News Log - Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum

News Log

Trolley Car No.10 is back ... On track!

This news log contains postings of some of the activities at the museum. If you've contributed to some project and would like to see your work mentioned, please send us a description. This log is 'upside down', or in reverse chronological order, i.e. the newest stuff is at the top, to save repeat visitors from having to scroll down. Please note that all of the ongoing activities involved in day-to-day operations, such as crew scheduling, car operations, ticket sales, Visitors Center cleaning, etc., are not covered here specifically, but are a very important part of the museum experience.

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May 2008
The boom truck was working nicely for a while, but now some pistons need work.
Dave G, John G and Sam loaded the ties from the Middle Track onto the flat car.
Dave D and Sam got more of the freight platform demolished and removed.
John P has been string trimming, John G and Sam have been mowing.
Dave B got the spring Transfer in the mail. If you are a member and you didn't get either a email or paper version, let us know!
Dave D replaced parts of the loading platform.
More painting, brush cutting, mowing and gardening has been done, plenty more to do!
Mother's Day turnout was great, as was the subsequent press coverage.
Sam and Dave G did some sign replacement and improvement.
John G, Sam and Dave D moved 860 lbs of steel for recycling.
John G, John P, Dave D and Sam worked on a balky switchstand at Sw 1.
Jim is refinishing No. 10's floors.
Dave D and Sam got the bucket truck running again and cleared brush and limbs to improve the view from the Salmon Falls stop to the Potholes.
Stan is rewiring the telegraph demonstrations.
Jerry did more work on the boom truck and bucket truck.
Sam and Phil moved stuff from the office to the Staff Room, using Dave Dye's newly built shelves, and did some cleanup in the carbarn.
Sam and Nate cleaned up the area of last year's tie job.
Jerry and kids got some of the plow divits cleaned up and did some general picking up.
Our ninth season is off to a slow, wet start.
Polly and Beth Ann finished getting the VC ready for our opening weekend.
April 2008
Polly and Stan got a coat of orange on the pump car, and scraped some of the old black.
John G and Peter got the rest of the VC displays up.
John G, Phoebe, Henry, Wiley and Brian washed and cleaned No. 10, getting her ready for Opening Day!
John G, Phoebe, Henry, Wiley and Brian cleaned out the House Track flangeways for the pumpcar.
Dave G, Phil and Sam have been cleaning up the old freight loading dock.
Marie and Polly are scraping and painting the pump car.
Peter and John G have gotten some of the displays back together in the Visitors Center.
Nancy has planted flowers and cleaned up the gardens.
John P made two 'portable' sign posts out of old belt drive wheels from the Wirthmore Grain Building (aka Salmon Falls Artisans Showroom).
Sam and Polly have been working on site cleanup.
Dave D has made shelving for the Staff Room.
John G and Peter gave a showing of Then & Now to local Environmental Science Students.
No 10 has been inspected and lubed and made three trips for visiting students. At 111 years old, she is ready for another season!
Sam, Polly and Dave B cleared more brush along the North drive and Depot St.
Jerry has found and is fixing the brake problem on the boom truck.
The Depot Street entrance to the museum is now open, the driveways around the Visitors Center are closed off for the summer.
More brush clearing with Phil, Sam and Dave D around the creamery and Depot St.
The UMass Civil Engineering students made their first site visit for their spring project, which is to study the feasibility of running tracks down Depot St.
The boom truck's fuel pump has been replaced with an electric fuel pump, thanks to Jerry.
We have a space suitable for Office, Retail or Studio use available for rent.
Please contact us if you are interested in leasing this space.
Phil and Sam started clearing brush along the North Drive.
Phil is donating a grade crossing sign.
Dave G has started work on new wayfinding signs.
Dave G cleared trees and dirt of the rails, at least those that are out of the snow.
The Museum is looking for proposals for the BAR Osgood Bradley American Flyer coach. The board is discussing whether this piece fits our mission, and whether we have the resources to restore it.
Sam and Jerry installed the electric fuel pump on the boom truck, still needs some electrical work.
Dave D and Sam started cleaning up and making shelves in the Staff Room, with a little Office cleanup thrown in.
Sam reorganized the lumber in the lumber storage trailer.
The Board had a comprehensive but not complete discussion of what to do about the mis-match between what we want to restore and preserve, and what we have the resources for.
John P took the holiday lights off of No. 10.
Dave G got out some PR for our need for volunteers.
Training Day for trolley crew new and old, is April 19, 2008.

March 2008
Peter and John G put on a Then and Now show for the Shelburne Senior Center.
Polly and Shirley went to a Teaching American History expo in Westfield to show history teachers what SFTM has to offer.
Sam added Crew and Training pages to the web site.

February 2008
Various volunteers have been helping with shoveling, the yard is buried in snow and ice.
John P continues to work on the caboose interior.
At the Annual Meeting the following were elected:
R Bartlett as President
D Dye as VP
D Bartlett and B Osell as incumbent directors.
J Pelletier, J Wholey and J Bresser as new directors, filling our 12 seat board.
Peter put on a Then and Now show for the Shelburne Grange. The museum has been offered a Wason trolley car body currently residing in central Mass. Anyone want to take on a major restoration project?
The Annual meeting has been moved to Feb 26 due to weather.

January 2008
The Finance Committee put together the 2008 Budget for board approval.
Sam updated the website to make it more consistent and easier to maintain.

December 2007
Dave D, Larry K and Sam put up the next-to-last railing for the CAM stairs.
John P continues to scrape paint inside the caboose.

November 2007
The museum is now closed for the winter. Some restoration and maintenance activities will still take place, and offers of help are always welcome!
Overall, 2007 ridership was 20% above the best year ever, with 4005 passengers recorded.
Moonlight Magic was a rip-roaring cold and windy success, not as busy as last year, but busy enough to keep all the crew warm running the trolley, talking with the guests, selling tickets, warming cider and making ornaments.
Dave G, Glenn and Sam prepared for Moonlight Magic, moving the caboose and putting up lights.
Marie prepared ornament kits for visitors to the Moonlight Magic caboose, and colorized Al Barten's popular B&W Trolley 10 artwork, like this:
Color No 10

John P got more paint stripped on the caboose.
Dave D installed the corridor and bathroom trim.
Sam got the plumbing ready for winter.
Sam painted the corridor walls.
The museum had another record year, and we haven't even had Moonlight Magic yet!
Larry K, Sam and John G put up the two ramp railings.
Peter and John G put on a Then & Now show at Poets Seat Nursing Home.

October 2007
Members Day was rainy and quiet but the 40 members enjoyed another of Dane's fine meals. Thanks to all who helped!
Larry K delivered the new thirty-foot-long ramp railings with the help of a logging truck.
Sam moved a few more timbers from the old freight house dock.
Sam rebuilt the boom truck's fuel pump.
John G and Sam gave the boom truck a minor tune-up.
Nate and Sam painted trim for the corridor and restrooms.
John P and Sam scraped paint from caboose CV 4015, uncovering the CV4015 lettering on the west end.

September 2007
Ridership is still at an all-time high.
Peter and Nancy put on two showings of the Then and Now slide show.
Sam and Betsy made a display to go on the front of the Salmon Falls Artisans Showroom building at the west end of our demonstration ride.
The Special Meeting on Sept. 18 approved the revised bylaws, they have been posted on our organization page.
Sam and John G worked on the 1978 Ford F800 boom truck. Anyone want to adopt this truck and get it running smoothly?
Sam, John G, Nate and Bill T pulled some more of the posts from the old freighthouse platform and started cleaning up that area.
Nate, John B, John G, Peter L, Dave G, Sam, Bill T, Bill K and Stan removed, replaced, spiked and tamped 24 ties in the Main Track, with help from a mini-excavator, pneumatic tampers and lunch from Polly and Christopher's Grinders.
Sam moved the website to a new host.
Our new SFTM hats are in, in a new style.
Plans are underway for Members' Day.
Sam replaced the muffler on the boom truck, in preparation for a week of trackwork.
Marie painted more of the railings for the VC porch.

August 2007
Sam fixed the O-scale trolley display.
Dave got the summer Transfer in the mail.
We have two new tenants in the freight house, so now all our available space except about 100 sq ft is full. This gets us to our goal of having the buildings pay for themselves as the rent will cover the monthly mortgage payment.
Shirley, Sam and John P straightened out the paint room.
Shirley primed the new railings for the porch.
John P replaced interior sheathing behind the stove and fixed some windows and installed a heat shield, in the caboose.
Shirley scraped some of the cabinetry in the caboose.
John G arranged for a load of used but serviceable ties to be delivered.

July 2007
Ridership for the year-to-date is at an all-time record!
Sam and John G fixed the lawn mower and moved the "Trolleyfest" tables and chairs back to the church.
Sam and Peter fixed the Marshall Johnson bench in No. 10.
Sam and John G fixed the latch on the trackcar shanty.
Sam and Dave D worked up a draft revision of the bylaws for discussion at the next meeting.
Sam added an organizational information page to the website.

June 2007
Rowen worked on carpentry on the motorcar.
Trolleyfest 2007 was a great success, with the 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Militia Co. C Civil War reenactors adding an interesting exhibit and "battle". Thanks to them, and to all the volunteers who helped with displays and food. We fed 80 guests and carried 210 passengers, a Trolleyfest record (except for 1999).
Peter, Sam and John G are keeping on top of the grass mowing.
Polly and Sam put up railroad pictures in the new bathrooms.
Sam, Marie and Nate got more paint on the freighthouse, cream with maroon trim.
Sam, Harvey, Jay and Nate did some painting on the caboose, one side is now in its final red.
John P replaced some rotted window frames on the caboose.

May 2007
Larry K has delivered and installed another handrail for the "Pan Am Porch".
Sam updated the website with some links to new (?) photos.
Peter, Sam and John G are keeping on top of the grass mowing.
Dave G and John G inspected more ties and replaced one.
Most of our operating staff have completed their requalification for the season.
Sam fixed the boxcar door and put up some directional signs.
Students and staff of the Academy at Charlemont came for a morning of cleaning and grunt work. Thanks!
We opened for the season on Saturday 5, 2007.

April 2007
We had a great turnout for the April 28 training and safety session. Many ideas and much experience were exchanged between our trained trolley staff members.
Nancy started the gardening around the Visitors Center.
Dave D made railings for the Visitors Center porch.
The Franklin County Technical School plumbing class came back to install a pressure tank, now the toilets flush properly!
The pre-season began on a warm sunny Sunday 4/22 with a birthday party, we also sold three tickets.
Dave B, Sam, John G and Polly cleaned up and arranged displays in the VC.
Jim and John G took their trolley road tests (and passed, of course).
Dave B is sending out the new Transfer, mailed to all our members. (Click here to learn about being a member, click here to see some recent Transfer covers.)
Dave G is completing a new SFTM poster for display around town.
Sam un-blocked the yard entrance from Depot Street, still lots of plow-mess to clean up if anyone wants to do some raking.
Sam completed the maintenance and inspection of No. 10.
Polly and Nancy P cleaned and straightened the Visitors Center, ready for another year.
Dave G, Jake and John G inspected some ties and put in a gauge rod.
Polly removed the holiday lights from No. 10.
Sam has begun the maintenance and inspection of No. 10.
Dave G is working on PR releases and materials.
Larry W resigned from the Board. Thanks for your hard work on the board for many years!

March 2007
Sam applied for grants from ARS, Patrick/Murray Inauguration and TransCanada.

February 2007
The museum's annual meeting was held on Feb. 8 in the new Children's Art Museum. The members returned the past officers to office, and added Alden and Shirley to the board.
Larry K and Dave D put up one of the handrails on the "Pan Am" porch.

January 2007
Alden, John, John, Peter, Sam, Betsy, Karen and RuthAnn put in a very busy weekend at the ARS Big E Railroad Hobby Show.
Dave D cut and fitted trim and mop boards for the new restrooms and corridor.

December 2006
The driveway through the yard is closed for the winter. To get to the museum, go up Elm Street, we are just before the grade crossing.

November 2006
Moonlight Madness - Today a ridership record was set, for a single day and for the year, excepting the first year. We carried 2392 paying passengers in 2006, with 775 non-revenue (children and members). Today we carried 290 paying passengers and 89 non-revenues. It was really busy, the Salmon Falls Ticket Agent was hopping, the caboose was crowded and the trolley crew went non-stop for about 12 trips. Thanks to everyone who helped setup, cleanup and operate!
Atlantis has donated all the pipe and fittings for the handrails for the ramp and stairs.
Larry K has started the iron pipe handrails for the ramps and stairs for the CAM and VC front porch, as required by ADA and code.

October 2006
The plumbing is enclosed and heated, ready for winter.
Sam started building an enclosure under the Visitors Center to keep the new plumbing from freezing. Another task that will be noticed by almost no one!

Member's Day - Thanks to everyone who helped put on our first Member's Day dinner. Although the rain canceled pumpcar and motorcar rides and made for a pretty quiet day, the play and the dinner were well received. Margaret and Polly did a fine job of organizing the meal, Dane put on another fine feast, the new Art Museum worked out well (but maybe we need to limit it to 45 or so next year?) the thespians entertained us under Nancy's fine direction, and helpers too many to mention did the usual cooking, buying, setup, moving and clean up. I liked seeing No 10, lit up with marker glowing green and red, rolling off toward Salmon Falls with a well-fed load of passengers in the dark. My regret? Not getting more of Dane's Indian Pudding.

Alden has been added to the museum's Board of Directors.
Already, two wheelchair users have rolled up our new ramp and into the Visitors Center.

We got our temporary certificate of occupancy for the Children's Art Museum! Classes have started and the families are very appreciative of the space. Contact Tonya Lemos at 413-625-2030 for more information about the Children's Art Museum. Open houses will occur throughout November, with a special Moonlight Madness open house on Nov 24.

The plumbing is completed and inspected.
As of October 22 we have carried more paying riders than all of last year. Doesn't look like it will be a record year, but it will be one of our better years.
Sam cleared off a portion of the creamery platform that had had an old structure piled on it.
The FCTS plumbers have removed the old bathroom, good riddance!
30 yards of old siding, plumbing, sheetrock and rotten lumber have been loaded up by Sam and John G and hauled away.
Sam tore off the asphalt shingle siding on the east end of the freighthouse. The revealed clapboards are not in wonderful shape, but not as bad as some had feared. This year's Amherst Railway Society grant will be used in part to replace and repair those clapboards. We'll be looking for lots of painters next year!
The electrical work for the bathrooms and the CAM is complete and inspected.
Sam put up some new traffic control and directional signs.
The FCTS electricians have returned to finish up the work for the corridor, and to put another light in the Visitors Center.
We have hot water, thanks to the crews from FCTS!
Dave D, Polly, John G and Larry K ripped, cut, painted, screwed and assembled more side railing for the ramp.
John P and Larry K hung another set of steps on the caboose, getting it ready for Members Day.
The back landing (the "Pan Am Porch") and stairs are complete.
The corridor is taped, finished, sanded and awaiting paint.
John G and Sam started cutting and priming balusters and side boards for the ramp railings.
Pheobe and Henry cleaned up the Visitors Center after the week's construction.
The baseboards in the Children's Art Museum are in place and the floors have been polyurethaned by Gina and Tony.
The FCTS plumbing students have the new bathrooms in service, still need to connect the two utility sinks, one in the Children's Art Museum and one in the new "staff lunch room".
Nancy P got the front porch gardens ready for winter.
Nate and Sam finished installing the deck boards on the ramp.
The electricians have finished in the Children's Art Museum.

October 8 - We had a two-year ticket sales record, 110 tickets sold in one day. Compared to last year we are at 114% of ticket sales, and we are catching up to 2004, our best year.
The Tag Sale is setup again, peddling off the items that didn't sell last year.
The electrical work is (nearly) complete in the Children's Art Museum.
Emily and Sovahn washed No 10's windows.
The painting is completed in the Children's Art Museum. Thanks Gina!
John G and Jake fixed the mower, again.
The carpenters have built all but the railings for the back landing and stairs.
John P and Sam did more sheetrock work.
Nate and John G screwed down the deck on the access ramp.
Larry K is designing and building the handrails for the stairs and ramp.
Tom K and Sam put up the last of the sheetrock in the lunch room and corridor.

September 2006
Ridership for the year through September is 105% of last year, and only 30 riders short of a record.
Here are some images of the Children's Art Museum renovation.
Dave D and Sam have installed the stringers for the ramp.
John P has replaced both end platform decks on the caboose.
Nan painted a top coat on two freighthouse windows.
Dave D and Sam have built the structure for the landing for the barrier-free access entry for the museum and the Children's Art Museum.
The William's College Pre-School came for a charter visit and picnic. (Click here to learn about Chartering a trip on No. 10.)
Peter completed a grant application for Freighthouse renovation.
Dave G and Sam got some more sheetrock and insulation up in the corridor.
Carl and Kari took the pumpcar up to White River Jct for Glory Days of the Railroad.
The contractors have installed the sheetrock for the Children's Art Museum renovation.
The contractors have insulated the Children's Art Museum renovation and the restroom and corridor ceilings.
The Franklin County Technical School plumbing students have returned and are working on finishing up the bathrooms.
Emily and Sovahn washed No 10 as part of a home-schooling project.

August 2006
Dave D and Sam cleaned out under the Children's Art Museum so the floor can be insulated.
Dave D, Sam and John G moved the box trailer used for wood storage so that there will be room for the new second egress for the Children's Art Museum.
Dave B has put out the Summer 2006 Transfer, mailed to all our members. (Click here to learn about being a member, click here to see a pdf of the cover of the Summer 2006 Transfer.)
The contractors have finished the rough framing and rough wiring for the Children's Art Museum renovation. Six new windows really light up the new space.
Rugg Lumber has donated $200 worth of sheetrock and insulation to finish the partition.
Dave G and John G did some trimming and mowing.
Nan, Marie, Nate and Sam scraped and repainted (most of) the loading platform.
Polly got a new coat of orange on the pump car.
Dave D rebuilt parts of the loading platform.

Children's Art Museum to be new tenant at museum - We signed a five year lease with the Children's Art Museum. Opening in mid-October, this new tenant will be providing art classes of all types to pre-school, home -chool and after-school children. SFTM will renovate space in the warehouse section behind the Visitors Center, with access to the wheelchair ramp and barrier-free restrooms. Call Tonya Lemos at 413-625-2030 for more information.
Read above for details and pictures of the renovation in progress.

Sam and Austin Design have completed the plans for the Children's Art Museum renovation.

July 2006
John G got the riding mower rebuilt after it suffered a transmission failure.
Peter L got some time in the bucket truck as he put more paint on the west end and south side of the freight house.
Harvey and Sam moved the museum's stuff out of the area that will become the Children's Art Museum
Sam, John G, Nate and Jake have continued to dismantle portions of the freighthouse dock for reuse in the wheelchair ramp for the Visitors Center entrance renovation.
John P did extensive string trimming at the west end.
Marie and Jeannie got some more paint on the freight house.
Larry and Polly installed a new interpretive sign on Pole 6 regarding the Shelburne Falls Union Station.
Dave D and Sam moved the saws into the freight house for a new woodworking area.
John P has removed the masonite lining in the caboose cupola and stripped the old paint on the original ceiling boards.

June 2006
Trolleyfest got a reprieve from the predicted floods. The volunteers, too numerous to mention, got wet setting up, but the remainder of the day, including another great lunch by Chef Dane, stayed dry. Some of the tasks were; mowing and trimming, setting up the menu, buying food, arranging side dishes and dessert contributions, cutting brush along the South Track so the caboose could be moved, getting the trackmobile ready, cooking, serving, hauling and setting up grills and chairs and tables and taking them down and returning them again, clearing flangeways of seldom used tracks, setting up tents, setting up blacksmithing and agricultural (cider, butter making and weaving) demonstrations, dressing up Steam 10 (smudge fire, number plate, headlight), taking lunch reservations, getting the word out, crewing the caboose, selling tickets and shop items, crewing the pump car and trolley runs and cleaning everything up afterward. Thanks so much to everyone for another successful celebration of the restoration of No 10!
The Franklin County Technical School wiring class has wired the renovation and bathroom project, including EXIT and emergency lighting in the Visitors Center.
The Franklin County Technical School plumbing class didn't have time to finish the plumbing on the bathrooms, so the opening of our barrier-free bathrooms will have to wait until fall when school resumes.
Dave D, Phil, Bill T and Sam have finished some of the walls, the bathroom walls are all painted and the bathroom doors are up.
Dave D installed a sink cabinet in the new lunch room.
Jake and John G keep trying to stay ahead of the grass and weeds.
A press release by Dave G regarding our expansion plans got coverage in several local papers.
In early June, ridership hit an all-time year-to-date record!
Sam started cutting brush along the North driveway.

May 2006
The Franklin County Tech School has plumbed up the bathrooms and utility sink and water heater, and received approval from the plumbing inspector.
Nancy P and Polly have overhauled the garden in front of the Visitors Center.
Dave B has put out the spring 2006 Transfer, mailed to all our members. (Click here to learn about being a member, click here to see a pdf of the cover of the Transfer.)
Bill, Dave D and Sam have all the sheet rock up needed for the bathrooms to be used.
The Franklin County Tech School plumbing class has run supply and waste piping under the building to the new bathrooms.
The Franklin County Tech School wiring class has hooked up the outlets and lights for the corridor and bathrooms.
Jake, Sam and John G got the mower working, we'd love to have someone take over lawn care for the yard, we provide the equipment and gas, you just have to carefully ride around.
We have a flashy new color rack card to replace our old brochure. (Click here for a medium resolution pdf, the hard copy has a more readable map which can be seen here.) This has two nice color pictures of the trolley and the pump car, with a Bridge of Flowers watermark. Museums and other locations that would like to distribute these please contact us. If you would like one for your collection, please send a SASE.
Nate and Sam made some room in the car barn for the mower, and started moving saws to a new workspace in the freight house.
We started our seventh season on May 6. Weather and ridership was much better than last year's opening.
Channel 22 did a piece on gas prices including an interview with Sam and some footage of the trolley ride.

Late April 2006
Sam and Christian cleared some brush along the north property line.
Polly and Nancy P got the flower garden started.
Dave B, Dave D, Sam, Phil and Bill T put up blocking, 'mud', tape and sheetrock in the bathrooms.
Dave G is working on a new COLOR rack card to replace our monochrome tri-fold brochure.
We hosted a birthday party (picture).
Polly, Dave and Betsy got the Visitors Center ready for the season.
Sam inspected No 10 and gave her a trial run. Car and track are fine!
Dave G, Sam, John G, Phil and Jake finished the three rail replacement at switch 2.

Early April 2006
The rough inspections have all been signed off by the building inspector. Clean up and preparation for the May 6 opening has begun. Dave D and Sam have started replacing three rails in the main track east of switch 2. Dave D and John G replaced two ties near switch 2. Sam upgraded and updated the web site. All operators should take their written tests and schedule their hands-on training.
March 2006
The bathroom walls are mostly in place. Franklin County Tech School electrical class has started wiring the corridor and bathrooms.
February 2006
The bathroom walls continue to arise out of a pile of 2x4s and sheetrock. The Franklin County Tech School plumbing class has been installing new pipes and fixtures in and under the building.
At the Annual Meeting, David G was added to the board of directors. Grace Johnson, wife of No. 10 donor Marshall Johnson, was guest of honor. Thanks to Margaret for putting on a great evening.

January 2006
Dave D, Dave B, John G, Nate and Sam have been putting up walls for the new bathrooms. The framing for the two-hour fire separation wall is up.
John B, Ian, Polly, Dave B, John G, Alden and Betsy, with help from unscheduled others, put on a great display at the Amherst Railway Society Big Hobby Train Show.
Margaret is planning for the Annual Meeting February 16th.
The nominating committee at the Annual Meeting will nominate for re-election, Peter Johnson, Sam Bartlett, Dane Donato and Dave Dye. Dave Goff is nominated to fill a vacant position. Sam Bartlett and Dave Dye will be nominated for President and Vice-President.
The Winter Transfer went out to all our members, contact us if you didn't get yours.

December 2005
The volunteer warehouse roofing crew has nearly finished, leaving a few bits of trim on the east end.
Dave D and Sam have started laying out the walls for the new bathrooms in the warehouse.

November 2005
Moonlight Madness was a hit, as usual. A few inches of fresh wet snow nearly had us stranded in the carbarn, but some quick shoveling cleared that up. We had cider, a stove and crafts in the caboose (all lit up for the village to see) and the illuminated trolley shuttling back and forth as fast as the crew could turn her. Thanks to everyone who helped with operations, putting up lights, taking down lights, and shoveling snow from the tracks.
Dave B, Larry, Nate, Tom, Polly, Jim, Marie, John G, Steve, Paul, Kim, Jeannie and Sam have been putting new white metal roofing on the warehouse. The old roll roofing was failing and starting to leak in the winter. This step is essential to improving the interior space.
Sam cleared out space for a new storage tenant in the warehouse (former Agway) building.
Sam and Austin Designs have finalized the plans for the new bathrooms, Tom K has agreed to provide construction supervision.
Another regular season has come to a close. 2005 had only 76% of the riders that 2004 (a record year) had. This is a trend seen throughout the historical museum field, and in tourism in general.
Two school field trips in early November had many enthusiastic kids learning about simple machines, using the pump car as a 'learning vehicle'.
Marie and gang put on a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch for twenty volunteers and their families, at which Polly was awarded her 2005 Volunteer of the Year SFTM T-shirt, with "Pump Car Polly" on the back.

October 2005
Dave D and Sam sanded and polyurethaned the floor in the area for the new bathrooms. The bathrooms will be built on the coated floor, which will then get another coat or two to cover up the damage from the construction. This was deemed easier than sanding the floors after the bathrooms and fixtures were in place.
Larry and John G have installed two interpretive signs, one on the caboose and one on Steam 10.
Dave D acquired and planed some boards to replace siding on the west end of the freight house, and rebuilt the undersiding in that area as well.
Our October Board Meeting voted Polly B ("Pumpcar Polly") as Volunteer of the Year, in honor of her enthusiasm for the museum in general and for operating the pump car in particular, and for supporting Dave B in the Visitors Center, who has had to work nearly every shift due to shortage of staff.
Dave G, Sam and Dave B moved, cleaned out and sorted items from the Agway building, making room for the new bathroom project.
Two birthday parties brought in families of four-year-olds from all over the state and beyond to enjoy a private space and as many trolley rides as they wanted.

September 2005
Here is a view of the freight house after some of September's work, especially Mike K's painting.
Marie, Sam, Nan B and Nan F did more freight house painting.
Polly, Nan F, Sam and Rodger rebuilt, painted and installed windows in the freight house.
Marie primed some more trim boards for the freight house.
Polly and Sam did some string trimming.
Mike and Sam repaired the rider mower.
Sam got the string trimmer running again, it is now in the track car shanty if anyone wants to do some trimming.
Trolleyfest required a lot of set-up, delivery and tear-down. Here are some of the tasks that were covered, I've not listed names, you know who you are:
* Running No 10.
* Sweeping No 10, porch steps (many times), VC
* cleaning bathroom
* buying apples, cleaning apples, making cider, hauling cider press, washing same
* buying bread and cream, making butter, cleaning afterwards
* planning, marinading, prepping and cooking chicken and ribs, cleaning grill,
* loading and hauling grill,
* making salads and desserts
* setting up tag sale, displaying and pricing and donating items
* moving a dozen tables and 40 chairs, twice in one day, up and down stairs
* clearing out space in freight house
* repairing, reglazing and replacing two gable freight house windows (who noticed?)
* opening a freight house door that had been closed for decades
* giving pump car rides
* mowing and trimming
* cleaning flangeways
* giving buggy rides
* dressing up Steam 10 with headlight, smoke and number plate
* setting up, giving and taking down slide show
* cleaning utensils and trays for meal
* making and putting up signs and sending out PR
* taking pictures
* selling tickets and shop items and meal tickets, keeping track of income
* figuring out set-up space for everything in face of inclement weather
* arranging crew for operations

August 2005
Dave G did some string trimming.
John G is back from by-pass surgery.
Mike has painted both colors on the Freight House south side, and is getting the west end ready for paint. In between strokes he has been running the trolley for 'chance' visitors.
Dave D replaced an odd diagonal rafter on the Freight House that was put on at some time in the past when the two parking lot roof corners were trimmed off. Getting ready for trim and roof slate replacement.
Dave D and Sam replaced the westmost rafter on the freight house with a beam donated by Colrain Tree Service.
Dave D crafted a replacement beam for one of the diagonal roof corners.
Members Day was great! We fed over 60 people and had lots of caboose rides and pumpcar time trials and saw folks we hadn't seen for a while. Thanks to everyone who moved tables, cooked (before and during), served, gave rides, sold stuff, etc.
Dave G cleared the House Track crossing flangeways in preparation for Members Day.

July 2005
Dave D planed boards for the trim on the freight house eaves.
Marie and Jeannie and Sam started priming the trim boards.
Sam set up a paint shop in the west end of the freight house.
Dave D replaced some weak planks in the freight house dock.
Mike K did more freight house scraping and painting, the final red has been chosen from the various shades tested.
John G made a step box for the pump car, painted by Marie.
Sam adjusted and lubed the pump car.
Sam stripped off old hardware from the freight house to make it ready for scraping and painting.
Sam repaired and tuned up the auxiliary engine on the bucket truck.
John G , Jake, Dave D, Nate, Sam and Polly did more mowing and weed whacking.

June 2005
The summer months are so busy it is hard to make daily entries. Here are some of the on-going activities and accomplishments.
The office painting was finished by Mike K.
The entrance sign's post were replaced by Dave D and Sam.
More paint is going on the freight house.
The 'Kendall Box', a 40 foot trailer, had it's wheels removed and was lowered into place by Dave D, John G and Sam.
Sam sorted lumber and made racks for the lumber in the Kendall Box, which is now our lumber storage container.
Mike K and Sam have been researching roof options for the warehouse.
More mowing and weed whacking by John G, Dave G, Clarence and Jake.
Sam installed a railroad crossing approach sign on Depot Street.

May 28 2005
Mike K, Peter and John G got the first coat of paint on the office.
We sold 37 tickets today, a record for the year. Due to the wet weekends we are at about 58% of last year's ticket sales.

May 21 2005
Dave G helped Jake and John G with some weed whacking.

May 13 2005
Sam and John G finished planking the crossing.

May 10 2005
John G, Sam and Dave G did more tamping and planking at Pole 6&7. Crossing is now 32 feet wide and open to traffic.
Buckland Board of Selectmen suggested that our next step in exploring extending tracks down Depot Street would be to put together a plan of what we want to do, take it to the Public Safety Committee and a public hearing, and see what the response is.
Buckland Board of Selectmen approved allowing the museum to install grade crossing signs at the top of Depot Street.
More brush clearing along Depot Street.

May 7 and 8 2005
Opening weekend, good turn out considering the lousy weather.

May 5 2005
Dave D started clearing brush along Depot Street.
Sam and John G did more trackwork.

May 3 2005
Students from the Academy at Charlemont came for a morning of washing, dusting and polishing No 10, fixing gardens, clearing flangeways, emptying the office for painting, painting switch stands and cleaning up the car barn. Thanks to them all for their effort on their Community Cleanup Day.
Peter continued getting the visitors Center ready for opening on May 7.

May 1 2005
Alden and Jim did some pre-season runs with No 10.
John G and Jake did more track work.

April 30 2005
Margaret F provided lunch for Peter, Dave B, Larry, Polly, John G, Margaret E and Bill who put displays back together, put pictures on the newly-painted walls and generally got the Visitors Center ready for 2005.

April 26 2005
Sam, John G, Phil Jake and Dave G tamped up more ties, the mud slowed things a bit. Then they found, cut, drilled and installed some of the crossing planks.

April 24 2005
Jake and John G made ramps to get the pump car in and out of the track car shanty.
Sam and Jake inspected and adjusted the overhead trolley wire making good use of the bucket truck.
Sam finished inspecting and lubing No. 10.
Sam, Jake and John G lubed, inspected and tightened the pump car.
Mike finished painting the Visitors Center.

April 22 2005
John G, Ian, Nate and Steve shoveled gravel while Sam and John B used our air tampers to tamp up half the ties. Pete arrived with W.R. Hillman's loader to clean up the old fill and distribute the new gravel that Hillman's donated.

April 20 2005
Mike got most of the second coat on the Visitors Center.

April 19 2005
Sam, John G, Phil and Jake spiked the rest of the ties, bolted the joints together, lined and leveled the track and shoveled gravel. Sam did most of the inspection and maintenance work on No. 10.

April 17 2005
Mike, Nancy, Polly and Margaret E got the first coat of primer on the inside Visitors Center walls.
Dave G and John G lowered some ties and lined and spiked the south rail.

April 15 2005
Phil, Jim, Sam, Jake, John G, Dave D, John B and Nate cleaned plates, placed plates, drove spikes, placed the south rail and bolted joints together.
Dave B did a preliminary survey for placement of line poles for the House Track and Depot Street extensions.
Dave D dug holes for replacing the posts on the entrance sign.

April 13 2005
Dave G and John G cleaned ties and placed tie plates, ready for spiking.
Sam did maintenance on the bucket truck.

April 11, 2005
Dave D and Sam did one pass sanding the floor for the new bathroom area.
Sam turned on the plumbing.

April 9&10 2005
John G, Dave D and Jake leveled the ties in the trackwork project, filled the cribs and dragged one rail in to place.
Mike K dug out the flangeways in front of the barn.
Peter, Dave G and Jake finished stripping the Visitors Center in preparation for a new coat of paint.

April 7 2005
Today's Maintenance-of-Way gang of John G, Sam, Dave G, Mike, John B, Ian, Nate and Jake made great progress on the trackwork project between poles 6 and 7. With a huge assist from W.R.Hillman Sons' backhoe and their operator Peter, we opened up the track, pulled what few spikes were left, dragged out the rails, scooped out the rotted ties, scraped down the roadbed and placed new (used) ties. This was much more progress than I had hoped to get out of one day, thanks to a capable crew and a backhoe.
Peter, Ian, Nate and Jake started stripping the Visitors Center in preparation for a new coat of paint.

April 6 2005
John G and Jake moved some timbers over for covering the tracks after the track project at poles 6 and 7 is complete . They also stripped a roller frame to use the channels for ramps to the new trackcar shanty.

April 4 2005
Sam and Peter and John G cleared out space in the Agway building for a new tenant.
Mike transported part of a donated model railroad from Reading MA.
Sam, Peter, John and Jake started the process of replacing the ties between poles 6 and 7. Joints were unbolted, spikes pulled, rails measured, replacement rails selected and moved into place.

April 1 2005
Dave G and John G removed dirt from four rails near switch 2 that need to be replaced.

February 8 2005
Annual Meeting was held at Mohawk Park, about 25 attendees had a nice dinner, heard some comments and elected Dave B, Mike, Betsy and Harvey as Directors, and Sam as President and Dave D as VP. Thanks to Margaret for setting everything up.

February 4 2005
Sam and John G replaced the rail on one of the freight house sliding doors.

February 3 2005
Sam and Dave D start preparing the floor surface for the new bathrooms.

January 29 & 30 2005
Big E Railroad Hobby Show, thanks to Peter, Dave, John G, John B, Polly, Alden, Mike, Betsy, Amherst Railway Society and everyone else who helped us get the word out about the museum.

January 2005
Design work on the new bathrooms continues.

December 24 2004
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has awarded us a $3,800 grant to help with our barrier-free bathrooms and barrier-free access to the Visitors Center!

December 10 2004
Sam met with the Tech School plumbing class, there seem to be no problems with the plumbing plan and the school will be able to do the work, if we can keep ahead of them.
Sam and John took down more shelving and organized some of the stuff stored in the back of the Agway to make more room for building the bathrooms.

December 9 2004
Dave D and Sam finished replacing missing slates on the south side of the freight house. They also laid out the walls for the new bathrooms.

November 26 2004
Nate, Betsy, Sam, Marie, Jeannie, Dane, John B, Dave B, Nancy, Polly, Peter, Jim and Alden ran the trolley and staffed the Visitors Center and caboose while over 230 passengers rode on the lighted trolley at night, or warmed themselves by the caboose stove.

November 22-24 2004
Sam, John G and Dave D put lights on the trolley and caboose and moved the caboose to Salmon Falls in preparation for Moonlight Madness. Peter decorated the Visitors Center.

November 15 2004
Dave D, John G and Sam took down the closet and several shelves in the back of the Agway building, both to make room and to salvage some materials for the new bathrooms which, we hope, will be built this winter. If you want to do some carpentry or sheetrocking, let me know.

November 13 2004
Sam and John helped Monty move the 'Kendall box'. The Kendall box is the old 40-foot-long trailer that used to sit near the freighthouse. Monty loosened up the brakes, managed to get his tractor under the fifth-wheel, and pulled it over behind the carbarn. Eventually we will move it parallel to the Agway building and drop it to the ground to use it for lumber and old trolley car parts storage. Both it and the trackcar shanty will need painting in the spring, in case you've been looking for something rewarding to do!

November 7 2004
We had our Volunteer Appreciation Lunch, honoring all our volunteers, and especially Betsy, our Volunteer of the Year. Thanks to Peter for setting up the lunch.

October 25 2004
Sam and Dave D finished reslating the north side of the freight house.

October 20 2004
John G, Jake and Dave G started demolishing the extraneous section of freight dock, and used some of the timbers to get the 'banana box' off of the creamery platform and down onto the tracks. The banana box is the old 18-foot-long fruit truck box that was donated when we bought the property. Then they pulled the box down the tracks to the end of the house track, to make a new trackcar shanty.

October 18 2004
Sam and Dave D redecked the freight house where the gable over the east door was removed. John G and Dave G unloaded the boom truck and salvaged some timbers for the work under the Agway building.

October 16 2004
Mike and Mike Jr. got the boom truck's brakes working. Mike has primed and scrapped 2/3 of the south side of the freight house.

October 9 2004
Mike has continued his scraping and priming of the freight house. Let me know if you'd like to help him! Mike and Mike Jr have made progress on the boom truck's brakes.

September and October weekends 2004
The foliage is in full swing, many of the days have been beautiful, and ridership is hitting its peak. Some days the trolley barely gets to rest.

September 28-29 2004
We hosted the Hallmark School of Photography field trip to Shelburne Falls. The parking lot was full both days, and the trolley worked as both a shuttle and as a photo prop. Lots of interesting angles and setups all over the museum and the village. More freight house roofing by Sam and Dave D.

September 24 2004
Rowe School K-2 class visited, and had a great time. Everyone enjoyed the trolley, the toy trains and the pump car.

September 20 2004
Great press coverage in West County News and Union News regarding Trolleyfest. Dave D cleaned up the caboose shed some more and continued his progress on the freight house roof. The roofing effort has moved to the east end, where a gable will be removed, the hole resheathed and slated over.

September 19 2004
A wonderful Trolleyfest, great food, great displays, enthusiastic volunteers and visitors. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

September 18 2004
Due to hurricane remnants, we had no paying passengers today. We did qualify a new trolley car motor'man', welcome aboard Jennifer. Everything is in place for Trolleyfest, which promises to be great weather-wise.

September 15 2004
Dane, our Trolleyfest chef, was in a bad car accident. Volunteers have rushed in to fill the gap, so there will still be a Trolleyfest BBQ, but the menu is uncertain.

September 8&13 2004
Dave D and Sam reslated the big hole in the freight house roof.

September 4&5 2004
Sam cleaned out the banana box in preparation for moving it.
John G and Sam cleaned up the car barn, organizing the track tools a bit.
Dave B and Sam located many of the surveyed corners of the property.

September 1 2004
The museum is no longer open on weekdays, but John G hauled a dozen passengers and sold several tee shirts.
Dave D and Sam removed and reslated several courses below the freight house roof leak.
Monty came by to see what needed to be done to move the Kendall box to the back of the carbarn.

August 31 2004
Dave G, John G and Jake moved No 10 over on to the house track with the trackmobile, to make measurements of the car's door vs the dock height. Turns out the dock is about 5 inches lower, which is the wrong direction to have it off by.

August 30 2004
Dave D and Sam cleaned nails from many sheets of plywood left over from the caboose shed roof.
Jake and John G are staying ahead of the grass.

August 28 2004
Sam started excavating under the Agway, in preparation for the plumbing crawl space construction.
Sam and John G adjusted a pair of caboose journals.

August 25 2004
Sam jacked up the 'banana box' in preparation for moving it to the end of the house track.

August 23 2004
Dave D glazed a window in the freight house.
Dave D and Sam moved one ton of scrap lumber into the dumpster, mostly from the roof of the shed that once covered the caboose.
Dave D and Sam cut and repunched 50 slates from the donations from Dave B.
Dave G, Jake, Ian, (little) Nate B and Sam removed two rails from the end of the House Track in preparation for putting the 'banana box' there as a car house.

August 21 2004
Sam anchored the Marshall Johnson bench to Car No. 10.

August 19 2004
Over ninety campers from Longmeadow got trolley rides and learned a bit more about transportation history today on a charter that kept Tom, Sam, Polly, Dave and Jennifer busy.
Mike, Jake and John G changed more timbers in switch #3.
Further exploration and planning on the new plumbing for the Agway by Sam and the town WW department.
Sam finished painting and glazing two window sash in the freight house.

August 16 2004
Jake and John G removed, oiled and cleaned up several 'steel ties' or gauge rods, used to keep the track in gauge when the ties are too tired to do their job. Thanks to the new ties in switch #3, the gauge rods aren't needed there so they are being saved for the eventual loop track or other locations.
Dave D prepared a section of freight house siding for painting.
Sam and Dave D worked on the freight house roof.

August 2 2004
A new tenant moved into a part of the west end of the freight house. The Board is working on new leases for the tenants.

August 1, 2004
Members Day! A well attended event, with lots of trolley, pump car and caboose rides and plenty of good food. The Marshall Johnson memorial bench and plaque were unveiled and placed in the trolley. A presentation thanking the yard acquisition donors and celebrating the purchase of the yard was held, with a toast with West County Winery wine. Thanks to all the Members Day help moving tables, setting up and cleaning up food, cooking, cleaning and car crews!

July 29 2004
Polly and Sam prepared the west end of the freight house for Member's Day, in case the weather dictates eating indoors. Cleaning windows, sectioning off a tenant's space and sweeping were the major tasks.
Jake and John G cleaned up around the carbarn.

July 28, 2004
Mike and Sam put a temporary patch in the freight house slate roof.

July 27 2004
Dave G, Sam and John G moved the caboose over to the House Track in preparation for Members Day caboose rides. Not a smooth operation, but successfully and safely completed.

July 20 2004
Dave G, John G, Jake and Pete put more ties in switch #3.

July 16 2004
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Inc. owns the freight yard! We closed on the deal today. This freight yard was built in 1867 when the railroad was built to Shelburne Falls on its way to the Hoosac Tunnel. Until the 1980's it served the surrounding towns, providing grain, milk processing, carload and less-than-carload freight, shipments of farm products including animals, passengers, mail and express service (the station is gone), and coal and oil sales and storage. It served various incarnations of the Troy & Greenfield RR, Fitchburg RR, Boston & Maine, and Guilford Rail Systems, as well as a branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford RR Co, and of course it was one terminus of the Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway Co.
We now own most of the tracks we operate over (Buckland owns the west end of the yard), as well as the rest of the tracks in the yard. We also own three buildings; the ca. 1930's grain store (the "Agway") that currently houses our Visitors Center and also has 3000 sq ft of currently unoccupied space, the 1867 freight house which currently has two tenants and about 1500 sq ft of space that will become our new Visitors Center, and a small grain building currently rented out for storage. What a relief to have this finally over! Thanks to everyone who helped with donations, encouragement and planning. No time to sit and rest, though, we need to fix up the buildings and rent out that empty space.
Norm also donated the ca. 1950 B&M boxcar and two trailer bodies. We already use the boxcar and will use the two trailer bodies for storage, one as a temporary section house for our pump car.

July 15 2004
Mike has tried two colors on the freight house to see if they match the classic cream and maroon of B&M stations and freight houses. The cream looks nice, the 'maroon' looks too light, but it is nice to see a bit of color on that building!

July 13 2004
Mike donated a lawn tractor, and Jake has been busy keeping the grass short. Looks nice! Thanks, Mike!

July 12 2004
Norm and his crew are cleaning his stuff out of the two trailers and the freight house in preparation for the purchase.

July 4 2004
We used the pump car as our float in the Fourth of July Parade again this year. Thanks to John G, Brian, Nate Boyd and Ian.
Sam uncovered the windows to the Agway 'back room', it really makes it a much more appealing space. Sam, Jake, John G and Nate Boyd did more brush and grass control.
Still waiting to hear back from Session's lawyer on some minor details on the proposed P&S.

June 27 2004
Over 40 paying riders today, good for this time of year. Lots of pump car rides!
Dave G changed a few more ties on the South Track.

June 26 2004
Only five paying riders today.

June 25 2004
Dave G and Jake moved the flat car loaded with ties to the South Track.

June 23 2004
Dave D has put up some new siding on the front of the Agway building, adding to the improvements that the new paint has made.
Sam cleared more brush and did vista pruning at Salmon Falls.
Jake and John G are keeping ahead of the grass with the mower and string trimmer.

June 21 2004
We had a charter today, the Roaming Red Hatters.
Dave D rebuilt a bench, destined to be dedicated in honor of Marshall Johnson.

June 16 2004
Dave G and John G put a switch timber into Switch 2. Dave Dye is working on the siding for the Visitors Center, over the porch. Sam put up two new directional signs that Peter had made. Sam cleaned up the Singley property brush cutting project.

June 15 2004
John G accepted a load of 76 used ties, they need to have spikes and plates removed. All but about three are suitable for our purposes in fixing up our tracks. John G, John B, Sam, Jake and Pete have removed the spikes and plates and loaded the ties onto the flat car.

June 11 2004
Our lawyer has gone over the Purchase and Sale agreement and will make some corrections and send it back. Getting closer!

June 9 2004
John G, Dave G, Sam and Nate cleared and extended a drain near the loading platform to help reduce puddling during heavy rain.
John G, Dave G, Sam and Nate inspected switch timbers in #2 switch and marked several for removal. One tie was changed, one timber removed. Wednesday afternoons will be a regular track work session throughout the summer, contact John G for specific details.

June 7 2004
Our lawyer has a proposed Purchase and Sale agreement from Session's lawyer. It will be a few days before he can go over it, but we are one step closer to owning the yard! The Transfer is nearly complete, it is just waiting for final news on the yard purchase.
The Events page has been updated with Members Day and Trolleyfest details. Please note that Members Day, which had been scheduled for Aug. 8 has been moved to Aug. 1.
The official Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum caps are in! These look great, trolley yellow with our logo on them. Thanks to Mike K for his efforts on these. The TrolleyShop museum store also has the David C. Bartlett Central Vermont Steam slides CD for $19.95.

May 31 2004
Record ticket sales for the season today. John G and Jake have been trying to stay ahead of the grass. Dave Dye has been taking apart the old roof pieces that used to cover the caboose in Amherst. Anyone need some plywood laminated arches?

May 26 2004
Sam, Mike, John G, Jake, Dave G, Pete F tamped up the headblocks for switch 1 so it throws better and changed 4 switch timbers in switch 4. Sam and John G put up a new US flag on the carbarn. Mike, Sam and John G cleaned out some of the less-needed track tools, moving them to the box car.

May 25 2004
Peter and Sam presented "Then and Now", our slide show of historical and contemporary scenes, to the Colrain fourth graders.

May 21 2004
Uploaded a new page devoted to the Safety Train, Train Safe 2004, etc.

May 20 2004
Dave G, John G, Jake and Sam moved the caboose back to its usual location on the South Track. Dave G, John G, Jake mowed, trimmed and cleaned up some more, in preparation for the Flea Market Grand Opening. Mike refinished the glass covered bulletin board that Larry had tightened up, it is now up and repopulated with maps, brochures, etc. Sam and Mike worked on cleaning up/out the carbarn a bit.

May 19 2004
The LEPC held their haz mat incident simulation this evening, with the VC used for the Dispatch Center and a junk car set near the train to simulate a car hitting a tank car and creating a leak. Then GRS 518 came and took the safety train away at 2230.

May 17 2004
Margaret, Hank, Polly, Dave, Nate and Sam made quick work of taking down the tents and folding the tables and chairs. Sam got the Visitor's Center quickly converted to a classroom after a last minute change of plans for the Monday Train Safe class.

May 16 2004
Sam, Nate, John and Jake got everything ready for the expo.
The Public Safety Expo drew about 120 visitors, and Dane and staff fed over 50 hungry, happy people.
The pump car, with a barbershop quartet on board, entered the Buckland 225th parade on Brian's truck.
Sam and crew cleaned up after the expo. Thanks to everyone who helped, we got many compliments on our venue as a place to host such an event.

May 15 2004
The two storage trailers that have been plaguing the middle of the property were removed this morning! Thanks, Pete.
The Train Safe 2004 classes and meal went off smoothly, Dane's BBQ was appreciated as always.

May 14 2004
The Safety Train arrived today about 1100. It fits quite nicely on the South Track.
Preparations continued for the Expo Sunday, everything from setting out trash barrels to torching off exposed re-bar pieces near the tents.
Thanks to Dave Shearer of Pine Hill Orchards in Colrain for a donation of plants for the front garden.

May 13 2004
Sam, Mike, Dave B, Dave D, Tony, John G, Peter and Jake set up tents, cut brush, mowed, moved gravel and made other preparations for the Public Safety Expo.
The Safety Train started its trip from W Springfield CSX to SFTM today.

May 12 2004
Mike has painted the front of the VC and the porch, looks great.
Mike has painted the loading platform gray parts.
Larry has rebuilt the display case for the front wall outside, needs painting.
Sam submitted a 6 page grant application to NRHS.

May 8&9 2004
Mother's Day weekend was quiet.
Dave D and John G have finished rebuilding the VC porch, with consideration for wheelchair access.

May 4 2004
Dave D and John G did some more porch repair.
The trackmobile runs again! Dave G and crew got the leaks all repaired, new parts, runs like a dream.
Jake has started mowing the grass, it is growing fast now!
John G and crew have been filling more potholes.
John G will have a community service worker helping him for afternoons the next few weeks.
Sam added a Flea Market page, added the Flea Market Grand Opening May 22 to the events page, and a few other tweaks to the web site.

May 4 2004 Academy At Charlemont Clean Up Day.
As part of their commitment to their community, ten students and two teachers volunteered today to help clean up the museum. In a few hours they made No. 10 sparkle inside and out (and underneath), cut up tickets, swept the VC and caboose, washed caboose windows, cleaned out some flange ways, cut brush, fixed up the car barn and cleaned up trash on the grounds. Then they got trolley rides, pump car rides, and few folks tried their hand at running the trolley. Great kids! Thanks, Academy!

May 1&2 2004
Several more crew qualified this weekend
John G is filling in potholes in the parking lot and driveway.
John B held a blacksmithing class on the property.
Paul delivered a phone box for a radio at Salmon Falls.
Opening Day! About 12 paying passengers, kind of quiet but smooth.

April 2004
Everything seems in order for Opening Day.
Many crew members have requalified, and Mike has qualified.
We still expect to be finalizing the purchase of the yard "soon".
Tee shirts and other stock have arrived and are on the shelves.
Sam updated the web site.
Sam fixed two radios and improved the battery situation with a donation from Radio Shack.
Peter, Sam and Dave B have updated the brochures, signs and tickets.
Mike delivered some donated ramps and a wheelchair lift.
Dave D and John G are repairing the porch with wood from the Johnson's barn.
Mike is repainting the front of the Visitors Center.
Sam is re-organizing the office and ticket counter space.
John G, Dave G and Jake are replacing ties in the south track and working on switch #3.
Sam, Nate, John G and Dave D are clearing trees along the bank below the Salmon Falls stop.
Doug, Peter and John G washed and waxed the VC floor.
Sam, Jake and Peter mounted a display at the Bank of Western Mass of period photos of the trolley era.
Sam cleaned out the east end of the freight house, we have a paying tenant in there now!
Mike re-coated the floors of No. 10.
Dave D repaired the loading platform.

March 8, 2004. Marshall Johnson died today. He was born on December 16, 1915. Marshall's father saved No. 10 from the scrappers, and Marshall donated it car to the museum. Here is a picture of him, he is to the left of his wife Grace.

March 2004
Sam performed the electrical and mechanical inspection and maintenance on No. 10.
We still expect to be finalizing the purchase of the yard "soon".

February 2004
We had our Annual Meeting at Stillwater's reelecting the usual cast of characters, and electing two new directors to the board.
We had our usual booth at the Amherst Railway Society Big E Railroad Hobby Show.
We expect to be finalizing the purchase of the yard "soon".

Web newsletters from earlier than 2004.

Trolley Car No.10 is back ... On track!

Go to Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Homepage

14 Depot Street Shelburne Falls MA 01370 413-625-9443 trolley@sftm.org