Such as L and R, B and D, and letters like that. We also get letters from you, our readers, which are much appreciated. Anyway, I did a few different things today, of which the most photogenic was lettering the #2 vestibule in the 36. It's warm and cozy in there.
As usual, several different projects were going on in the car shop, but I only got pictures of a couple of them. Rich Witt was refurbishing a door for one of the cabooses.
And Tim Peters was making new window frames for L car doors.
8 comments:
I noticed there is some lettering on one side of the WP Baggage car. Do you know who was the pervious owner of this car? That lettering looks like its from that modern day circus train that still runs?
The baggage car is WP 801 "Silver Beaver" (yes, I said beaver), and was built for California Zephyr service. In later years, it was used as a tool car by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey carrying RBBX reporting marks. The car finished out its years in private ownership before coming to IRM.
Is that blue thing some sort of light switch with the letters for bright and dim? i have not seen anything like it in the Interurbans that I have been inside.
I am glad the WP #801 could come on its own trucks; it sure saved a lot of time and money!
Thanks,
Ted Miles
Ted: That's the headlight switch, and you're correct, there are two positions: bright and dim, plus down is off. These headlight switches are DPDT so that the current flows through the headlight in different directions for bright and dim. Of course, for an incandescent bulb it doesn't matter, but this arrangement dates back to the days of arc headlights. I would love to find a CA&E arc headlight that I could beg, borrow, or steal to see if we could get it to work.
Hello Jeron. I don't remember when but I heard a rumor that the Silver Beaver's stainless steel finish was damaged due to pressure washing. I am just wondering if there is any truth to this, or I was just being told a lie? Thanks.
That is somewhat correct. From what I was told by a previous owner, back in the day when Ringling Bros. wasn't too experienced with working on stainless cars, they had decided to paint the car. They thought the stainless had to be scuffed and prepped so paint would stick to it, so they ended up sandblasting it.
I see I'm not the only one that is up this early. Thanks for the information Jeron, I have to wonder as I didn't get to see it at the museum before the season ended, is the damage bad?
Budd themselves used to acid etch cars that were to be painted. Both corrugated and 3 slab cars were painted by Budd.
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