Let's Welcome Contestant #3

Today was a very nice day at IRM, and the first regular Saturday of operations.  I was too busy to take many pictures, but them's the breaks.  So let's see some of the exciting action on your favorite game show, Inspection Sweepstakes!

When I arrived, the 309 (Contestant #2) was still on the pit, and Joel was hard at work doing the roof inspection.  The trolley shoes needed to be filed smooth, but otherwise everything was OK, so we pulled the car outside for lubrication.  I hate this job, but it's got to be done, and Joel went ahead and did most of it with a little help from yours truly.  Then I got to run it back to Barn 8 and do the switching to get the 319 ready for inspection.  The 309 was coupled up to the 308.

BZZZT!  Contestant #2 was disqualified when it was discovered that there was a bad leak in the control pipe glad hand at the #1 end.  Usually, for whatever reason, we run the 309 from the #1 end so this hadn't been apparent.  It can probably be fixed easily enough, but for today there was just some more switching needed to get the 319 over to the Inspection Sweepstakes studio.

Once Contestant #3 was over the pit, things went quickly enough.  No new problems were found, and with Joel and Zach helping, things got done in record time.

 Here we see Zach and Joel inspecting the control group.  And by the time I left, inspection was done except for a few things that can be finished up anywhere, and the car was run back to Barn 8.  I can't thank them enough for all the help.

 It's still early in the operating season.  With our new layout, where visitors enter through the Schroeder Store, there will be many changes from the usual operating day at IRM.  People will naturally tend to congregate around the Pavilion and the Diner, which is probably a good thing.  The streetcars will stage at Central Avenue rather than Depot Street.  And the mainline electric cars will operate out of 50th Avenue rather than Station 1.  Here we see the 409 and 460 on track 11.

Among other things, an Army Reserve railway battalion was having training today with track work and Diesel maintenance.  

And the coach train was unusually short for IRM: a Diesel switcher and one Rock Island car.  Not at all untypical for some historical operations, you must admit.

Also I got a chance to talk with Tom Schneider, who has done valuable work in getting quotes for me on making new motor bearings for the 309.  We're going to need some money for this project, but I'll have more about it soon.  And then I received a collection of interesting photographs to scan in, so that should appear tomorrow.  Stay tuned!