A Good Time Had by All

Frank writes...

Saturday of Museum Showcase Weekend 2024 saw great (if slightly warm) weather, a good crowd, and a lot of enjoyable train operations. What more could you ask for?

My father was conductor on the CA&E wood train, with the 309 and 319 holding down service, so he'll have an update on that. As for me, I was scheduled to operate the 18 in the afternoon and evening with Zach, so I didn't have to sign in until 1pm or so. When I arrived, I met up with Russ, a volunteer from the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, and helped load some PCC parts that we're trading them into his van. Then I spent a while showing longtime IRM volunteer Eric Z and some Fox River Trolley Museum volunteers around the CA&E fleet before going over to Barn 7 and switching the 4391 out of the way of the 18 (the other car east of the 18 on track 73, the Matchbox, was already in service).

We ran seven or eight trips around the car line, always with a good crowd of passengers, until putting the car away just before dinner. Unfortunately, the day was not entirely without incident. At one point the air compressor blew a fuse; after a bit of inspection, cleaning, and a new fuse, it ran okay for the rest of the day, but it's just the latest sign that our National BB2 could really use a thorough going-over. And then, on the last trip, it seemed like the "riding up over the frog" issue at South Junction was starting to return. We'd been keeping a close eye on this throughout the day, so maybe the heat makes it worse, but it was decided not to bring the car back out after dinner as originally planned. Oh, well. We will try and work with the Track Department to see if it's possible to adjust that South Junction switch.

Above are just a couple of interior shots I took of the 18. It's pretty obvious which seats have and haven't been repainted! I should mention that it was nice to see several out-of-town friends we don't run into very often, including Randy and Betty Andersen and Bill Fronczek from Pittsburgh, all of whom rode the 18.

After an enjoyable BBQ dinner, my father and I had an unusual experience. Dave Diamond is working with a videographer named Alec, shown above on the right, to develop a new video about the museum. They're filming a number of volunteers, particularly "old-timers," and wanted to interview me and my father. And what better setting than inside the 309? So, we sat and chatted with them for a little while. Dave took the above photo.

In the meantime, Zach had gotten Veracruz 19 dug out of Barn 7, and we took it out for night operations. The above crew photo was taken by Jordan Torregrosa. Zach and I are both wearing the new reproduction CSL badges that he had made earlier this year. They look fantastic and I got a number of compliments on mine. The good news is that you can still purchase one! A few extras were made and are now available. Drop us a line if you're interested.

Thumbs up! This was going to be a photo of a nice sunset, but it was photobombed by some derelicts from the Diesel Department. L-R Matthew K, James K, Logan S, Lee E, and Zach.

Here's the 19 at Depot Street. We ran until after 11:00pm (!!) and were remarkably well patronized the entire time. Who doesn't like an open car on a warm evening?

There are always unusual train operations on Showcase Weekend; Saturday highlights this year included the Zephyr as well as the Pullman consist pulled by AT&SF 92 and the 1630 (not at the same time!), plus IT 101 running at night. A very unusual piece to see on the railroad was Milwaukee Electric dump motor D13, which carried passengers in the dump section for the first time in at least 15 years, maybe more. Nathan and Mikey set up portable stairs at Central Avenue and ran express trips around the streetcar line from there. This operation was extremely popular, but unfortunately, after a few trips the car blew a control resistor and had to go out of service. It's not a serious problem, though, and it's probably already fixed by the time I'm writing this.

Randy adds:

During the day, there was a lot of activity.  The 309 and 319 were in service, and here they are as the Galt House passes by.

Andy Sunderland was the motorman, and we had a great day.  Sorry we didn't get around to taking the usual crew picture.  And among other things, the Matchbox was in service, with Jeff Obarek as motorman:

Finally, I promised you a surprise.  Betcha don't recognize this car:

This is actually the 1268.  Tim has essentially run out of wood L cars to restore, so he has gone back to the first one he did, and has started rebuilding it a second time, with an earlier paint scheme and various other changes.  Some people are just never satisfied!