Sunday evening update

Frank writes...

I didn't make it out to IRM until late afternoon Sunday, so I didn't have too much time. But I tried to make the most of it.

Really all I worked on was a project involving ceiling panels for the 18, so I'm afraid this will not be the most fascinating blog post. Sorry. The Electroliner project had procured several 4'x8' pieces of thin plywood to use as a base for spray-painting baggage racks atop the spare traction motors out in Barn 4. With that painting done, they agreed to donate the plywood to the 18 project. THANK YOU to Ed, Gerry, and the other 'Liner guys! So after measuring the needed dimensions with some much-needed assistance from Richard, I began cutting these panels to the correct width as shown above. These will be used as a temporary (read as: for the next few years) replacement for the one missing ceiling panel in the 18. The original panel was about 5'6"x9'6" so I need three of these sheets, grain running perpendicular to the car, to fill the hole.

Thanks to Richard and Zach (shown) as well as Nick D (not shown) for helping to strain out the rather chunky white primer I had and paint the first panel. Unfortunately I ran out of primer in short order. So thanks also go to Joel for procuring some quick-drying white primer I was able to use to paint the other two panels.

Voila. I need to buy some more white primer for general use, and some white finish paint to apply to these three panels. Then it will be time to fit them (they'll need a few holes for things like light fixtures and ventilators) and install them. At some point in the future, when lumber is cheaper and there's more money in the 18's fund, I'll procure some 6'x10' sheets of plywood as permanent ceiling panels.

When I arrived, the crew was just finishing up switching the 'Liner back over to Barn 7 following another stint on the inspection pit. Doodlebug Bob was also working on the milling machine, building a jig (fixture?) for machining North Shore car journal bearing wedges.

When it was time for dinner, there was a political demonstration that blocked traffic on the road past the car shop, protesting the electoral loss at the Annual Meeting of one of our favorite local politicians. Fortunately the protestor got hungry and headed to dinner before things got out of hand.