittings were cleaned off and lubed up, the hydraulics and steering system had a full change out of fluids and all of the door hardware was lubed up as well. It almost seemed like the truck knew it was getting some new energy added to it!
Our (very) old and abused Hyster Forklift had a full going over as well, having all the hydraulic and other fluids/filters changed out. It too was tuned up and since the unit is so old, we could not get all of the parts "off the shelf" so we are awaiting delivery of a new air filter for next weeks session.
Unfortunately we have a slight braking issue, so we need to get a very specialzed tool to remove the drive axles in order to get to the brakes themselves and swap out pads and parts/springs. Hopefully we will get this tool sometime this week and we will fix those pesky brakes next Saturday.
A nine hour workday with plenty of hands on deck spread the work out well.
This work session is one I hope that all museums, railroad and otherwise, take the time to perform every year or two as the life extension of these most valuable tools becomes cheap insurance!
MADDOG

The jacket on 16 looks great the pictures do not do it justice. Come on out and see it for yourselves when the museum opens for the season. Also come out and take a look at the work Twin Forks NRHS is doing on our Jordan Spreader the long awaited restoration has begun. The two work sessions we had we accomplished a lot but there is still a lot to do.
Mike Arnold
US Merchant Marine
www.twinforksnrhs.org

Excellent reports from the three LI RxR preservation groups ! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

OBRM Update:4/10/10
Today the volunteers at the Oyster Bay RR Museum started the task of #35's restoration by setting up our covered work areas and getting the first set of parts (#35's side rods) on the work tables. We will be abraiding the rods to remove the rust aand paint and cleaning all of the grease and old alemite out of the bearings so our contractor can measure them against the G5s blueprints to see what the actual scope of restoration will be vs the budget.
Next weeks session will include a pair of valve gear rods. Each week we will be working on about 4 pieces of the valve train and drive train. Some of our retired volunteers will be putting in some extra hours during the week to get us ahead of the game.
MADDOG

OBRM UPDATE 4/17/10
Todays work session was completed with a small band of volunteers. I guess that the weather kept a few from attending. The day started out dreary and misty almost most of the morning into the early afternoon and there were a few scattered (thankfully short) rain showers.
We managed to unload hundreds of parts from the trailer and were able to work on AND complete almost 2 dozen parts related to the drive train and valve gear assembly.
Over the next few weeks, we will have to complete the cleaning and removal of alemite on about 150 more parts and also the inside of the steam and valve gear cylinders. The need to remove paint and grease from the frames pedestals and the crosshead will also need to be completed before our contractor, Steam Operation Corp. (S.O.C.) can get in and complete their task during their almost weeklong mission in May. When this session is completed, as I have already stated, they will compile all of their data into a report and turn that report over to the the Town of Oyster Bay & County of Nassau who in turn will go over these findings with us.
S.O.C. will then schedule the restoration of #35's frame and running gear in an orderly fashion which will entail the removal of parts from the Oyster Bay RR yard and move them down south for completion and (possible) re-assembly down there.
MADDOG

OBRM Update 4-23410
Today with a virtual army of volunteers, we removed all of the remaining parts from the trailers and quickly dispatched almost 100 parts.
These were all degreased, cleaned up and coated with cosmoline as per the contractors instructions.
We also took care of performing the same tasks on #35's drive wheel crank pins, bearings and journals as well as the pilot truck journals.
All that remains for us is to degrease, clean & coat all of the drivers bearing boxes, open up, clean, degrease and coat the steam cylinders & valve cylinders as well as clean the pedestal boxes on #35's frame. The crosshead guides will also need to be cleaned up and coated to finish up the job.
Next week should be the end of prep work for #35's parts work and we can get back to picking up the work on our turntable.
MADDOG

Evening Folks!

Rather then doing my usual weekly updates, they will now be featured on our website, at the Railroad Museum of Long Island. There is a lot of work going on this year, with a lot of different equipment, so make sure to take a look every few weeks to see what is going on. I'll still make these posts here so you know to look!


http://rmli.us/RMLI/Restoration.html


Thank you for your interest!

Anthony DeBellis
Presidents' Aide de Camp
Railroad Museum of Long Island

Showing you really can take the LIRR to our Riverhead museum site, DE30AC No.405 passes our 1964/65 World's Fair Train at the front of our museum

Saturday May 8th was National Train Day and for us at the Oyster Bay RR Museum, the day turned out to be FANTASTIC!
We were greeted by a hearty group of members from the Electric Railroaders Association and the NY RR Enthusiasts who spent the day in Oyster Bay enjoying the museum, the town and a great lunch at a local wateringhole where the food is outstanding.
Joining them at the museum were hundreds of people, many who took the train in for the day as well. We had the historic train station set up for a flea market and at 2pm we held our dedication ceremony for the finished Worlds Fair Cab Alco display. This ceremony was to honor 3 of our fallen volunteers who helped to restore the cab unit over the years.
Pete Taormina, George Hunka and James Carley.
I worked along side these men and will shortly be marrying into the family of James Carley, so this dedication was bittersweet for me and the 10 members of his family who were present to witness the ceremony.
I read the newspaper account just this afternoon and was told about it by a member of the NYRRE just last night at the monthly LIST NRHS meeting.

Today (5/22/10) was the last day of the inspection visit by Scott Lindsay and his men from Steam Operations Corp of Birmingham Alabama.
They were in town for 5 days to document the running gear of our steam locomotive #35 for restoration. They took thousands of measurements of the drivetrain and tender to compare against the blueprint records for deviations. Once they return to their offices, they will compute the values and deliver a report to us outlining what will need to be done, a timeframe for restoration and a value of said restoration to us.
Then working with the town of Oyster Bay and the county of Nassau, we can schedule and begin the restoration of #35.
While this was going on, we wer able to finish re-setting the last of the 3 turntable ring rails that we removed 2 weeks ago. AFter the rail ws spiked into place, we turned the table bridge by hand to make sure there was NO binding of the unit and as planned, there wasn't a sound of protest.
SO, next week, we should begin the task of needle scaling the motor frame assembly so we can prime and paint it before we lower it and attach it to the bridge. Then we can add the motor and place the covered platform on top.
Still waiting for the tie quote so we can put the deck back onto the bridge and finish her up.
MADDOG

To Whom it May Concern:

Please be advised that with in the next six weeks or so, the LIRR "Ping Pong" cars that are stored/abandoned at the Boonton, NJ Train Station will be scrapped.

The numbers are as follows:

7138, 7004, 7485, 7014, 7118, 7042, 7113, 7467, 7094

If anyone is interested in any parts that may be in these cars, please contact me immediately. Note that these cars have been pretty well stripped and are in VERY poor condition. In most cars, the floors have at least partially rotted through. Please do not enter the cars without first contacting me. Our group will be happy to make arrangements for any legitimate restoration/preservation society that is interested.

Regards,

John Zanone

The 467 arrived at interchange tonight off NS, on her way to the Hoosier Valley RR Museum. I think it is safe to say at this point that she is "saved" and this winter we will begin the work of getting her returned to service. Thanks to all that helped !

Midwest Fred