With the museum’s opening in only 3 weeks we are getting ready for the 2011 Season. This weekend our pair of Long Island Rail Road M-1 cars were cleaned out with many thanks to Joe Saullo! Joe spent a few hours on Saturday cleaning every seat in the two cars, making them look nice and brand new, the best they have looked since they came to the museum.
The World’s Fair train is almost ready for the season as well. After getting the observation car back in service last weekend, Locomotive 701 received it’s annual care. For the first time since last fall Engine 701 was started, running laps around the railroad. A freshly charged battery was returned to the locomotive after a winter of storage. The locomotive also received a heavy inspection of all parts, with an oil change and much needed lubrication. It was a wonderful thing to hear the horn of Engine 701 sound again in Riverhead. The track dept was also hard at work this weekend cleaning winter debris, leaves and brush from the right of way, to help the appearance of the line. A cross buck that had fallen down over the winter was also reinstalled with fresh wood, helping it stand high. Next weekend the engine will he hooked up to the cars for brake inspections, with brake testing on the observation car. Track clean up will also continue. Thanks to Steve Sucic, Greg Kruszeski, Anthony DeBellis, Don Fisher, John Thompson, Joe Saullo and Rich Gorddard.
Dennis Harrington also was doing some track work on the Garden Railroad that we have next to the World’s Fair Train Platform so those trains will be able to run as well with no problem when we open.
Progress also continues on the historic LIONEL layout, with the addition of more buildings, scenery and accessories. The main station is currently being installed while final adjustments are being made along the layout. A sign of completion, freight cars and locomotives are on the tracks of the layout. New carpeting for the room will also be going down in a few weeks.
Next weekend the museum will also be hosting its 5th annual education forum, “AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD” A slide show and discussion by Mr. Robert C. Sturm, a noted historian of railroads on Long Island and co-author of the book: The New York Connecting Railroad – Long Island’s Other Railroad. The event will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 1:30 PM at the Suffolk County Historical Society Education Hall, 300 West Main Street, Riverhead, NY.
