Progress Update – Trackside Momentum: Building Toward Speeder Season

Written By Ben Danner

Since our last update, our incredible MOW (Maintenance of Way) volunteers have been back at it—making great strides toward bringing our rails back to life.

This Past Weekend's Highlights:

  • 🔧 22 ties plugged, plated, spiked, and ballasted

  • 🚧 This effort has brought us nearly to the next crossing, putting us one major step closer to a continuous, operable stretch.

The section from the Samoa Post Office to the next crossing is now almost fully complete. With the pace we’re working at—and pending final track inspection—we’re on track for something very exciting…

Big Delivery: 200 Tons of Ballast!

On June 4th, we took delivery of nearly 200 tons of fresh ballast—a huge step forward for our track rehabilitation work.

Ballast is the crushed rock that supports railroad ties and track. It provides:

  • Stability – by holding the track in place

  • Drainage – to keep water away from the track bed

  • Load distribution – spreading the weight of trains evenly

  • Weed and vegetation control – helping prevent track degradation over time

This material is absolutely essential for safe, long-lasting rail infrastructure.

More Materials on the Way!

We’re also expecting shipments of:

  • New ties – to replace rotten or worn-out ones

  • OTM (Other Track Material) – including spikes, tie plates, bolts, and joint bars, all the hardware needed to fasten rails securely to ties and ensure proper alignment

Every piece counts—and so does every dollar.

This Is All Powered by You

As you can imagine, this kind of work is expensive. All of our progress—every ton of ballast, every spike driven—is funded entirely by donations and the hard work of volunteers.

If you’d like to help keep the momentum going, please consider supporting us:

👉 Donate: timberheritage.org/donate
👉 Volunteer: timberheritage.org/get-involved

We’re always looking for more hands—no matter your skillset. Whether it's:

  • 🛠️ Track and MOW work

  • 🗂️ Office or administrative help

  • 🏛️ Museum curation and interpretation

There’s a place for you here at the Timber Heritage Association.

Thanks for following our journey—and we hope to welcome you trackside soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

Ben Danner
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Progress Update – From the Samoa Post Office to Our Gate