36 Progress

 On Friday evening I was a trainman on the Screamliner, as promised.  Things went smoothly and we had a reasonably good crowd for the first day of the event.  The other crewmen were Joel, Mike McCraren, and Mike Stauber, with Jamie and Roger on the engine.  It was quite cold, but there are heaters in the Birmingham at least.  And Phil provides hot drinks and snacks for the crew and the kids, which is greatly appreciated.  We can always use more help, so sign up if you can.  It's an interesting contrast with our usual operations.  Of course, they don't want us taking unauthorized pictures of the interior or the actors, so you will just have to see it for yourself.

Saturday was another work day on the 36.  Stripping paint (L), sanding, filling, more sanding, and finally a first coat of white primer on the areas that will be red, on the #2 end of the car (R).

 The next step will be to remove the motorman's front window at this end so it can be repainted.  On this side, there are several pipes, wires, and other odds and ends in the way, so getting it out will be more difficult.  It may not be obvious, but part of the windowsill is missing, so it will have to be replaced.

And on the right, look at this.  Underneath one of the molding pieces are these two wires twisted together and held in place with insulated staples.  These were part of the 600V lighting system and carried current to the dash light, which was later removed.  So luckily they're no longer part of the system.

I am hoping I will not have to disconnect the brake valve to remove the window; as that often results in air leaks.

And visitors from far away included Scott Davis from the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, and my long-time friends Randy and Betty Anderson, who now live in North Carolina.  It's always nice to show off what we've been doing!