Rockhill Furnace Work Session: April 23-24, 2005

An FEBT Rockhill work session took place Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24, 2005. We had eighteen participants on Saturday and thirteen on Sunday.

Those taking part included: Standing l. to r: Bob Harris, Charlie Wootton, Bob Goldby, Shawn Stauffer, Wade Woodcock, Steve Jacobs, Bill Adams, Lee Rainey, Richard Shell, Andy Van Scyoc, Richard Culp, Tom Kozub and Jim Bacon. Kneeling l. to r: Fred Kuhns and Jim Sucke. (Chris Coleman is behind the camera) Not in the crew photo are: Bob Harris, Reggie Arford, Dave Brightbill and Bill Meltreder.

The session was held amidst snow and rain showers, and was a good bit colder than either our December or February sessions! Isn't spring wonderful?

Hopper 802

The remaining steel for the car was brought from Belleville and stored in the paint shop. Working under a large blue tarp to keep out of the rain, the crew then got the brake plumbing all but finished. Another crew attacked the rivets and rivet-hole prep, and reports that only three dozen rivets remain to be removed. The badly-deteriorated northwest corner was repaired structurally by the addition of a new fabricated angle gusset, and the various angle-iron pieces that support the hopper doors were cut and drilled. The railroad is working on the logistics of getting the correct trucks back under the car and fitting them with wing mounts for the ballast spreaders. A small crew will also meet on May 7 to do rust removal and surface prep to get ready for the next session. To date, a total of 350 hours has been spent on the hopper, and crew leader Steve Jacobs estimates we are over half way complete. Also working on the hopper were Bob Harris, Charlie Wootton, Shawn Stauffer, Richard Shell, Wade Woodcock, and Tom Kozub.

Brush

Richard Culp completed the brush removal in Jordan Run all the way to Meadow Street. This is a major milestone that not only greatly improves the appearance of the area but also helps keep the stream from further eroding the east bank.

Windows

Work continued on the windows on the west side of the Machine Shop and the Tool Room. All now have glass, ready for glazing compound and paint when the weather warms up. The wall was also power-washed in preparation for painting. Bill Adams, Chris Coleman and Bob Goldby spearheaded this project.

Boiler House

The crew completed the extensive cleanup and carpentry needed before beginning the dismantling of the old Coal Bin. We also took delivery of and stacked all the timbers and a portion of the siding for the reconstruction. Jim Bacon, Jim Sucke, and Fred Kuhns worked this project.

Flatcar No. 119

The sill and deck lumber arrived and we all gazed in awe as the sawmill driver unloaded and stacked it with a giant hydraulic claw. We immediately began cutting and mortising the sills and got all twelve long sills done. Other work included completing the disassembly of the bench seats, and cutting the first dozen decking pieces to length. Reggie Arford, Andy Van Scyoc, Bill Meltreder, Dave Brightbill and Lee Rainey worked this project.

EBT General Manager Stanley Hall stopped by to inspect the work and appeared very pleased with what was being accomplished.

The next work session will be Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15, 2005. See you there!

Lee Rainey,
Rockhill Restoration Coordinator

You can view other photos of this work session at Bill Adams' EBT Pictorial.