319 Progress -- and More!

Greg Ceurvorst and Dave Fullarton were helping today, so we got a lot done. I removed four more side windows from the 319 and brought them to the shop. Greg and Dave sanded down three of them, which takes a while.

Hmmm, is this really good enough?....

(Photo by Bob Kutella)

Meanwhile, I also removed this seat back which needs, of course, to be repaired. I then went to the container to get some spare windows to fill the blanks.

Julie Johnson visited with a friend from New York, whose name I cannot now recall. I showed them through the 319 and 36, while Julie explained their historical significance.

The trolley bases and fuse box from the roof of the 319 were stolen by a trolley collector when the car was moved to Cleveland. Joel found a replacement roof fuse box for me. I cleaned it up a little and repainted the inside with Glyptol, an insulating paint. I also had to replace the mounting brackets, but luckily we still had the original brackets.

Then I went out to the material yard and picked out two trolley bases. Fortunately we have plenty of spares of this type. Dave helped me bring them back to the barn; eventually I'll move them into the shop and repaint them.



By the end of the day, the three windows were ready for painting, and Greg put primer on both sides.





Meanwhile, there were lots of other projects being pursued. Max continued extending electrical service into the new shop extension. Several of the guys brought trolley bases, the pilot, steps, and other parts over to 8 for the 409, and the trolley bases were lifted up onto the roof.

Dave and the other B&G guys were working on the interior of the diner. Steady progress is being made. (L) Jerry Lynn holds up one of the new grills for the ceiling vents. (R) The lower part of the roof needed some structural repairs, as seen here.

Finally, Buzz Morrisette applied the North Shore herald decals to the 749, over in Barn 2. They look perfect! It's hard to get good pictures in these lighting conditions, but it should still be obvious what a mirror-like finish the car has received, thanks to Charlie Strong. I can already foresee this as a safety problem. Once the car is outside in the sun, anyone who looks at it may be temporarily blinded. The other motormen will have to wear sunglasses!