The 205 Out and About

I was out at the museum yesterday afternoon to get some preparatory work done on the 205. The plan is to tow the car over to the Barn 4 pit lead next weekend and spend a couple of days getting it ready for spray painting, which I hope will happen next year. In addition to the sanding and priming of the side sheets, I'm hoping to get at least some of the following tasks done:

- cut holes in the east end dash for installation of headlight and MU jumper
- make and install wooden backer to MU jumper for east end of car
- priming of roof ladder, touch-up painting on roof
- complete needle-chipping, wire-wheeling and priming of west end anticlimber
- Bondo work on letterboard at each end
- make and install wooden letterboard inserts to go over end windows
- install trolley poles

As seen above, the 205 was switched outside on Sunday; Joel Ahrendt ran the ComEd steeplecab in what ended up being a fairly challenging job, swapping the IT cars with the 205 so that the latter is now at the door and ready to head over to Barn 4. This was the first time the 205 had been outside since roof work was substantially completed earlier this year. If you're planning to be out at IRM on Labor Day, and would like to lend a hand, any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Above left, we see the test piece for the new window post caps we are having fabricated by R&B Metals in Woodstock. These will be installed over the existing window posts, most of which are badly rusted away. And below, we see part of the lineup of CB&Q engines that was set up at the west end of the station tracks late in the day for photography. This photo was taken before the Zephyr arrived and before the 504 and 9255 were uncoupled. This sure is a good-looking trio!