News and views of progress at the Illinois Railway Museum
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Happy Birthday, David!
Time marches on, and today is David Wilkins' birthday. Here he is at age 13 at the Kentucky Railway Museum. That nice wooden car looks like it needs some restoration.
The car is L&N number 665, it's a ACF (Ohio Falls) product. It was originally built as a coach, but in the 1920s returned to the builder for a fishbelly steel underframe, and was converted to a center door Jim Crow combine. It served in this role on local and mixed train service until retirement. It was donated to KRM in the early 1950s. I think the car's last regular assignment was on the Bardstown branch.
This is the car you see behind the General during its tours in the 1960s. Sadly, the car still needs restoration work.
I just noticed that I still own those boots and wear them. I wish the overalls and jacket still fit, though.
Randall, if you are interested in the Great Western Railway; then you might want to take a look at the Rail Motor Project at Ditcot Rail Centre.
They have just built from scratch a steam engine and power truck for a surviving Rail Motor body. After several years of work it has just run for the first time.
The rail motor was the steam powered equilivant of our American Interurbans; such as the much admired C,A&E.
The next part of the project is to restore a wooden trailer of the type that was sometimes used with the steam powered passenger cars.
It is not a main line locomotive such as the Tornado; but I think it is quite and achievement!
The car is L&N number 665, it's a ACF (Ohio Falls) product. It was originally built as a coach, but in the 1920s returned to the builder for a fishbelly steel underframe, and was converted to a center door Jim Crow combine. It served in this role on local and mixed train service until retirement. It was donated to KRM in the early 1950s. I think the car's last regular assignment was on the Bardstown branch.
ReplyDeleteThis is the car you see behind the General during its tours in the 1960s. Sadly, the car still needs restoration work.
I just noticed that I still own those boots and wear them. I wish the overalls and jacket still fit, though.
Randall,
ReplyDeleteif you are interested in the Great Western Railway; then you might want to take a look at the Rail Motor Project at Ditcot Rail Centre.
They have just built from scratch a steam engine and power truck for a surviving Rail Motor body. After several years of work it has just run for the first time.
The rail motor was the steam powered equilivant of our American Interurbans;
such as the much admired C,A&E.
The next part of the project is to restore a wooden trailer of the type that was sometimes used with the steam powered passenger cars.
It is not a main line locomotive such as the Tornado; but I think it is quite and achievement!
Ted Miles,
IRM Member