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With the trolley bases located up on the roof, it was possible to get them correctly positioned and bolted in place, and the electrical connections made also. And most of the rest of the leather straps were tacked into place to hold the cables to the running boards. That took all day, but we're just about done on the roof! You can see one of the poles set between the running boards in the picture. The other pole was more than a foot too long, because when we got the car from Cleveland one of the bases was in the wrong place. So it was cut to length in the shop.
The only major task remaining is to actually insert the poles into the clamps on the bases, which is not easy to do in the barn. But Frank should be out on Saturday for the safety meeting, rules test, and annual meeting, so working together it should go pretty quickly. And thanks again to Joel and his helpers for getting the heavy and awkward bases onto the roof!
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As usual, Tim and Frank K. were working on the 24. The west end of the car has been done for a while, but the east end still needs some major structural repairs, as seen here. That's almost worse than the end of the 308, although luckily this car never had a bogus 1/4" steel plate welded onto the end. .jpg)
Tim unbolted the end sill and took it outside for heating and straightening.
And Gerry was installing the headlight circuits on the dump motor.
Bob Olson told me that someone named Tony had called last week, wanting to ask me for help with CA&E paint schemes for modeling purposes. Bob couldn't find his contact info, however. In any case, I'm not a modeler and would be of little help. Jeff Obarek is probably a much better person to talk to when it comes to CA&E modeling, and I know there are several other experts out there. So if Tony wants to email me, I can put you in contact with the right people.
4 comments:
Randy, why leather to hold the power cable in place rather than something like large conduit clamps? Does the leather not dry out rapidly in that location?
All I know for sure is that leather is what they used. It is easy to install and was probably cheaper than metal clamps. I would think that as long as the car is stored inside, the leather should last a long time. The only original roof we have is the 36, and some but certainly not all of the leather straps have cracked. Eventually I should get around to fixing them.
I suspect the leather strap was a fairly early method. It is something that will hold the cable securely, but is flexible so there is no risk of it piercing the insulation over time from the vibration of the car. At least, I suspect that was the original thought. I have seen older streetcar equipment have motor leads and other wiring secured under the car with leather straps as well. I have also seen steel conduit clamps used on other pieces of equipment.
The end sill was attached with rivets which were removed. The end sill will be replaced, as the steel was bent, torn and severely rusted. Bill Wulfert
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