Friday Prep Work

 There weren't very many people in the car shop on Friday, but quite a bit got done anyhow.

My first task was to get the CA&E train ready for operation on Sunday.  This requires getting under the car and getting dirty, so it's not something you want to do in your spiffy uniform, and it's best to get it done beforehand.  I had to connect the air hoses and control jumper, check and fill the compressors, test the brakes and buzzers, and so on.  Then I ran it back and forth a few feet in the barn to check that both cars were motoring, etc.  All is well, so we should be ready for service early on Sunday.

Going Uphill?

When we first got the 36, it seemed to be going downhill.   I thought we had that problem solved, but I guess not.  Now it looks like it's going uphill, at a worse angle than before.  I just don't understand how these things happen.  Maybe someone else can solve this conundrum....

Having given up on that, I went back to work on the third rail beams.  I painted most of the one in front black, as seen here.  Then the one in the rear, the last of the current set of summer beams, got the bottom surface and most of the rest of it painted black also.

Here we see Fritz proudly standing in front of the Michigan Electric 28; this paint job looks superb.

Fritz also helped me by using the impact wrench to free up some bolts on the third rail scrapers, so I could clean up the fuses and reinstall them.  And they all get brand new metal clips for holding the fuses out from the wood, so it doesn't catch on fire when a fuse opens, I suppose.  This beam should be ready for installation once the paint dries.

Tim is always hard at work; here he's cleaning up some more wood for the 268.

This is something I didn't know before.  Since the 268 is a trailer, it doesn't have ordinary electrical cabinets like most cars.  So the door controls are located in a small compartment right at floor level next to the sliding door.  You have to get down on your hands and knees to turn things on or off.

Finally, the B&G department was very busy today.  Contractors are replacing the south wall of Barn 7.  Dave points out that the barn is now more than 40 years old (inconceivable!) so this is scheduled maintenance.  Barn 8 will be done next year.

And then Dave and Carl were working on installing the magic bridge for the trolley wire over track 41, so that when the rolling door is open cars can pass through without a problem.

I hope it works!