24 hours

Frank writes...

I made it out to IRM just for a few hours late on Sunday afternoon. I didn't contribute much but I did get a chance to gawk at the car shop guys working to repair Northwestern Elevated 24. Our oldest operating piece of equipment was in service on Members Day when a journal bearing on the trailing truck suddenly began running hot. Things like this happen sometimes with 120-year-old equipment.

When I got there the crew, including Good Nick, Richard, Greg, and Jeron, had brought the car over, jacked up the journal box, and removed the bearing and wedge. Below is a shot of the journal box as Nick worked to pull slugs of molten babbitt out of it with a journal hook. If you look closely, that thing to the right of the axle that looks like tin foil is a piece of melted babbitt. Fortunately, although the bearing got hot enough to melt the babbitt a little, it didn't do any damage to the axle nor did it do permanent damage to the brass bearing itself.

By the end of the afternoon a bearing from stock had been installed; it's not smooth enough for full-speed service (the original bearing will be re-babbitted and reinstalled) but a test trip around the car line proved that it is fine for shop moves and low-speed use. Following the test trip the car was brought back over to the pit and positioned to have its air compressor swapped out. The D3-EG pump under the car (the same type used by the 36, 308, and 309) has been blowing a lot of oil so Rich Block rebuilt a D3-EG we had in stock for installation on the 24. By the time everyone left for dinner the old pump had been disconnected and was ready to be swapped out.

While we're standing around watching other people work, as I am wont to do, let's take a look at the trucks under the 24. The motor truck, shown here, is a Hedley design. Hedley trucks were very popular with the Chicago elevated and as built the 24 had two of these. In fact it may have been built with four motors, since it started life as a "locomotive car" built to haul trailers, but maybe Bill Wulfert can chime in on that point.

Regardless, at some point it lost one of its Hedleys and saw it replaced by this trailer truck. Our roster calls this a McGuire but research done by Bill has suggested it's actually a Sterns design MCB truck, something I'd never heard of. Very interesting. It bears some resemblance to Gilbert and Taylor trucks of roughly the same era.

It was the last operating day of the year for the 1630, so it was nice to see it out, and the CA&E steel train was in service following repairs made to the governor wiring on the 431. Arnfest has concluded and it sounds like that was a success. And the 'Liner crew continues work on the "A" car interior.