As an unorthodox Easter celebration, I was working at IRM today. The weather was variable, to say the least, but it was possible to accomplish a lot, as you'll see.
First, I installed (L) most of the parts Al had prepared for me, mostly because I needed the steps to get onto the roof. The newly-repainted roof fuse box was installed. For some inexplicable reason, the holes in the mounting brackets no longer line up with the holes in the roof boards, so the box is attached with only one bolt. It's held on firmly by the two cables, so it's not going anywhere, but I'll have to drill a new hole at some point. But it's an important step forward, and I tested out the controller at the #2 end and verified that it works. 
I also did some more electrical testing; we still have a problem with the control resistors that I haven't figured out yet, but I will. I promise.Since I had to move the scaffold to get onto the roof safely, I finished surface prep around the side door and then painted around it as seen here. The handrails were stripped at Cleveland and then left unfinished brass, so only minor work was needed to prep them for primer.
And due to a switch move, there's now a gap on track 83, so I could take a better picture of the side of the car. You have to use your imagination, but the blue paint scheme should be coming into focus.
Weird Stuff Dept.: I must be sort of slow, it took me a while to notice this. Actually having to strip and repaint every square inch helps focus one's attention, I suppose. At the #1 end of the 36, the train door and both side doors have rounded tops.
But at the #2 end, the tops are square. The car must have been heavily rebuilt at some point, but why? I would imagine the rounded tops are original, but I'm not sure. In any case, both sets of doors have blue paint on them, so there's no reason to think about changing anything. But no other car I've worked on has two ends so different.The difference in the doors is not apparent from the outside due to the construction of the doorways, by the way.
There was a good number of visitors out today, considering the crummy weather. The "pride of the fleet" 749 was in service, and here we see the crew: Tom Disch and Keith Leitsch. This could be you. We can always use more good operators, so consider joining the Museum today!
2 comments:
Could have been in an accident at some point, and when they rebuilt the one end, they put in the square doors. I think the Round would be the original type. I'm sure that they hit cars just as the other RR's did. Just my three cents (inflation ya know.)
I have found things similar working on cars at the Connecticut Trolley Museum. A notable one that I found was working on an old double truck curveside car, Connecticut Company 154. On one end, the trim above the doors between the passenger compartment and the motorman vestibule is firmly attached, however on the other end, it is on hinges and folds down. My only thought is that knowing there were pocket doors between the compartments, some repairs had to be made after the pocket doors were removed so they put a straight piece of trim board, instead of the board on hinges to access the pocket door mechanisms.
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