2003
Saturday, January 4
308:
I made the appropriate measurements and then cut out a patch from the corner post stock for the #1R corner. Will still need some minor adjustments.
Unfortunately, the one remaining bolt for the patch piece could not be loosened, so I wound up cutting it off flush (or nearly flush) with the post. There are still plenty of places to bolt the new patch in. The ship splice is slightly over 14” long.
Trimmed the block (or wedge) which goes into the floor under the existing wall.
Cut out two 6/4 floor pieces; not yet trimmed, since I will need to chisel out some more of the old floor. These pieces should be sufficient to finish the floor (perhaps some very thin shims will be needed.)
I loosened the nuts on the U-clamp which holds the air lines to the coupler, then removed the #1 coupler. After checking the parts I got from the container against the replacement coupler, and looking through the material yard to find the old 318 coupler, I decided the replacement coupler couldn’t be used. (Its shank is just too large – 3” square compared to 2”x2½” on all the other CA&E couplers I could find.) The shank is bent to an angle somewhere between 20 and 30 degrees, but it makes a nice smooth curve over 3 or 4 inches. I used our hand truck to haul the bent coupler over to the steam shop. Tom Schneider looked at it and thought it could be straightened, so I left it with him.
Misc.:
In a moment of weakness, I pledged $100 for Bob Kutella’s dust collection system in the new shop. Hope it works as advertised.
I visited the steam shop for the first time in a few years – a real beehive of activity (mostly 428, it appeared).
Sunday, January 12 (with Maggie and Frank)
308:
Looked at the #1 end and discussed the construction of a new splice bracket; unfortunately, the welders had already left.
We also looked at the triple valve, which Frank had removed with the help of Andy Sunderland, and discussed what should be done next. The old gasket cannot be reused.
Talked to Dave Shore about training documents.
308: Triple valve was removed by Andy Sunderland and FH, Andy disassembled, cleaned and reassembled it, both gaskets were replaced; work on stripping paint off train door
309: Mike Alterio completed reconstruction of damaged 309 grab; it will need a little adjusting, but looks very nice all things considered
Wednesday 15th:
308: Frank Sirinek cut the side-door window glass so that it will be useable on the new two-pane window
Saturday, January 18
308:
I trimmed and installed the two floor patch pieces at the #1 end. I installed two screws through the buffer plate, and installed a vertical carriage bolt for holding the plates down, after removing the old bolt.
I started chiseling out the mortise for the post patch piece.
I measured and cut out a new piece for the inner post, and left it in the shop for painting.
Misc.:
Moved the pieces Frank had been painting into the clean room. Spoke to Dave Shore again.
Monday 20th:
308: FH - Drop sash for side door window painted with another coat of blue; triple valve painted black; more paint stripping on train door; misc. pieces of hardware painted blue
Wednesday 22nd:
308: FH - Replacement wood for train door planed with help of Pete Galayda; drop sash for side door window sanded down, more blue paint; more black paint on triple valve; misc. pieces of hardware painted
Saturday, January 25
308:
I finished mortising the floor piece, and trimmed and installed the post section. Attached with two through bolts; I still intend to install at least one lag screw. Bondo on the patch lines and around the bumper plate. Should work OK.
Took home the planed poplar stock for the train door.
Misc.:
Gave a check to Barb for the dust collector.
Spoke to Dave Shore (again!) about training – he had spoken to Norm and to Dan Gornstein.
Work done on Monday, 1/27/03, by Frank Hicks:
Another coat of blue paint on side-door window sash; train door latches painted blue; trap hinges painted Budd light brown to match floor; more paint stripped off train door
Saturday, February 1
308:
I installed a lag screw near the top of the patch, then applied Bondo everywhere, sanded it all down, and painted it with primer.
I redrilled some of the holes at the #2 end, and was finally able to install at least the control pipe.
Misc.:
Helped a little with moving stuff into the new shop.
Saturday, February 8 (with Frank)
308:
Worked some more on drilling holes at the #2 end for the piping.
Frank worked some more on stripping paint from the #2 train door.
We got the coupler from the Steam Shop, which Tom Stoneberg had straightened for us, and reinstalled it. Looks much better.
I reversed the position of the shoe on the #1 pole, so the shunt is inside the harp and everything looks OK.
Misc.:
After watching a CA&E headlight go for $610 on eBay, I decided to collect all three of our headlights and store them in the container.
Sunday, February 9:
CA&E 308: more paint stripping done on the train door; window glass installed in new side door drop sash and sealed in with caulk; #2 controller removed from toilet, brought to shop, examined - it was determined that the button interlink levers in the handle are missing, and some wiring has been disconnected; #2 controller cover needle-chipped; Transite arc chutes in controller case were removed for painting with Glyptal; trap hinges received final coat of Budd light brown
CA&E 321: ext. train door handle from #2 end was painted Budd light brown
[Frank] brought the #2-end controller into the shop to look at. We took the cover off and looked at the workings. There are a couple of problems. First, IMOTAC disconnected quite a bit of the wiring in order to remove the controller. They did color-code the wires with colored tape, though, and it appears that the wiring still under the car may even have matching tapes so that we'll know where everything goes. The second problem is that the levers inside the handle are missing, so the button interlink doesn't work (Bruneau says we can strip stock C6 controller handles for these parts). There were a couple of interesting things about the controller. First, the case is made of aluminum! This seems odd, although I knew that aluminum-case C6's had been made for Key System in the 1930's. Either they were making these things out of aluminum a lot earlier than I would have thought, or this controller is a later replacement (this is more likely - another odd thing about the case is that there's no evidence the controller cover ever had a badge plate). Anyway, the more interesting thing is that the cover still had all of the original paint on it. I scraped away some of the red paint, and the only thing under it was black! This thing was never painted blue! IMOTAC stripped the top and handle pretty well, but there were some spots they missed and it appeared that there was no paint at all under the red. I believe that, for the era we're restoring the car to, the controller case and cover are black and the top and handle are bare brass.
Saturday, February 15
308:
Worked some more on drilling holes at the #2 end for the piping. Finally drilled through the hole for the main reservoir pipe that goes to the whistle. Found a new piece of 3/8” pipe, cut to length, and threaded it. Left in the paint room for Frank to repaint.
I installed the bracket for the motorman’s valve, and made a test installation.
I cut out some blocks of wood and mounted the sleet control, although the pipes are not connected.
Misc.:
I helped move the mortising machine into the new shop.
Wed 19 Feb:
308 - Rest of #2 end controller cover was wire-wheeled; air pipe to whistle was wire-wheeled
Sat 22 Feb:
308 - #2 end controller cover primed, whistle air piping primed, cab heater bracket primed
309 - Track machines have been removed from west end of barn track 21; permission was obtained from Jamie Kolanowski to switch our truck in at our convenience
Sun 23 Feb:
308 - #2 end controller cover painted black; whistle air piping painted blue; cab heater bracket painted blue; interior side of #2 end train door was sanded, nail holes from weatherstripping were filled, and inside face of door was primed. A window stick was removed (I don't know the window numbering system; it's on the toilet side) for a light green sample, and in addition a ceiling molding strip (along the top of the car card panel) was removed from its position adjacent to the wrecking tools box. This will be the ivory sample.
309 - Bruce Lampson will be able to switch our truck over to Barn 2 as soon as he reinstalls the slack adjusters on Joy #2 tomorrow morning
Monday, 24 Feb 2003:
308:
What remains of the original exterior face of the train door was primed; a grab-iron got a second coat of grey; more #2-end C6 controller components got painted with Glyptal; the cut-out valve for the whistle air line from the #2 end, which was defective, was replaced (we should note that the replacement valve has a slightly different handle style - the original was rounded, without the "I-beam" cross-section shape, and had the part number cast into it in raised numbers); the wood blocks with pipe "staples" that will hold the #2 end sleet scraper valve to the wall were removed from their temporary installation and primed.
309:
Bruce Lampson and Wes Lloyd moved the truck over to Barn 2, track 21 using Joy #2. It has been spotted just inside the heated section and painting will begin as soon as the truck has been given a chance to warm up.
321:
The exterior handle from the #2 end train door got a second coat of tan and can now be reinstalled.
Wednesday, 26 February
309: The truck, which had been moved into Barn 2 on 24 February by Bruce Lampson and Wes Lloyd, was painted black by FH. Bob Bruneau called Steiner; it will be another week or two before the second motor is done. Bob indicated that Dave Shore will be sent to inspect the motors before shipment back to IRM.
Monday, 3 March
309: The truck was moved back to Barn 4 by Bruce Lampson and Wes Lloyd using Joy #2.
Wednesday, 5 March
309: Bruce Lampson used a hammer to ring-test all springs on the trucks as well as the wheels. They all rang, which indicates that there are no cracks.
308: More piping for the #2 vestibule was painted blue, and the edges of the #2 train door were sanded (FH)
321: The exterior latch-handle for the #2 end train door was installed and two grab irons were brought into the shop, cleaned and primed (FH).
Saturday, March 8 (with Frank)
308:
I removed a seat arm at #3 for use as a “lower green” paint sample.
Frank and I reinstalled the triple valve and tested the brakes. (The first installation leaked around the new gasket, so we removed the valve, cleaned the face surfaces, repositioned the gasket, etc.) The 308 is being supplied with air from the 321, but I cut out the brake pipe connection to get better response. Testing with the brake stand at the 308’s #1 end, it is still the case that in release, air is leaking out the exhaust pipe. When the exhaust pipe is plugged, air then starts leaking at the brake cylinder. (I believe this is OK; the cylinder is designed so that very slow applications of air will not cause the brakes to come on gradually.) Also, when the handle is placed in lap, the brake pipe pressure starts to decrease at a noticeable rate (roughly 5 lbs every 2 seconds or so.) This is true even when the triple valve is cut out. We therefore suspect that the motorman’s valve is at fault.
I finished expanding the hole in the floor for the brake pipe at the #2 end, and installed the piping. Frank and I worked on re-attaching the piping under the car, but could not get it to thread together properly. We removed the piping back to the last union, but that’s as far as we got.
Misc.:
I looked at what Frank had done on the truck in Barn 4.
Sunday, 9 March 2003:
308: Bruce Lampson, Wes Lloyd, Warren Lloyd and FH took the compressor cradle over to Barn 2 (having received permission yesterday from Brian Swan to do so) and left it there to be worked on in the warmth later. The #1-end electrical cabinet door was removed and brought into the shop for repainting; two fuses in the door were found to be bad and replacements were located. An armrest from about halfway through the main compartment on the non-toilet side was removed and brought into the shop; it had been stripped by IMOTAC, but there was a chip out of the wood and epoxy was poured to patch it. The clips that attach the #2-end sleet scraper valve to the wall were put back in the car.
The sheet-metal bulkhead ad frame was removed from behind the #1-end electrical cabinet bulkhead and brought into the shop. The edges (the parts that will be exposed after an ad is placed in the frame) were wire-wheeled and primed. Interestingly, the frame is not the same color as the interior of the 308 - it is more of a light blue, probably identical to the interior color of the 315 at Rockhill. There is evidence that the edges were later painted to match the medium green from the 308, but most of the plate (hidden by ad card) was left light blue.
309: Dave Shore reports that he visited Steiner late last week and inspected the motors. He was extremely impressed, which is very surprising, and he does not anticipate any problems at all. He will return in a week or two to assist Steiner in shimming the armature to reduce lateral play.
Wednesday, March 12
308: Part of compressor cradle wire-wheeled and primed (FH)
Thursday, March 13
308:
I went to Diamond Paints in Des Plaines to drop off a seat frame arm, a window shade track, and a piece of the ceiling for matching. I also ordered another gallon of the “Washington Blue” for the 308. They will have these matched by Monday.
Thursday, March 20
308:
I returned to Diamond Paints in Des Plaines to pick up the paint I had ordered, as well as the parts. Results of color matching appear to be excellent.
“Gray Green” (308 Lower Green): COR 31-34-1
B2Y40
C28
DY
L6Y42
“Sage Green” (308 Upper Green): COR 31-34-1
A32
B8
D32
I8
L8Y
“Tan” (308 Ceiling Ivory): COR 31-33-1
B18
CY36
F6
T8
KX28
Saturday, March 22 (with Frank)
308:
I found the missing ratchet piece for the hand brake at the #2 end, and installed it.
I started trying to remove the buzzer circuit interrupter at the #1 end so the buzzer can be made operational. Didn’t get very far; Bob Heinlein came along and offered to work on the brake valve so I switched to brakes.
I disassembled the piping we had removed last time, and reinstalled the brake pipe connections to the #2 brake stand back to the union. I then reconnected the pipe to the control pipe connection. I then tested them by pumping up the car from the 321. With the control stand cut out, there are no leaks.
Bob and I installed his rebuilt M-15 motorman’s valve at the #1 end, but it didn’t make much difference; the brakes still apply almost immediately upon going to lap. Bob is going to take home the valve that was originally at the #1 end and rebuild it for us.
I installed the motorman’s valve at the #2 end. Not tested yet because the connection from the brake pipe to the clock is still open.
The window cleaning crew, consisting of Lorraine Johnson, Phil Becker, and Mel Matson(?), came by and washed all the windows in the 308.
309:
The window cleaning crew washed all the windows in the 309 also.
Later, the floor cleaners came through and vacuumed out the floor. (Didn’t do floor of 308 because of all our tools and other stuff).
Misc.:
On our way to the museum, we took some pictures of the remains of Aurora Birney #85. Afterwards, we went to a slide show party at Norm’s.
Frank attended the budget meeting and other things.
Sunday, March 23
308:
Bulkhead ad card holder painted upper green.
Bottom half of three smoker armrests primed.
More of compressor cradle wire-wheeled and primed (FH)
Monday, March 24
308:
Armrest area of three smoker armrests painted first black.
More of compressor cradle wire-wheeled and primed.
Final blue applied to outside of drop sash window
Window shade track sanded and spot primed
309:
Contactor #1-5 arch chute removed, both fingers were badly worn and replaced with ones from stock, arch chute disassembled. (FH)
Tuesday, March 25 (with Frank)
308:
Bulkhead ad card holder given a second coat of upper green, a window shade track given a first coat.
Jim Heinlein wire-wheeled part of the (replacement) D3-EG compressor, and Frank primed it.
We looked at the C-21 controller which Frank and Bruce had removed from the parts car. It is complete except for the throttle mechanism; the fingers are there, but there are no contact plates or connections.
309:
Frank replaced the arc chute for contactor #1-5 with a spare.
The upper finger only of #1-1 was replaced with one from stock.
He also painted some misc. parts of the arc chutes with Glyptal.
He also studied the condition of all contactors on the #1 side and made a table:
Contactor # |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
Arc Chute |
Good |
Good |
Good |
OK |
Good |
Good |
OK |
OK |
OK |
Good |
Poor |
OK |
Good |
Glyptal? |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Finger Condition |
Good |
Good |
OK |
Good |
Good |
OK |
OK |
OK |
OK |
Good |
OK |
Good |
OK |
Thursday, March 27
308:
I went to Owl Hardwood and got the lumber for making two new trap doors and finishing the train door.
Saturday, March 29
308:
I trimmed one of the bottom pieces to shape, and planed all of the white oak planks to 5/8”. Then they were cut to shape, painted on the inside surfaces, and assembled. Started on cutting the mortises for the end hinges.
At the hardware store I bought another quart of brown primer and the screws needed to assemble the trap.
Saturday, April 5 (with Frank)
308:
I planed and cut to shape the last piece for the outer train door, using the new wood shop facilities. The new dust collection system is very nice.
I used the mortising machine to make all of the mortises I’ll need for the outer train door.
I also cut a mortise for the new angle bracket at the #1 end. Then drilled the hole for the bolt all the way through.
Also drilled two holes in the bracket for lag screws, and drilled into the post.
Frank made up 16 waste bundles for the 309 axle caps, helped by Barb Lanphier.
Misc.:
Talked to Dave Shore again about training and qualification.
I put all of the visitor signs in place (except one for the 309, since I couldn’t open the car. The lock is too tight).
Sunday April 6th: (Frank)
308:
Finished painting the compressor cradle black.
Sandblasted and primed metal strap for #2-end motorman's trap.
309:
Tied six more waste bundles for axle cap bearings.
Finished reassembling one of the (now rebuilt) spare DB-15 arc chutes.
Tuesday, April 8 (with Frank)
308:
Frank brought the compressor cradle back to Barn 4 on the Joy Manufacturing engine with the help of Bruce Lampson.
He put a second coat of “Wehrmacht Grey” (Lower Green) on three seat ends from the smoker. These will now be ready to reinstall.
He also sanded and primed replacement floor-level drip rail for exterior of #2 end train door.
I looked at the compressor cradle which Frank had finished painting, and approved it.
I took home the trap door for the #2R corner to use as a guide for replacement.
309:
Frank tied five more waste bundles for axle cap bearings.
He installed rebuilt DB-15 arc chute on the #2 contactor (#1 end), removed that arc chute to the shop and disassembled it for Glyptaling. Did more Glyptaling of parts for various other DB-15 arc chutes. This weekend he may try to get Andy Sunderland to build us some new DB-15 arc chute parts out of linen laminate.
We loaded the rebuilt grid box onto the #1 platform for safekeeping.
We also mounted the remaining display sign on the car.
Saturday, April 12 (with Frank)
308:
I brought out the pieces for the train door which I had made at home and checked the fit. I had to plane down the spacer blocks at one point slightly. Belt sanded all of the faces. Taken home for final assembly.
Bob Heinlein brought out the 308 motorman’s valve that he had rebuilt at home. Seems to work fine. The triple valve still leaks from the brake pipe to the exhaust in release position. I timed the onset of application from 1) moving the valve to lap, and 2) cutting out the brake stand. Both are exactly 4 seconds, which is somewhat of an improvement, but still not good. In any case, this indicates that the motorman’s valve is OK.
I worked on the metal bracket and blocks for the #1R corner – primed by Frank. Also chose out five pieces of T&G for the siding, also primed by Frank. Installed the through bolt.
I worked some more on the buzzer system; still can’t remove the interrupter. I did remove the pull switch for Frank to wire wheel and repaint. The wiring needs to be replaced here.
I removed the third rail switch blade and stored it in the wall locker in the 321.
309:
Frank installed a repainted arch chute door.
Misc.:
Talked to a member from Denver, a BNSF engineer (Myron Morano?), and showed him around.
Tuesday, 15 April (Frank)
309:
The big news is that the motors arrived from Steiner this morning and were unloaded by Bruce using the forklift. They are now in the Car Dept. trailer, shrink-wrapped and steel-banded to pallets. I discussed a timetable for putting them in the truck with Bruneau; due to inspections we can't do it right away, but hopefully within 2-3 weeks we'll be able to get the truck onto the pit and do it.
Swapped out the #3 arc chute (#1 end), replacing it with a refurbished one. It appears that the remainder of the #1-end arc chutes will be impossible to remove because the screws at the top of the arc chute are tightened down; it may be that the only way to get them out is to drop the entire contactor.
308:
Floor of #2-end vestibule painted with first coat of Budd light brown.
Most of the weatherstripping nail holes on the #1-end train doorway were Bondo-ed up.
The third repainted seat armrest was reinstalled in the smoker, which now has all four of its armrests back in place again (although only three have been repainted).
The steel strap for the motorman's trap at the #2 end was painted tan on the top.
The stick for the #2 vestibule of the 308 was placed in the car, but the wet floor and inability of the non-motorman's side door to close precluded it from being fitted and put in place.
The car was pumped up (using the 321) with the triple valve cut out. Upon movement of the 308's brake handle to Lap, there was a 2-3 second pause and then the brakes on the 321 applied. I'm not entirely sure why this is happening, but it does appear that the 308's triple valve is not our only brake problem. The same result was obtained from the #2 end of the 321. I thought I heard a slight air leak under the #2 platform of the 308; what significance this has I'm not sure.
Saturday, April 19 (with Frank)
308:
I worked on finishing off the #1 end. I installed the repainted bracket and wooden blocks, and tightened the associated bolts and lag screws. The T&G siding had to be shortened slightly; I then installed it. I also cut to length a piece of the vertical molding strip for the corner, and nailed it in place. All new wood then received a first coat of primer.
I painted a first coat of primer around the #1R side door lintel and end posts.
Frank did some Bondo around the train door and sanded down various parts for repainting.
Second (non-motorman's) trap had the edges and bottom sanded smooth in preparation for priming.
Vertical grab-iron mounted on exterior train door post (non-motorman's side) removed from #1 end, needle-chipped and wire-wheeled.
309:
Frank did some more arc chute Glyptal-ing and parts reassembly work.
Misc.:
Did some cleaning and straightening along the barn wall.
Tuesday, April 22 (with Frank)
308:
Second coat of blue was put on #1 end electrical cabinet door; this can now be reinstalled.
Metal parts from the #2-end non-motorman's trap were needle-chipped, and the trap hinges were wire-wheeled.
The new drip rail for the bottom of the #1-end train door had a coat of white primer put over the brown primer in preparation for painting it red.
The grab from the #1-end, non-motorman's side, exterior train door post was wire-wheeled and primed. The signal buzzer switch was primed as well, having previously been wire-wheeled.
We got a can of white primer and a can of Fleet Grey from the 308 for Frank’s use.
309:
Yesterday (Monday 21 April), Bruce Lampson, Wes Lloyd and Warren Lloyd put both of the rebuilt traction motors back into the truck. The truck has been put back in the barn and is now located just west of the pit, between the pit and the 4146. Gear pans have been put back on. The following remains to be done:
The south (non-toilet side) side bearing needs to be re-aligned, as it is slightly at an angle to the rail.
Two motor leads on each motor need to be pulled further through the wooden clamp, because there is currently too much slack and they are liable to rub against the bolster.
All bolts need to be tightened down, as Bruce only put them on finger-tight.
Not all gear pan bolts have been installed; a bucket full of gear pan bolts is sitting next to the pit.
One nose hanger bolt on the #2 motor needs to be replaced, as it apparently broke or something.
Crater needs to be put in the gear pans.
The motor leads may be too long; need to measure them on an original 66B.
FH spent much of Tuesday packing the axle caps on the new motors. All four are now completely packed except for dust covers, which will have to be re-tied because we will apparently need a different size dust cover bundle for each axle cap. Oil was poured into the axle caps after the bundles were inserted dry.
Bruneau thinks that we may be able to put the car back onto the truck as early as 4 May.
A second DB-15 contactor arc chute has had its rebuild completed, and is ready for installation.
A first coat of Fleet Grey was put on the damaged grab iron that Mike Alterio rebuilt.
Saturday, April 26 (with Frank)
308:
I disconnected the wires to the dome light at the #1 end, so the dome could be stored in the 321. Helped by Frank.
I started re-attaching the 87” moldings. I drilled pilot holes to determine the location of the carlines, then inserted new screws, mostly 1½” #6 OH. Did sectors 21-28, 18½, and 6-10. We then started installing the repro car cards in the main compartment. A great improvement.
I started cleaning out the toilet compartment, and moved whatever was stored inside to the 321. I discovered the original paper roll holder, so I removed the dime-store type that had been installed, presumably by IMOTAC. I also fastened in the window shade tracks. The correct window latch is missing.
I put in more screws to hold the baggage racks.
Removed the first aid box compartment for paint matching.
Frank: The color of the lower half of the interior had previously been matched to a seat armrest, however upon close inspection of several parts of the car's interior it became obvious that the paint on the armrests had all chalked and discolored. It appeared that the only paint in the entire interior of the car that was not noticeably discolored was on the wrecking tools, and on the inside of the first aid kit box frame. It was decided to remove the first aid kit box frame and take it in for paint matching.
Frank put a first coat of red on the new drip rail for the #1 end train door.
309:
Truck work:
The armature leads were repositioned.
I measured the motor leads and determined they were about 20” longer than they should be.
One side bearing was realigned.
More oil in the axle caps.
We moved the third rail beam out of the aisle and put it along the wall.
Misc.:
In the afternoon we both attended the safety meeting, and in the evening the Annual Meeting.
Sunday, April 27 (with Frank)
308:
I re-attached the 87” molding in sector 15-18. Installed one car card.
I installed all of the remaining ticket clips. Fortunately, none were missing.
I also cleaned up the main compartment, mostly, and moved all of our tools and spare parts into the 321.
Frank put a first coat of red on the new drip rail for the #1 end train door.
Frank put a first coat of blue on the new siding at the #1 end and on the inside of the motorman’s end window at the #2 end.
We put the “new” D3-EG on the repainted cradle, which is now located just outside Barn 4 by the oil shed. Helped by Andy Sunderland, who ran the forklift. For now, three bolts without nuts keep the compressor from sliding off. As with the 309, only three bolts will ever line up.
309:
Truck work:
Moved the 3142 and put the truck over the pit.
Missing gear pan bolts were replaced, and all bolts were tightened down.
The missing nose hanger bolt was replaced, and everything installed.
Put one bag of crater in each gear pan.
Bob Bruneau helped with clearing the pit and moving the truck back and forth.
Misc.:
Fan trip: Ken Tendick.
Tuesday, 29 April: (Frank)
308:
Train door post at #1 end sanded - weatherstripping nail holes completely filled in and sanded down. Some sanding on train door also done.
Bolts of the correct length and thickness found, compressor permanently bolted to cradle.
Buzzer switch from #1 end painted blue.
A new WABCO air strainer was retrieved from the air brake car for use on the 308's new compressor. This ought to be checked for probably authenticity by checking against the 309's air strainer.
309:
Motor leads were cut short (this should be re-checked), connectors were removed from cut motor leads. It appears that only two motor leads per motor (A1 & A2) will have to be cut short, but the project manager should confirm this in person.
Tuesday, April 29 (with Frank)
309:
I looked at the motor leads, and found that indeed the field leads are only 36” long; they will probably be OK as is.
We worked on preparing the corner post #1L for the rebuilt handrail. I let in the wood somewhat, since the rebuilt brackets are too flat, and drilled new holes, after filling the old ones. Installed new screws on a temporary basis, and it should be OK. Will need some Bondo for the final installation.
Thursday, May 1
308:
I took the first aid box frame to Diamond Paints in DesPlaines for the lower green to be matched (again).
Saturday, May 3 (with Frank)
309:
We re-attached the four shortened armature leads. We will need more solder to finish the job.
We installed the rebuilt grid box for the #1 side. In the process, I noticed that a jumper wire from this box to the next had broken strands and was near the failure point. We removed it and replaced the wire.
308:
I measured the compressor in its cradle and determined what new piping we’ll need when it’s installed. I found the right parts, although some of the pipes may need to be slightly shorter or longer.
Frank disassembled the new air strainer and wire-wheeled it to remove rust.
Misc.:
Had to leave early so I could go to Rock Island to visit Esther and go to her concert.
Sunday, May 4 (with Frank)
309:
Frank finished the new grid box wire and installed it.
He also finished putting more solder in the new motor lead connectors.
He also put a second coat of grey on the handrail for the #1L corner, and spot painted the post with primer.
We inspected the two reversers; both appear to be OK. Frank applied new lubrication.
Helped by Bruce, running the #2, and Wes and Warren Lloyd, we moved the motor truck out of the barn and put it on track 40. Then we moved the 309 from barn 8 onto the pit.
Frank and I then used the 14 to switch the positions of the 308 and 321.
Bruce, Frank, and I then jacked up the 309 and swapped trucks.
#2 kingpin won’t go down; sticks up about a foot.
308:
Horsehair for air strainer cleaned with gasoline, all metal parts of air strainer primed.
Trap hinges and metal strap for second #2-end trap primed.
Under-belt-rail trim piece for #1-end non-motorman's side end window primed.
Parts of inspection done, including lubrication of reverser fingers.
Misc.:
NOTE: The commutator on what is now the 309 #1 motor is slightly narrower than the others, so Steiner had to modify the brush holders and provide narrower brushes than normal. If the brushes have to be replaced on this motor, they will have to be modified first. So much for the concept of interchangeable parts.
Tuesday, May 6 (with Frank)
309:
Frank did much of the inspection on the 309:
I took care of the groups, reversers, grids, controllers, and most of the other miscellaneous stuff. There were a number of things of small concern, all of which I noted in the inspection report. Three arc chutes in the #2 group are fuzzy and could use replacement; two wires in the #2 grid bank have some broken strands and could use replacement or splicing; one contactor coil in the #1 group and two in the #2 group have loose string banding, but nothing too bad; one contactor tip in the #2 group is very worn and could use replacement, but probably not now since it will hardly ever be in use; there is an alligator clip on one contactor in the #2 group whose purpose I couldn't determine, but I left it there because I wasn't sure what it did; six or seven side windows cannot be moved; and of course the #2 kingpin needs to be pounded down and the kingpin covers need to be screwed to the floor.
We sequenced both groups.
We got the brake rigging connected correctly, and I installed the brake shoe that had been removed. Standing brake travel was measured to be 5”.
We pulled the car outside using the #2 truck, and connected the motor leads for the new motors. I also connected the ground lead to the truck frame.
We then applied power to the new motors, and discovered they were both operating in reverse. We switched the armature leads on both motors, and then tested the car on track 41, first with the two new motors, then all four. Operates well. Brakes seem sluggish, however.
We pulled the car onto the pit with the #2 truck accessible. We removed the bottom plates and checked the lower pole clearance; both OK. I also loosened both slack adjusters and adjusted them.
Ran the car under its own power into Barn 8, managing to destroy a sawhorse on the way in because it was too dark to see. Put car away OK.
Window shade box 1-2 came loose and needs to be reinstalled. #2 kingpin still isn’t quite all the way down. Need to reinstall the brass plates over the kingpins.
Thursday, May 8
309:
I removed the third rail switch blade from the #1 compartment and stored it in the wall locker with the 308’s. I also removed the original pad of Car Trouble Reports and put it in the same place for safekeeping. And I picked up my tool bag.
308:
Cleaning and straightening. I removed all of Jack Biesterfeld’s stuff and miscellaneous parts and moved them into the 321. Put all of the seat cushions in place (a couple still don’t seat quite right on the frame). Swept all of the backs and cushions.
Saturday, May 10 (with Frank)
309:
Frank and I installed both sets of steps at the #1 end; then we installed the pilot, then we mounted both third rail beams. Whew! We also dropped the adapter coupler.
We removed the parallel fuses from both groups and resequenced everything.
The alligator clip that Frank had noticed was attached to a contactor coil terminal, but had no function. I threw it away. I would guess it was left over from originally ringing out the group in 1978.
We found that the control fuses in the #2 cabinet are labeled incorrectly. All three groups with three fuses are stenciled (from left to right) Rev, Ser, Par. For the 309’s #2 group, however, the parallel fuse is in the middle. I believe they are Series, Parallel, and Reverse.
I started reinstalling screws to hold the kingpin cover on the floor at the #1 end. Needs more work.
We trained the 309 with the 308 and ran the train over to Barn 4 so the 308 could be put over the pit, after the Electroliner had been moved back to Barn 7. Frank will install the new compressor tomorrow. I had to leave, but Frank helped the Jim team get their stuff out of the pit, then put the 308 on the pit, and ran the 309 back to Barn 8. Helped by Dave Shore.
308:
Removed the parallel fuse and resequenced the group. The controller is very stiff and needs to be lubricated.
I worked on the buzzer circuit some more; cut off the bad wiring to the pull switch and soldered in new wire.
Trained with 309 and run over to Barn 4.
Sunday 11 May: (Frank)
308:
In the morning, Bruce Lampson pulled the 308 out of the pit and across the road with Joy 2. He then ran the forklift and lifted the compressor and cradle into place. FH and Andy Sunderland helped with this operation, worked on positioning the cradle and placing the keepers. Three out of the four keepers were slightly cocked, so the car was pushed by Joy 2 about 2/3 into the barn so that the compressor was over the pit apron. Each corner of the cradle was then individually jacked using a bottle jack and the cocked keepers straightened. The rear two main members of the cradle had bent slightly towards each other, so the outer of the two rear X-braces was removed, bent and reused as the inner X-brace. This allowed proper seating of the keeper. The car was then moved onto the pit. Andy Sunderland did the air piping, mostly utilizing piping already located and temporarily installed by RH. The new air strainer was also installed, and wiring was hooked up and taped. The compressor ran successfully and appears to make air very nicely; there are no obvious leaks in the compressor line. The armature oil is good; pump oil needs to be filled.
Some inspection work was done. The #1 end controller was oiled and the balky reverser drum was inspected. Reverser appears OK but cannot be hand thrown; it was oiled. Contactor #6 (used only in parallel) is B.O. and it is advised that we red-tag the parallel fuse (I didn't think to do this Sunday). It has a motor-circuit wire that is 3/4 or so burned through, and it appears to have arced to the frame of an adjacent contactor at some point. This would have happened on the CA&E or at IMOTAC, as we have not run the car in parallel. Two interlocks, one on contactor #6 and the other on #?, appear that they may be operating incorrectly. One grid box has severe arcing damage in the area of one tap, and the grid box will have to be replaced. This can probably wait until after Memorial Day.
A stick was made to hold the non-motorman's door at the #2 end closed; the end post at this corner needs to be planed or sanded to allow the door to close completely.
Bruneau installed a retriever at the #2 end. It is an OB, but painted black, looks good and apparently works fine. I asked Bruneau about the retrievers that came with 308; he has them, but they cannot be pulled out of retrieve by anyone not on the Russian weightlifting team.
We will need to remember to get the grab-irons from home and install them on 308.
Bruneau suggests we operate the 308 all the way up to full series by itself to test contactors and interlocks. This can be done Tuesday evening before the train is made up.
Tuesday, May 13 (with Frank)
308:
Frank did various things:
Inspection work was done.
The veneer was coming off one window post in the main compartment on the toilet side, so the loose veneer was glued back to the wall with wood glue and clamped. (RH: window post 8-9)
More caulking was done around the #2-end non-motorman's end window.
Two of the three grab-irons that had been removed and painted were reattached.
The buzzer pull switch was reinstalled.
The clip at the #1 end to hold the end of the panic cord was reinstalled, with the end of the panic cord threaded through it.
Brake work:
Slack adjusters were adjusted. Piston travel is almost exactly 4".
Some inspection of the brake system was done. There appears to be a minor leak under the #2 platform; on the bright side, the governor appears not to leak at all.
As for our big air problem, Carl seems to think that a bad seal in part of the triple valve is the culprit, not the slide valve. However, he has no useful suggestions for where to get a new seal.
A test run was made with the car by itself on the main line. The car went as far east as Seeman Road, but entered and exited Station Track 1 by the East Switch since a cut of cars was spotted on the main line at Big Tree. This is the furthest 308 has traveled by itself since it has arrived at IRM. No major problems were encountered.
We oiled all of the axle caps on the motor truck.
We ran the 308 out onto station track 1, then east to Seeman Road and back again. Nick Kallas came along to inspect the work on the main line. No problems with the car; ran up to full series just fine. Motorman’s brake valve is still rather stiff.
Put 308 on track 82, then trained with 309 and put back into barn.
Car is now locked with a 7575 which we “borrowed” from the 1565.
309:
Checked the compressor. Trained with 308 and put back into barn.
Misc.:
A new sewer line was put in today between Barn 3 and Barn 4, and a fourth track was also added today to Yard 11 by contractors.
Wednesday, May 14
309:
I reattached the window shade box 1-2.
Installed a new screw for the door spring clip on the #1 bulkhead door.
308:
I removed all of the remaining window latches for the temporary 318I/321I windows in the car. I removed the clamps at 8-9 and replaced the window. The shade tracks for window 11 need more work.
Wired in the pull switch and tested it. Unfortunately, the buzzer in the 309 isn’t working very well, but it can be triggered by pulling the 308’s buzzer switch.
Drilled some new holes and reinstalled the remaining buzzer cord hanger in the 9-20 sector, which Jack had removed for ceiling work. I rethreaded the pull cord. I attached a temporary hook at the #1 end, made of coat hanger wire, and taped it up. The cord is just long enough to run the length of the car without splicing, but it’s very tight. At least it works for buzzing the 309.
Installed a new whistle cord at the #1 end.
Reinstalled the left side window shade track for the motorman’s window at the #2 end.
Installed the pipe clamps to hold the sleet scraper valve in place at the #2 end.
Misc.:
The house at the corner of South Union and Coral Road burned sometime in the last 24 hours.
I picked up Frank’s stuff from the shop.
Sunday, May 18 (with Frank)
309:
In the morning, the 309 was put over the pit and the #1 truck had its brakes adjusted. On the "L" side of that truck, the inboard locking nut on the slack adjuster is stripped. Bruneau didn't seem to think this was a big problem, but it might be worth it to try and replace it. A noticeable improvement in braking was made.
Bruneau gave me two more whistles for the cars, one that originally came with the 308 (evidenced not only by the tag but by the large amounts of grey paint splashed on it), and one from the Skagit River Railway.
Bruneau took a look at the seat frame end castings in the 309. They're the same ones as the 415, which suggests that we should be able to repair them by brazing. Also, Bruneau is going to contact someone who's casting new seat frames for East Troy's Sheboygan car; if they're the same type, we can get them to make us a few new parts.
I installed the brass plate over the #2 kingpin, and tightened the screws on the #1 kingpin plate. I also put the trap doors over the #1 truck back in place.
After regular operations had ended, the 309 was put back over the pit. It was decided that Bruce Lampson and Wes Lloyd will pull the "L" side axle cap on the #2 axle off to take a look at the overheated bearing tomorrow morning.
Problems and issues identified in the course of test-running the cars:
- Jim Windmeier said that his sons, who are carpenters, are going to be making about a dozen step boxes for the Museum, that six would be given to the Car Dept and that probably two could go to the 308 and 309. We should keep track of whether this actually develops.
-The 309's governor leaks horribly and is a noticeable distraction. We really have to replace it by the June operating days. It's really, really bad and sounds like it's getting worse. It is certainly much worse than it was last year, although why and how I'm not sure.
-The 308 brakes faster than the 309, and the 309 motors faster than the 308. This may not be possible to affect, but I might play around with the brakes on the cars in June.
-The 309 could use its brake pipe hoses at both ends replaced.
-The #2-end cab on the 309 has some problems. The brake valve leaks, and it sounds like the stem gasket needs to be replaced; and the door doesn't latch open, although this shouldn't be hard to fix.
-In the 309's main compartment "R" side, the second seat from the toilet has a bent bracket in the frame. This makes it difficult or impossible to walk the seat over. This may not be too hard a fix and should be looked at.
-A lot of the window sticks in the 309 are missing at least one screw, and one or two are missing nearly all of their screws. There are also several window shade boxes missing screws, including one box that only has one screw holding it in.
308:
I removed the blue warning plate on the #1 train door and put it in the wall locker for safe keeping.
I drilled holes and installed the hand rail at the #1R corner; all handrails on both cars are now installed.
After service, car was detached from the 309 and run back into barn 8.
Misc.:
We made two trips on the mainline with both cars; a third trip was cancelled when problems developed with the 309’s #2 motor axle cap bearing (v. supra). Persons qualified or requalified: Jim Nauer, Ed Rosengren, Jeff Obarek, and Steve Jirsa.
Monday, 19 May 2003:
308:
One ripped window shade was removed. During removal the shade ripped away from the spring assembly completely. Jay Ulloth helped with this.
All three of the seat armrests that were in the shop were reinstalled.
Several of the seats will not walk over. This is not due to any part of the mechanism, but rather they backs are hitting the seat cushions. Hopefully, mixing and matching seat cushions will solve this problem.
All light fixtures were given a good tug. Only one was loose, the one at the #2-end "L" side corner. This will have to be removed.
The last two of the available advertising cards were installed.
309:
Bruce Lampson and Wes Lloyd removed the #2-axle, "L" side axle cap and inspected the bearing. It turned out that the waste was just barely in contact with the axle, and that the bearing was slightly damaged. Bob Bruneau cleaned up the bearing, which was reinstalled along with the axle cap. Bob also repacked the bearing. The car was test run up and down the pit lead, and over to Barn 8; no increase in bearing temperature was apparent, but more testing is called for.
The Pyrene fire extinguisher was removed from the car for safe keeping until a way of securing it to the wall can be developed and implemented.
Tuesday, May 20 (with Frank)
308:
Frank swept and vacuumed the floor, and all seats, armrests and window sills were wiped down. Jeff Obarek helped extensively with this.
A loose wall-mounted light fixture was removed to the 321.
A wing nut was taken off the #2 end controller on the 321 and put on the 308's #1 controller, since the latter was missing one, which made it possible that the controller cover could pop off.
I swapped some of the cushions so that all seat backs now throw over easily.
309:
We ran the car on the main line, one trip to the river and back. We used Bruneau’s laser thermometer to measure bearing temperatures. Starting from 58F, none of the axle cap bearings went over about 75F. We also measured the main bearings; the only one that rose appreciably was axle #2, side L. Oil was a little low, but the pad appears to be in place. Needs to be watched. Helped by Jeff.
Recoupled to 308, and we made up the train.
Misc.:
Jack Biesterfeld called Bruneau in the morning, and I called Jack back and talked with him. He's been quite busy recently but is apparently interested in coming back to work some more on the 308. He may stop by during the weekend, or next Tuesday, possibly.
Saturday, May 24 (with Frank)
308:
Removed a ventilator at sector 13-14, which wasn’t fastened in. Checked and filled compressor oil.
Operated in revenue service all day, trained with 309. I rode along for the first trip, Frank rode on one or two others. Jim Nauer and Steve Jirsa were the motormen. No significant problems developed.
309:
Checked and filled compressor oil.
Operated in revenue service all day. After the first trip, we had a chance to raise the third rail beam on the “L” side of the #2 truck, since it had been dragging on the station platform. No significant problems developed. Frank monitored the bearing temperatures.
Misc.:
While the cars were in service, I cleaned up the area under them. Moved or discarded a lot of junk. I got a wheelbarrow and shovel and removed most of the concrete fragments left from the Michigan 28. Also attached a metal plate to the wall to indicate the place where the first car reaches the insulator. Ate in the Diner Annex.
Had to leave early to go to Rock Island.
Sunday, 25 May:
308 and 309 operated in regular service. Motorman was Jim Nauer. Trainmen on first run were Frank Hicks and Tom Disch; afterwards were Gary Woertz and a fill-in from the bilevel train. The only damage was to 309; where the #2-end electrical cabinet sticks into the body, there are sticks on all four sides. The one towards the wall (which can't be seen anyway) fell out and was taken to the shop for storage.
308:
On the last trip of the day, Nauer reported that 308's brakes didn't fully release on one application but that the problem was only a one-time thing.
I put a second coat of primer on the first of the new traps. The non-motorman's side interior windowsill for the #2 end was also sanded and primed.
Monday, May 26 (with Frank)
308:
Checked and filled compressor oil.
Operated in revenue service all day, trained with 309. I was the motorman; Frank was the conductor, Andy Chmura was the trainman. No significant problems developed. Lots of passengers. A total of six round trips was made.
309:
Checked and filled compressor oil.
Operated in revenue service all day. After the third trip, we noticed that one end of the third rail beam on the “L” side of the #1 truck had come loose, so we had to jack it up and re-tighten the bolts. Helped by Andy. No other significant problems developed.
Tuesday, 27 May:
308:
The damaged grid box was removed from the car. This necessitated cutting two of the lines into the grid box with bolt cutters; trolley wire had been used for the wiring. These two lines will have to be removed and replaced prior to reinstallation of this box. The box was disassembled and some parts wire-wheeled; at least two elements will have to be replaced. The motor switch is red-tagged.
Jack came out to work for the first time in about six months. He wasn't particularly interested in continuing on the ceiling at this point, so I set him to work on the windows. He removed three side windows from 308, brought them into the shop, sanded them down and filled holes with water putty where necessary. Tomorrow he will prime them. I deemed this a priority because very few of the 308's windows work, which will make the car so hot and stuffy as to be virtually useless once the weather warms up.
Holes in the first of the replacement traps, as well as cracks in two windows that were rebuilt by RH and have been primed, were filled with Bondo.
Saturday, May 31 (with Frank)
308:
With Frank’s help, I was finally able to install two replacement window shades, at sectors 2 and 4.
I took home the window from sector 11, to be replaced by a new one I made at home. The bottom was falling out.
309:
I replaced the compressor governor with the one from the 321. This one doesn’t leak, but the on and off settings are closer together than I would like: roughly 90 and 100 psi.
Misc.:
Sorting of parts in the 321.
Sunday, 1 June 2003
308:
1. I painted the three windows that Jack had primed with a first coat of light green; also did the hardware for those windows. I'm planning to put on a second coat on Tuesday.
2. More grid box components were primed; this should mean that I'm done priming grid box parts and can start painting them black.
3. The first trap was put in my trunk to be brought home.
4. Scott Greig will sell us his CA&E Pyrene fire extinguisher for $75. I told him that we were almost positively interested, but that I couldn't authorize that money without the Project Manager's permission, so he agreed to hold it for us.
Misc.:
1. Jeff Obarek dumped some 431 weatherstripping wrapped in newspaper in the 321 with my permission.
2. I didn't get a lot done today because I had a lot of political work to do for Rail & Wire.
Tuesday, June 3 (with Frank and Jack)
308:
Jack was mostly working on windows: at least three now have a first coat of the new upper green. Another was reglued and clamped.
He also put primer on several window shade tracks, for sectors 1-6, I believe.
Jack also sanded down the window sill in sectors 1-6, and gave it a first coat of primer. I helped by removing the old windows at 5 and 6, but not without a lot of effort.
Note: The window numbering system is evidently post-rebuilding. The windows at 5-6, for instance, are numbered 20-21. These are the numbers punched into the top rail in Arabic numerals. This indicates that all of the windows were replaced at the time the car was rebuilt. Furthermore, it appears that these frames were never stained and varnished, only painted; therefore, the interior must have been painted green at the same time as the rebuilding. QED.
I worked on fitting the new wood for the train door. Drilled and countersunk the holes. Primer on inside surfaces.
Frank and I moved the broken C-21 controller from the 318 and put it into the container. Unhappily, we found that this one doesn’t have its throttle parts either.
Misc.:
Got the address and contact info for Carl Hix at Pearl Brewery in San Antonio.
Saturday, June 7 (with Frank)
308:
I worked on the train door.
I put a first coat of green on 7 window shade tracks from sectors 1 to 4.
I put a first coat of primer on the 4 window shade tracks from sectors 13 and 14.
I removed 321I spares from window sectors 10, 12, and 14. At 14 window 28 had been installed, but it actually should be in sector 12, so I put it there.
I went to the container and got four good window shades. I was finally able to install two new window shades myself at sectors 13 and 14.
I meggered a light fixture in which I had installed a hardware-store socket; seems OK.
Vic Humphreys got a sample of 308 Upper Green for his files.
Misc.:
A training session has been arranged for next Saturday afternoon, with Rich Block and Dave Shore signed up.
Sunday, June 8 (with Frank and Jack)
308:
The three windows that had been brought from home (two rebuilt and one new) were given a second coat of green. The two rebuilt ones can be installed Tuesday, and the new one is ready to be painted Fleet grey. Four window sticks primed Saturday were also painted green. Three other windows had been painted green but had primer on the outside; the outsides of these were sanded down and primed. Two more windows were removed from the car; one was deemed unworthy of retention (#21 at sector 6), but the inside of the other was sanded and primed. Four window sticks were removed with these windows and primed.
Jack painted the interior window sill of windows 1-6 black, and it looks very nice. He pointed out that the second coat should wait until the windows are installed, so that any scratches can be painted over.
The rebuilt grid box was reassembled and touch-up painting was done. The grid box itself is ready for installation.
Bruneau was consulted concerning replacement wiring between grid boxes; suitable cable was found and the plan for Tuesday is to tin and solder the ends, and then install the wiring along with the new grid box.
A first coat of blue was put on the interior window sill, non-motorman's side, #2 end.
Trap hinges for the second trap were painted blue.
Bruneau was consulted concerning blocking the window shades up; he wholeheartedly supports the idea, and is of the opinion that the blocks should be painted the background color (light green).
Tuesday, June 10 (with Frank)
308:
Frank installed the grid box and wiring with the help of Gerry Dettloff and Frank Sirinek. Prior to installation of the box, the remains of the two wires leading into the grid box that had been cut when the box was removed were themselves removed. New wire was located, cut to length, the ends were soldered and these new wires were installed sans insulation. Originally these wires were made from pieces of trolley wire; the replacements are normal copper strand wire.
He also repainted several windows in the shop with either interior green or exterior grey, as well as some of the window shade tracks.
Frank did some spot-priming at various places on the car's exterior, mainly to cover locations that had been caulked.
The non-motorman's side #2 end window sill was sanded and painted with another coat of blue. The wood grain is very evident, and at least one or two more coats are needed.
Windows #29 and 30 were installed at sectors 13 and 14. I decided that although the one at 14 is pretty stiff to move up and down, it’s acceptable, and I finished installing the window shade tracks and arranging the window shades here.
I tried to install a window shade at sector 4½, but the roller here will have to be adjusted slightly wider. There was no window shade here when the car was acquired. Unlike all the rest, the roller is just above the top of the window (when it’s down).
I removed the remaining three brass light fixtures for the circuit on the 1-14 side which includes the toilet, intending to wire it up first as a test.
Saturday, June 14 (with Frank)
308:
Frank and I pulled the two cars onto the barn lead and checked lubrication of both compressors, and the armature bearings on 309 motors 3 and 4. Helped by Bob Heinlein.
We ran two training trips on the main line, with some revenue passengers in the 308. Rich Block, Dave Shore, Bob Heinlein, and Henry Vincent. Henry needs more line training, the other three are fine.
Bob said he would try to change the shoe insert on the #2 end of the 309 for us. But I had to leave for Chicago before this happened. The original shoe was so heavily damaged as to be practically worthless. Bob brought it into the shop and several people gawked at it for a while; he said he considered keeping it as a souvenir but didn't. He found another shoe that was less worn, spent a while grinding it to center the groove, and installed that shoe. I mentioned this to Bruneau on Monday and he suggested that perhaps we should try a shoe with a removable insert, of which he has some.
Monday, June 16 (Frank):
308:
1. First trap (#2-R) was painted tan.
2. Several areas on the 308 were spot-primed with white primer. Also, some areas were touched up with blue and black paint.
3. Window painting continued. Four windows were given a second coat of Fleet grey, and two windows were given a first coat of light green on the interior. Two other windows were installed.
4. The #2-L end window sill was sanded and given another coat of blue paint.
309:
The car was brought over to the pit and the #2 switch group was inspected. It was found to be in pretty good shape overall. Something to do: install a shim behind the wall-mounted latch for the #2-end motorman's side door. It doesn't quite engage the latch before hitting the wall, hence it can't be latched open.
Tuesday, June 17 (with Frank)
308:
The trap was painted black.
Several areas on the 308 that had been spot-primed were painted red. These included areas on the #2 end that had been caulked, and also part of the R-side vestibule corner post at the #1 end.
Four windows were taken back to the car, and two were installed. Two other windows that were still in the shop were given a second coat of light green.
The window sill at areas 16 through 21 (new system), which had been painted black by Jack, was sanded and given another coat of black.
Frank and I worked on windows a little more. The window (#30) at 14 was too tight, and the new window I made could hardly be fit into slot 10, so we took them both to the shop and planed off about 1/16” on the big jointer. When I put #30 back in place, though, the spring latch no longer engaged the teeth. Oops. I put a shim behind the window shade track so it now works OK. This needs to be checked more carefully in the future. New windows should probably have their spring latches mounted somewhat closer to the edge.
Also, we can’t find the RH window shade track for slot 10 (would be numbered 24). Where is it?
I got a wheel gauge from Bruneau, for use in checking the B-W locomotive at San Antonio.
309:
The #2-10 contactor arc chute, which was pretty fuzzy, was replaced with a rebuilt one from stock. Two other contactors in the #2 group had their doors Glyptaled. Contactor fingers were swapped between contactors #2-4 and #2-13 since the latter two were noticeably worn.
Car was returned to the barn in the evening and the train was made up.
A grid box, which I believe was originally from the 309 (having been removed a year or two ago), was removed from along the road and disassembled. The basic box parts (end castings and rods) will be cleaned up and put in stock to use in case a grid box has to be rebuilt quickly.
Wednesday, June 18 (Frank and Jack) :
308:
The last four windows were installed in the car, along with a spare retrieved from the 321. This spare had the little spring-loaded rollers unique to the Jewetts removed prior to installation in 308. Of the four "real" 308 windows that were installed, one won't move and another one (the new one) doesn't engage the teeth on the window shade track. Ugh.
Jack was here; he sanded and primed several windows' worth of window sills on both sides of the car near the middle of the main compartment.
Sirinek helped extensively in removing a goofed-up window shade from window 17 (new system), taking it into the shop and showing FH how to clean up window shade mechanisms. He suggested that this could be done to all of the shades and that it would make them all operate very well; this seems like a good idea. He also says he knows of a company in Elk Grove Village that would be able to manufacture new shades with this approximate material to our specifications, which also sounds very intriguing.
The trap was reassembled and installed. It fits very well, and even engages the wall latch perfectly. The inboard hinge doesn't line up with the screw holes, though; there appears to be about 1/4" difference. The outboard hinge lines up perfectly and the trap was installed in the hole and left in the up position. The flap wasn't installed because the little square insets on the bottom for the square nuts aren't quite positioned right (either that or painting made them smaller).
The car was cleaned up in preparation for operations this coming weekend.
Saturday, 21 June 2003
Both cars were in regular operation and made four mainline trips. Motorman was Steve Jirsa, conductor Frank Hicks.
308:
Jirsa discovered that the brake shoe on the #4 axle, L side was extremely thin - about 3/8" at its narrowest, right around condemning level. Bob Heinlein said the car was okay for a day of operation but that the shoe should be changed very soon. All other shoes looked okay. The car was put over the pit after operations ended.
A screw fell out of one of the signal buzzer cord hangers, but was replaced.
A seat about halfway down the main compt. on the toilet side is popping out of the track.
We need a new brake hose at the #1 end; both on that end are large, which means one can't be latched up and tends to hit the signal boxes between the rails.
I noticed that, of all the windows we haven't repainted, none of the originals have any green paint on the brass pinch-latch or lift tab. I think we'll have to strip the paint off of the brass parts of the windows we've already painted, which will be annoying.
Sunday, 22 June 2003
Both cars were in regular operation and made six trips. Motorman was Dave Shore, conductor Frank Hicks.
308:
1. Early in the morning, a new brake shoe was put on the #4 axle, L side. FH, Andy Sunderland and Jerry McGonigle did this. The brakes were adjusted but should be re-adjusted after two or three more days of service.
2. The oil in the 308's compressor keeps going down, implying there may be a leak. Dave found a spot which apparently leaked once and had been welded up; this may be the culprit. Also, the oil in this pump will absolutely have to be drained and replaced at the earliest possible opportunity.
309:
1. We ought to ask Bruneau for a North Shore lock that works to replace the one on this car.
Tuesday, June 24
308:
I sanded down all the parts for three new window frames I’m going to make at home.
Worked on cutting out and planing the final parts for the train door. I measured the doorway again: 6’ 7 5/8” from the threshold to the top of the doorway on the inside edge.
Picked up some wire for making the connections for the side light circuit.
Friday, June 27
321:
Picked up the field tap magnet valve and the two resistors that go with it, so I can give them to the 320 guys at Mt. Pleasant tomorrow.
Misc.: Checked around the cars.
Saturday, June 28 [Mt. Pleasant – 500 miles round trip]
320:
I dropped off the field tap magnet valve and the two resistors with Fred Perry.
Need to provide a drawing of the brackets which hold the ends of the rods for the folding signs.
Misc.:
Training/qualification with Ted Myhre and Wes Bender. Four or five trips each on the 1779 (open car) and 1945 (Milan car). No problems – except for finding a place to stay if we go to the Reunion!
Tuesday, July 1 (with Frank)
308:
Worked on trimming and assembling the parts for the bottom of the train door.
Frank helped me find the three new panes of glass and take them home, plus two old window frames, only one of which had glass.
Friday, July 4 (with Frank)
308/309:
Two car train was run in the morning for revenue service. I added about 3 gills to the 308’s compressor, about 2 to the 309’s. Everything else seemed OK; T. J. Miller was the trainman. Two trips on the main line.
Ran in the trolley pageant. Harold Krewer took official pictures of the cars.
We noticed that three third-rail beams on the 308 and one on the 309 had dropped down. Pulled out of service after the pageant.
Too hot to do much else.
Monday, 7 July 2003:
308:
1. Sand-blasted and primed trap flap parts for the second trap.
2. Sanded the second trap and primed one side.
3. Primed various parts for the spare grid box and also a new train door spacing block.
4. Worked on third-rail beams. The beam at the #1L corner of the 308 had dropped and was jacked back up and resecured (including lock washers, which it hadn't had). The beam at the #2R corner of the car had also dropped, but part of it was badly rotted and it was decided to remove the beam at such time as a two-man crew can be had.
309:
The third-rail beam at the #2R corner, which had dropped, was jacked back up and resecured.
Tuesday, 8 July 2003:
308:
1. Went with Bruneau and Bruce up to East Troy, where Jack Franklin (the East Troy GM) donated a C21C controller to us. It is complete except for some wiring and the finger arc chute/blow-out coil assembly. Jack asks only that we tout the donation on the Internet.
2. Heat-stripped the window post in the middle of the second window pair from the #2 end, R side.
3. Wire-wheeled and primed the pilot at the #1 end.
4. During a trip into the Jewelry Car, we found the original 1947-8 elevated license from the 308! This was retrieved and brought home. The frame is painted, probably the same green as the lower half of the car interior.
Tuesday, July 8 (with Frank)
308:
I looked at the new C21 controller which we got from Jack Franklin at East Troy – missing a few parts.
I looked at the bad third rail beam, and we measured them – 3¾” x 5¾” x 67½”. Bruneau believes they’re made out of maple.
321:
I authorized Bob to pay Scott Greig $75 for the CA&E fire extinguisher. I locked it up in the wall locker. Need to find a brass U bolt at least ¾” in diameter to fasten these to the wall.
Wednesday, 9 July 2003:
308:
1. Sanded various parts of the #1 end, also did some Bondo work on the #1 end.
2. Jim Lexau (sp?) finished priming the train door spacer block and did some more priming of grid box parts for the spare grid box.
3. Painted the pilot at the #1 end black.
4. Primed the other side of the second trap.
Tuesday, July 15 (with Frank)
308:
The two GE66’s which we had sent to McHenry Electric were finally returned, and we examined them briefly. It appears no parts are missing. The pinions are separate, and not all bolts are tightened on the case.
Walt Stafa helped Frank fix the problem with the burned-out shunt on the control group. Frank also worked on fixing air leaks in the system.
He also removed the third rail beam at the #2R corner, which is in the worst condition of any.
Monday, 14 July 2003:
308:
1. The three seat armrests from the smoker that were painted Lower Green on Saturday were installed.
309:
1. Walt Stafa and FH did some brake system trouble-shooting. It was discovered that the leak was not around the brake cylinder, but around a union adjacent to the cylinder. The union was tightened, which seemed to help the problem considerably.
2. A few other small leaks were found. Most notably, three out of the four MU air hose cut-out cocks had noticeable leaks around the handles. These will probably have to be lapped.
321:
1. Walt Stafa took a look at the non-working field tap, as he's an expert at this sort of electro-pneumatic stuff. He pointed out that hand-activating the magnet valve will isolate whether it's an electrical or air problem, and that if it doesn't work we should try removing and cleaning out the air strainer.
Tuesday, 15 July 2003:
308:
1. Walt Stafa and FH repaired the #6 contactor, which had an almost completely melted shunt. This involved dropping the interlock. The contactor was not tested afterwards.
2. Bruce Lampson disassembled and cleaned a Trolley Supply Co. Knutsen #5B retriever from stock, and the case was needle-chipped and primed by FH. This will replace the temporary OB retriever at the #2 end.
3. FH needle-chipped and primed the #2 end of the contactor box.
4. Trouble-shooting for air leaks was done. A pipe cap and a pipe plug at the #2 end (both temporary pending completion of the end) leaked and were doped. A union near the reverser also leaked but could not easily be accessed. The MU air hose cut-out cocks leak around the handles.
Wednesday, 16 July 2003:
308:
1. Did some sanding of the metal plate at the #1 end, also sanding of wooden trim at the #1 end.
2. Disassembled part of the metal step-well that Sirinek gave us on Sunday. More disassembly is required. The step-well is mostly held together with rivets.
309:
1. Finished that spare grid box and put the box parts in the grid car.
2. Shore wants you to write up those qualification sheets for all of the newly-qualified people. He says, however, that where previously qualified people are concerned (Nauer, Rosengren, Obarek, Block), a simple note to the effect of "On xxx June 2003, n. was requalified on 308-309" is sufficient.
321:
1. Painted the toilet side maroon below the belt rail, between the #2-end number and the toilet compartment.
Other:
1. Sand-blasted several wood strains for Max.
2. Helped Sirinek make a minor repair on 415.
Saturday, July 19
308/309:
I coupled the three cars together and ran them about 50’ to the east, planning to drop a third rail beam from the 321 and install it on the 308. On closer inspection, I decided that beam was no good either, and abandoned that plan. I tightened up all the third-rail bolts and replaced a couple of them. At least one had to be jacked up.
308:
I attached the angle bracket to the next trap door. Left in the paint room.
I put Bondo on the outside face of the train door and sanded it down.
Tuesday, 22 July 2003:
308:
1. Painted the metal plate over the #1 end with primer.
2. Painted the area around the non-motorman's end window at the #1 end with white primer. We need to buy brown primer.
3. Sanded and primed the window post between the third and fourth windows from the #2R corner.
Misc.:
1. Sand-blasted some more wood strains for Max.
2. Helped prep the tarp for the Tri-City streetcar for placement on the car.
Sunday, July 27
308/309:
Jeff Obarek was signed up as motorman, but called in sick. So I became the motorman. Conductor was Mike Farrell, trainman Stan Zoller. Two trips on mainline, no problems. Nearly full both trips.
Topped off all main bearings on both cars.
However, it looked like it might rain, so I put the cars away and took the 714 instead. Three trips.
Misc.:
A group from Branford was visiting.
Wednesday, 30 July 2003 (Jack Biesterfeld)
308:
1. Jack sanded most, if not all, of the wainscoting panels in the main compartment. The toilet walls were also masked at the color break line.
2. Jack painted the lower half of the #2 end bulkhead on the L side only Wehrmacht Grey. Curiously, he also painted the upper half of the center bulkhead on the L side (the First Aid Kit panel), which he had painted light green the previous week, Wehrmacht Grey. Both panels will have to painted over, the former with Medium Green and the latter with Light Green. This is not a big deal, and is entirely my fault, as I 1) did not leave instructions for Jack, and 2) did not clearly mark
the paint cans.
Monday, 4 August 2003 (Frank)
308:
1. I sanded the remainder of the #1 end train door, and Bondo-ed up most of the dents in the door. This is basically ready to prime and do final Bondo-ing on.
2. The #2 end of the switch group, which had previously been primed, was painted with a first coat of black.
3. One of the grab-irons alongside the #1 train door, which had been needle-chipped, repainted and placed back inside the car pending installation, was apparently used as a door chock or something by the train crews July 26-27 and the paint was badly dinged up as a result. It was wire-wheeled and will be primed and painted again.
4. One of the armrests in the smoker is falling off the seat frame. This will have to be fixed tomorrow or Wednesday.
Misc.:
1. Bruneau will hold onto the "POS handle" set for future use. He may try and get Henry Vincent to make a plywood handle box for the handles and 4000 whistles.
Tuesday, August 5 (with Frank)
308:
Inspected Frank’s activities.
Tuesday, 5 August 2003 (Frank)
308:
1. I needle-chipped the controller cover of the C21 that Norm Krentel had donated to IRM (currently our only more-or-less complete one). The paint layers, from top down, were: red, blue, Pullman green, black. The original color was black as evidenced by black paint behind the (removed and in stock) badge plate. The cover was also wire-wheeled and will be primed.
2. Final sanding was done on the #1 end train door, and it was primed. The doorway was also primed.
3. Various bare-wood spots in the wainscoting in the main compartment, which Jack had sanded, were spot-primed with white primer. A few spots where the wall veneer was warped were also spot-primed.
4. Most of the Wehrmacht Grey that Jack had put on the #2L corner bulkhead was painted over with Medium Green.
5. Several items were primed, including the train-door grab-iron referred to in yesterday's update and some stepwell spare parts.
6. The trap flap for the second rebuilt trap was given a coat of Budd Light Brown and a coat of silver on the other side. The flap hinges were painted BLB and are ready for installation.
7. The #1 end headlight bracket, which was noticeably pitted, was removed, Bondo-ed, and primed.
8. The correct Knutsen retriever that will replace the temporary OB on the #2 end of the 308 was reassembled after cleaning, tested, and the back painted black and lettered "2003" to denote rebuild date.
9. Operation of 308-309 this coming weekend, August 9-10, has been cancelled due to lack of available train crews.
Misc.:
1. I needle-chipped a part for Joy #2. So there.
Wednesday, 6 August 2003: (Frank and Jack)
308:
1. Jack repainted the entire main compartment below the belt rail medium green except for the toilet compartment walls; these need some more surface prep.
2. More Bondo-ing was done on the #1 end train door; this was sanded down, as was the #2R body corner post. Both can be primed as soon as possible.
3. The spare stepwell from Frank Sirinek was disassembled down to component parts. These should be put in the container until they can be used.
4. Another coat of blue was put on the #2L end window sill; one more sanding job and a couple more coats of blue and this will be ready to install.
5. More silver paint was put on the second trap flap. This is ready to install.
6. A first coat of black was put on the front of the Knutsen retriever for the #2 end. This needs another coat of black, after which it will be ready to install.
7. I had a discussion with Jack. He will continue to work on the interior of the car, concentrating for now on rebuilding side windows and doing some painting. He is interested in what we will be doing to repair the damaged veneer, but I told him we don't have concrete plans for doing that just yet. Over the winter he plans to work more on the ceiling, and possibly also on armrests and/or repainting the #1 vestibule.
Misc.:
1. I did some lettering on the end of the TM container #C54.
Saturday, August 9 (with Frank)
308:
I worked on the train door some more.
Misc.:
Sorting of parts in the 321.
Saturday, 9 August 2003:
308:
-The #1 train door was painted with white primer.
-Two ventilator registers that were in the 321 were painted Ivory, and another one that had been sand-blasted was primed.
-Norm Krentel's C21 controller cover was painted with a first coat of blue.
-A second coat of black was put on the new Knutsen #5B retriever; it is now ready to install on the #2 end to replace the temporary OB.
-The #1 end headlight bracket, as well as that grab-iron next to the #1 train door, was painted red.
Sunday, 10 August 2003:
308:
1. A second coat of Ivory was put on the two ventilator registers from yesterday, and a first coat of Ivory was put on the one that had been primed.
2. The door post that the retriever is attached to at the #1 end was primed, as was the bottom of the body corner post at the #2R corner.
3. The headlight bracket and kick plate for the #2 train door were needle-chipped, sand-blasted and primed.
Misc.:
1. I helped Buzz Morisette scrub down the frame of the RSD-15 to make it look presentable.
2. I finished painting the number "C-54" onto the end of the TM container.
3. I had to reattach the trolley rope to one pole on 3142 this morning.
4. I talked to Dennis Matl. He agreed to put the 308-309 on the books for the weekend of September 13-14 to replace this weekend, when they were supposed to run but didn't.
Monday, 11 August 2003:
308:
1. Worked with Jeff Hakner on brakes. Went for a trip with the two cars, then did some air testing. He is of the opinion that all motorman's valves need to be lapped, in particular #1 end 308 and #2 end 309 (#2 end 308 could not be tested as there is no air to it). He also didn't seem to think that the 308's triple valve was too bad. We took the 308's original triple valve out of storage, disassembled it, cleaned it and put a new seal that Hakner brought with him in the emergency valve portion. We then bought a bunch of air hoses and hardware, and made up an "adapter" so that we could test an M2A using the 3UE rack in the shop. He came to the conclusion that the slide valve (graduating valve in particular) and check valve are bad. This triple valve was put in the air brake car, as were the parts of the 3UE-M2A adapter.
2. Jeff Hakner looked at the C21 in the shop and described how the automatic acceleration worked. Apparently, this originally had a limit relay and a solenoid that would engage and disengage a ratchet that would then allow the controller drum (separate from the handle drum) to rotate as current dropped. Pretty interesting, though I wonder whether this was ever used on the CA&E.
3. All parts except for the two C21's and the various train door pieces were moved out of the shop and put into the 321
Wednesday, August 13 (with Jack)
308:
Jack worked on windows; he removed windows 8, 27, and 28 and took them to the shop. He removed the hardware, stripped the insides, and gave them a first coat of primer.
I tested the headlight circuit (#1 end only). The connection between the DPDT switch and the “D” connector in the door post appears to be dead. It may be that just the connector is bad, but that’s as far as I got. I removed the handle and the metal cover for the headlight switch and took them home.
I reinstalled the headlight resistor box. Some more bolts need to be tightened, in particular, the upper one holding the junction box to the resistor box, and the bottom terminal for the hot wire needs to be tightened.
I installed the new retriever at the #2 end.
I put two 321 spares in the window slots at 27 and 28; also straightened up everything around the cars for Thomas weekend.
Friday, August 15
Misc.:
I helped set up signs at the main entrance for Thomas day, handed out maps, etc.
I then spent most of the day as a conductor on the 144.
I opened the 308 and 309 for Rick Helm and his family.
I spelled Jim Heinlein by selling cold drinks near the north Barn 9 stop.
Tuesday, August 19
308:
I brought out the repainted trap door for the #2L corner. Hinges not yet attached.
I studied the headlight circuit some more. The wire from the knife of the DPDT switch to the terminal looks OK but is actually dead. It runs through a conduit with a ground wire to the controller frame, and they will probably both have to be replaced. I will do this in the fall.
I talked to Bruneau about operating, and left a note for Jack Biesterfeld suggesting he paint the train door.
Saturday, August 23
308:
I painted grey on the corner posts on the south side of the car (#1R and #2R) and the remaining window posts at sectors 1-4.
Blue on the same corner posts, as well as the #1 end, a few remaining places.
Red on remaining places on the #1 end, and I finished the striping around the corner posts. (Jack put a first coat of red on the #1 train door on Wednesday.)
I attached all the screws to hold the trap door at the #2L corner. Latches properly; metal flaps not yet attached.
Misc.:
I had to leave early to go to a wedding in Chicago.
Saturday, August 23
308:
I worked on the #2 train door in the shop. Sanded down the Bondo job from last time and applied a little more Bondo in some places. Sanded down again. Attached the repainted kick plate and headlight bracket. Another coat of primer over everything on the outside.
Still couldn’t find the repainted headlight bracket for the #1 end.
Saturday, August 30 (with Frank)
308:
I brought out a replacement window (#20) for Jack to paint.
I attached the new drip rail to the bottom (outside) of the #1 train door.
Checked oil and brakes, and operated for one trip on the main line as an NRHS special. Then put back in barn.
309:
I made a leather strap to hang on the buzzer cord over the #2 platform and installed it. This is based on one in car 20 at Relic.
Checked oil and brakes, and operated for one trip on the main line with the 308. Later, operated two (or rather 1½) trips on the main line after dark for the NRHS contingent, using the oil marker lights, oil tail light, and headlight. All of this equipment worked OK.
Misc.:
Talked to Joel and Gerhard Salomon about various issues.
Sunday, August 31 (Frank)
308:
#2L trap (the latest one installed) was removed, taken to the shop and was painted black by Tom Sharraton.
The case of the C-21E from Norm Krentel was wire-wheeled by FH and primed by Tom Sharraton.
3. More Bondo-ing and sanding was done to the inside face of the #2 train door.
4. The #1 headlight bracket was installed on the car.
5. A second coat of Ceiling Ivory was put on the third of the stripped ventilator registers; this is now in the paint room and ready to install.
6. The OB retriever that had been on the car until recently replaced by a Knutsen was found face-down in the dirt last week along the ladder track near Central Avenue, having evidently fallen off the 308 while the car was in motion. It is obvious how this happened, but I have no idea when it happened.
Monday, Sept. 1 (Frank)
308:
1. A second coat of black paint was put on the #2L trap by Tom Sharraton. It is now ready to reinstall, however another coat of Budd Light Brown is needed on the top. Remember to also paint the edge of the L-bracket brown, otherwise there will be a black outline when the trap is flush with the floor.
2. The East Troy C-21C controller was taken over to the container for storage with the help of Bruce Lampson.
3. The third ventilator register to be painted was placed inside the 321.
4. The Norm Krentel C-21E was placed in storage in Barn 4.
Tuesday, September 2
308:
I put the 309 headlight back in the container, and emptied out the water bin.
Bob and I got the correct stove bolts from the reefer; these are real CA&E parts which came from Wheaton. I took home the repainted trap in order to drill out the holes a little, mortise the nuts, and install the flap hinges.
I dropped off another new window frame, for slot #4. This one still needs a spring latch.
I worked on the #2 train door in the shop. Primer on the Bondo which Frank had applied on Sunday.
Friday, September 5
308:
I took home another window frame (#22; goes in sector 7) for replacement; the glass, springs, latches, and molding strips will be reused.
I took home the two repainted trap flaps for final installation in the trap doors.
I took home the old outside drip rail from the #1 end train door, so a replacement can be made for the #2 door.
Tuesday, September 9
308:
I brought out the replacement window #22 and put it in the shop for Jack to paint, along with the other two (#4 and #20).
I brought out the trap door for #2L and installed it. The side door still rubs on the floor a little, and catches on the flap hinges, but it will eventually be replaced.
Jack finished three windows #11, 12, and 13, (sectors 24 – 26) and I took them to the car and installed them, with the window shade tracks. They look great. I took inventory: there are four windows which have never been worked on (sectors 20 – 23); five blanks in various places which need to be replaced; and six windows which I did several years ago that still are varnished on the inside. They should just need a couple of coats of interior green. There are three new windows in the shop, so I need to make two more. Some of the repainted ones have painted latches that need to be stripped, but that’s a fairly minor task. I moved one 318I/321I to sector 7, which had been empty, and put the other two in the 321.
Left Jack a note about the tracings for the interior lettering.
Friday, September 12
308:
Since the train was scheduled to be run on Saturday, I got the bus jumper from the 308 and installed it, and I made up the air hoses.
I looked at what Jack had done with the lettering tracings. I removed them and put them in the 321.
Saturday, September 13
308:
The train didn’t operate due to light rain during the day.
I found three hinges for hanging the train door. I then hauled it from the wood shop to the car and installed it. Seems to work fine; there’s about a ¼” gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold, so it doesn’t rub. Top clearance is good. On the latch side, it rubs a little; for now this is good, so the door won’t open if the car is moving (I hope). Need to bring the wedge lock brackets from home and install them. I attached the wedge locks and the heater bracket to the door. I also carried the glass for the train door from the shop to the 321, so none of the parts are left where they were against the wall. And I took home a sample piece of the wooden molding strip around the glass in the train door, for replacement.
I installed more screws and tightened up the arm rest at sector 17.
I installed a clerestory ventilator in sector 13-14. In the main compartment, the adjustable ventilators won’t fit in the holes at 9-10 or 19-20. Don’t understand it.
I installed the small pipe from the brake pipe beneath the brake stand to the clock (#2 end). The original clock from this end may be missing – where is it?
I located a side door mechanism with a deadbolt; works fine with a North Shore coach key. Unfortunately, the inside button for the slide is missing. Need to give it to Bruneau; maybe he can find one. Will fit fine in the #2R side door.
321:
I modified the hooks on the metal cover for the field tap mechanism, and tried hanging it back on the car. Still doesn’t work right.
Tuesday, September 16
308:
I sanded the molding strips and drip rail which I had made for the train door. Then they were measured for size and taken home again for cutting.
Measured quarter-rounds for installation on the train door, and also taken home for cutting.
I looked for the bar which goes across the train door; the one in the 321 is too long. May have to take one from the 310 train door.
I made a brass U-bolt out of 3/16” stock; Bruneau supplied me with some brass nuts.
I gave the side door latch mechanism to Bruneau.
Saturday, September 20 (with Frank)
308:
Operated for Member’s Day. Three trips on the mainline, two carline trips. No problems. Compressor needed oil. All main bearings checked. Plus one short trip to pick up the Amtrak crew at Schmidt siding.
309:
Operated for Member’s Day. Five trips on the mainline, two of them at night. Plus two carline trips. No problems. Compressor needed oil. All main bearings checked.
At night on the last trip, we ran over a battery box cover that had fallen off the Santa Fe combine, we think. No apparent damage to the car, needs to be checked.
Misc.:
Member’s Day was a great success. Other trains: Amtrak special, Zephyr, 1630 (heavyweights), 6930 (freight), 65, 14 (freight), D-13, 714+757+251, 6000’s, 4000’s, streetcars.
Helped Bill Wulfert and Bob Heinlein pull the 1808 and 1797 from 50th back to the barn.
Met Malcom McCarter and Howard Blackburn. Also met Rob Taylor from Relic. And various old-timers: Ralston Taylor, Pete Schmidt, etc.
Dennis Matl was our trainman during the day. Qualified on 308/309.
Tuesday, September 23
308:
I installed the glass in the train door and attached the molding strips which I had made. Still need a patch piece at the top.
I found the hinge parts and assembled the trap door for the #2R corner. Not yet installed because the bolts need to be trimmed.
The halves of the hinges that bolt onto the wood only appear to be identical. If you swap the two of them, nothing fits.
Still cannot find the wedge lock brackets for the train door frame.
Saturday, September 27
308:
I trimmed the bolts and installed the trap door at #2R.
Started painting the floor of the #1 vestibule with brown primer.
I drilled holes to install the brass U-bolt for the squirt gun. Found that there’s a metal plate inside the bulkhead wall at this location. It turned out that the bolt is slightly too short. However, this one can be used in the 309 and the general system should work well.
Inventory: We have a total of three CA&E Pyrene extinguishers, plus one nameless one I got at a garage sale.
Misc.:
309 was scheduled to operate but didn’t. Weather may have been part of the problem. (Same for the next day, Sunday the 28th).
Mostly I helped disassemble the 50th Avenue platform, helping Dave Diamond, Nick, Jerry Lynn, Jim Meindl, Mike, Tim, Rich, Bob Heinlein, and others.
Wednesday, October 1
308:
I finished painting the floor of the #1 vestibule with brown primer.
I removed the U-bolt and put the CA&E squirt gun back in the wall locker. I made a second U-bolt, and tapped it for 12-24. Unfortunately I couldn’t find two nuts in this size, so I’ll have to buy them.
Installed the door latch part on the frame of the #2 train door frame. Can’t find the inside mechanism for the train door.!?!
I put a second coat of primer on the insides of the three new windows in the work room.
Misc.:
I brought out the (unusable) tail light and gave it back to Bruneau.
Tuesday, October 7
308:
I brought out another new window (#3) and put it in the shop.
I bent the second U-bolt to shape and installed one of the CA&E squirt guns in the 308. Eventually the nuts will be soldered in place but for now it’s done.
I found a bar for the train door from the 318 (obvious because of its orange paint) and determined that it is the right size for the 308’s train door. I wire-wheeled it to bare metal and took it home for painting.
Took home the last (three-sided) 308 window frame for replacement. Window #25.
I put a first coat of Fleet Grey on the four new window frames in the shop. Not edged.
309:
Started investigating the corner post at #2L. Will require a patch piece approximately 16” long. Need to remove the steps, some of the siding, etc. in order to install new floor pieces under the post. Started pulling away rotted out wood from the bottom of the post; haven’t got to the angle bracket yet.
The other three corner posts are in pretty good shape and will probably not need to be replaced for the near future.
Tuesday, October 14
308:
Bruneau gave me a box of 36 36W 125V street railway bulbs, which I put in the 321.
I put a first coat of Upper Green on the four new window frames in the shop.
309:
Started removing the bottom of the corner post.
Tuesday, October 21
308:
Jack was out last week and resumed stripping paint from the ceiling of the main compartment. I did some vacuuming and put carpet sections on the floor.
I started stripping paint from the ceiling of the #1 vestibule, #1R side.
Worked a little on a stick to hold the #2L door closed; needs some trimming.
Saturday, October 25
309:
Worked some more on removing rotted wood from the #2L corner.
I left a note for Bruneau about dropping the step.
308:
Installed the repainted bar on the train door at the #2 end.
Installed three new repainted windows: 4, 20, and 22. Numbers 4 and 20 need to be planed down slightly before they’ll fit. Refinished window #7 was in slot 22 (sector 7); I had rebuilt it with varnish on the inside, so I took it to the shop to be repainted.
Worked on installing door latches with deadbolts on the #2 side doors. The #2L door still doesn’t close fully: it hits at the top. I may need to take it off its hinges and reset them, for some reason. On the #2R (motorman’s) side, the replacement latch mechanism with a deadbolt doesn’t fit, even though it has the same ID number (160 RH) stamped on the back. About 1/8” wider, so the door won’t close if it’s installed.
I did some mortising and installed the latch strike plate on the corner post for the #2L door.
In the #1 vestibule I removed the box and the angled shelf for flags.
Tuesday, October 28
308:
I planed down windows 4 and 20 so they would fit, and installed them, along with the window shade tracks.
Worked on resetting the hinges for the #2L side door. Now fits slightly better, but still won’t lock.
Bondo in holes in the train door.
I stripped some more paint from the ceiling of the #1 vestibule.
Saturday, November 1
308:
I finished stripping the paint from the vestibule ceiling on the #1R side. Scraped and sanded, and put on a first coat of primer.
I brought out two ventilator plates (non-adjustable) and installed them at 11-12 and 17-18.
I put a first coat of the finish yellow on the ceiling of the smoker, sector 13-14-15-16, down to the 93” level, plus the 93” molding in sectors 15-16. The clerestory triangles and quadrangles had no primer; painted over the varnish. Looks good.
First coat of primer on unpainted sections of the end bulkhead above the 80” level, plus the 89” and 93” moldings in 13-14.
309:
Worked some more on the #2L corner; I recut the post about 2” higher. Now goes through all good wood.
Removed the corner hand rail; stored in the car.
Misc.:
Talked to Bob Kutella about fund raising.
Tuesday, November 4
308:
I countersunk the holes for the new screws I had installed in the 87” molding (April 27) in sector 15-18 and reset the screws. Need to be puttied over.
The ceiling panels in the smoker between the 87” and 89” moldings look pretty good; I believe we can touch sand them and repaint them with good results. If we can then fill both sides with car cards, the problems below the 87” molding will be swept under the rug, as in the 309. I see no reason why we can’t have duplicate cards between the two compartments.
I used the heat gun to remove much of the deteriorated veneer over the windows in sector 8-9 (mostly 9). Not quite done, since I ran out of time. In this case, I need to remove both layers. But the core looks good. It’s had plenty of time to dry out.
Jack has been cleaning up the walls in the main compartment and repainting sections that are still in good condition. Sector 8-9 was the worst of the side walls.
Gave a door latch mechanism (160 RH) to Bruneau for replacement with one that has a deadbolt.
Saturday, November 8
308:
I removed the baggage rack #11 at sector 7-8. I then used the heat gun to remove most of the rest of the veneer sector 8-9. The upper section is 67¼” wide by 19½” high (to the bottom edge of the 80” molding) or 22” (to the top of the molding).
I redrilled the hole in the #2 platform for the ½” pipe that goes up to the whistle (and the clock) and got the pipe in place, finally. I installed some pipe clamps to hold this pipe and the conduit in place, but they need to be replaced with double-sided pipe clamps. (Not attached under the floor – need an elbow)
I replaced the whistle cord at the #1 end and fastened it in correctly.
Fan trip: Steve Iversen and Frank Sirinek.
309:
Over the week, some of Bruneau’s guys removed the step, so I could remove the floor section which holds the bolts for the steps (which I had replaced back in the 80s, I think) and chop away at the floor. I also removed the patch piece for the floor in front of the siding. At this corner nearly all the wood under the floor was rotted to some extent, so I chopped it all out down to the metal plate at the bottom. I also removed the lag bolts and screws that no longer went into any wood.
Tuesday, November 11
308:
I used the heat gun to remove the rest of the veneer (the lower layer in sector 8). I sanded down the core in both sectors.
I brought out the new roll of veneer I bought and spread it out in the 321 to flatten out.
Took pictures of the ceiling, walls, and corner posts for a possible RyPN brief.
309:
I cut out a cardboard template and cut it to shape for the floor sections. Took home a piece of 5/4 oak to be cut to shape.
Wednesday, November 12
308:
I worked on installing a window shade at sector 4 ½, so far without success.
I compared the letterboard lettering stencil (for the word “ELGIN” only), which we derived from Barb’s tracing of the 309’s letterboard, to the lettering (with outlines) being generated by Jeff Obarek. His is slightly smaller, by 5 or 10% in both height and width (and spacing).
Some cleaning and straightening.
309:
I cut out a first piece of flooring for the corner. Still needs to be trimmed a little.
Saturday, November 15
308:
I cut two pieces of veneer to shape (vertical grain) and installed them in sector 9 with contact cement, for the first layer. 24” wide. I later cut out the next piece which covers the center part, but not yet glued in. This veneer is easily trimmed with a pair of scissors.
Moved a space heater into the smoker and started warming it up. I attached one more new screw to the 87” molding at the end of sector 18. Then covered all new screws with Bondo and sanded them down.
Put Bondo on places that needed it on the exterior #1R corner.
Started painting with finish yellow. I finished most of the end bulkhead (14-15) above the 80” level. Then did sectors 15-18 between the 87” and 89” moldings (inclusive), plus the corner strips. Then the entire smoker bulkhead (11-18) and the center ceiling, sector 11-12-17-18. Some of the triangles and quadrangles aren’t complete because I failed to dust them off before starting to paint. Still need to do the hip 11-14 and other minor parts.
321: (!)
Finished setting a bolt in the “new” belt rail patch at 14, then dropped the exterior window here so all windows are closed. Big deal.
Misc.:
I looked at the “Art Train” cars which had recently arrived. Looked at Rich’s roof for the Baldy.
Tuesday, November 18
308:
I stopped at the container and picked up the pipe for the old wall-to-wall veneer clamp, which Jack wants to use on the 308; also my old rolling pin, and a box with some spare air brake gauges. And I emptied the water bucket.
I tested two of the gauges (helped by Bruce); found one which is very accurate on both sides. Taken home for repainting. To be installed at #2 end.
I got the other end of the clamp from the 321 and fixed up the system with new tape. Temporarily mounted in the 308.
I finally found the repainted brackets for the train door wedge locks; they were in a box in the 321’s smoker under a box of 75W light bulbs. I installed the lower one; the upper one will require some more modification to the frame, since the door fits too tightly at the top. Need better light.
Saturday, November 22 (with Frank)
308:
I glued in the remaining pieces for the first layer of veneer, then cut out a single piece for the outside layer and glued it in place with contact cement. Helped by Frank.
Frank traced all of the remaining lettering in the #1 vestibule, and the “308” in the main compartment. This included sanding down to the previous layers.
We dropped the step at the #1R corner so Frank can take it to the shop for rebuilding.
309:
Chopped away at the remaining wood some more. The new patch piece now almost fits.
Sunday, 23 November 2003 (Frank)
308:
Moved the #1R stepwell from Barn 8 into the shop, needle-chipped the parts that will be retained (left sidewall, kickplates, steps). I also removed the right sidewall, which was in much worse condition than I had initially realized. The step was not connected to the right sidewall at all, but was actually hanging from the (vertical) kickplate. Bruneau wants Gerry Dettloff to look at this sidewall in case it can be welded, but it's so badly eaten away I think replacement is the only reasonable option.
Moved the right sidewall from the (disassembled) Sirinek/MacGregor spare stepwell from the container to the shop. The sidewall was needle-chipped and compared to the #1R stepwell from the 308; it will need some modifications and bending, but will work well as a replacement sidewall.
Brought the underfloor fusebox into the shop from the container and partially disassembled it. It appears that the sides and top are in good shape but the front and back laminate pieces will have to be replaced. I was aided in disassembly by Bob Bruneau, Bruce Lampson and Bob Sundelin. I'm also working on making drawings of the parts that require replacement.
Bruneau looked for the C21 badge plate from Krentel's controller but couldn't find it; he hasn't given up though.
Bruneau gave me a bucket with three door latches of the type you requested, but none without locks; I need to press him to give me one without a lock for the train door (he suggested we simply not cut a keyhole, but it would still look wrong...). Wouldn't it be 1) easier and 2) slightly more authentic just to grab one from a stock 318 door?
Misc.:
Diamond finally placed the new containers, which means we should now have access to our half of one of them. We need to talk to Diamond about what we can and can't load into these things; they're aluminum and are designed for stuff to hang from the ceilings, so the floors may not be able to support a GE 66. We also need to get a key from Diamond; if I see him this week I'll ask him.
Monday 24 November 2003 (Frank)
308:
Used the heat gun to strip the paint off of the exteriors of three windows in the shop that Jack had been working on, sanded and primed them. Also put a coat of green on three other windows that I found in the wood shop.
I made a set of plans for both the front and back pieces of the underfloor fusebox. After disassembling it, we determined that the sides and top are in good shape but the front and back will need some parts replaced. Hopefully I can accomplish at least part of this task over Christmas break.
Misc.:
Talked to Dave Diamond about containers. (See below).
Wednesday, November 26 (with Frank)
308:
Mostly I worked on the #2 vestibule door latches. The wedge lock brackets were installed and adjusted. The train door latch mechanism and the outside handle were installed and work correctly. A new mechanism was installed on the #2L door; the door itself still doesn’t close far enough for the deadbolt. More work on the #2R door; I cut a hole for the key, but it doesn’t quite line up yet. Also, the deadbolt doesn’t close here either. But we’re making progress.
Frank replaced the arc chute on contactor #6, replaced following replacement of burned-through shunt.
Contactor tips and arc chutes checked for wear; chart made (see below).
Five windows painted with a coat of Fleet grey.
Gerry Dettloff looked at our stepwell and the replacement sidewall; he agrees that it would probably be easier to modify the replacement than to fix the original. He will have Lenny Halter look at it.
309:
Chopped away at the remaining wood a little more.
Contactor boxes inspected. Both #5 contactors are BO; car was red-tagged by Frank pending repair of this. Door on #7 contactor, end #1, was removed and a very large burn hole was epoxied with help from Bruneau.
That broken part of a spare C6 controller was taken to the container and put with the other miscellaneous controllers.
Misc.:
We looked at the new container (#43) half of which is now ours. It seems OK; there’s some canvas attached to the ceiling (for air cooling) which we should probably remove. No parts have been moved into it yet. We put a 7179 lock on it.
|
CONTACTOR TIP CONDITION |
|
ARC CHUTE CONDITION |
||||
309-1 |
309-2 |
308 |
309-1 |
309-2 |
308 |
||
1 |
Good |
Good |
Perfect |
1 |
Good |
Good* |
Perfect* |
2 |
Good |
OK |
Good |
2 |
Good* |
Good* |
OK* |
3 |
OK |
OK |
Good |
3 |
Good* |
OK* |
Good* |
4 |
Good |
OK |
Perfect |
4 |
OK |
Poor |
Perfect* |
5 |
BO (1) |
BO (2) |
Good |
5 |
Good* |
Good |
Good* |
6 |
OK |
Good |
OK |
6 |
Good* |
Good |
Good* |
7 |
OK |
Good |
Good |
7 |
Poor (door) |
Good |
Good* |
8 |
OK |
Good |
Good |
8 |
Good |
Good* |
Good* |
9 |
OK |
OK |
OK |
9 |
Good* |
Poor |
Good* |
10 |
Good |
Good |
Good |
10 |
Good |
Good* |
Good* |
11 |
OK |
OK |
Good |
11 |
Good |
OK |
Good* |
12 |
OK |
Good |
Good |
12 |
OK |
OK |
Good* |
13 |
OK |
OK |
Good |
13 |
Good |
OK |
OK* |
* Painted with Glyptal
Note: On 309-1-12 the clip that holds the door shut is broken off.
Bad Order Contactor Tips: (1) missing a screw; (2) can’t tighten screws
Friday, November 28 (with Frank) [570 miles]
Misc.:
Frank and I went to the Museum of Transport in St. Louis to examine the electric collection, mostly for purposes of updating his preserved electric cars roster.
Tuesday, December 2
308:
I looked through the electric parts car for C21 throttle contacts, but without success. I found some other things of interest, though: several boxes of C6 parts, such as throttle links and handles, and reverser drum fingers; also an unopened box of D3-EG brushes.
I then got the C6 section from the container and took it home. I removed the throttle contacts; we may be able to use them to complete the first C21.
Saturday, December 6
308:
I attached the pipe which comes up through the floor for the clock and the whistle, then installed the new clock which I had painted at home. The compressor oil was OK. Brake valve at the #2 end seems to work fine; the clock doesn’t read brake pipe pressure (main reservoir is OK), probably because the rubber gasket is plugged. Should be easy to fix.
I was able to install the throttle contacts from a C6 in the “good” C21, and reattach the spring for the throttle mechanism. Appears to work fine. Controller needs to be vacuumed out, lubricated, and arc chute surfaces painted with Glyptol.
I made a wooden plate to fit under the C21 (it’s considerably larger than a C6). Taken home for painting. Also, I found that a new hole will have to be drilled for running the control wire cable into the C21.
Jack finished five windows last week; I installed windows 7, 8, and 9 in slots 20, 21, and 22. Another repainted window appears to be #2, but that can’t be right because #2 is already installed. I put it at slot 11 (should be #27). I planed down the new #3 a bit, needs some more work. The springs have not yet been installed. #10 is still in the shop.
309:
Cut out a new two-piece blank for the corner flooring. Didn’t get a chance to actually fit it in place, because….
Misc.:
I helped Nick move a truckload of Thomas merchandise, along with Jim Nauer, Buzz, Rich, Dave Shore, Wally, and Bob Heinlein.
Talked to Jim Nauer a little about operating next year. I told him to talk to Frank.
Saturday, December 13 (with Frank)
308:
I planed down the new window #3 and installed springs from a 309 spare. Put into place. Frank took a set of window shade tracks back to the shop for repainting.
Frank and I, helped by Bob Heinlein and Rich Schauer, got the C21 controller disassembled, realigned, and re-assembled. The arch chute assembly was removed and disassembled for repainting and repair. Also, I got the broken C21 from the container and brought it to the shop. It was disassembled for parts.
I drilled holes in the floor; one for the C21 control cable isn’t finished; the other is for a bolt to go all the way through and make the ground connection.
I tried making new ground connections at the #2 end for the buzzer circuit, but it didn’t do any good.
I started stripping the ceiling of the #1L vestibule corner.
Misc.:
We looked at the recently-arrived Kankakee car.
Sunday, 14 December 2003 [Frank]
308:
1. Polished contacts on C21 controller.
2. Put some Glyptal on the back of the C21 controller cover.
3. I spent some time looking at the C21 with Kutella and found something very interesting: there are some remnants of wires coming out of that cast-iron bell! In addition, it appears that there is room inside the bell for a coil of some sort. Kutella believes that there would have been some sort of transformer under the car that would transfer motor current variations to the coil inside the bell, which would magnetize the bell and draw those "brake shoe" dogs against the walls of the bell, thereby halting progression of the controller column. When the motor current dropped, pressure on the dogs would be released and the column could continue rotating. This appears to be the most likely design at the moment.
Misc:
1. Inspected the new Kankakee car with Norm Krentel
Monday, 15 December 2003[Frank]
308:
1. Ken Spengler primed those two window shade tracks.
2. Craig Wagner painted the #1-end flag box and flag rack blue.
3. I put a first coat of Fleet Grey on the window in the shop.
4. I cleaned up the C21 arc chute components that had been disassembled Saturday by Rich Schauer and replaced one Transite piece that was damaged with one from the Electric Parts Car, then painted them with Glyptal. Glyptal was also applied to the controller cover back and to the blow-out coil core/frame.
5. During stripping of the underfloor fusebox, the top piece broke in half through some screw holes. This will have to be fabricated along with front and back pieces.
6. The C21 throttle cam (the brass piece right under the controller top on the controller column) was removed from the spare 318 controller half. The plan is that Lenny Halter will build up the edge of the cam with braze, after which we can swap it into our controller so that the throttle will engage properly on the first point.
7. I talked to Bruneau about interior decals. He is working on getting *real* decals made, not those vinyl letters, and suggests that we use real decals for our "TOILET" and interior "308" lettering. This would obviously be more authentic and might be easier.
309:
1. The arc chute door that had been epoxied in November was found to have been stored in a non-flat area, which made the epoxy form weirdly; but, although it looks strange, it is fully functional. I sanded the epoxy a little and Glyptalled the back of the door.
Tuesday, 16 December 2003:
308:
1. The seat armrest from sector 9 was removed and brought into the shop. It was partly stripped, sanded, and primed.
2. The buzzer interrupter was removed from the #1 end and brought into the shop. It was needle-chipped, wire-wheeled and primed. New screws were obtained for when we reinstall it, however the screw (or whatever) that holds the inspection door closed has apparently been lost. I'll look at the 309's interrupter and see what that has. Here's something odd: the interrupter has a December 1907 patent date cast into the lid however there doesn't appear to be any paint under it! There was Pullman green paint on the interrupter itself, but it looks to be bare wood under the thing. Was the car built with an earlier interrupter, hence the spot on the ceiling bare of Pullman green paint? I'm not certain. However, if the car was built with this C21 that incorporates the control line alterations made for the buzzer circuit, you would expect that the car was built with a buzzer of some sort.
3. The #10 window had a second coat of Fleet Grey put on it, and the inside was touched up with light green. This is ready to reinstall except for the fact that I can't find the latch (I did, however, find the lift tab).
4. Two window shade tracks were painted with a first coat of light green.
5. The #1 end flag box and flag rack were painted with a second coat of Washington blue; these are now ready to reinstall (as soon as work on the surrounding wall section is done).
6. After Glyptalling was finished, the C21 arc chute assembly was reassembled. It was discovered that the design is such that one of the arc chute segments is in the way of part of the controller drum, and is supposed to be sort-of chopped up to allow the drum to turn correctly. It's a pretty poor arrangement, but I suppose it works. The cover, the back well Glyptalled, was reinstalled. Also, the edges of the controller back were painted blue.
Wednesday, 17 December 2003
308:
1. Bob Sundelin used an ohmeter to test out the buzzer interruptor. What he discovered was that the resistor is open. We also tried to determine the resistance of the resistor in the 309’s buzzer interrupter, but although the buzzer worked fine the circuit read as open.
2. The flag rack, flag box and window #10 were taken over to the 308.
3. The C21 was reassembled. The only things left to do are to fix the throttle cam and to paint the top 1/3 of the controller back (the part that can be seen through the end window).
4. The two window sticks were given a second coat of light green.
5. The #24 seat armrest was given a first coat of black.
6. I needle-chipped the rusted-out step sidewall from the #1R stepwell so that Gerry Dettloff and Lenny Halter can more easily utilize it as a pattern; Gerry asked that I wire-wheel the new replacement sidewall. He says that he and Lenny will try to make this step repair after the holidays.
Misc:
1. Kutella finally got part of the Berlin Boat-anchor (sander) working, though none of the sanding rolls. It sounds like a Sherman tank rolling through the shop. Also, the new roof of CCW 300 was painted.
Sunday, 21 December 2003
308:
1. Sanded down and spot-primed the #24 seat armrest
2. The top portion of the C21 controller back (visible through the motorman's window) was needle-chipped, wire-wheeled and primed.
3. Two of the underfloor fusebox blow-out coil "ears" were primed after having been sand-blasted.
309:
1. Removed contactor tips from #1-5 and #2-5 contactors. Out of the three extant screws, one was stripped and one actually sheared off (it will eventually have to be extracted from the contactor tip but the tip has been replaced for now and the bad one put into stock). The holes in the good tip were retapped by Bob Bruneau.
ME 28:
1. I spent an hour or two helping Jeff Brady built shelving for the Michigan car. He retired from CTA this past Friday so hopefully we'll be seeing more of him.
Monday, 22 December 2003 [so far!]
308:
1. With the help of Wes Lloyd, all of the metal components are being removed from the rotted third rail beam that's sitting in Barn 4 (this is from the #2-R corner). Drawings are being made in anticipation of replacement of wooden components.
2. The sleet scraper "paddle" was needle-chipped, wire-wheeled and primed. Interestingly, it's fitted with replacement scrapers that were never used - undoubtedly put through the shop in spring/early summer 1957 when they didn't realize that the road would never see another winter.
3. All nuts and bolts removed from the third rail beam were tapped and rethreaded, respectively due to excessive wear making them virtually unuseable. They were also wire-wheeled.
4. The Sirinek/MacGregor replacement step sidewall was wire-wheeled at the request of Gerry Dettloff.
5. Ken Spengler painted the top of the controller back (visible through the motorman's window) with a first coat of blue.
6. A first coat of medium green was put on the #24 seat armrest.
309:
1. Using replacement screws obtained by Bob Bruneau, the #1-5 and #2-5 contactor tips were reinstalled. Unfortunately, it appears that the #2-5 tip may not be flush against the rocker arm, which would probably cause it to weld itself to the screw (this is what appears to have happened before). This will have to be inspected more closely and the rocker arm may have to be taken off and filed flat; whether we will need to wait until spring to put the car over the pit to do this remains to be seen. The #1 group is back in service.
Tuesday, December 23 (with Frank)
308/309:
Frank and I looked at all of the third rail beams, to determine how many we will eventually want to replace. 309: all four are OK; 308: all four (including the one now in the shop) should probably be replaced; 321: one should be replaced. We asked Bruneau to look into ordering new maple blocks for this purpose.
We also looked at the #2-5 contactor. I’m not sure it’s such a problem; I’ll have to remove the lower tip and look at it more closely.
308:
1. The sleet scraper "paddle" was painted with a first coat of black.
2. The third rail shoe hanger was wire-wheeled and primed; the actual shoe itself, as well as the loops it hangs from, were left natural rust. All of the nuts and bolts from the third rail beam were also primed.
3. The two "ears" that make up part of the underfloor fusebox blow-out coil were painted black.
4. The #24 seat armrest received a second coat of medium green.
5. The sleet scraper piston was needle-chipped. The union was removed, cleaned and the pipe plugged to prevent chips of paint and dirt from entering the system.
6. Bob Bruneau talked to Bob Kutella about ordering new maple blocks to be used in replacement third rail beams. We didn't know whether to ask for hard or soft maple, so Kutella will get prices on both; he will also get prices for both pre-dried and green wood. Dimensions are 3-3/8"x5-3/4"x67-1/2". Since it would be easier to make mulitple third rail beams at once, an analysis of all twelve beams was undertaken. The following results consider only the condition of the wood; A=excellent, B=good, C=moderate, D=poor.
308:
#1L - C; #1R: C; #2L: C; #2R: removed
309:
#1L: A; #1R: A; #2L: A; #2R: A
321:
#1L: A; #1R: B; #2L: B; #2R: D
It was decided that the #2R beam from #321 should be removed before the car is operated in service, and it also appears that the #1L beam from #321 could be swapped in to replace the 308's beam which is now disassembled. Eventually, five beams will need to be replaced: All four from the 308 (one now disassembled) and 321-2R.
309:
1. Bruneau agreed to sell us a repro North Shore coach key for Jack; this had to be modified but was tested and worked in the 309 (it couldn't be tested in 308's lock as that lock isn't quite done). This will cost $10.
Friday, December 26
308:
I installed new light sockets and wired up one of the side light circuits (the one that includes the toilet). Tested and works OK. I soldered pigtails on all of the leads and used heat shrink tubing wherever possible. I installed the fixtures with the bulbs pointing down, since that’s what the few available interior pictures seem to show (except for the one next to the electrical cabinet at sector 1).
Window #10 was put into place at sector 23.
309:
Started cutting out the ship splice on the post. Sawing straight up is hard work; got about 8”. Also, I removed the quarter-round molding on this post; needs to be replaced, since it’ll be too short when the post is spliced.
Tuesday, 30 December 2003:
308:
Put a second coat of black on seat armrest #24. (Note to self: sector 9)
Wednesday, 31 December 2003:
308:
1. Removed the throttle cam collar from the controller shaft on Krentel's C21 controller; this was badly worn to the point of not engaging on the first point. It appeared that the collar from the 318 C21 would work, so I installed this in Krentel's C21 with the help of Bob Bruneau. This did work; the C21 was vacuumed out, lubricated and moved to Barn 8 for installation in the #2 end. The C21 obtained from Jack Franklin sans blow-out coil, which is now in the container, was also inspected for throttle cam collar wear and this part was found to be only slightly worn.
2. Put a first coat of black on the shoe hanger from the disassembled third rail beam; due to Bruce sanding afterwards it is speckled, but it needed a second coat anyway. More priming of bolts for the various third rail beam parts was done.
3. Four brass light sockets to be used on the R side of the 308 were painted with a first coat of light green.
4. Seat armrest #24 was reinstalled in the 308.
5. It was noticed that windows 11 through 15, and possibly 10, need their exteriors stripped and repainted because they still wear their "dip job" paint jobs from the 2001 preparation work for the calendar shoot. This is a good job for later this winter.
6. Bruneau says that Bob Vighi is reluctant to transfer funds from the 309's Restricted Fund to the 309's Board Restricted Fund (which is $8000 in the red) because the Board had promised to make up the $8000 debt. This is true, however the Board changed its mind and we don't have much to say about it. Barb Lanphier seemed offended at the mere suggestion that the Board might live up to its original promise, so I suppose we'll just have to persuade Vighi to make the transfer.
7. I discussed the "Sunset Lines Evening" fundraiser idea with Bob Kutella; he offered a few suggestions but overall seems to think it's a relatively good idea.
Wednesday, December 31 (with Frank)
308:
I brought out the 308’s interrupter and wired around the dead resistor in the cylindrical part. I then wired it into the buzzer circuit, using three 15K 50W resistors in parallel, and tested it. Works well!
I warmed up the smoker and finished putting first finish yellow on all parts that were still in primer (89” 11-14, 93” 13-14 and smoker bulkhead, clerestory sash 17-18).
I redrilled the hole for the control circuits to go to the #2 controller. Used a ¾” drill because that’s the largest we had, but may need to widen the hole still more.
Frank and I brought the completed C21 controller to the car.
I removed the fuse clips from the #2 cabinet so no one can maliciously try to run the heater circuits, and I also disconnected one of the leads to the parallel control fuse.
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