Monday, July 19, 2010

Back to the 205

For those who were wondering, the 205 cosmetic restoration hasn't been abandoned - it has just taken a back seat to the work on the new Trolleyville cars. On Sunday I got a chance to move work on the 205 a bit further along. I brought out the new window post caps that had been made for the car last fall (below left) and had been primed at my house. After some discussion, Rod Turner recommended using epoxy to assist with affixing these to the car, so I used a wire-wheel to clean up spots on the backs of the post caps and on the car's original window posts (below right). The next step will be to actually install the post caps, after which prep work will move to another area of the car. The 205 is getting fairly close; the only areas still needing attention are a couple of wide window piers towards the ends of the car, the letterboards at the ends, and the east end dash, which needs the headlight and MU socket installed.









Afterwards I went back to working on CA&E cars. The Baldwin MCB truck we acquired from Connecticut had been missing one of the axle cap lids, so I went out to container row and removed one from one of our spare GE 66 motors and installed it (before and after, below). I also checked the waste in the axle caps - one will need to be re-packed, the others are likely fine - and removed a bit of water from one of the axle caps.









The main event of the weekend was Diesel Days; unfortunately I managed to miss the "Parade of Power" but I did snap a photo of this unusual (for IRM) creature spotted on the west wye. I suppose it's only a matter of time before this unit, or one like it, graces our rails as a legitimate member of the collection.

3 comments:

David Wilkins said...

A GP15-1 one would be a great addition to the operating fleet. No turbo, easy to maintain, decent horsepower. Overall, a good choice for a museum railroad.

Scott Greig said...

They sound right too!

Anonymous said...

Randy,

How is the repainting/restoration of 451? I haven't noticed much info on that car lately.

Thanks,

John Csoka
IRM Western Division