36 Report

There was more steady progress on the 36 today, and the end of the paint removal process is in sight.  I managed to finish stripping and sanding the letterboard and lower siding, six sectors in one day.

This picture makes the place look a lot gloomier than it really is.  The Barn 8 aisle lights do a very good job of illuminating the equipment -- I just haven't figured out a way to photograph the work.  And even when it's cold outside, our barns have an efficient solar heating system, at least when you're closer to the roof than to the ground.  But by the time surface prep was complete, the sun was going down, so painting will have to wait until Saturday.

Taking a break, I checked out the work the shop guys have done so far on the third rail beams.  You can see here the slot they have made.  The sleet scraper is attached to a steel shaft about 1/2" x 2 1/2" that will run down through this slot.  Now I just need to buy enough epoxy to glue all four beams together.  Thanks to all those who have been helping with this project!

And Tim is making quick work of the 4412 roof project, even as the seconds are ticking away on the contest clock.  With a week to go before the Thanksgiving deadline, here we see him attaching the running boards to the saddles.  He painted the poles earlier, and hopes to lift the bases into position on Saturday.

50% More or the End Is In Sight! Plus a bonus feature!

Al writes...

After my success last Tuesday I decided it was time to try again yesterday. As Randy stated in his last blog entry "Another day, another few feet of wooden siding stripped, sanded, and primed. " I was feeling a little bit better this week than last, so my efforts were able to cover one and a half windows for a 50% increase in the area prepared for future painting. Although today was chilly, working in barn 8 with a heat gun was not entirely uncomfortable.

 One feature about the 36 is that it was apparently varnished initially and when scraping the sides using a heat gun the varnish tends to gum up on my scraper and requires fairly frequent cleaning. As you can see at the end of the day we are within striking distance of completing the car side below the belt rail. It sure would be easier if Randy would figure out that dipping process.

As it was last week, things were rather quiet around the campus. I didn't have time to go exploring but some of the usual characters were seen on site including Rod, Frank, Nick, Ed and judging by the music coming from barn 4 Tim Peters was hard at work on the 4412. Of course Jan and company were keeping the lights on in the office. And hearing equipment moving about the site I assume Dave was hard work on B&G activities as well.

Bonus feature

It seems that we have a new face at IRM. Seen arriving was this three unit set of Miniature Train Company locomotive and two cars. This appears to be an MTC G12 model  12" gage amusement park train. For those of you not familiar with the Miniature Train Company it is probably best known for its F3 like locomotives on 14", 15" and 16" gage track, that were used in various amusement parks around the country. The Chicago area had at least five MTC G 16 train sets that I am aware of. There were two at Kiddieland, two at Riverview and one at Lincoln Park and I understand one is in private hands not too far from IRM.This train set is a smaller model than those and may be familiar to some of you babyboomers as similar to the one that ran in the Fair Store (note the early history of MTC was building trains for use in in Dept. stores) on State St. during Christmas (electrically operated I assume). Also arriving with the train was a truckload of 12" gage "snap track".

The miniature train company was a local supplier of amusement park trains. It was a small enough company that there does not even seem to be a Wikipedia entry for it. However a brief history of the company can be found here. I guess we will need to watch IRM cyber space closely for further developments.

My only question is what relationship did the Rattlesnake Island Railroad have to the North Shore?

This Blog entry was brought to you by the Shameless Prodding Division of the Hicks Car Works.

Remember indoor storage is the only long term solution to maintaining our equipment and ensuring that the preservation efforts of our volunteers do not get undone by time and weather.

YOU, yes you are being prodded to do something about it!  IRM is in the process of raising funds for Barn 14.  There are several funds you can donate to, but we here at the Hicks Car Works ask that you donate to code name RISWEC for cars in the Electric Car Department Collection.  Make a minimum $25.00 donation today!  You can mail your check to this address:

Illinois Railway Museum
P.O. Box 427
Union, IL 60180

If you want to, you can donate through this secure online link.

Any bit helps, so donate today!

Par for the Course

Another day, another few feet of wooden siding stripped, sanded, and primed.  I keep telling myself this has got to be the last time we will have a car that has to be completely stripped down to bare wood and repainted.  First there was the 309, which I joined when it was already partly done, then the 321, then the 308, and now the 36.  

Furniture restoring shops will sometimes have a large vat full of paint remover into which furniture can be dipped, greatly speeding up the process. I have not yet figured out a feasible way to scale this idea up.

I finished stripping four sectors of the letterboard and upper siding (19-22), then sanded it all down and applied first primer.  I then went back and started doing a complete job on the window sections, as seen here.  This part is the most challenging; there's less square footage, but lots of angles and corners.  Much of it must be sanded by hand. 

Thursdays tend to be lightly attended.  The usual suspects were seen lurking about: Rod, Tim (of course), Buzz, Max, and Roger.  And me.  Nick seemed to be AWOL -- be on the lookout!

Shameless Prodding Post

Al writes…

If you are at all familiar with NPR's  Car Talk, you may be familiar with the Tappet Brothers' (Click and Clack) Shameless Commerce Division. Noting the success of this operation the senior management of the Hicks Car Works has decided to implement a Shameless Prodding Division hoping that you will be prodded yo help build the next barn at IRM.

As it has been noted before the very nature of the material which is used to construct transportation equipment is subject to deterioration from continued exposure to the elements. The only way to ensure that surface and/or deeper deterioration does not occur is to place the items, in this case our rolling stock, undercover. We have noted several times the effects of continued exposure to the elements. It is very disconcerting for volunteers that have spent time restoring equipment to see that restoration deteriorate as a result of weather exposure.

Case in point here we have a photograph at one of the more famous Electric Railway Museums (and I don't mean to throw stones at them). As you can see they are attempting to be preserve one PCC car with the use of a tarp. However, as we know the tarps require constant attention. This blog frequently reports on Randy's trips to the south end of IRM to ensure that 321 continues to be protected by its tarp. But as this photo shows tarps can't always be counted on to provide the necessary protection. In addition any preservation efforts can't be appreciated when they are hidden from view. The other two PCC's have no protection and are deteriorating as a result of exposure to the elements.

I tend not to take photos of deteriorated equipment so I don't have too many. But in this case I am presenting two bus photos for which I apologize. It seems that at many museums the buses tend to be somewhat more neglected than the railway rolling stock and provide a good example of what will happen if equipment is not protected from the elements.

In the first photo we see what can happen to one of the famous New York/Chicago Yellow Coach double-deckers. In spite of being constructed of metal this bus is totally collapsing on itself. In the second photo we see a Cleveland, St. Louis built trackless trolley, again in a state of advanced deterioration.

As an aside this trackless trolley is almost identical to the St. Louis built buses purchased by CSL. One could argue that it might find a more loving home at IRM.

But to the point indoor storage can only be achieved with contributions from all interested IRM friends.

YOU, yes you are being prodded to do something about it!  IRM is in the process of raising funds for Barn 14.  There are several funds you can donate to, but we here at the Hicks Car Works ask that you donate to code name RISWEC for cars in the Electric Car Department Collection.  Make a minimum $25.00 donation today!  You can mail your check to this address:

Illinois Railway Museum
P.O. Box 427
Union, IL 60180

If you want to, you can donate through this secure online link.

Any bit helps, so donate today!

Wednesday Shop Time

 As you perhaps know, Wednesday is a busy day in the wood shop.  Often there are more people working there than on weekends.  Thus, many different projects can be worked on at once.  For details, of course, you should read the department blog.  I'm usually not able to be out on Wednesdays, so this was a treat.  The Wednesday crew has some new members who I met for the first time.  But there's always room for one more!

 

Today we started on mass production of third-rail beams for the 36.  Or at least this is what counts for mass production in my book: four at once.  These beams are big and heavy: 3 5/8 x 5 5/8", 66" long.  We can't easily get oak in that size, so each beam will be made of two pieces glued together.  Some of the pieces we bought were rough cut, so the first thing to do was to joint and plane them, then rip them to the correct height.  John Faulhaber helped me with these processes.  And Bob Kutella provided expert guidance all the way.

The finished product is seen here, stacked up in pairs as they will be glued.  The arrises are nice and sharp, like knives.  The pieces are almost ready to glue up, but for one step.  There's a slot through the beam at one point for the metal shaft that runs the sleet scraper.  It will probably be easiest to make this by dadoing the inside edge of each half before gluing them together.  Then there's no drilling or mortising to be done.  

I also did some more paint removal along the letterboard.  Better pictures should be coming along tomorrow.

Goodby Old Paint or Back in the Saddle Again

Al writes....

Some of you may have noticed that I have been absent from the Hicks car works blog activity for the last several weeks. I've been dealing with some medical issues that have made it difficult to help out with the restoration efforts on 36.

But it was time to get out of the house and attack that large slab of green on the lower side of 36. I had been itching to do some removal of that "beautiful" color. So I was able to get out for a short while on Tuesday and do a bit of  "paint removal work". I wasn't quite as full of energy as I had thought so my activities were limited to one window section, however progress is progress. Here are photos of that window section after scraping and sanding and after application of the primer. Still a ways to go to get the entire side completed. 

Things are really quiet at IRM on Tuesdays during the winter so a quick stroll around the property didn't yield much activity. However I was able to find the 4412 still wearing its Halloween ghost costume. In actuality this was in place for Tim Peters to put on the first coat of paint in his race to beat the turkey on his roofing project for the 4412. Here's Tim applying a first coat of paint to the canvas which was absorbing it like a sponge. Tim suggested that it might be necessary to bring a tank car of paint in order to complete several coats on the roof.

The cold drizzly day did not lend itself to outside photography. But it certainly did point out the need for indoor storage for our restored and weather vulnerable equipment.

 I hope to be able to start making regular trips back out to IRM to help Randy with the continued outside of restoration of the CA & E 36 to its proper image.

Just the Facts....

David pleads....

Historic railway equipment is constructed of materials that will deteriorate, even in the most ideal conditions, if left outside for a period of time.

Even in the relatively arid climate of Utah, outdoor storage is not ideal, as indicated by this piece of equipment, sitting at the Utah State Railroad Museum.  This is just a fundamental truth of historic railway preservation.

Indoor storage sounds expensive, and it is, see Mr. Kutella's comments below.  However, in the long run, it is more expensive to perform restoration work over and over, or let a piece of equipment deteriorate further outside.
However, YOU, yes you can do something about it!  IRM is in the process of raising funds for Barn 14.  There are several funds you can donate to, but we here at the Hicks Car Works ask that you donate to code name RISWEC for cars in the Electric Car Department Collection.  Make a minimum $25.00 donation today!  You can mail your check to this address:

Illinois Railway Museum
P.O. Box 427
Union, IL 60180

If you want to, you can donate through this secure online link.

Any bit helps, so donate today!

Utah State Railroad Museum

David writes....

Recently, Katy and I visited Utah. Her company is based in Salt Lake City, and she was out there for a customer conference.  I followed, burning a voucher I had received from the unofficial Official Airline of the Hicks Car Works.  

One day, we visited the Utah State Railroad Museum, in Ogden.  The museum is located on the ground of Ogden Union Station, see in the image above.  Inside are three museums, the railroad museum, the John M. Browning Firearms Museum, and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum.  One low admission price gets you in to all three museums.

Inside Union Station are some railroad-related exhibits, as well as the other two museums.  Here, we see a display from the firearms museum, two early test models of the famous Browning Automatic Rifle, called the BAR.  This rifle served the U.S. armed forces in World War I, World War II and Korea.  

Here, we see an old curved-dash Oldsmobile in the classic car museum.

Of course, the real attraction is the equipment!  All of the equipment is located outside, some of it under cover.  Here, we see a lineup of locomotives under the pavillion.  We see Union Pacific 833, a FEF-3 4-8-4 steam locomotive; a Union Pacific DD40AX Centennial Locomotive; a Rio Grande tunnel motor, a Southern Pacific SD-45 and a Union Pacific Turbine.  Quite an impressive display of motive power.  

At the other end of the station, a group is working to restore D&RG steam narrow gauge steam locomotive 233.  It is a 2-8-0, built by the Grant locomotive works.  Inside the former Trainman's building, they have a little workshop and have reconstructed the tender, seen here.  It is an entirely new tank, build using traditional methods, including hot riveting.  They have also beautifully reconstructed the wooden cab.  

Outside, the 233 sits, and you can see the extent of work the group has remaining.  This is what 40+ years of outdoor storage does to a piece of railway equipment.  

Overall the museum is worth visiting if you are in the Salt Lake City area.  

Bound For Glory

Remember that Toronto PCC that was doomed by the destructive effects of outdoor storage?   We now direct your attention to this wooden L car in the IRM collection. 

Unlike the PCC, this train is bound for glory.  In a matter of weeks, it will be moved over to Barn 4 and restoration to like-new condition will begin.  It will take a lot of work, but we now have the time, the tools, and the talent to devote to this project.  But that will be possible only because the car has been stored inside for so long, protected from the ravages of the weather.  Otherwise, by now this would be another hopeless basket case, like so many others around the country.

The 1024 is the oldest rapid transit car in our collection, built by Pullman in 1898.  It's a prime example of the first generation of rapid transit equipment.  The only other Chicago "gate car" in existence is car 1, which was moved at huge expense into the Chicago History Museum, restored, and put on static display.  But the 1024 will be restored to operate again, giving our visitors the experience of actually riding such a vehicle.

There are several lessons to be learned from this story, but the one we want to stress today, of course, is that indoor storage makes restorations like this possible.  And as long as we have historic artifacts still sitting outside, the job of building storage barns is not done.  We certainly can't restore every car simultaneously, but with indoor storage they will be preserved and eventually get the attention they deserve.  Otherwise, we wind up with a collection of wrecks.  Like the "Train of Terror".

Wondering what you could do to help?  It's easy!  There are several different funds set up to collect money to be used for barn construction; here at Hicks Car Works we prefer the Electric Car fund with the code name RISWEC.  You can send a check to this address:

Illinois Railway Museum

Box 427

Union, IL   60180

or you can donate on-line through our secure website at this link.

Any and every amount helps, but remember that one foot of indoor storage space costs $215.  That's a good measure for most of us to use when deciding how much we can afford to donate.  Thanks!

36 Report

The process of stripping and repainting the 36 continued at its usual pace today; I was able to finish stripping, then sand and put a first coat of primer on sectors 15-18, as seen here.  It's going well, and no major issues to report.

 

 Jeff Brady was working on the 28, as usual, and took the time to come over and look at the 36.  We talked about various issues with the restoration.

 

 Lots of other things were going on, of course.  Among other things, the silver cars were switched back into their place on 51 now that Terror is officially over.  And I talked to Bob Kutella about the wood for the third rail beams.

 Meanwhile, Tim Peters is making tremendous progress on the 4412 roof job.  In the last two days he has tacked down both sides of the canvas, as seen here.  Rod timed him, and when things are set up, he can tack down the canvas at a rate of one foot in five minutes, or 12 feet per hour.  He says presumably when this was being done in the old days, one man could tack down a roof in one day.  

So he's well on his way to finishing this job by Thanksgiving, on the advertised.  You have to see it to believe it.

There's always plenty of work to be done over the winter.  Come on out and join the fun!

This Hell-Bound Train

We now direct your attention to this Toronto PCC car, belonging to a private collector:

This is what happens when you let your train go to hell.  Any time, money, and effort you had put into acquiring and storing it are wasted.  Of course, this particular car is not at IRM, but the same processes that have rendered it unsalvageable are operating on all of our equipment that is still stored outside. And we have many historically valuable pieces being degraded by the weather due to lack of indoor storage.  

The solution is well known: build a carbarn to house the equipment.  Indoor storage reduces environmental damage to the equipment to an imperceptible amount.  We may not have the manpower and resources to restore these artifacts in the near future, but with indoor storage they will still be there when we are ready.

You might be wondering what you could do to help.  It's easy!  There are several different funds set up to collect money to be used for barn construction; here at Hicks Car Works we prefer the Electric Car fund with the magic code name RISWEC.  (That stands for "Return It Soon, We Expect Contributions".)  You can send a check to this address:

Illinois Railway Museum

Box 427

Union, IL   60180

or you can donate on-line through our secure website at this link.

Any and every amount helps, but remember that one foot of indoor storage space costs $215.  That's a good measure for most of us to use when deciding how much we can afford to donate.  Thanks!

What, Is It Winter Already?

The regular operating season is pretty much over.  Happy Holidays Railway is coming up in December, to be sure, and if you are a small child, or have small children, or know somebody who has small children and would be willing to let you borrow them, that would be a great thing to do.  But the display barns are closed until next spring.  That has its advantages, as you'll see.

The B&G guys were hard at work today, collecting the benches and putting them into the barns, cleaning out and storing the recycling and trash cans, and all the many other unglamorous but necessary things they do.

I was now able to move the scaffold out onto the paving, so I can finish stripping the one remaining side of the 36. After arriving at the property, I realized I had left my earmuffs and safety glasses at home, so there was no sanding and thus no painting today.  But I could do a lot of paint stripping with the heat gun.  I worked on finishing the door frame, and started on the letterboard, upper siding, and the window section.  The car now reads "Columbia Park and South" so there's some progress.

You can't see it, but I have sheets of plywood under the scaffold extending to the rail to catch all the paint chips and debris so it can be collected and disposed of properly.  And if I'm using the heat gun, I always stop at least half an hour before leaving, to make sure nothing is smoldering in some hidden nook or cranny.  You can't be too careful!

Bob Kutella and Gerry Dettloff made two trips to Owl Lumber to pick up hardwood for several projects the other day.  One of them will be making new third rail beams for the 36.  Here are the raw pieces.  I'm hoping the shop guys will do this for me over the winter under Bob's expert guidance, so I can continue working on the cars in Barn 8.  This is an excellent project for people to help with during the cold weather, in our nice heated shop.  Of course, this high-quality lumber isn't cheap.  I don't have the exact figure yet, but the total for four beams will be about $500.  The hardware we got from Trolleyville needs to be dug out of storage sometime.  That sounds interesting, anyone want to help?

Meanwhile, there were several other projects moving forward, even on a relatively slow day such as Thursday.  Tim Peters, with the help of Frank Kehoe, is making great progress on a complete roof job on the 4412.  The canvas was soaked before being placed on the car, but it hasn't dried out completely yet, so Tim didn't want to start tacking it down quite yet.

 

And Max Tyms is now busily installing the crossarms for trolley wire over the connector track!  This will be a great improvement. The connector track allows us to turn cars around without using the main wye, but until now it's required the use of a locomotive.

I had often wondered just how fast a CA&E car would have to be going to coast all the way along the connector from the Barn 8 leads to South Junction, but now that won't be necessary.  Drat!