Going Green Gone

We've just returned from California, where "green" is very popular. Every business is proud of how green they are. Not me. I'm getting rid of this green paint as fast as I can, though in a green way, of course. I finished stripping the siding on car 36 below the belt rail on the south side, as seen here. But then I needed a platform to do the rest. Since I don't anticipate needing our portable scaffold in Barn 8 any time soon, and it's usually just in the way, I disassembled it and moved part of it to the center aisle of Barn 6. I was then able to start on the letterboard and the rest of the siding. But in weather like this, one sooner or later has an energy shortage.

I also checked with Bob Kutella and Rich Witt who are helping with refinishing the windows for the 36. Thanks! And I installed the second recovered seat cushion in the 308, and made sure everything's ready for operation this Saturday.

That reminds me: the wood cars will be operating this weekend. Update: We need another trainman for Saturday, and for Sunday there's only a conductor signed up so far. On Sunday I can be part of the crew if needed, but we still need another person, either motorman or trainman. And for next weekend, we need a full crew for Saturday. Help!

We're always encouraging people to donate to IRM, of course. So today two visitors came along and handed me two large plastic bags full of coins, a year's worth of spare change, I guess. Our office manager, Jan Núñez, graciously accepted this contribution and is hoping the bank will have an automatic change counting machine. Well, every little bit helps, but if it's all the same to you, we'd prefer checks.

And since I'd been away for a few weeks, it was time to make the trek out to 14 again to check on the 321, after all the rain. The tarp is basically OK, but I was disgusted to see that the tie-down straps I had installed about a month ago had already worn through and broken. Note to self: don't buy any more sale merchandise from Ace Hardware.

Finally: I didn't have anything to do with this, of course, but it's great to see that the Burlington express car is painted and lettered. And this means that now everything on track 54 along Central Avenue is nicely painted. The whole line of equipment looks great!