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Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum PO Box 665 Willimantic, CT. 06226-0665
Mark Your Calendar: 4/14/2019 – Monthly Meeting – Windham Hospital – 7:00PM—Please note change of date
5/4/2019 – Opening Day – Golden Spike Commemoration 5/19/2019 – Monthly Meeting – Windham Hospital – 7:00PM
6/16/2019 – Monthly Meeting – Windham Hospital – 7:00PM
7/21/2019 – Monthly Meeting – Windham Hospital – 7:00PM
8/18/2019 – Monthly Meeting – Windham Hospital – 7:00PM
Here’s the entire Mary Lou train in the children’s depot area of the museum with the addition of the long awaited tank car. Photo—Bob LaMay
Bob Hasset works on the hood of our GE 25 ton locomotive pri-or to us opening on May 4, 2019. Photo—Bob LaMay
Page 2 Spring 2019
Vol. 26 No. 1 – Spring 2019
The next scheduled meeting of the Con-necticut Eastern Chapter, National Rail-way Historical Society will be held at
Windham Hospital on
Sunday, April 14, 2019 @ 7:00 PM
Please note! If you have photos, short articles, or just want to make a com-
ment – please forward them to:
James L. Key - Editor
Please!
Chapter Leadership
President: Mark Granville
860-456-3956
Vice President: Duke York
860-423-1878
Treasurer: Jeff Laverty
860-429-7961
Asst.-Treasurer: Vacant
Secretary: Jean Lambert
860-942-1071
National
Representative:
Ray Axelrod
860-617-3308
GTJ Editor: James L. Key
860-208-4748
Endowment Committee:
Howard Raphaelson
Adrian Atkins
Richard N. Symonds, Jr
Museum Website
www.cteastrrmuseum.org
Like Us on Face Book
Roundhouse Floor Finish Adrian Atkins
Unrestricted cash donations are nice, but
donations of needed materials or services help
us just as much. When it came to trying to
figure out how to seal the concrete floor in our
Roundhouse, I thought real professional help
would be beneficial. I asked A.H. Harris, a
construction materials supplier, whom I have
been buying materials from for a long time.
They are supplying all our floor materials ex-
cept the concrete. They referred me to Tom
Lane, Regional Sales Manager for PROSOCO
Inc.
Tom came to Columbia Junction to see
what we were doing. His two concerns were -
using the floor in a heavy duty shop area and
trying to maintain a surface that we could easi-
ly keep clean as a museum exhibit area. Not
exactly compatible uses. He recommended
using a first coat of Consolideck LS Hardener
followed by a second coating of Consolideck
Concrete Protector SB Sealer. This treatment
should help us with both uses.
Tank Car to be Added to Children’s Depot
Adrian Atkins
It all started when Mary Lou DeVivo pur-
chased and donated a wooden locomotive for a
children’s play area. This locomotive soon be-
came a very popular attraction for children and
adults at our museum. It was really the start of
the Children’s Depot play area near our picnic
tables. Last year volunteers built a tender to be
located behind the locomotive. As we are adding
new cars we are constructing them out of pres-
sure treated wood for durability and letting them
age outside for a year prior to painting. This win-
ter the tender was brought into our paint shop for
finishing. Carolyn Stanich has been happily put-
ting black stain on the tender while working in
the warm section house.
As we started adding more rolling stock to
our train, Janet Atkins suggested the idea of get-
ting a sponsor for each car. This would not only
cover our costs but provide some advertising
opportunities to local businesses.
This winter Mark Granville and Rolf Johnson
constructed a tank car. This will give the chil-
dren opportunities to climb through and over it.
A tank car made me think of Bender Oil Service
in Lebanon who have been great supporters of
the museum through the years. Ray Axelrod
volunteered to talk to the Bender people. Ray got
them interested but told them I would drop by
and explain the details. Thanks, Ray. I then
made a presentation resulting in coming home
with a $500 check and signage information.
Good idea, Janet, and good sales job by Ray. Jan
McCullum is making “Bender’ signs to adorn the
car. It should be ready for our opening day, May
4th.
While discussing the museum and our
financial position, Tom agreed to have
PROSOCO donate the chemicals for our floor!
To date they have donated well over $1000
worth of chemicals.
Our thanks go to Tom Lane and PROSO-
CO Inc.
The Bob and Ed team apply the floor finish to the recently poured floor. Photo—Bob LaMay
Here Bob applies the finish while Ed sweeps and smooths it. Photo—Bob LaMay
This shows the recently finished tank car prior to final painting. Photo—Bob LaMay
Spring 2019 Page 3
Memories of Opening Day 2018 Join us on May 4th at 11am and make some new ones!!!
Photos—Bob LaMay
… coloring … … and even a train ride on a garden train.
Join the students from ECSU in our Children’s Depot.
There will be face painting, … … puzzles, ...
Opening Day
Saturday, May 4 By Mark Granville
Winter is over. Spring is here. Time for the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum to open for its 2019 season. As usual, we are opening on
the First Saturday in May. Also, as usual, we expect a crowd so we need volunteers to help with the parking lot, ticket booth , gift shop, train
ride tickets, hand car rides, turntable demonstrations, village area and roundhouse docents, attendants in the children’s depot area and Garden
Railroad crew, etc. Please leave May 4 open on your calendar so you can help with some of these tasks.
We are planning some special displays and events around the 150th anniversary of the nation’s transcontinental railroad Golden Spike cere-
mony in Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. Some of the things we want to do are (1) staging of our #10 steamer and a diesel at the East
crossing in the museum to commemorate the Golden Spike ceremony and our museum’s golden spike ceremony held in 2003; (2) providing an
opportunity for visitors to try their hand at swinging a spike maul; and (3) a short video about the Golden Spike showing in the Chaplin Station.
As you can see from some of the photos in this issue, the children’s depot has been enhanced again. We expect both the Mary Lou play
train and the garden railroad to get a lot of action.
The museum will be open from 10am – 4 pm with special activities planned for 11am – 3pm.
Page 4 Sept 2018—Jan 2019
Memories of Opening Day 2018 Join us on May 4th at 11am and make some new ones!!!
Photos—Bob LaMay
Take a ride along sections of the Original Air Line to Bridge Street. (Extra Fare)
Check out the Mary Lou, our play ground climb-on train.
Try moving our 16 ton Armstrong Turntable.
When you think you’ve done it all – think again – try our 1850’s replica Hand Pump Car.
Sept 2018—Jan 2019 Page 5
Passing of Bill Bouchelle Adrian Atkins
It is with sorrow that we must note
the passing of Bill Bouchelle. He had been
in St Francis Hospital for 11 days before
slipping away peacefully on Monday, the
25th of February.
Bill did a lot of work helping Duke with
the 4052 Central Vermont Caboose project.
We last remember Bill quietly plugging
along fitting and placing each board on the
exterior of the 4052. A work of perfection
and we will miss his congenial presence at
the museum. Services were held for Bill on
April 13.
Roundhouse Floor update Adrian Atkins
This winter we have removed the
remaining “precious items” from the rest of
the floor area to be poured. At last a clear
working area lies ahead! Don’t ask where
everything has been put. We are at last ap-
proaching the corner of the roundhouse
nearest to the Freight House.
We are almost ready for pour #7 which
is the central area on both sides of Pit 6.
Grading has been completed, soil compact-
ed, forms built and mesh is being placed.
The pour is currently scheduled for April
23.
Much of the preliminary work has also
been done for pours #8 and #9. So pour #8
should be completed shortly after opening
day. Pour #9 is the last concrete floor pour.
Along with the good news comes the
bad. Art Hall dug around and discovered
the heavy timbers between he rails and con-
crete side walls of Pit #6 are rotting big
time! The same maybe true in Pit #5. We
are continuing with the floor pours, but
keeping the concrete 8” away from the rails
so that in the future we can remove rails and
rotted timbers. Timbers will be replaced
with concrete pit side walls all the way up to
the rails. We have not noticed rot in Pits #1
though 4. Different types of timbers were
used in these pits.
The floor in Pit 6 is ready for our final pour. Photo—Bob LaMay
This another view of Pit 6. Photo—Bob LaMay
Bill was one of the major time contributors in the restoration of our CV Number 4052 caboose. Photo—Bob LaMay
Here is another photo of him working on the CV Number 4052 caboose. Photo—Bob LaMay
Page 6 Spring 2019
Annual Banquet Adrian Atkins
Sunday, January 13, 2019 arrived along with
good weather. We were fortunate! Thirty five
brave souls had gambled on the weather and
signed up for the banquet. Georgina’s provided
their usual delicious and plentiful meal.
Tom Chase provided an enlightening talk -
“Great East Thompson Train Wreck of 1891”. It
was good to hear the results of more recent re-
search.
This was followed by Mark Granville’s an-
nual “what we accomplished this year”. His slide
show highlighted the work behind the changes at
the museum. In spite of ourselves, we all togeth-
er get a lot accomplished in one year. As we plug
along on whatever we are doing, we tend to not
notice what everyone else is doing. That is why
Mark’s presentation is important. Add in Mark’s
little humorous comments and it is something to
look forward to.
This year Pieter Roos was the recipient of the
Golden Spike Award for his work on our web
site and his continued activity with the “Trains,
Toys and Trees” extravaganza show at the Mill
Museum in December. Good showing, Pieter.
To those of you who did not attend, you
missed another of our traditional gatherings. So
plan now to attend next year’s banquet in Janu-
ary 2020.
25 Tonner Undergoing
Major Maintenance Adrian Atkins
The 25 Tonner is our first choice to pull our
excursion train ride but it has been down for
awhile due to serious problems. Led by Bob
Hassett, assisted mainly by Rolf Johnson and
Paul Shamonis, it has been carefully taken
apart. an outside “Tired Iron Mechanic” was
called in to assist and helped remove the en-
gine. The engine is now back in place and vari-
ous associated parts are carefully being returned
to their proper locations. Two questions re-
main. First, how many parts will remain on the
cart when it is back together? Second, will it be
running by opening day? We are looking for an
answers of “none” and “yes”!
This has been a major undertaking but it
had to be done. We are fortunate to have the
talent to undertake a project of this magnitude
in house. A great dedicated crew at work!
A Threatening Tree
Removed Adrian Atkins
The large twin oak tree near the Chaplin
Station was in ill health. Bob Hassett was con-
cerned about this tree because if it fell it would
do severe damage to one or probably more of the
following: Chaplin Station, freight house, section
house or the rolling stock. The tree was over 2
feet in diameter at the base and around 100’ tall.
We could have taken the tree down ourselves
but would it have been the best use of our time? I
talked to Mark Roberts of New View Tree Re-
moval and he agreed that the tree should come
down. Now for the dollars! I had estimated it
could cost us over $1500. Mark generously do-
nated his bucket truck and chipper for a day if we
would pay him $400 for the labor. The work
would have to be done in early winter when
things slowed down and we would have to help
him. How could we say no?
On the appointed day Ed Shekleton, Rolf
Johnson, Bob Hassett and I provided the addi-
tional labor. By early afternoon all that remained
was a 20 foot stalk which we could take care of
ourselves.
By the SW corner of the roundhouse there
was a group of 3 large oak trees which we need-
ed to have removed. We can get 2 of these our-
selves, but the third one hung over the round-
house and turntable. The rest of the afternoon
was spent removing the limbs over the round-
house and the turn table pit. Now we only have 2
trees plus a 20 foot stalk which we will tackle.
We are already talking of a repeat perfor-
mance next year. We have trees selected along
the driveway west of the section house that need
attention.
Our thanks
to New
View Tree
and Mark
Roberts.
To Ed,
Rolf, and
Bob - keep
looking up
- the
branches
are falling!
Pres. Mark Granville thanks speaker Tom Chase for an excellent presentation at our annual banquet. Photo—Bob LaMay
Marks hands the Golden Spike award to Pieter Roos Photo—Bob LaMay
This tree has been removed from our Village area. Photo—Bob LaMay
Rolf works on one side our 25 ton GE locomotive. Photo—Bob LaMay
While Ed works on the other side. Photo—Bob La-May
