Oyster Bay and Danbury Railroad Museum Question

Maybe, tomorrow or next Saturday, I plan to vist Oyster Bay Railroad Museum.
Maybe, this Wednesday, maybe I might visit Danbury Railroad Museum via HART Trolley.
I was wondering if both museums are excellent?
Tell me if you guys went there.

The Oyster Bay RR Museum has its preview center open from noon to 4pm each saturday. You can take the LIRR and walk there.

The old train station and equipment area is currently closed, but the equipment can be viewed from the street. If a work session is in progress, I'm sure the volunteers would let you in to view.

There's not much of a museum yet... just plans for one at the moment. Still a nice village to visit.

http://www.oysterbayrailroadmuseum.org/index.html

Otto Vondrak wrote:There's not much of a museum yet... just plans for one at the moment. Still a nice village to visit.

http://www.oysterbayrailroadmuseum.org/index.html

Actually, the Preview Center they have is a taste of things to come, and is a nice touch for the town.

2behind1 wrote:Actually, the Preview Center they have is a taste of things to come, and is a nice touch for the town.

Yes it is. However, I was just letting our out-of-town friend know that there is no actual museum in Oyster Bay yet.

-otto-

I had a friend visit the DRM over the weekend. She loved the exibits (including my grandfather's collection of old trains inside) the museum people, and the hardware on display, but was a little surprised at the short ride up and down the tracks. Is there any hope that weekend excursions could ever go further north? A little daily trip to Brookfield Center, or even the junction by Super 7 to avoid throwing the switch, would be a great enhancement. Or is liability the huge stumbling block, even as other railroad museums do offer similar little jaunts?

Trainer wrote:I had a friend visit the DRM over the weekend. She loved the exibits (including my grandfather's collection of old trains inside) the museum people, and the hardware on display, but was a little surprised at the short ride up and down the tracks. Is there any hope that weekend excursions could ever go further north? A little daily trip to Brookfield Center, or even the junction by Super 7 to avoid throwing the switch, would be a great enhancement. Or is liability the huge stumbling block, even as other railroad museums do offer similar little jaunts?

Unless DRM is going to purchase the tracks from Housatonic Railroad, there is absolutely zero chance of a DRM excursion running anywhere outside their property. The last excursion that ran over those tracks was the Farewell to the FL9 trip in 2005, and that was with Metro-North equipment, and MN's liability insurance. DRM currently has no equipment that they could use on such an excursion outside of their property. Equipment would need to be inspected, repaired, and made ready for operation, they would need reliable locomotives, and all train crews would have to be trained and certified and then pass HRRC book of rules class.

DRM needs to focus on making their property and displays the best they can be and not worry about running train trips. Want to take a train ride in vintage equipment in Connecticut? Please support the Naugatuck Railroad in Thomaston or the Valley Railroad in Essex.

photos at Oyster Bay on May 8

Otto Vondrak wrote:

Trainer wrote:I had a friend visit the DRM over the weekend. She loved the exibits (including my grandfather's collection of old trains inside) the museum people, and the hardware on display, but was a little surprised at the short ride up and down the tracks. Is there any hope that weekend excursions could ever go further north? A little daily trip to Brookfield Center, or even the junction by Super 7 to avoid throwing the switch, would be a great enhancement. Or is liability the huge stumbling block, even as other railroad museums do offer similar little jaunts?

Unless DRM is going to purchase the tracks from Housatonic Railroad, there is absolutely zero chance of a DRM excursion running anywhere outside their property. The last excursion that ran over those tracks was the Farewell to the FL9 trip in 2005, and that was with Metro-North equipment, and MN's liability insurance. DRM currently has no equipment that they could use on such an excursion outside of their property. Equipment would need to be inspected, repaired, and made ready for operation, they would need reliable locomotives, and all train crews would have to be trained and certified and then pass HRRC book of rules class.

DRM needs to focus on making their property and displays the best they can be and not worry about running train trips. Want to take a train ride in vintage equipment in Connecticut? Please support the Naugatuck Railroad in Thomaston or the Valley Railroad in Essex.

I volunteer at DRM on weekends and i totally agree, DRM however does have equipment worthy of making a longer excursion (RDC 32, ACMU set and 3 locomotives that run Pfizer 1, FL9 2013 and 2006) but the problem is that HRRC's track is in very very bad shape, also in order for us to access HRRC track we have to cross MNCR track to reach it.
I also agree that they need to really get on the ball when it comes to making the equipment on display presentable. IV been barking up that tree since i started there. but there seems to be a huge focus on the turntable and indoor exhibits and not so much on the yard itself

andre wrote:

Otto Vondrak wrote:I volunteer at DRM on weekends and i totally agree, DRM however does have equipment worthy of making a longer excursion (RDC 32, ACMU set and 3 locomotives that run Pfizer 1, FL9 2013 and 2006) but the problem is that HRRC's track is in very very bad shape, also in order for us to access HRRC track we have to cross MNCR track to reach it.

Mostly incorrect. There is no equipment on the DRM property that is currently able to operate outside of the gated yard. Never mind current inspections and mandatory safety appliances, but everything you listed either needs to be mechanically repaired or completely rebuilt. RDC 32 only operates on one motor (if I recall). The two ACMU cars have not been touched since 2005, they have sealed windows, not sure about the bathrooms, and who knows if the air conditioning still functions. What's more, they are motorized coaches, not trailers. The Pfizer engine is underpowered and would not be able to haul a passenger set (never mind that it's not equipped with HEP, cab signals, or anything else), and the two FL9's on the property are inoperable (which is why DRM got them in the first place). Quit dreaming about excursions and make the displays presentable.

Otto Vondrak wrote:

andre wrote:

Otto Vondrak wrote:I volunteer at DRM on weekends and i totally agree, DRM however does have equipment worthy of making a longer excursion (RDC 32, ACMU set and 3 locomotives that run Pfizer 1, FL9 2013 and 2006) but the problem is that HRRC's track is in very very bad shape, also in order for us to access HRRC track we have to cross MNCR track to reach it.

Mostly incorrect. There is no equipment on the DRM property that is currently able to operate outside of the gated yard. Never mind current inspections and mandatory safety appliances, but everything you listed either needs to be mechanically repaired or completely rebuilt. RDC 32 only operates on one motor (if I recall). The two ACMU cars have not been touched since 2005, they have sealed windows, not sure about the bathrooms, and who knows if the air conditioning still functions. What's more, they are motorized coaches, not trailers. The Pfizer engine is underpowered and would not be able to haul a passenger set (never mind that it's not equipped with HEP, cab signals, or anything else), and the two FL9's on the property are inoperable (which is why DRM got them in the first place). Quit dreaming about excursions and make the displays presentable.

Just because an engine or Budd Car can move up and down a yard track does not make it suitable for an over the road trip.
There are all sorts of requirements for over the road operation. I agree the museum needs to concentrate on their great
displays both indoors and outdoors. If anything they need to be thinking about a building for this historic equipment or it
will not stay nice for too long. Trips are often a financial risk to operate and sometimes money can be lost in their
operation. Items like the 1455 which is a truly significant piece of equipment need to be under cover, it has been out in the
open and exposed to the elements for far too long as it is. It might help to put a tarp over it in the winter time but a
building would be much better.
There are already two operating railroad museums and two operating trolley museums in Connecticut and Danbury will be
far better off not trying to be another operating museum beyond just what they are today. Even today the money they
spend for diesel fuel might be better spent in a fund to house some of this equipment in a suitable building. It is too bad
the old wooden enginehouse is long gone in this case, it could have helped.
Noel Weaver

actually otto, iv opperated both the budd car and the sw8 and the sw8 has pleanty of power (we just run it at extremely low speed in the yard) and yes there is no HEP, the FL9s do operate (how do you think we move them out of the way to park the CN caboose by the GCT crain) they are currently in storage because they are too long for us to run on track 18 and clear the switch with the reading coach and a caboose without foaling the switch and not being able to make the move down track 42 (also since for bday parties the birthday child rides the cab (FL9 is a bit challenging to climb into) the switcher is ideal for such applications. The ACMU cars can run in tow (they would only need the electrical cabinet modified to accept hep from the FL9s if we decided to use them for such a move. The 32 car does have both engines operational since i have to walk around the car to both sides to start up BOTH engines. The bathrooms we keep closed on all of our equipment since we do not have the proper equipment or permits to handle such waste.

Also the BUDD 32 used to make runs down maybrook years ago when the track was in much better shape. (not far from what iv been told but enough to make a decent museum trip)(remember were not talking about taking our trains down the danbury branch and to GCT and back, how nice it would be but not gonna happen)
And cab signals??? maybrook is manual block all the way through and through. (explained by an unnamed engineer who ran maybrook in the nh days all the way up to hrrc days) all that would be needed is a norac form D for the movements just like is used at ESSEX for their steam trains (Could you imagine a cab signal display on the mikados lmao)

(the ac on the ACMUs is opperable but it needs 3rd railpower to run it which will never happen in the state of CT, the electrical cabinet would have to be rewired in such away to accept hep from the equipment we do have that has hep generators, we do however keep the cars closed because the trap doors in the vestibules tend to stick and the board has chosen to keep them as a static display not an "interactive" where you can enter and walk around inside. however there is no active plan that i am aware of to run such cars since they will not clear the switch from 18 to 42 without foaling mncr tracks which is a no no for us)

However most of the museums events are more family oriented events such as pumpkin patch or train ride with santa clause . When DRM does run "excursions" its with Metronorth equipment, metronorth crews not by our choice but by the agreement we have with mncr where a DRM crew CANNOT operate a train on MNCR lines the track beyond the gate belongs to metronorths layover yard and is needed to cross over to hrrc/maybrook (thus we cannot run our crews over that track beyond the gate since it would put MNCR in a position with their union agreement as only MNCR engineers can run trains on their lines (yes p&w and CSXT have trackage rights over some mncr tracks but they have trackage right agreements which we do not.

Is there equipment in the yard that is decrepit and needs a good painting and restoration (again) certainly as any other museum (other museums have pockets or sidings along their lines to keep such equipment out of common sight we do not. Also there are a few pieces of equipment that DRM DOES NOT OWN and thus are not ours to paint, clean, restore, simply for the purpose of it is not ours, we do however make our best effort to contact such owners on situations like that and move such equipment out of the common area of the yard if it may pose a safety risk or is just plain old unsightly.
The focus on the trainride is more or less a way to get people from the station to the turntable and to visit the restored pumphouse since it is quiet a bit of a walk with no sidewalk or pathway which is why on days there are no trains running the pumphouse and turntable usually remain secured unless the turntable is being used by the mechanical dept to turn equipment or line equipment for the inspection pits where the old roundhouse was. also the trainride does generate revenue for the museum. i do agree that there sometimes maybe an unbalanced focus towards indoor projects and tt and not so much on the yard it self.

But please the next time your at DRM on a saturday i will personally bring you around and speak about such situations face to face about said equipment and trackage etc...

(otto, not sure if this was you, but did you visit drm a couple months ago and speak to a certain volunteer about digital tv signals)

I'm not going to correct every point in your post, but please understand I support the efforts of DRM to save and preserve equipment, but believe me when I tell you that none* of the equipment currently in the yard will ever run an excursion outside of the yard gate. Also, don't believe everything you hear thrown about at a bull session. I cringe when I visit my own museum in Rochester and I hear some well-meaning guide telling our visitors things about our equipment or museum that's just not true!

Something to improve the quality of the exhibits is needed, else you're going to be repainting that stuff every couple of years. Whether its a shed roof or a steel building, something should be done to preserve the condition of the equipment.

-otto-

*With the possible exception of the heavyweight coaches that were brought down by HRRC years ago and technically are owned by CDOT. They would need to be reconditioned and inspected before they were let out on the road again.

FYI-The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum IS open.
Our Visitors center is also the Official Oyster Bay Visitors center as well and after 2 +1/2 years open only on Saturdays and Sundays is at our 10, 000th visitor.
Since April of 2010, we have had our display yard open Saturdays and SUndays as well, EXCEPT from November until March due to the weather. Its too darn cold outside!!!!
Check out our NEW website and please read my blog
MADDOG

I am a Trustee of Andover Historical Society in Andover NH. Our chief asset is our Railroad Museum which consists of the station building, a restored caboose, a freight shed and a freight/box car. The rails are still intact. The station was the old Potter Place Station coming up from Concord. My question is this: our project this year is to restore the freight car which is 'parked' at the shed siding. I would like to move it further down the track to make it more accessible to work on. My thought is to get the Town grader to pull it but am concerned the wheels may not turn. Is this likely? If so would they break free easily? Also do you have any advice as to how to proceed with the restoration? We know we have to strip the old paint (lead-based), then power-wash with an auto wash no-wax, then self-etching primer, then a uro primer. Who does this type of work? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.