Status Report on TARP

As every informed citizen should know by now, TARP stands for the "Troubled Asset Relief Program" which was signed into law on Oct. 3, 2008. Well, the 321 is a "troubled asset" if there ever was one, so my first priority was to see how efficient the TARP program has been in bringing relief. I'm glad to say it's been very effective so far, although some modifications are needed. I took a couple of hours to reduce waste, tighten up regulations a little, and apply some more of the clamps Joel made for us. As seen here, I've now finished the east end of the car, as well as both sides, and only the west end remains to be tied down. Of course, you should know that TARP was only intended as a temporary relief program; the only permanent solution for preservation of our many troubled assets is to construct a new carbarn.

Hey, you!! Yes, you, sitting there surfing the net. You can help! We are very close to having the necessary funds to begin construction of the new barn, and any contribution you can make to the Barn Fund or any of the active equipment funds that need barn space will help. Remember, there's no waste, fraud, or abuse when you contribute to IRM funds. 100% of your money goes to the specified purpose.

OK, enough of that. Today I finally installed the one remaining stepwell on the 319. The original had gotten bent out of shape during the move, and this is a replacement from the 321. We are now the proud owners of a Rock Island step box which came along in the 36 for some reason, and it was just about right for holding up the steps while I bolted them into position. I had to redrill some holes, but otherwise it went smoothly.


Now that it's installed, welcome aboard!

I dragged the scaffold to the other end of the car so I could install the rope guard at that end. It's noticeably hotter up on the scaffold, so I didn't finish installing all the screws I need, even for a temporary job.

I also checked in our storage container. While walking through Barn 9, I noticed there was a relatively clear view of the 2903. What an impressive locomotive!

And our revenue service interurban train today was the 749 and 714. It looks great!