319 Miscellany

Today Frank and I were able to take the 319 out on a test trip on the main line. Everything went well; the motors worked well, the brakes seemed to work OK, the poles tracked through the overhead, and there were no unexpected problems.

But we did several other things as well. I would like to repaint the interior over the winter. The paint is generally in good condition, but there are cracks in several places, such as at the right in this picture. I do not want to strip the woodwork everywhere, so I need to fill in the cracks. As a test, I started by applying some primer I had allowed to dry so that it's almost as thick as putty. This I apply with a putty knife instead of a brush. Two applications may be needed, but after sanding it should be smooth enough for painting.

I also installed some more of the window latches. We are missing four of these on the 319; if anyone has some in their collection, I'd be most interested. Send me an email.

We also worked on installing the second glass globe in the smoker. Unfortunately, the metal frame which holds the globe was missing some parts, so I'm leary about using it in service. I got the spares from the 318 out of storage and chose the best one as a replacement. I sand-blasted it and will paint it next time.



Lots of other things were going on, of course. Here we see Mike Stauber repainting the letterboards on VC19. There was a moderately good-sized crowd out today; we were running the 714, 4290-1268, 3142 on the loop, and the coach train. I was too busy during our test trip to take any pictures of the 319, but there will be plenty in the future!

The Schroeder Store is moving closer to its permanent location. Today it had gotten as far as the south parking lot extension.

This is where it used to be.

And here is the location for the new foundation. The Main Street committee were meeting today to plan for the future, so lots of exciting things will be happening!