Plenaire monthly meeting to avoid the hot station
Chairman Bob opened the meeting at 12:30 pm.
We had 14 members at the RR today
Treasurer’s report -- Kevin
Our bank account continues to stay healthy. We have no Accounts Payable or Receivable. We have 69 members, all current.
Project Status Reports
New switches - Kevin
We are making 3 new frogs for switches, had to pause for bandsaw blade repair but will continue shortly. Bob requested that Kevin and Ed get together regarding locations in Rabbit Flat for the new switches for a proposed crossing before entering Rabbit Flat.
Turntable - Bill
The turntable needs one more coat of black paint on it. The ring is temporarily in place in Rabbit Flat. We need to get the tractor mounted auger for foundation holes, Bruce will do this.
When the holes are dug, and concrete in, we will remensure the flatness of the ring and do some minor in field adjustments with a new hydraulic system we created for this.
Bruce and Tom will design and build the foundation and wall structure.
Switch Stands and Remotes - Bob
If you know of, or observe issues with existing old switches, please let Ed & Bob know which ones need fixing first. I.e. the Spillway switch does not work, but is not important at this time. The Office switch derails when running in reverse-direction due to the old point design, also low priority. Bill will also look at the switches to see which need attention first. Ed and Marty are working in the field to repair and upgrade them.
New Member Training - Bob
Mike, Russ and Bob have completed the training of the 4 members, Bruno, Peter, Sam and Marty. Marty will help us out with training in the future, and he has already edited and organized and edited the training materials.
Full sized RR ties - Bob
We have 1/2 the ties delivered. Doug Lo volunteered his truck and trailer to pick them up from Niles Canyon with Matt and Dee’s help. They encountered and fixed some electrical problems on the trailer (Ed note: two more bundles of ties were delivered on Saturday), We have enough to keep us afloat for current needs. Bruce said that these are the best ties we ever had - they are heavy!
Tie Retrofit - Bob
September Run/Work day is our second track repair day. Bruce has made great progress in prepping for the work crew, removing screws, widening the ROW to convert the spur to a siding. Kevin has replaced all the ties on the upper switch, and made the lower switch. Mike, Steve and team have prepped 1000 ties. We have a good bunch of volunteers coming, and Mike will shuttle them up and down the hill behind Big Red. Sunday, Dee, Brooke and Sierra will do the semi-annual bolt tightening on the Redwood Trestle. Bruce asked folks to call him on his cell if the Ranch gate is closed, and it is a scheduled work or run day. He can open the gate from his cell phone. (Ed. note, power was out Sunday morning, so Bruce did have to come in to set up the generator and adjust the various electrical loads). Dan Williams, long-ago member from Oceanside, joined us for Saturday and Sunday.
Big Red engine - Bruce
Brandon will take Big Red home on Saturday to install the brake compressor and system. Mike noted that the horn is intermittent.
Switch numbering. - Bob
John and Leo continue to install the colored and numbered tags for each switch. Lake and Redwood Divisions are complete.
Roundhouse - Mike
Mike lead a discussion about design criteria for the Roundhouse that will complement the new turntable. After a lively discussion, we agreed that we would have a 4 + 1 stall roundhouse. The 4 stalls will be for smaller 2-½” scale engines, like the C-16’s, and the plus 1 will be a longer add-on for the K-36. This was done in the real world when larger equipment was acquired after a roundhouse was built. We will also shorten up the aprons to make a smaller building with more curvature. Mike and Gerry on Saturday laid out some string and posts to provide a full sized view. Bill asked that we explore having a full concrete floor for critter protection and ease of building. The smaller building will be about ⅔ the size of the original layout.
Run days, news and safety
October night run - Bob
The email invitation has been sent to all PV&ARR members / friends and to contacts at Golden Gate Live Steamers and Sacramento Valley Live Steamers. In addition, Carl is sending one to Bitter Creek. We are capping the number of dinners available at 100. We need you to RSVP to get an accurate count for Jalisco’s Restaurant, but will pay just before serving. Mike will send out another reminder.
We will have two porta potties with wash stands at the ballast bin, no waiting! And we have overnight camping. Contact Dee Murphy for details.
2025 June Tri-Meet Run - Bob / Mike
Bob has been unable to secure SVLS and GG agreement for the same date. There is a possibility of the first weekend in June, or late May, but this may conflict with Memorial day. Another proposal is to move our Annual joint meet to September when it is still warm, but before the rains start; and free from other conflicts. We could combine this with our October night run, but with Daylight Saving time it would not be very dark. We will have camping overnight.
Thus, we may only have one joint meet next year, making it easier to staff with our volunteers.
Bob closed the meeting at 1:05 PM
Mike Ward
PV&ARR
Secretary