Save the Bacon

Many thanks to Jeron Glander, who submitted a bunch of photos documenting the loading and unloading of our new-to-us billboard meat reefer, Kingan Refrigerator Lines 943. All photos copyright Jeron Glander.

Our tale begins in bucolic Kirklin, Indiana, where KRLX 943 has resided out on the lawn of a small manufacturing company for the past seven years. Here, Zach is up on the roof of the car.

It was necessary to move sections of the car's outer roofing and running boards off of the roof prior to moving the car. This was mainly done with a broom and a front-end loader.

Here's the other side, and other end of the car. At some point one end kind of collapsed and fell away from the floor, but there's really no damage, just a bit more repair work needed. And the other end is fully intact.

Before too long a pair of heavy-duty tow trucks showed up to lift the car off the ground.

And up it goes!

Piece of cake: car goes up, flatbed gets backed under, car goes back down.

With the addition of a tarp, the car is ready to leave Indiana, presumably for the last time.

And here we are the next day at IRM, with the truck spotted just east of "Steamland" off to the north side of the turntable leads. The museum's "heavy lift department" was on-site with the Bay City crane and a forklift to lift the car.

Jeff from the Steam Department was on hand to drive the forklift.

And here's John P from Branford, Bob A, Gregg, and Mark, getting themselves situated. You may notice that the car is not quite perfectly straight on the trailer. It doesn't have a steel underframe or even a steel center sill, it's all wood, so prone to some flexing like this.

The crew gets the car ready for the lift, with a sling under the east end and the forklift with extensions on it under the west end.

Up and over, gently now...

...and back down onto our Rock Island flat car. Here several of the guys are inspecting the blocking needed to support the (current) west end of the car, which is where the car end sheathing has detached from the floor. Because of the frame flexing mentioned earlier, it was important to block the car so that it sits on the flatcar straight and level.

And here they are, setting the car down onto the flatcar.

And the job is done! Many thanks to all of the volunteers who made this happen.

But the work isn't done! We need your help to fund the continued preservation, and eventual restoration, of this extremely historic car. Click here to donate today!