Thursday, November 30, 2017

Another Assabet Afternoon

Whereas yesterday was windy and warm, today I encountered calm and cool conditions when  launching from Lowell Road in Concord.  A rather loud pileated woodpecker patrolled the area where the Assabet and Sudbury rivers join at Egg Rock.

After checking the water level at the rock's inscription...
...I ascended the Assabet River up to Nashoba Brook and the old railroad bridge...
...currently being prepared for Bruce Freeman Rail Trail use.

Trash included a blaze orange air mattress and "Wilson"...

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

A Tempting Bargain

The bargain was plenty of gusty wind in exchange for some 55 degree plus warmth.  I accepted the deal and launched onto the Assabet River from Russell's Bridge at the Maynard/Stow town line.
Paddled against the mostly northwest wind for about 2.6 miles upriver..almost losing my hat several times.  The trip back downriver was very pleasant with the wind and sun at my back.  It seemed the cold front was passing overhead as I paddled, while the sky behind me in the west was clear.

Found one section of river that was protected from the wind (opening photo).

Other photos from the back lit downriver trip included a short foray into Elizabeth Brook...
...where I didn't ask my shoulder to push me past the beaver dam.

The waxing supermoon...

Russsell's Bridge...

A small haul of trash...

 
 

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Caution on the Concord

It was with trepidation that I paddled away from the Bedford Boat Launch on the Concord River yesterday morning.  A paddling trip earlier this month resulted in an episode of shoulder and arm issues which, previously, I'd never experienced.  Following a doctor's instructions, which included an injection of cortisone, no paddling, and some anti-inflammatory meds, I was ready to find out if doing what's always come second-nature to me (propelling my boat forward using a paddle) was still possible.

So, equipped with a Thanksgiving appreciation for just how blessed I've been and a pound or two of recently acquired girth, I had a plan: one of those heat-wraps applied to my shoulder, plenty of warm dry gear, a very short and low paddling stroke, and some post-paddle ibuprofen (aka "vitamin I").

Once on the river I soon encountered the TRYAK with its 2-member crew powering upriver against the current and southwest breeze...a good omen I hoped...

My boat and I crawled at record-slow pace along the west shore, taking a brief respite in a slough along the way...
...where skim-ice lingered beyond the heron.

Eventually, I reached my next respite and turnaround spot by this wooden structure at Saw Mill Brook...

The brook conveys the waters of Estabrook Woods and Punkatasset Hill through this small raceway...
...before tumbling into the river.

The trip back downriver was much faster and easier thanks to the aforementioned breeze...

Gathered up some stuff (looking like it didn't belong) along the way...

I thought it best to wait until this morning before pronouncing the trip a success..or not.  So far so good and, while cautiously optimistic, I've no plans for ascending any beaver dams in the immediate future.
    

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Assabet Steel



The photo above was taken on December 11, 2010 and shows a modest Assabet River haul of trash.  The chunk of steel seen in the right of the photo was recovered from the river where a bridge once carried trains on the Reformatory Branch of the Middlesex Central Railroad.  Suspecting it was a railroad-related piece I brought it home and, occasionally for the past 7 years (without much luck), tried to figure out what it was.  These photos show the 32 + lb piece after being cleaned up a bit...

The configuration with multiple holes had me stumped.


This section of the Reformatory Branch was built in 1879 and extended the Middlesex Central RR 2.5 miles further from Lowell Road in Concord, MA to the state prison (reformatory) located by today's Route 2.   From Lowell Road trains crossed the Sudbury River, passed behind Egg Rock, and crossed the Assabet en route to Reformatory Station.  Trains operated over the line until 1927 when service beyond the Sudbury River was discontinued.

An article in the Spring 1980 Boston & Maine (RR) Bulletin by Harold I. Judkins provided the author's memories of the rail line around 1900 when he lived adjacent to Reformatory Station.  Harold mentions that "twice a month a coal train with about 20 four-wheel link and pin dump cars used to run inside the prison".
Reading his account of these cars had me thinking the piece I'd found was related to these "four-wheel link and pin dump cars".  Perhaps it was part of the mechanism used in the dumping function of the cars.  Searching online produced no luck until a recent Googling of "Coal Jenneys" diverted to "Janney Coupler" which, in turn, led me to the whole issue of hundreds of railway workers being injured or maimed back in the 1800s while trying to couple rail cars together.  Prior to the advent of the Janney Coupler railroad cars were connected to each other by links and pins such as in this photo found in Illustrated History of North American Railroads...
The above photo shows the worker having to dangerously place himself between the 2 rail cars in order to perform the coupling.  The railroads were looking for a safer way to perform this task, and a fellow named Eli H. Janney came up with a better idea.  It's said he worked at a dry goods store and would spend his lunch break whittling pieces of wood.  In 1873 he obtained a patent for a device that looked like this...
...and it was adopted by the railroads in 1888.  His device allowed for railway workers to operate the coupling mechanism without placing themselves between the cars.  However, it took many years for the railroads to transition from the existing link and pin coupler to the Janney coupler, and to make things a bit easier they modified the Janney coupler so it would accommodate link and pin couplers as well as other Janney couplers.  To do this they had to cut a notch in the coupler's "knuckle" and drill holes for the link's retaining pin.  One version of the modified coupler looked like this...
The two unused holes and notch can be seen at the outward part of the coupler (known as the "knuckle").  The above photo was found on Wikipedia and shows a 1894 advertisement.  

Here's my coupler knuckle propped in the vertical position...
If connected to a link and pin car, the link would pass through the notch and then a pin would drop down through the two holes to retain it.

It's said that by about 1900 the transition was complete and they stopped making knuckles with the notch and extra holes which greatly strengthened the knuckle in the process.

When I first handled this piece I assumed it was cast iron.  I now understand that cast iron would have been too brittle and that this piece was more likely made of cast steel.  A chart of the many types of knuckles manufactured can be found on page 570 in the American Railroad Passenger Car part 2 by John H. White.  I believe mine was manufactured in Depew, NY by the Gould Coupler Co. and originally weighed 38 lbs.  I'd guess it was in the Assabet River for about 100 years.

So I guess everything found in the river has a story to tell even if it is a long time in the telling.









  

Saturday, November 11, 2017

An Island Destination

This past Thursday morning saw much colder air than recently enjoyed and delayed my getting out on the water until the sun had a chance to warm things up.  At around 11 am I launched from Sherman's Bridge in Wayland and headed down the Sudbury River towards my destination, Brooks Island in Fairhaven Bay.  For me, the day marked the start of the season where more protection from the possibility of cold-water immersion is required.

Other paddlers were encountered making their way upriver...

After winding around Weir Hill it wasn't long before Lee's Bridge was reached...

Soon thereafter the river opened into Fairhaven Bay...
...and Brooks Island was approached...
...and there I landed...

A fairly new sign now welcomes paddlers...

While on the island and enjoying the season's first hot cocoa break, I watched as Chris powered his Van Dusen-built 'Mohican' across the bay...
Seemed fitting to see the 'Mohican' plying the waters of the town where it was born.

Saw a lone coot on the return trip to Sherman's Bridge...
...the first I've seen this year.

Very little in the way of trash was encountered...
...with most of this being found onshore at launching/landing spots.




Monday, November 6, 2017

Sunday Glide to Gleasondale

It was a peaceful Sunday morning on the Assabet River in Stow yesterday with some muted fall foliage still to be seen in places.  After launching from Magazu's Landing I paddled up to Gleasondale and back.

Along the way noticed a new duck blind at a bend in the river where a previous blind got washed away...

At the confluence with Fort Meadow Brook water was falling at a good clip over the obstruction in the box culvert...

...while the brook upstream of the culvert looked serene...

Nearby a doe was concerned at my presence...
...and her companion joined her in checking things out...
Note: the zoom on my camera decided to stop working so you have to look close to see them.

Closer to Gleasondale this chewed up limb looked like some beavers had a tree-eating contest...

Other wildlife seen today were a marsh hawk, a red-tailed hawk, a bittern, mute swans, Canada geese, mallards, and a pair of bluebirds.

Thanks to a still high water level the Assabet allowed my ascent beyond the Rt. 62 bridge and me to get fairly close to the footbridge which, long ago, allowed mill workers to cross the river...

Trash gathered-up along the way...

Thursday, November 2, 2017

November Right on Cue

Yesterday afternoon once the dust had settled from October's "Big Blow", I launched into the Concord River at Lowell Road. 

The boat launch there features a new kiosk...
..with brochures on the Sudbury River (provided by OARS), and the river confluence area (provided by the Town of Concord).

Before heading downriver, I paddled up to a very November-looking Egg Rock (opening photo) and checked the water level at the inscription...
...noting it was a good foot higher than it was just last Saturday.

The rapid rise of the river had caught some folks by surprise as this "ghost yak"...
...and outboard gasoline tank tethered to a wood pallet attest...


The afternoon's light fit well with the season at the Old Manse Boathouse...
...and approaching Great Meadows...

A fair amount of floating Styrofoam and plastic containers was gathered up along the way...