Saturday, November 1, 2008

Clear the Deck

The roof of the 277 has pretty much been cleared for action, at least that part of it that needs major repair. It's the last 20 feet or so of the car, four to five feet wide down the center. Stan helped me get the trolley base down off the roof; once that was out of the way, things went pretty smoothly. Here you see the area that has been cleared of trolley boards, saddles, canvas, and tar paper. Compare this to the earlier pictures below.

Much of the wood is in better shape than I had expected. I estimate 150 linear feet or so of T&G will be needed; no more than six of the carlines need repair. The large holes in the roof are right where the trolley base is located. The trolley pole and its shoe need some attention, but this can easily be done over the winter.

I discovered that this car must have had a small fire in the ceiling at one time -- during service on the IT, since it was obviously patched up then. It was probably before the new ceiling was installed. Nothing like the 309, of course.

We also received the rebuilt triple valve for the 308 from a distant friend who wishes to remain anonymous. It was leaking badly, and has been expertly serviced. At this point in the year, however, we will probably wait until spring to install it. In any case, thanks!!!

I also had some time to finish the window racks in the 321, which I had described earlier. I added some more arms, and glued in the spacers which keep the entire window frame above the arm. When this was done, I stained another 518 frame.

And I have a complaint. The pop machine is still out of root beer, the official soft drink of Hicks Car Works. This has a drastic effect on our morale! Who is responsible???

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