309 Report

The #2 end of the 309 has always had problems with rotten wood near the floor. It's been like this as long as I can remember. However, a thorough repair job would require completely disassembling the end of the car, something I'm not willing to do. So I started today by removing the most obvious parts that need to be patched. I have fabricated one patch piece for the tongue and groove siding; for the rest I'll need to get some new wood, which I shall do tomorrow. The upper pictures show the "before" condition; to the right is "during".

I should point out that without indoor storage, projects like this wouldn't be possible - the car would have rotted away by now. The 309 has been stored inside since about 1972, and as a result, further deterioration has essentially ceased. Storage barns are probably the best investment we can make.

After this, I sanded down all of the blue parts on what is now the north side of the car, in preparation for repainting it.

I also went over to Barn 4 and looked at the Charles City Western locomotive 300 with project manager Pete Galayda. He's doing an excellent job on the structural and painting work on this locomotive, but he will need help with getting the electrical systems checked out and put back together. I'm familiar with General Electric control systems, so this should be an interesting project.

Frank and I have donated the money to provide a memorial bench like the one in the picture in memory of my father, Allan Hicks, who was a generous supporter of the Museum for many years. When ours arrives, I'll post a picture of it.