I spent most of the warmer months this year working on 1:1 scale trains as a volunteer at Greenfield Village. With three operating steam locomotives, an 1897 Baldwin 4-4-0, an 1873 Mason 0-6-4T and a rebuilt (from an 1860's Manchester 0-4-0 tender locomotive) 4-4-0 from 1932, there was no shortage of tasks to take on all summer. The Baldwin operated for the first time since the late 1920's this past July and was placed into regular service pulling passengers on the railroad.
Me in the fireman's seat on one of the several day I spent with the locomotive crew on weekends learning how to fire.
My first several weekends working on operating days were spent with our small 4-4-0 "Edison". While Thomas the Tank engine, from Strasburg, pulled our weekend trains at the Day out with Thomas events, I spent the weekends preparing "Edison" for her week days of operations by doing any necessary clean up tasks on Saturday, and spending Sunday's lighting a fire and bringing her up to pressure.
This winter I believe there are several projects going on such as a new coaling tower which (last I heard) was scheduled to be assembled in January and put into service next summer, a new tender tank for our Mason, the usual maintenance lists all three locomotives have, and I've been assigned the task of doing some paint work on our Mason and the small 1932 4-4-0 so they look presentable next year next to their beauty queen sister, D&LN 4-4-0 #7.
