End of the season

Frank writes...

I was able to make it out to IRM on Sunday for a rather unorthodox day. It was the last day of the regular operating season and the Pumpkin Train event was in full swing (and seemingly well patronized) but I didn't go up to the depot to get a photo of the service trains. It appeared that CA&E 409-431 and NSL 160-749 were the service trains. Anyway, I started off by checking in on the 453. I hadn't seen this car since it was in North Olmsted.

Not terribly exciting, I know, but I was glad to see the car safe and sound in Barn 6. Then I spent a while leading a few friends on a guided tour of the south barns. They're mostly freight car fans so they were happy to see the restored (and unrestored) freight cars in those buildings. One of the things we stumbled upon was the Santa Fe stock car, which has nice newly-printed exhibit boards. I believe the plan is for this car, and maybe one or two other freight cars, to be put on public display in Barn 3 starting next year. There is also track lighting in the ceiling which should make for a very attractive and professional-looking display.

And the products of some recent switch moves were also in evidence. It appears someone was checking the oil on TE 1 and left the hood up. Either that, or this is the railroad version of "hungry hungry hippos."

But after the tour it was on to something completely different: a field trip to the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin. The car shop crew has made a practice the last few years of going on a fall field trip to another museum within driving distance, so this year it was just up the road to FRTM where we were met by Jeff, one of the higher-ups there. The tour started with a walk through their three-track barn. Below is CA&E 458, which is nearing the end of a re-roofing job. They've replaced the tack molding and roof boards already. The next step will be applying a rubber roof, which has been very effective on NSL 715 in keeping the rain out, even for cars stored outside. This is now the only 450-series CA&E car not at IRM.

The 458 was on the center track at the door, while on the west track at the door was their Fox River Electric car. Behind it was a personal favorite of mine, the Chicago mail car.

And across from it, behind the 458, was CTA 4451. Up until a few years ago this car was in the regular operating fleet but its roof failed and it was retired until repairs could be made. That's now in progress, with a new roof being put on and a lot of steel work being done as well.

This is the back corner of the barn, with the CA&E line car to the left (it's behind the mail car) and a Soo Line caboose to the right (behind the 4451). Most of the damage from the bad vandalism case FRTM suffered a year ago has been repaired or at least cleaned up, but as you can tell from the 11 there is still some evidence of it here and there.

The east track is CA&E cars, with the 20 at the door and the 316 behind it (the 317 is temporarily outside and tarped until the roof job on 458 is completed). I took a couple of photos on the platform of the 316. Although it's the same series as 319 and 321, there are some unusual differences. First, it's got a brake valve to actuate the sleet scrapers. Our steel cars have a similar setup but all of our wood cars have a simpler three-position valve. Note too that the 316 retained its C-21 controller until the end and that it has a cover over the trap button at this position as well as on the off-side position.

And while all of our cars have a solid - and very hefty - bracket on the train door for hanging the cab heater, the 316 has this collapsible bracket that folds down to lie somewhat flat against the door when not in use. Interesting. The 316 was painted by FRTM in "coffee and cream" 1930s colors, same as we did with the 321, but apparently they found evidence that the vestibule interior was painted the same tan color as the doors so that's what they repainted it. On our cars, evidence suggested that the vestibule interiors remained painted Pullman green up until they were painted blue in the 1940s. Wheaton never did anything the same way twice!

Then it was time to go for a ride. We went for a trip on North Shore 715, sister car (of course) to our own 714. The museum just finished a complete repainting of this car within the last few weeks, including some steel repair work on the ends, and it really looks very nice. It probably hasn't looked this good since it was at East Troy, and maybe not since it was on the North Shore! It was pointed out that this end is still missing the lower half of its anti-climber, which was broken when the car was being moved to North Freedom, WI back in the mid-1960s. It's also - like the 714 - missing its rooftop "lobster traps," which FRTM hopes to replace if and when the car can be stored indoors.

And here's a group shot at Coleman Siding courtesy of one of the FRTM guys: Dan Fenlaciki, Nick Espevik, yours truly, Gregg Wolfersheim, Jeron Glander, Zach Ehlers, Joel Ahrendt, Greg Kepka, and Richard Schauer.

The other service train was a pair of spam cans, but why ride 'L' cars when you can ride this instead? The Fox River guys were kind enough to fire up CTA L202, which was built as Chicago Surface Lines L202 (though completely rebuilt by the CTA - probably little more than the frame and maybe the controller is left over from CSL days). A trip with the steeplecab pulling their IC caboose ensued.

And hey, I even got to run a bit! The cab of the L202 is very small - the locomotive is elevated width but there's a narrow walkway down each side of the cab, so the cab is even narrower - and it has a single ancient K-14 controller in the middle of the cab facing sideways. Neat stuff! Thanks to Zach for snapping the photo.

Many thanks to Jeff and the other FRTM guys for showing us around! It's always a good thing to "network" with other museums to share knowledge and help each other when possible. You never know when IRM and FRTM maybe able to help each other out. Before leaving, another interesting CA&E-ism was pointed out to me near the Fox River entrance. Below is a "wiper" actuator for a crossing signal bell on their lower loading track. The thick wires pointing towards the rail are sprung, and when hit by the wheel of a car they activate (or deactivate) the crossing signal. Pretty neat!

EDIT: Many thanks to Tim Fennell who sent along the following photographs:

First, a photo of the stock car interior with the track lighting lit:

And a photo of the Pullman car John McLoughlin, which has been the subject of recent interior restoration work as well as an exterior paint job, during a recent switch move:

And our heavyweight solarium car Mt Harvard during switching. This car too has been the focus of recent work to rehab its interior and at some point will hopefully enter revenue service at the museum.