In Other News

I'm afraid nothing I was doing today was nearly as exciting as photographing the arrival of the dome car (see next post) but what can you do? I'm just a boring sort of guy. But don't let that stop you from reading on...

The next big event at IRM will be the annual Illinois Terminal Society meet on Saturday, April 30th. Naturally, we will want to pull out all the stops, as Greg Ceurvorst would say. Ed Oslowski will be helping us prepare the 277 for service at that time. He did a meticulous job on the interior of the 749, and here he is looking at the ceiling in the 277's smoker. We talked things over, and he's very enthusiastic about working on this IT car.

Not long after that picture was taken, the three-car IT train (277, 518, 234) was moved over to track 41. Here you can just barely see the 234 behind the 141, which is now at the west end of 41. These three cars will be the first on the inspection list, and the 277 needs several mechanical and electrical issues addressed. It's going to be an exciting event!

And then there was more work in the 319. I put the corner moldings over the alcove in place, and must say that it looks better than I expected. I need to get some more filler, but it should be ready for painting soon. (R) I also painted the other two seat frames in the smoker with butterscotch, and touched up a few places. And paint removal and sanding in the vestibule. Remember, the 319 will be in revenue service this summer, so don't miss it!