Winter Is Here

Like it or not, winter seems to have arrived, since our "Indian Summer" has missed the boat again this year.  But enough of our usual kvetching about the weather.  Here at IRM, we don't let that stop us.

Right now there really isn't much to do on the CA&E wood cars, other than wait for the new bearings to arrive, so I spent much of the day working on the 306.   It's the next best thing.  Fred Zimmerman and I spent some time trying to sort out the various parts and debris left in the car.  There are lots of things we can't identify, and we don't want to throw anything out if it might possibly be useful, so....  it's a challenge.  

Next, John Sheldon asked Fred to do some prep work on the frames for the arched windows at the #1 end.  So he used a heat gun to remove the old putty.  I must apologize for the next photo.  It may appear that Fred is subject to camera fright, but that's actually not the case.

Anyway, we then wire-wheeled the old finish off the metal frames on both sides at this end.  I think all of this will eventually be covered over by wooden parts of the interior.  

And we did more sorting and moving of parts in the barn, to provide some space to unload things from the 306 so we'll have room to work.  I even spent some time vacuuming the floor, which was very dusty.  Believe it or not, this is an improvement.

The 306 will require a lot of work, but at least we're making some progress.

Meanwhile, several other people were at work.  Here Bill is spray-painting L car parts in the booth.

 And Tim is installing the new floorboards in the 1754.  He has chosen to put them at a 45 degree angle, which makes it more of a challenge.   I wonder why?

Next, this is perhaps revolting, but the toilet chute on the 319 was rusted out at the bottom and very unsightly, so I decide to install a new one.   It's not functional, but we would like the underbody equipment on the cars to look good, and this is a part of it.

I made a new tube at home, using galvanized metal meant for air ducts, and placed it around the old tube.  It will need to be painted next spring.  But it's an improvement.

And then there's the ongoing cosmetic work on the 150.  The ends of this car are particularly grim.  Ever since we got it, the board under the entrance door has looked like this.

So I had some time to chop it away, and install a new piece of 2x6 that was in the scrap wood collection.  Next, the corner blocks to the right will need to be replaced.  The whole car is hopeless in terms of restoration, but it has a nice paint job and could certainly be made more presentable.

Somebody asked about the wiring on the 460.  The answer is simple: those wires went to the third-rail beams on the trucks.  At Cleveland, all the third-rail equipment was removed, and most of the conduits on the trucks were torched off.  And the wires were just cut off.  At some point, we need to make new beams for the steel cars for the sake of appearance, but that will take time and effort.

There were many other people at work today.   The Cleveland PCC crew were there, getting ready to jack up the car to complete work on the underbody equipment.  Eric explained to me that they need to create three new compartments for the various parts that it needs, and so on.  The McKays were there, helping with cleaning and sorting parts, and so on.   And then they got to start stringing lights!

Because....

Happy Holiday Railway is on the way.  Among other things, the PA system was being tested with its usual holiday music and public service announcements.  And decorating is going on all over the property.  This is going to be a big boost to the Museum, so it's time to get in the holiday spirit!