Construction

Nov 16: Excavator installing the drain pipe. We moved the track closest to the excavator about a month ago so it would not get damaged when this work was going on.

Nov 16:  View looking east along the drain pipe. Note the excavator is bringing another pipe section to be installed. The stones to the right of the orange roll are stones from the block wall that was in this area.

Coming up the road about 10 AM.

Brady Kress, Dayton History CEO, (red jacket), watching progress.

Just made a 90 degree turn and needed some more branches cut away. Truck on right used for tree trimmer to gain needed height to do cutting.

Making final measurements and adjustments over the footer. A poured concrete foundation, about 3 feet high, will be put on the footer to raise the station to the required platform level for loading the train.

View, looking east, of the two tracks going under the southern-most arch.

View, looking east, through the southern-most arch and the tube tunnel.

Looking east out of the tube tunnel to the west side of the fiberglass (old) tunnel face. The tube tunnel is 8 feet in diameter and has been filled with 2 feet of compacted gravel. We plan to put one track through the tube tunnel.

Standing on the 3 foot RR track looking west. Grading has been mostly completed.

Picture taken Oct 20 showing the top of the fiberglass tunnel’s wooden entrance façade at the bottom and the track connector going to the right. Gravel has been placed and compacted by the construction workers.

Construction workers placing sub-base for the track that goes up to the fiberglass tunnel. This area is being finalized and we will start laying track sections back down soon.

View of the wall between the two tunnels showing the final grading and track pathway from the tunnel to the track that goes to the east entrance of the fiberglass tunnel.

View through the southern-most arch. We put stakes at the ends of our tracks to help show which tracks connected to another. Click to enlarge. The closest stake connects to the right-most stake on the other side of the arch and this is part of the Christmas route. The middle stake track goes up to the fiberglass tunnel’s east entrance and the far left stake is the track that comes out of the fiberglass tunnel’s west side and then thru the new tube tunnel.

View looking through the north arch looking west. The track in the foreground is the Rail Festival and Christmas route which circles closest around the Brethen clock tower.  Construction workers just put the rail fence back up this Oct 19 day.

View through the “Big” tunnel looking west. We have three tracks that go through this tunnel. One on the right side of the landscaping timbers and two on the left side. Oct 19, 2021. The construction workers need to do a little more clean-up and other work then we will start laying track sections back down.

View from the Brethen Clock tower. Note sandy material has been placed as a bed on top of the arch bridges. Construction workers are building a block wall on the far end of the tube tunnel by the excavator.

The skid steer loader carries material to the east end of the tube tunnel where construction workers are building a block wall. The wall will be continuous from the tube tunnel east face wall to the fiberglass tunnel and will hold the hillside back for the 3 foot RR. The brown pile is sandy material while the gray pile is courser material and is used under the block wall.

Building the wall has just started. The skid steer loader is dumping material for the base for the blocks to sit on. The hill the excavator is sitting on just appeared recently and is probably temporary since there needs to be a track from the fiberglass tunnel to the lower right in this view. The area was previously graded for this track and looked great. Now there’s a hill there.

Looking west down the stone wall just finished. Note the blocks are stepped back a couple inches for each block. Each block is two stones high on their face.

This is the south end of the three arch bridge and a skid steer loader is moving the sandy material and placing it on top and on the wing wall sides.

Its was decided to move the track (“A1”) that was closest to the canal farther away from the canal. A trench will be dug and a drainage pipe will be placed along the right side of our track. It will carry water to the pumps that are near the Horse Barn. We decide it would be prudent to move the track to prevent it from possible damage from the excavator that will dig the trench. The excavators are big and workers can’t always see where the excavator’s treads are.  It is easier to move the track than having to repair or build new track sections.

Here are Ken H, Larry W, and Bob S after having moved the “A1” track to between the “A2” and “A3” tracks. The excavator has bumped into the switch and dislodged it an inch or more. We believe no permanent damage has been done to the switch and it can be moved back. As a result of what happened to the switch, we decided to move the A1 track away from where the excavator will be digging the drainage pipe’s trench (where Ken and Larry are standing).

New 3 foot railroad rails just unloaded on the Sep 21 work day.  8 bundles of 8 rails each.

Chris Taylor, of Carillon Park, moving the rails to inside the Park.

Just clearing the green fence.

Workers placing stone blocks. Click to enlarge – you can see the round knob which fits into a cavity on the block above to lock them in place similar to Lego blocks.

Moving and placing blocks.  Click to enlarge to see how close the excavator is to our 7.5″ track.

Bob H standing next to the wall blocks to give a size perspective. Also, note the two sections of track to the left of him. The construction workers cut out parts of the track as they need access. We believe these came from Area A1 just west of the switch yard. It will be “fun” putting all of the pieces back together.

Block wall east of the “Big Tunnel”. The near end is as far as this wall goes.

This is the top of the Big Tunnel showing it is beginning to be backfilled. The material looks like is was brought in and is sandy.

One of the 3 tracks in the “B” area which is the far west end of the park and is where all of the construction equipment enters the west work area. We will probable cut off and replace the bent sections rather than try to straighten them.

This is the west gate of the earthen tunnel. We removed the locks on the gates so the workers can have access if needed.

Looking east toward the canal lock. Reinforcing rods protrude from the hillside and show excess grout has come out. The rods will help secure the “shot wall” yet to be applied.

Looking west from the west face of the earthen tunnel entrance. The concrete drain can be seen next to a piece of plywood that was used to cover the drain entrance. A drain pipe runs from the far end of the tube tunnel into this drain.

Bob S and Bob H on the 7.5″ RR grade. This view is looking west from the earthen (fiberglass) tunnel. The tube tunnel entrance is shown. The yellow string connects the uphill side of both tunnels and 15 feet from the sticks behind the Bobs. The string is a guide for the excavator to follow to dig for the block wall that goes here.

The construction workers have run into this switch and moved it an inch or so to the left and it has also been lifted up a little.  The track and switch do not appear to be damaged.  Click to enlarge the picture and the gap can be seen better.  More work to put back into place. It’s not all bad – Bob S wanted to re-level this switch so now it will be.

View of the east end of the earthen (aka fiberglass) tunnel showing the large amount of excavation in this area.  The 3 foot RR will pass to the left of the earthen tunnel where the hillside has been trimmed back.

Both ends of the 70 foot earthen tunnel are visible – the west end just behind the dozer’s blade.  The round outlet end of the drainage pipe is also visible.

This is new feature – this is the first block being placed in front of the “Big Tunnel”.  There are many more blocks just outside the west end of the park.  They will be stacked up to form a wall along side of the 3 foot RR’s ramp leading up to cross over the Big Tunnel which is right behind the excavator.

Above are (L-R) Ken H, Mark F, Bob S who, along with John L, have just dug out and cut off this track section.  It has damage on the end where Mark is standing and will need to be repaired. It has been carried back to the shelter for rework.

This picture was taken by Bob S on Sept 01. It shows that the east face wall on the “Big Tunnel” has been completed.

Drilling and installing retaining rods along the south 3 foot RR track way.

Looking west where the RR goes behind the Grist Mill.

Leveling and grading the RR path in front of the fiberglass tunnel (on picture’s right side).

Building the concrete form on the front of the “Big Tunnel”. We removed our 3 tracks from the tunnel to ease restoring the grade inside.

View looking east. The RR path goes to the south side of the lock and covered bridge. A second station will be built just past the covered bridge.

Looking west. Note the location of the fiberglass tunnel’s west face hidden by some brush.

On the left is the west face of the fiberglass tunnel. We assume these ground levels are near final level but not sure. A retaining wall be installed between the fiberglass tunnel’s right side opening and the “Tube Tunnel”.

Looking west showing the tube tunnel and one of the bridge arches. There are still some wing wall concrete sections yet to be added. We understand that the electrical power needs to be turned off so the crane can work here. That is planned for Sept 7th.

Looking north from the top of a dirt pile that has recently been built up between the tube tunnel and the bridge. Wing walls will be placed on top of the angled footer in the lower left.

Here’s Ken moving two rail sections on his DIY transporter. The two sections were cut away from right in front of the tunnel so the construction workers could remove the bridge.

Two rail sections have just been removed. This is shortly before the bridge was removed. A retaining wall will be added to hold the ground back and a culvert will be added for water flow down the gulley. The bridge will not be re-installed.

Moving the wooden part of the bridge. It is by the switch tower now.

Removing the bridge’s “I” beam. It was two “I” beams welder together and surprised the workers how heavy it was. It is also by the switch tower now.

Workers are placing grout under and around the base of the bridge sections and wing walls. The concrete sections were placed with shims under them to align the tops but grout is needed to secure everything vertically and horizontally.

View from the Brethen Clock tower.  The sidewalk is seen under the left bridge.  Work on the west end of the tube tunnel was paused to work on the bridges and wing walls.

The 300 ton crane is leaving – Friday early PM.

View from outside of the park from Carillon Blvd. A few vines in the way but you can see the RR pathway. All three arches are in place but there are a few wingwalls that need to be placed still. The tube tunnel’s west end wall probably needs to be finished before the wingwalls can be placed.

All three arches have been put in place with most of the wingwalls. Picture was taken Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:35 AM. The 300 ton crane can be seen through the arch but it is preparing to leave.

View along the 3 foot RR’s path. The orange stakes in the foreground are on the RR’s track centerline. Lots of dirt will be needed to fill to the required grade.

View from inside of the Park fence but up at the top of the dike. Note alignment of the wingwall and end of the steel tunnel – a face wall will probably be added to the end of the steel tunnel and connect to the wingwall.  Workers are applying sealant (black material) to the arch seams.

Wingwall by the big steel tunnel. Note black sealant on the first arch and also, note angled anchor features on the wingwalls. We believe the bottoms of the wingwalls will be grouted then backfilled with dirt.

View looking west showing the east end of the tube tunnel.  Note alignment of the tops of the bridges, wingwalls, and the tube tunnel face wall.

View looking west through the southern-most arch. This track, going backwards from here, goes past the switch tower and then connects with the east end of the fiberglass tunnel.  Note the top of the arch wall has a slight incline relative to the layers of the stone which are assumed to be level.

View looking east through the construction gate at the far west end of the Park. The 300 ton crane is gone and there are 2 or 3 wingwalls that still need to be placed.  A smaller crane may be needed to maneuver these pieces under the wires.

This is a bridge section on its side on the truck. They back these trailers into the very west end of the park and the crane lifts them from there.

A faux stone face wall is being lowered into place.

End view of the wingwall. Grout will be placed around the base of the wall to secure it in place then some dirt back fill to create the grade for the 3 foot RR.

Another top wall being lowered into place. This is on top of the second bridge section.

Lowering another wingwall into place next to the second bridge arch.

These are the last two bridge sections and should be placed by the end of Wednesday, July 28 unless a smaller crane is needed to work under the electric wires.

Moving a wing wall from a flatbed on the road.  The walls are rotated 90 degrees with the angled foot down.  The flat side, which is down in this picture, has a faux stone facing.

The first bridge is in place. It is made of three arch sections placed side by side next to each other.  An upper wall, with a faux stone face, has already been added on top.

The back wall is being lowered in place – note the 5 inch or so gap at its lower right corner.

A wingwall is being placed on the back side of the first bridge.

A second bridge arch is being moved in.  The first arch of the second bridge is already in place.

View from Carillon Blvd looking into the Park.

View is from the back of the main building looking west. This is where the 3 foot RR will cross the sidewalk and go towards the Horse Barn.

Looking east from the same spot as the previous picture. The RR station will be near the large tree to the right side of the RR path.

Alex H standing in from of the 300 ton crane to give some idea of its size.

Note the concrete pieces.  They are mounted on a concrete slab about a foot thick and about 10 x 10 feet square.  Some slabs have only one vertical part.

West of the tube tunnel looking east.

East end of the tube tunnel. Work on the west face is continuing but focus this week is on moving in the bridge sections.

Alex in front of the west entrance to the fiberglass tunnel. Note how much the weeds have grown.

View looking west at the east end of the tube tunnel showing its new face.

Side view of the tube tunnel.  The east face has had the concrete forms removed and forms are being built on the west face.

Another view of the tube tunnel from farther away.

View from above the fiberglass tunnel looking east along the 3 foot RR’s pathway. The stone structure is the canal lock.

View showing the pier footers for the 3 foot RR.

The backhoe carries the yellow bucket to the wing wall to fill the form one bucket at a time.  There were 3 track sections on the other side of the concrete truck which were later hand carried to the track in the lower right of this picture.  Three flat cars were used to move these 3 sections and the 2 by the tunnel back to the shelter where new plastic ties will be installed.

Workers are filling the wing wall form at the east end of the tube tunnel.

Looking west up the 3% ramp. It’s been several days since this area was last worked on.

Concrete forms at the east face of the tube tunnel.

View of the back of the concrete form on the east face of the tube tunnel.  The 3-foot RR will travel over the top of the tube tunnel.

The big tunnel. In the upper left is the ramp with some mesh and ballast in place.

Concrete being placed to build the pier under the tube tunnel.

Tube tunnel work. Concrete was loaded into a bucket, driven to the pier location, and dumped.

View from the clock tower showing concrete bucket work. Note the three piers between the sidewalk and the tube tunnel. This is the route the 3 foot gauge train track will follow.

Looking east down the ramp toward Horse Barn #17 where the 3 foot gauge train will be stored.

Close up view of the plastic mesh and ballast being used.

Close up view of the plastic mesh.

View looking west up the ramp.

The stakes show the centerline of the 3 foot gauge track. Zoom in to read “C” with an “L” underneath denoting centerline.

So far, this is the pier farthest to the south side. Note the location of the new power pole as a reference for this and the next photo. Rebar grid work in process soon to filled with concrete.

A smaller pier in work just a bit to the right of the pier in the picture above.

Another load of rails for the 3 foot gauge park train. Rails are “60# rail” which means that a one yard length of rail weights 60 pounds. These rails are 30 feet long, so 600 pounds for each rail.

The bulldozer is building the ramp closer to the tunnel which it will eventually go over (the train, not the bulldozer).

Another pier footer in work with forms erected for concrete pouring.

Bulldozer and dump truck building up the ramp to the first tunnel. The dump truck has a hopper that swivels 90 degrees to dump to the side.

Two pier footers in work. This view is looking west – note the new electrical pole in the center.

View looking east. The canal beside the stone wall is almost completely filled in.

Another view looking east but from a position farther to the west. Note the top of the dirt ramp which is final grade (we surmise).

View looking west from near the engine house.

This is the first load of 60 pound rails being delivered to Carillon Park for their new 3 foot gauge RR.  They are coming from Manitoba, Canada.  Rails are 30 feet long so that’s 600 pounds per rail.  9 rails in a bundle for 5400 # per bundle.  Many more to follow also.

This is the first load this day.  A second load was planned to be delivered later.

This is the location where the third bridge pier will be placed.  The red flags mark where ~6″ diameter piles will be drilled and filled with cement to support this bridge pier’s footer.  A 4th bridge pier will be located back towards the tube tunnel which is the silver object in the upper left of this picture.

View is looking east through the tube tunnel.  Two sections of track in this pile need to have their wooden ties replaced with plastic ones.

View looking west near the far west end of the track. There are two track sections visible on top of the undisturbed track. AND, there are three track sections in the tall grass on the right side of the track. All 5 need to have ties replaced.

This picture was taken on June 6, 2021. It shows that the electrical power pole has been moved farther west for additional clearance from the new train track. Compare this to the picture below which was taken on May 29th making note of the tree behind the pole.

Looking west. This is the second new tunnel which is a circular tube.

End on view of the new tunnel just west of the original earthen tunnel which is still in place and not planned to be moved.

View from the clock tower. The power pole is the one to be moved on Tuesday, June 01. All electricity in the park will be off while the move is in work.

View looking east through the first new tunnel which is by the levee. Three tracks will continue to go through the tunnel.

Bulldozer removing trees on the levee.

Lowering the last panel on the tunnel.

Full length of the tunnel has been completed. There will be wing walls added onto each end then dirt will be added to cover the tunnel. The three foot RR will go over top of this tunnel.

Looking east along the levee.

Looking west along our 3 tracks that will go through this tunnel.

The bottom edge of the round tunnel sits in the cutout in the footer.

New sidewalk on the back side of the main building. The new 3 foot RR will cross over the sidewalk moving from right to left in this picture. The Bowling Green station will be moved to just off to the right of this picture and will be the main station for boarding the train. A second station is planned to be near the covered bridge near the back of the park.

This is the footer/pier support closest to the levee and has been backfilled.

View from up on the levee looking southwest. All of these footers / pier supports have been backfilled.

A low level view of the supports taken from the sidewalk that goes back to the clock tower.

This is along what we believe to be the new RR’s route. This camera position is about 15 feet up the hill above our track just west of the earthen tunnel. The stump is a reference point for the next few pictures.

View looking at our switch tower. Larry W and Jim H are by the tower.  We moved five sections of track that were here by the switch tower to the shelter where we have been replacing ties.

Same stump – looking east here. The 3 foot RR path goes just to the right of the stump (we believe from survey stakes).

View along the 3 foot RR’s path looking east. The gravel in the foreground is for supporting a footer for one of the bridge piers and/or a tunnel our 1/8 scale trains will go through.

Looking southeast along the 3 foot RR’s path. We believe the pole with the white sign is the one that needs to be relocated.

Bridge and tunnel supports.  In the upper left of this picture is the power pole that we believe is the one needing to be relocated.  It is very close to where the 3-foot gauge RR bridge passes by.

Dirt is being placed between these two supports. Note the center keyway in the right support and also how close our track is to the support excavation.

Skid loader carefully placing dirt between the supports.

Support closest to the levee. As a position reference, note the landscaping timber wall that the train club put in several years ago. It has not been moved during the construction. Our track, that was between the landscaping timbers and the new concrete support, has been completely removed for the entire length. Track sections taken from here are labeled Area A, tracks (R-L) A1, A2, & A3. The two switches that were here are at the far end in this picture just beyond the excavation and were taken out together as a single unit, so it is very heavy.

View looking west showing our three tracks. Track A1 has been cut into 15 to 18 foot sections and removed. Track sections have increasing section numbers going west. So the first (closest) track section removed on the right here would be A1-1. Next, going toward the tower, would be A1-2, A1-3, etc. We need to know where they came from so we know where to put them back. There are 58 sections that were marked in the five areas, total.

View from the top of the clock tower.

Another view from the top of the clock tower looking just to the south of the other picture. The square holes are for footers to support the bridge piers.

Large hole west of the tunnel. The small diameter pier holes have already been drilled and cement pumped in.

Looking west from the earthen tunnel. Tracks removed from the left of the picture are tagged Area D and have been stacked on the hill visibly in line with the beige switch tower.

Eight tracks from Area D.  Four already have plastic ties.

Forms have been erected for the footer closest to the levee.

View from up on the levee.  The yellow machine in the back is drilling pier holes in the next footer area.  The holes are 15 feet deep and are filled with cement to support the footer.

View looking west. Track comes down from the east end of the earthen tunnel.

View looking west. Orange fencing cordons off where bridge piers will be.

Deep hole next to electrical power pole

Cross-over track goes up to the west end of the tunnel.

Moving track sections away from construction area.

Looking west from near west end of the tunnel.  Orange marks are painted where track may need to be cut.

Track sections and one switch stored away from the construction.

Flat area close to switch tower which will be used as work area to replace track ties.

Track sections stored near the west end of the tunnel. Note missing and heavily deteriorated ties on these sections.

View looking west a short distance down from the tunnel.  The new 3-foot gauge track will cross overhead of our track.

Picture is rotated – can’t fix. Will replace sometime. The yellow excavator machine will be used to drill a 15′ deep hole where each flag is and cement will be pumped in to form a small diameter pier. A two foot thick footer will be poured on top to support one of the four main bridge piers here.

Flags locate where a small diameter pier will be formed.