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August 1, 2013 - Museum Old Fair Park Site is Dismantled
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It was 50 years ago this month that the original "Age of Steam" exhibit was being created at Fair Park. In preparation for the 1963 State Fair of Texas, the small attraction received two additional items during the month of August: recently retired Dallas Union Terminal steam locomotive #7 and Southern Pacific's Eakin Street Yard Office (H&TC Depot).
Now 50 years later, an era is drawing to a close as trackage is being dismantled at the Fair Park site. Nearly 2,000 feet of track that displayed some 28 pieces of vintage rolling stock is being pulled up this week.
The original Texas & Pacific spur dating back to a period prior to the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition was used to exhibit the first two locomotives which included T&P's "Texas" type steam locomotive #638, and later the ex-New York Central "Mohawk" steam locomotive #3001 masked as T&P #909. _350px.jpg)
Additional trackage was constructed as pieces were added to the Museum. Major expansions took place in 1965 with the arrival of three additional steam locomotives: Big Boy #4018, Frisco #4501, and Eagle Picher Mining Co. (ex-Frisco) #1625, and again in 1969 with the arrival of Santa Fe Motorcar M-160 and Coach Observation #3197. A couple of modest track expansions took place in the 1990s to make more efficient use of the 1.5 acre site.
The Museum's rolling stock collection continued to grow in subsequent years despite a lack of additional trackage, necessitating storage of approximately 1/4 of the pieces offsite. With nearly 3,000 feet of rolling stock, the Fair Park site had become obsolete, which contributed greatly to the Museum's decision to relocate to the new 12.34 acre Frisco location. Some 3,200 feet of track has already been constructed at the new facility. An additional 3,000 feet of exhibit track will be laid as part of the second phase of construction, once funds are in place.
Photos: Upper left shows H&TC depot following its move to Fair Park in August, 1963. Lower right shows trackage being dismantled August 1, 2013.
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December 6, 2012 - Tower 19 Reassembled
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_350px.jpg) Crews with H. D. Snow & Son placed Tower 19 on its permanent foundation today. The three-day process involved placing beams at each end of the Tower that extended eastward to the adjacent foundation. The Tower was then rolled along the beams some 25 feet to a point just above the new foundation. Using hydraulic jacks, the beams were carefully lowered, allowing the Tower to gently settle on its base. Some adjustment was necessary in order to achieve proper alignment. The Tower, weighing in at 100,000 lbs., was moved three additional inches to the east using a system of jacks, sliding plates, and soap. The Tower was then lowered again, this time onto a thin bed of mortar which filled any imperfections and created a bond.
With Tower 19 now permanently placed on its base, reconstruction can begin on the structure itself. A system of splints has been used to attach and reinforce the two sections of the Tower that were separated for movement to Frisco. Additional reinforcement will be added, followed by the application of as much of the Tower's original siding as possible. Some additional siding may be milled as necessary to complete repairs to the exterior.
Our thanks to Brian Lingle at Lingle Engineers of McKinney for assisting in the placement of the Tower this week. The placement concludes the services of H. D. Snow & Son House Movers. Our sincere thanks to H. D. Snow, his son Gary, and the rest of the crew for an outstanding job moving the Depot and Tower 19 to Frisco. They used great skill and diligence in moving these two historic structures to their new home.
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July 26, 2012 - Track Work Complete!
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“Done!” Track work at the Museum’s Frisco site was completed today with a ceremonial driving of the last spikes. Borrowing the word that was telegraphed across the nation in 1869 when the first Transcontinental Railway was finished, we are proud to reach this major benchmark in the construction project.
The brief ceremony was well attended at 1:30 this afternoon by Mayor Maso, Frisco City Council members, representatives of the EDC, CDC, and CVB, along with Museum board, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders. Representatives from BNSF, Lunsford Associates, Venus Construction and Trac-Work, Inc. also participated in the celebration.
Two ceremonial spikes were driven in the final stretch of track that connects the Museum with BNSF and the general system. Mayor Maso and Council Members Jeff Cheney, Bob Allen, and Will Sowell took turns driving the first spike. Honors for the second and final spike were reserved for track workers who have been on the job in the hot Texas sun for several weeks. It is only fitting that their hard work be acknowledged, and a time-honored craft on the railroad be recognized.
With the Museum’s lead track now complete, final preparations are underway for movement of the first train to Frisco. Once approvals are in place, and the railroads’ schedules are adjusted to accommodate moves at reduced speeds, the rolling stock collection will begin its journey northward.
Frisco City Council Member Jeff Cheney takes a turn at driving one of the final spikes into the last stretch of track (left).
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June 15, 2012
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Track construction is 80% complete as of this update. Work has been concentrated on a labyrinth of switches located along the Museum’s transitional trackage south of the Frisco Discovery Center (FDC). Switches for tracks 8, 4, and 3, along with the south runaround switch, are being constructed and will complete the gap in trackage previously installed. Switch construction is considerably more time consuming, as much geometry is involved in the process. Additionally, three of the switches lie within a tangent section of track located between two 15 degree curves making their placement critical.
Each #8 turnout is constructed individually at the site at a cost of nearly $45,000 apiece. An additional switch was added to the scope of track work in Phase IA. The switch will branch off of track 8 and become the shop track lead (RIP track 1 in the Museum’s Site Plan). This change order in track work was done to facilitate the completion of site grading and a retainer wall along the fire lane behind the FDC. The shop lead also provides for maintenance of the Museum’s rolling stock collection prior to the construction of a permanent repair facility. The position of the Museum’s H&TC depot has been relocated on the Site Plan to a point along the shop lead. The new position is just southeast of the original location in the Site Plan. The depot was moved to this point in order to achieve better orientation and context as an exhibit within the Museum. The structure’s historical designation is also assured.
Work has begun on the main line switch to be installed along the BNSF. The switch components have been laid out adjacent to the point of installation. Work on the Museum’s lead track (some 500 feet) is scheduled to begin soon.
Track work at the site and the installation of the main line switch is expected to be complete by the end of June. On the present schedule, and weather permitting, movement of the Museum’s rolling stock collection will commence in mid-July.
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March 30, 2012
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Trac-Work, Inc. made significant progress at the Frisco site this week. By this afternoon, over 1,600 feet of track materials had been placed, gauged, and spiked on the Museum’s main line. Ultimately, this track will stretch 2,000 feet from Cotton Gin Road to the westernmost end. Work will begin soon on the runaround track, including five turnouts.
Grading for the final section of track that connects with BNSF’s main line will begin next week. Once the sub-base roadbed material is applied and compacted, Trac-Work will construct the Museum’s lead track, ultimately connecting the site with the general system.
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March 27, 2012
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Finally, track construction begins in Frisco! Workers with Trac-Work, Inc. began placing new crossties on the westernmost end of what will become the Museum’s tail track. The first 300 feet of track material was put in place today as part of a 4,000 foot Phase IAtrack construction project.
Construction will progress in a northeast direction through the Museum site and eventually connect with BNSF’s main line to the north of Cotton Gin Road. Five turnouts (switches) will be constructed in place, along with the Museum’s runaround track. Work is expected to take 30-40 days, weather permitting.
While the ties are new, the rail is being recycled from the Santa Fe (originally Kansas City, Mexico & Orient) Line near San Angelo, Texas. The rail was produced by Colorado Fuel & Iron mills in Pueblo, and the Gary Steel Works near Chicago between 1918 and 1920. Weighing 90 lbs/yard (a unit of measurement for rail), the 39-foot sections will be bolted in place as track work progresses. The Museum’s rolling stock collection currently rests on 65-85 lb rail at Fair Park. Today’s industry standard for mainline railroads is 130-150 lbs/yard.
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January 24, 2012
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Work continues at the Frisco site, however, unforeseen construction issues and several rain events have contributed to delays in the project. Nearly one foot of rain has fallen at the site since our last update of November 1.
Fortunately, Mother Nature has been kind to the project over the last couple of weeks. Crews with Venus Construction and its subcontractor RPM have been working diligently, including weekends, to make up for delays. Final grading has been completed on the site itself, and soil compaction tests for the track bed have yielded positive results.
Final grading has begun on the Museum’s lead track between Cotton Gin Road and the point at which it will connect with BNSF to the north. This work includes removal/realignment of berms just north of Cotton Gin and installation of a drainage culvert along the BNSF.
Our contractors are now applying geotech fabric and a six inch crushed concrete base for the lead, tail, and runaround tracks. As of this writing, 90% of the roadbed has been prepared. Weather permitting, the entire roadbed is expected to be completed by the end of January, at which time track work will begin.
We receive dozens of inquiries each day regarding the status of construction and when the collection will move to its new home. Once track work begins, the site will take on a whole new look. The Museum will begin to take shape and the historic cars and locomotives will finally make the trek to Frisco. We will keep our stakeholders and interested parties apprised of progress at the site. We look forward to completing Phase IA of construction in the near future.
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November 1, 2011
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Despite several rain delays, construction has progressed at the new Frisco site. The storm drainage portion of the project is now complete and final grading is underway. Estimated completion of grading and preparation of the sub-base for Phase IA trackage is early December, at which time our track contractor will move onsite.
Trac-Work, Inc. of Ennis is expected to begin construction December 1, overlapping somewhat with Venus, our General Contractor. Over 12,000 feet of rail, including material for five switches, along with nearly 2,600 new crossties have been delivered to the site for installation. Estimated completion of Phase IA track work is 30 days from commencement. The scope of work includes installation of lead, tail, and runaround track, along with partial construction of exhibit tracks 3, 4, and 7, totaling 3,795 linear feet. _300px.jpg)
The main line switch was delivered by BNSF Railway in late October and will be installed following completion of the Museum’s lead track. The switch, a #11 turnout, will be located on the BNSF main line approximately 450 feet north of Cotton Gin Road.
Upon installation of the BNSF switch, the Museum’s new trackage will be physically connected to the general system of rail lines. Once the Museum’s Phase IA trackage is complete, transportation of the rolling stock collection will commence. Assuming no further weather related delays, movement of the rolling stock onto the new site will begin late December/early January.
Permanent security fencing has been fabricated and awaits installation at the site. The 7-foot high ornamental iron fence will surround the 12.34 acre footprint with gates at appropriate locations to provide ingress egress for rail equipment and visitors.
Additional Phase IA work includes water and sewer adjustments, relocation of existing driveways, and erosion control. Estimated completion of all Phase IA work is early 2012.
Along with the rolling stock collection, the Museum’s historic structures will be moved to Frisco when Phase IA construction nears completion. Working closely with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in Austin, plans have been finalized for movement of the H&TC Depot and Santa Fe Interlocking Tower 19. The Final Site Plan provides for placement of these structures on permanent foundations in the same cardinal direction as their original orientation.
We are currently soliciting funds for Phase IB work, which includes completion of six of the eight exhibit tracks. This will allow the 40-piece rolling stock collection to be repositioned, moving from Phase IA to IB trackage for permanent display.
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August 1, 2011
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With initial site preparation complete in mid-July, work has begun on the storm drainage portion of the project. There is more work than meets the eye, as storm water runoff from the re-graded site and adjacent property at the Frisco Discovery Center must be collected and directed into nearby Stewart Creek to the south. This requires over 18 acres of surface area to be funneled into a massive drainage culvert that is being installed along the southwest alignment of the site. Subsurface work entails installation of the main culvert and smaller tributaries through a cut-and-cover process. Photos below show most of the onsite materials associated with the project as well as key components during installation.
The drainage portion of the project is scheduled to be complete by August 15. The final site preparation will then take place, including installation of the roadbed for Phase 1 trackage. Upon completion, our contractor, Trac-Work, Inc. of Ennis, will move onsite and begin laying track and constructing switches. Track materials have already begun arriving onsite, including rail and crossties. Some 3,800 feet of lead, tail, and runaround track, including five switches, will be installed as part of Phase 1A construction. Trac-Work’s portion of the project is expected to be completed by year's end, at which time BNSF will install a switch in their main line to connect with the museum’s lead track. BNSF has graciously agreed to donate the labor and materials associated with installation of the switch.
The museum’s rolling stock collection is being prepared for movement and is scheduled to make the trek to Frisco late this year. We will endeavor to post information regarding scheduled movements of each piece in the collection as it becomes available.
Crews for Venus Construction Company and its subcontractors have worked tirelessly through record heat to keep the project on schedule. Our sincere thanks and appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
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