The Bartlett Roundhouse Preservation Club

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

The Club got a surprise donation for the full amount of the State Required Club liability insurance premium. With this, the club goes from a bunch of people with a dream, to a full blown actual club with a project. With the insurance comes a lease agreement with the State of NH for the building and the club will have more rights to the building, allowing us to have insured contractors come in and give estimates as well as be able to apply for grants. I will be meeting with our insurance agent this week.

Once we have our lease agreement we will also be talking with CSRR about obtaining outside braced wooden boxcar MEC# 35059 and EX-PTM Wooden Snowplow #68 both need extensive restoration, but are doable, both are ex Maine Central, 35059 served as the Car Department tool car in Bartlett from 1940-1969

Our 501c3 paperwork is already at the accountant, our status is retroactive, so anyone that donates now can claim it on thier tax returns because we will be fully compliant by fall.

We also received on Saturday the gift of over 200 RR related books, over 3000 photographs, research material on Bartlett and Crawford Notch, Station signs: one an original Bartlett Station sign that hung on the east end and was viewed facing west towards Crawford Notch, Slides, slide projector, DVD player, RR VHS tapes and other articles, these will be the building blocks for our research library. In the future, the library will be housed in a climate controled CN/Via type passenger car much like the ones the CSRR runs on thier Crawford Notch Line. These cars offer the large vestibules for handicap access and the car can be housed and secured outside the Roundhouse, but that is WAY WAY down the road.

the main objective now is to stabilize the structure. Thats the goal. I can only hope we dont have another winter like last year.

Last years winter took out a dozen roof rafters, emergency measures are being taken by the State to fix them.

I will keep posting and answer any questions you folks have, thanks for your interest!

Alot of people have great and grand ideas on what we could do, should do, might do......Idea's are great, this all started with an idea, but what we really need right now is help.

Our dues are cheap, only $10.00 and we can use some people not afraid to cut brush and get really dirty.

we have a yahoo group you can subscribe to just e-mail [email protected] with same in the subject line.

You can also visit our web page http://www.bartlettroundhouseproject.com

When these buildings are lost, everyone says "it's to bad nothing was done to save them". This is everyone's chance to do something to save the only Portland and Ogdensburg/Maine Central RR Roundhouse standing in New Hampshire and one of only 6 standing in the State.

Come join us, have fun, save some RR history!

Thank you all again for your kind words,
Scotty

[sandyriverman]

Scotty mentioned MEC #35059 outside braced wood sheathed boxcar that is currently sitting on a nearby siding. I just happen to have a couple of photos of same.



And another:




These cars bring back many memories for me. After they were no longer legal for interchange MEC used them in pulpwood service to the various mills that MEC served. I would guess they were used in the 40's, 50's and phased out in early 60's. The roof and doors were removed. 4 ft wood was loaded into them by one man throwing it in the door and another man, in the car, picking up the stick and piling them in tiers across the ends of the car. You could get hurt if you stepped into the doorway when a stick was thrown from the truck. I believe they were manually unloaded at the mills and the wood was piled with a crane later. Hydraulic loaders and bulkhead flats obsoleted this service by the mid 60's. I used to be paid a dollar a cord for loading and unloading. I still have my pulpwood hook. Hope I never have to use it again!

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

Looks pretty lonely there in the woods. Built by the Keith car company in 1918 as MEC 35059. Converted to tool car # 908 in 1941 Stationed in Bartlett, N.H. untill 1968, was painted green with yellow lettering at that time.

[b&m 1566]

Who owns that box car right now?

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

Once we have our lease agreement we will also be talking with CSRR about obtaining outside braced wooden boxcar MEC# 35059 and EX-PTM Wooden Snowplow #68 both need extensive restoration, but are doable, both are ex Maine Central, 35059 served as the Car Department tool car in Bartlett from 1940-1969

[#7470]

Its great to hear that this is finally a club now Great job Scott in establishing it and I'm sure we will all do what we can to help you in your efforts.

What steps are you going to take in stabilizing the structure and how soon will this start?

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

The State of NH has already come in and tken a look at the 12 weakend roof rafters and will be doing some work on that. The club has secured the structure from vandals (for the moment). The next steps are the removal and crating of all remaing windows, stabilization and restoration of the mechanics office in the back of Stall 2, with the addition of a roof on it, to protect agaist the rain that comes in from the Roundhouse roof. Also the removal of the condemned workshop in the back of Stall 3&4.

There is also a large amount of Sand and Salt mixture in Stall 4 (left over from its's days as a Sand and salt depot) to be removed) as well as the stabilization and restoration of the Roundhouse doors.

Most of the missing door material is inside the roundhouse, it needs to be sorted through, nails taken out and then put back in place. Any boards missing must be replaced with wood boards of the same type as sister boards used on the door. All had to be same wood.

After paying our 501c3 and Insurance, we only have $500.00 in the kitty, so we'll run out of funds real quick with the amount of work we need to do. On paper or in type it sounds easy, get donations,apply for grants or ask for corperate sponsors, some of them have never tried it, it aint so easy in real practice.

we only have 32 members and need more or we'll never get off the ground.


we have a yahoo group you can subscribe to just e-mail [email protected] with same in the subject line.

We're going to be working with a fellow here in Vermont on an HO scale replica of the Roundhouse, Laser cut wood kit. He's on Vacation, won't be back for a few weeks, so I wont meet with him until then.

So for now, thats it, but it's alot, the key is to try and get more donations, thats what helps, then we can buy the wood.

[gokeefe]

Could you please post an address where we can send donations? I couldn't get through on the website. Would be happy to join. What a great thing you guys are doing.

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

Could you please post an address where we can send donations? I couldn't get through on the website. Would be happy to join. What a great thing you guys are doing.

Hi, thanks!
our website is down for rebuild, but we will have it up again soon.

BARTLETT ROUNDHOUSE PRESERVATION CLUB
P.O. BOX 16
BARTLETT, N.H.
03812-0016

Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

[Bartlett Roundhouse]

Pleased to announce that the Roundhouse was placed on the State of New Hampshire State Registry of Historic Places on this past Tuesday.

Scotty

[Otto Vondrak]

That's an excellent first step towards preservation!

-otto-

[Mattydred]

Excellent. Good luck in your endeavours.

[p42thedowneaster]

Nice little write-up in today's NH Union Leader Newspaper. Go Scotty!

[moth]

Very Nice. Here is a link (while it lasts):
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... d6840579a8

NH adds landmarks, districts to historic list
By DAN TUOHY - New Hampshire Union Leader - Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008
As heavy snows collapsed roofs last winter, preservationists in the Mount Washington Valley worried for the fate of a building that once housed the locomotives crucial for trains to get to Crawford Notch. Would it hold? Or would a tough New Hampshire winter buckle the wooden beams and break their hearts? The roof rafters weakened, but the old rail hub in Bartlett withstood its 120th season of snow and ice. Another dream has come true for those seeking to save it: The Bartlett Engine House is now on the state Register of Historic Places.

[gokeefe]

PORRTrainman1888:

How are things coming? Have you been able to obtain sufficient funds for liability insurance? Are you looking for further funding to meet other goals? I think there are a lot of people that are really interested in your project that might like to know. I checked the website again and there didn't seem to be anything further at this point beyond the listing on the NH Register and your IRS Registration, both of which are huge steps. Congratulations on a sucessful month.