Beware of the Blob!

Today was a relatively slow Saturday, probably due to the weather. Nevertheless, there were several active projects being worked on.

I started doing some more work on windows for the Cleveland center-entrance car, 1218.   Or just 18.  Results so far have not been encouraging; there are just too many layers of paint on the wood.  And the construction of the windows with steel channels attached with wood screws leads to problems.  So that's a challenge, but we shall never surrender.

There were several people working on usual projects that I didn't manage to photograph:  Jack Biesterfeld and Bob Olsen were working on windows for Coach Dept. cars, for instance.  Vincent and Bill continue to work on the Pennsy cabin car.

Here Dan Buck is fixing up the cover for the contactor box on the 1754:

I also did some work on installing the recently rebuilt part of one of the controllers on car 36.  It was modified by Rich Schauer and Gerry Dettloff, and needed some minor adjustments, but it now appears to be working correctly.  I need to wind the return spring up more tightly, but ran out of patience assembling and disassembling the whole thing, but that will happen by May.  I promise.

Tim Peters is off the DL and back at work.  Here are the results of stripping wood on the interior of the 1754.  The number over the doorway is obvious.

And over that is the original Jewett builder's herald, or what's left of it.  This reminded me that we have a number of decals of this type made many years ago.  We can't remember who made them, perhaps either Roger Hewett or George Campbell, but in any case I was given several of them, on the theory that they would look nice in the 321 (or 319).  They wouldn't be correct for the most recent paint scheme, but I still had them in storage.  So they are free to a good home.

It looks like the decals are slightly too large, and there are minor differences in the style of lettering, but they're better than nothing.  Tim and Bill will have to decide what they want to do.

Buzz was repainting windows for the North Shore 1003, helped by Lorne.

And I installed one more armrest in the 309, so that job is complete for now.

A friend of ours recently posted, and I quote: "The blob is a private entity owned by Randy and Frank Hicks."  Now I like to think of the blob as something that at least has a sense of humor, something like the Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati.  But still, it's our private entity, and if you don't watch out, we might send it after you!!!