An Electrified L of a Time

The first day of this four-day weekend presented the history of the Electrified L, and it seemed that everybody was having an L of a time, if you'll pardon the expression.  Where do we begin?

Several L cars that don't operate for various reasons were on display at 50th Avenue.

As for me, I didn't get a lot done today, but there were a few minor items to fix.

Red paint on the headlight connector of the 308:

Blue paint on the whistle piping of the 36, which had still been in primer:

A second coat of black on the stepwell of the 319:

And then, I managed to fix a buzzer on the 319.  The #1 end hadn't been working, and because the buzzer is in a nearly inaccessible location, I was unable to remove it.  The buzzers are wired in series, so it seems that current must be flowing through the coil.  I hopefully poked a nail through the holes in the bottom of the case, and got the flap to start moving, however reluctantly.  It now buzzes moderately well, and perhaps with use it will loosen up.  I also cleaned up a little, made sure we had all the flags we need, so we're ready for tomorrow!

 Meanwhile, out at the station, the 1797 and 1268 are loading for passengers.

And the jewel of the fleet is waiting for its next trip.

And we were running a three-car train of 4000's.  Back in the old days the 4000's ran every weekend, but recently they have been seen more seldom.

And then it was time to couple up the 24 to the 1797 for a three-car wood L train.

These cars are really connected.  As well as the coupler, two air hoses, and the control jumper, there are eight chains and six safety springs.

Waiting at Johnson siding as the Zephyr passes.  

But later, it appeared that all those cars were obsolete.

It was a busy day.  Luckily, Chuck Amstein was there, and plans to be on hand all four days, so we'll have plenty of good pictures of all the action.

Among other things, the Track Dept. guys were very busy today.   Here we see tie replacement in Yard 5:

And later, the ballast regulator is sweeping up Yard 8.   Stand back!

Next, ladies and gentlemen, we present IRM's latest acquisition!

Swift of foot was Hiawatha,

He could shoot an arrow from him,

And run forward with such fleetness

That the arrow fell behind him!

Two lightweight passenger cars from the Milwaukee Road arrived yesterday, and are now in Yard 10.

These were acquired from a private owner in Nebraska, from a tourist line no longer in operation, as I was told.  The interiors are actually in quite good shape; a lot of cleaning is required, of course, but the seats seem to have very good upholstery, and we're hoping to put them into operation relatively soon.

The interiors have been modernized, as you will observe.

They have large lounges/washrooms for both men and women.

And while we're here, the Pennsy bobber is starting to look great.  Victor proudly stands on the platform.

Some of the rotted wood that had to be replaced:

And the doors to Barn 11 were open for some reason, so....

Tomorrow will be our re-enactment of the abandonment of the CA&E, about noon.  As I was mentioning to somebody today, we CA&E fans are just never going to live this down.  It won't be long before we've been restaging the abandonment longer than the actual railroad was in operation!

And as always, the moral of this story is: YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!