Vintage Washout

 As you might have heard, the weather for this year's Vintage Transport Extravaganza was not up to par, and the event was pretty much a washout.  Of course, some people are never discouraged by minor details like the weather, so the festivities still went on.  Frank and I were there, and here's a brief report on some of the activities.

We were planning to be on the crew for a three-car wood CA&E train, but that was, of course, impossible due to the prevailing rains.  Dan and Chris Buck ran the substitute CA&E steel train all day.

Most of the mainline trains operated without difficulty.  They're not quite so fragile.  Here is the caboose train with the Rock Island Geep, always a crowd-pleaser.

And no matter what the weather, people are always eager to see the steam train!

Many if not most antique automobile owners are reluctant to bring their treasures out in the rain, and who am I to argue with that?  There were a few cars on display, but not nearly as many as usual.

On the other hand, our Track Dept. had their vehicles on display in front of Barn 4.  That Dodge looks familiar somehow....

We had two Chicago streetcars in operation.  Here's Zach with the 3142:

And Jeff on the 13734:

Frank and I spent most of the day working on other things.  Among other things, Frank was working on making a roll sign for the 18.  Looks pretty professional to me....

And I spent most of the day sitting in the 308 talking to visitors.  First, I had to diagnose a problem with one of the lighting circuits, but after that was resolved, I was able to help a good procession of visitors go through the car and explain what we had to do to restore the car, how it worked in service, and so on.

The 308 really has a nice interior, if I say so myself.  And all our visitors seemed to agree.

Say, did I ever tell you that the 308 needs your help?

But don't go away, we'll have more exciting news coming up soon!