On Saturday, a huge switch job was accomplished by the Car Department. We had two switch engines (the Joy and the Com Ed) in continuous operation; most of 73 and nearly all of 81, 82, and 84 were switched out. I've been around a long time, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen so many pieces of equipment being switched in one day. Stan did the coördination and much of the work, with Rod Turner providing overall supervision. Other people included Charlie, Joe, Joel, Warren, Greg K., Greg C., and I'm probably forgetting some people. Sorry!The whole process went extremely well. It was needed to facilitate both the anticipated opening of Barn 11, switching of Barn 10, and the arrival of the Trolleyville collection.
In between carrying drawbars hither and yon, watching flanges, throwing switches, and so on, I had a chance to take pictures of many pieces of equipment, some of which haven't seen the light of day for twenty years or more. This is TM snow sweeper B48. Dave Diamond started a beautiful restoration job on this sweeper before he was kicked upstairs to manage the entire property.
IT Birney 170 started life in Galesburg, and wound up as a yard office underground in the St. Louis subway. It was one of the earliest pieces IRM acquired.
Here's our Indiana Railroad collection: lightweight interurban #65 (L) and suburban car #205 (R). IRM was organized to preserve one car, the 65, but the mission statement somehow expanded.
Knoxville streetcar #419, one of the few surviving Cincinnati curvedsiders.
CSL #1467, the "skeleton." Let me just say that this item is a subject of controversy.
Fort Wayne and Lima interurban car #91.An ex-chicken coop.
CTA 4321Lake Shore Electric 150
By this time the sun was sinking rapidly in the west.
North Shore 253CRT 1797
3 comments:
Whats up with the North Shore 253? Why has she been kept indoors? She looks good, even if it were staged for a photo op.
Frank D.
Re. 253: Because of past issues (car was acquired by a Museum member from the NSL, then was long hesitant to finally donate it) the car is very deteriorated. At the least, it requires a new roof and floor. A shame, since it would look perfect with our 160...or even (as was perfectly prototypical) at the head of a line of Skokie coaches.
Scott is, of course, correct. The 253 looks much better than it actually is. Part of the reason for switching it out is to make its trucks and motors more accessible. It will remain as a static display.
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