Milwaukee 441 Update

Thanks to Richard Schauer for sending along this update of contract work being performed on Milwaukee 441, our trolley bus from that city which is currently undergoing exterior restoration and repainting off-site thanks to support from generous donors.

Sorry for the long delay between updates, but the shop has been very busy and work on 441 infrequent.  But I am happy to report some very tangible progress!  As of last week, we have settled on the six required paint colors: Chrome Orange and Ivory for the body, Maroon and Imitation Gold for the belt rail and lettering, Black for the shadow at the bottom, and Silver for the rear bumper.  And as of this week, body work has begun.

You will see in the attached pictures the six color match panels.  The lighting in the shop wasn't the greatest (they look brighter and lighter in the photo than in real life), but they match 441 as faithfully under true white light as we can manage.  The photos of the body work were taken with a crummy camera and the colors aren't as good as my usual camera, but you'll see that the rear end has been rough-sanded and the corners have received a leveling coat.  Nothing untoward has been observed yet.  The rear panel is pushed in slightly under the retrievers, but it's uniform and not perforated, so it shouldn't be a big deal to pull out.