Major Update In Process

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Thanks to one of our visitors, I was alerted to several broken links. As I investigate there are other issues I need to deal with in the site.

If you are a regular visitor, you know that I have a new domain LiveSteamPriest.com. However, the original SteamingPriest.com still points to this site. And my email address remains the same: webmaster@SteamingPriest.com.

Thank you for your continued support. I am inspired by the many people who I have met throughout the years who visit this website.

Major Website Update in Progress

Thanks to one of our visitors, I was recently alerted to several broken links on the website. As I began looking into them, I discovered a number of other areas that need updating as well. So, over the coming days and weeks, I will be working my way through the site, updating links, information, and other items that have accumulated over the years.

If you are a regular visitor, you know that the website has a new domain: LiveSteamPriest.com. However, the original SteamingPriest.com domain still points to this site, and my longtime email address remains the same: webmaster@SteamingPriest.com.

Thank you for your continued support of the website. Over the years, I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people who first found me through this site. It continues to amaze me how a shared love of live steam and railroading can bring people together and lead to lasting friendships.

You may also have noticed that I haven’t posted an update on the progress of the Nasonville Valley Railroad since July. That certainly doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on the railroad! In fact, quite the opposite. So much has been happening that I haven’t had the time to sit down and put together a proper update.

Our annual meet is coming up this Saturday, and I still have plenty of work to finish before everyone arrives. After the meet, I hope to put together a major Nasonville Valley Railroad update showing you everything that has been accomplished over the past couple of months.

There has been a great deal of progress, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Thank you for visiting, for your patience while I work on the website, and especially for your friendship and support throughout the years.

Nasonville Valley—Roll On! The Official Railroad CD

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Get your copy of Nasonville Valley—Roll On!

Enjoy a musical journey along the Nasonville Valley Railroad, beginning with a special welcome to the railroad and featuring ten original songs celebrating the joy and adventure of live steam.

Also included is the bonus track, “Big Boy 4014,” a tribute to the world’s largest operating steam locomotive.

Each CD is professionally duplicated, packaged, and factory sealed.

Only $10.

Available at Waushakum Live Steamers annual August Meet!

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Genaro?

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When the Genaro Trestle was built years ago, no one could have imagined the need for two tracks. When my father and I completed the original railroad, it was essentially a long dog bone looping around both sides of the house. The main line measured about 1,750 feet, and at the time we never dreamed it would continue to grow.

But when you dream, anything is possible.

The addition of the Mountain Division created a new challenge. The Genaro Trestle had become a bottleneck. My first solution was to turn it into a gauntlet bridge by installing a switch at each end. That eliminated the need for three rails by allowing the two routes to share a single track across the trestle. It worked… at least for a while.

During our annual meets, however, train traffic would back up waiting for the bridge to clear. The gauntlet had become the railroad’s biggest traffic jam.

My first thought was to build an entirely new trestle alongside the existing one. But after having just completed the new 220-foot trestle, the idea of starting another project of that size was more than a little intimidating. Part of me said, Go for it! The practical side of me said, Leave well enough alone.

Then one day, while a work crew was helping ballast the Mountain Division, I mentioned the problem. Two of the guys walked down to inspect the trestle. One of them works on full-size railroad maintenance crews, so I was very interested in his opinion.

Their solution surprised me.

“Why not just widen the deck?”

My first reaction was concern over whether the existing structure would be strong enough. After giving it a lot of thought, I sat down and drew up a plan.

The solution was to sandwich the tops of every bent with 2×8×72-inch pressure-treated lumber, effectively widening the deck while strengthening the entire structure at the same time.

The work began by removing all of the handrails and their supports. That turned out to be more difficult than expected. Years ago, I had drilled the bolt holes a little too tight, and as the wood expanded over time the bolts became firmly wedged in place. Getting them apart took far longer than I had anticipated.

Once everything was removed, I installed the new 2×8s, added side braces, and then reinstalled the original handrails and hardware.

This past week I removed all of the ties and raised the ends of the trestle so I could replace the 4×4 end supports. Next week I’ll begin installing the remaining 2×8s to complete the widened deck, followed by a new set of 2×4 ties.

Then comes the fun part—laying two tracks across the trestle.

The new tracks will be spaced on 36-inch centers, providing plenty of clearance for passing trains while keeping the wheel loads primarily over the original center portion of the trestle. I’ll also widen the approaches at both ends using concrete retaining wall blocks before reinstalling the connecting track.

When all is finished, one of the biggest bottlenecks on the Nasonville Valley Railroad will be gone.

After this project, though, I really do need to stop building for a while and simply enjoy running trains!

For now, here are a few photos of the work in progress.

End of trestle is raised to replace the 4×4’s to 6′
New 4×4’s in place
View from the beginning of Genaro Trestle. 4×4’s still have to be cut to length
View of cross braces and angle braces

Shirley Covered Bridge Rises to New Heights

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Things have been so busy around the railroad that I realized I never posted an update on the Shirley Covered Bridge. The last update I shared was about installing the new steel brackets that would hold the bridge in place. After that, I got caught up in the work and forgot to post the progress.

I’m happy to report that she’s now back in place—and sitting about 15 inches higher than before. The new abutments, support brackets, and all the structural work are complete. Using my John Deere, I carefully lifted the bridge, moved it into position, and lowered it onto the new supports. After a little pushing, pulling, and fine-tuning, she settled right where she belongs.

The Shirley Covered Bridge will soon be back in service.

I say “soon” because once I started this project, it naturally grew into something much bigger. I removed the track from the Genaro Trestle all the way past the switch beyond the turntable. With the new station pad completed, the switches have been relocated for the new main line and the 200-foot station siding. Track laying will be the next major step, but before that I have one more project to complete—widening the deck on the Genaro Trestle. I’ll cover that work in my next update.

I believe this will be one of the most important improvements we’ve made to the Nasonville Valley Railroad. Before reaching the covered bridge, the track is essentially level. After crossing the bridge toward Genaro Trestle, the grade is now approximately 1.2% instead of the previous 4.5% climb. That’s a tremendous improvement and will make life much easier for the smaller locomotives while providing smoother, more realistic operation for everyone.

Sometimes the best projects are the ones that start with a simple repair and end up making the entire railroad better.And here are a phew photos.

Brackets and bridge in place
Cement bricks to hold back earth from the bridge
Bricks in place
Finished covered bridge with some large stones to hold back the earth
Looking back toward the future station on the left

Covered Bridge Update #7 – Bridge Brackets

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Over the past few weeks, I have been fabricating the mounting brackets and drilling the anchor holes in the concrete abutments that will secure the covered bridge in its new location. As with many railroad projects, things did not go entirely according to plan.

I borrowed a friend’s hammer drill for the job, but during the process one of the masonry bits became firmly lodged in the concrete. I spent most of a day trying to remove it without success. Eventually, I decided the best solution was to cut the bit off and drill a new hole.

Ironically, all of the remaining holes were successfully completed using nothing more than a standard electric drill and a battery-powered impact driver. Despite the setbacks and frustrations, everything ultimately worked out well.

Today, I finished milling the adjustment slots in the brackets and gave them a fresh coat of paint. With that, all of the hardware is ready, and the covered bridge is prepared for its new resting place.

If all goes according to plan, the bridge should be set in place within the next week or two. Stay tuned for the next update!

Here are a few pictures.

Hammer Drill Bit Stuck in the Abutment
Cement Wedge Anchor
Holes drilled with extra hole for broken bit.
Anchors installed
Bracket attached for testing
Brackets being painted
Bracket painted and ready for bridge

Covered Bridge update #6 – Foundations for the Future

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The past few weeks have been busy ones here at the Nasonville Valley Railroad. Much of the recent work has focused on preparing the new abutments for the Shirley Covered Bridge. Forms were carefully built and heavily braced in anticipation of the concrete pour. At the same time, additional forms were constructed for the new station slab.

Last week, both projects finally came together as the concrete was poured and finished. My good friend David generously lent a hand with the pouring and finishing work, and everything went very smoothly. Today, all of the forms were removed, and I am very pleased with how everything turned out. The new abutments and station slab are looking excellent and will provide a solid foundation for the next phase of construction.

Next week marks another exciting milestone as the Shirley Covered Bridge will be set into place on her new abutments. Once the bridge is installed, we will be ready to begin relaying the track through the area and moving one step closer to completing this portion of the railroad.

Once the Shirley Covered Bridge is in place, work will continue on the next phase of improvements in the area. The Genaro Trestle will be prepared for double track operations, allowing for expanded capacity and more operational flexibility on the railroad. A second station track will also be installed, giving the new station area a more complete and prototypical appearance.

At the same time, conduit will be run beneath the area so that lighting can eventually be added to the station. A few well-placed lights will help bring the scene to life during evening operations and special events.

With those projects completed, the new station itself will finally be set into place — another major milestone for the continuing development of the Nasonville Valley Railroad.

Progress continues steadily here in Nasonville, and it is rewarding to finally see these long-planned improvements taking shape.

Check out a few pictures below showing the recent progress on the bridge abutments, station slab, and surrounding work areas.

Forms in place and braced
Station form in place with rebar
Cement is poured
David helps finish the slab
Forms came off and all looks great
Forms came off the slab.

A Clearer Name for the Same Railroad Journey

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SteamingPriest.com Is Now LiveSteamPriest.com

After many years online, I have decided to transition the website from:

SteamingPriest.com
to
LiveSteamPriest.com

This is not a new website — it is simply a new domain name for the same site many of you have followed for years. The new address better explains the purpose of the website and makes it immediately clear that the site is dedicated to live steam railroading, railroad preservation, videos, photography, and the Nasonville Valley Railroad.

The original SteamingPriest.com domain will continue to work and is not going away anytime soon. Existing links should continue to redirect properly. However, I would greatly appreciate it if you would begin updating your bookmarks, links, and references to:

👉 www.LiveSteamPriest.com

Interestingly, the old domain name occasionally caused some confusion over the years. At one point, someone online made a humorous post using the phrase “Steaming Priest” as an innuendo, and the website suddenly received a couple hundred thousand hits in a single day! While it certainly created unexpected traffic, it also convinced me that a clearer domain name would better represent the mission and content of the site.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the website and followed the railroad over the years. There is much more steam ahead.

– Fr. Jay Finelli
The Live Steam Priest

P.S. Over the coming months, I’ll also be updating and reorganizing the website to improve navigation, refresh the layout, and make it easier to find railroad videos, photos, articles, and information about the Nasonville Valley Railroad. During this transition, you may occasionally come across an image, page, or link that still needs to be corrected or updated. Thank you for your patience as I continue refining the site.

Covered Bridge Update #5 and more

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During my day off this week, work continued steadily on the new covered bridge approach. I managed to get the forms in place for the bridge’s new abutments. The first one went slowly as I worked out the best method, but once I developed a system, the second came together much more quickly. At this point, all that remains is installing the rebar before the concrete can be poured.

After the rebar is in place, I’ll begin setting the form for the station slab so everything will be ready for the concrete pour at the same time. Once the concrete has cured, I’ll build up the outside of both abutments by about 14 inches to help protect the wood structure from direct contact with the surrounding dirt and moisture.

This time, I’ve decided not to mix the concrete myself. When I built the abutments for the new trestle, each one required forty-two bags of concrete, and that was enough to convince me to take a break from hand-mixing on a project of this size. Having the concrete delivered should make the process go much more smoothly and allow several parts of the project to move ahead together.

In addition to the bridge work, I now have the lumber needed to widen the top of Genaro Trestle for double-track operation. I also received another shipment of rail and joiners from Accu-Tie. The new rail will allow me to continue laying track from the Mountain Division, past the new station area, through the covered bridge, and all the way to Genaro Trestle. There is also enough material to complete the second track across the widened trestle.

Check out a few pictures below showing the latest progress on the project.

Cross Section of the bent
Accu-tie-Rail

Forms for the abutments ready to pour