IT Work Starts

The steady rain today limited the things I could do. I went up on the roof of the 277 and finished taking measurements and making sketches for an engineering drawing of the roof equipment we'll need to replace. I also did some excavation to see how much wood we'll need to replace. All of the trolley boards and saddles for the rear half of the car will be replaced, but it appeared that less of the roof itself needs to be replaced than I had thought. Certainly we'll need all new canvas. I found that there was a layer of felt under the canvas; this felt just turns to dust when you try to handle it. I also made a wiring diagram.

Then I started on refinishing 518 windows in my 321 workshop. These two had already been stripped, so I put a first coat of primer on the outside and stain on the inside. They're going to look very good.

I also checked the 308 and 309, looked at the trolley shoes, and verified the roof isn't leaking. And I spent some time cleaning up the 321 and getting it ready to be moved. I want to wye the car to put the better-looking side towards the sidewalk.

And for this week's campus scenery, here's a picture taken a few weeks ago of the Kishwaukee River flowing under the old North Western bridge at the east end of our line. I suppose those posts must be left over from an earlier trestle. Or else they're to keep the abutments from being rammed by heavy barges. Who knows?