SCENERY - Some CA&E cars had large framed photographs of scenic views mounted at each end of the passenger compartment. The 309 may be the only preserved car with these pictures still in place. Unfortunately, the original material is fragile, and one picture started to rip while the car was in service. So they need to be replaced.
Julie Johnson, a graphics expert, got a couple of these photos scanned and reprinted on heavy stock. They look great - thanks, Julie! I'm making new wooden frames so I don't have to disassemble the old ones. When this project is finished, they should look like this original, currently hanging in my office for safekeeping.
LINOLEUM - The wood cars all have a strip of old-fashioned "battleship" linoleum down the center aisle. It's about 18" wide. Part of the linoleum in the 309 was burned in the fire and had to be removed. All of it in the 321 was removed for some reason when the car was converted to storage. Replacement material made in Germany is now available (it wasn't for many years) and I ordered enough for both cars. It's arrived at Hicks Floor Covering in Geneva (good people to do business with!) and I'll pick it up on Saturday.
Do we know when the CA&E started putting these pictures in the cars? And is there anything under the dark green paint on the picture frame, or was the frame painted green when it was built?
IF you like what you see, you can help by sending a tax-deductible donation to the Illinois Railway Museum. See the "fundraising" box at the top of this column. Thanks! And if you're a member, we can always use more hands-on help, too!
The "Hicks Locomotive and Car Works" banner at the top is taken from original artwork of the company, which was in business from 1897 to 1911. The picture behind it shows the four restored CA&E wood cars at the Museum, starting with #309, which was built by the Hicks Locomotive and Car Works in 1907.
This is not an official website for the Illinois Railway Museum. It represents only the personal views of the authors.
It has been developed and tested using Chrome, Firefox, and IE7 with the screen set at 768x1024. If any other browser gives you a problem, please let me know.
Any reproduction or other use of the material posted here for personal or commercial profit or financial gain would be a miracle. So don't try it.
Our Current Projects
CA&E 36, 308, 309, and 319
For 2025, the 309 and 319 should be available for revenue service. The 308 may be used as a trailer. The 36 has a broken leaf spring, and fixing this will be a priority.
CA&E 451, 453, and 460
We are working on reupholstering the seats in these cars.
Shaker Heights 18
The 18 is operational; repairs and repainting are now underway.
SCENERY - Some CA&E cars had large framed photographs of scenic views mounted at each end of the passenger compartment. The 309 may be the only preserved car with these pictures still in place. Unfortunately, the original material is fragile, and one picture started to rip while the car was in service. So they need to be replaced.
1 comment:
Do we know when the CA&E started putting these pictures in the cars? And is there anything under the dark green paint on the picture frame, or was the frame painted green when it was built?
Post a Comment