The Michigan Flywheelers Museum in South Haven is making progress on its new railroad this summer.
Museum President Pat Ingalls tells us since taking ownership of the former House of David steam-powered locomotive 902 last year, the museum has laid about 2,000 feet of track for the engine. The goal is 7,000 feet to allow for a loop and public train rides.
The going has been slow because it’s hard work to lay railroad track.
“Our original goal was two or three years, but we’ve got to install the track to ASTM standard and we’re also going to be regulated by LARA, which is the state of Michigan licensing, so we have to do this the right way,” Ingalls said.
Ingalls says volunteers come to the museum each Saturday to make a little more progress. Their tasks include cutting, drilling, stacking, and banding ties.
“We have enough 4x4x8 treated boards that we need cut into 32 inch ties, and so currently we are working on that.”
Ingalls says they’ve developed a method of using a tractor to move materials and they’re preparing to construct sections of rail that could be forklifted into position.
Ingalls thinks it’ll be a while before all 7,000 feet of track is laid, but notes volunteers are gathering every Saturday this summer to move the project forward. Everyone is welcome to help. All you have to do is show up around 9 a.m. on a Saturday.
The Michigan Flywheelers Museum received the historic House of David train thanks to Merlin Hanson, who obtained House of David trains 902 and 903 after they were shut down in the 1970s.
