Cars 409 and 451 Arrive

CA&E cars 409 and 451 arrived at IRM today and were quickly unloaded. We now have this down to a science.

Here are the two cars as they were transported over the highway on dollies.

We had a large crew out today. Let's see how many I can name from memory: Nick, Stan, Julie, Joe, Charlie, Tim, Greg, Mike Alterio, Jeff Obarek, Frank S., Mike Stauber, Pete Pedersen, Henry, and who am I missing?

The 451 was unloaded first. Here one of the drivers is controlling the steerable rear dolly as the other driver backs the carbody into position. Silk Road has all the right tools for the job.

Here is a visual comparison of two types of trucks. The 409 (L) has a standard (for 1923) MCB-type truck with large GE 254 traction motors. The 451's truck (R) was built in 1945 and features a cast steel frame. The wheels are smaller and so are the motors.

After the unloading process was done, the 431 was brought up to act as a locomotive, since we don't have a good adapter coupler. Here we see IRM's first CA&E steel car train in motion!

The 451 will require some serious roof work.

Then it was time for the 409. I didn't take many pictures; it's pretty much the same operation. Chuck Amstein was there and taking a large number of pictures, so we'll post those when I get them.

And here is the 409-431 train. To the right, we look down the aisle through both cars.






CA&E car 460 and the South Shore line car 1100 are scheduled to arrive on Friday, and we'll unload them then. And that will be it! I think we will all be relieved when this whole process is completed.

Update: For a much more detailed description of everything that had to be done, you'll want to read (on the IRM Yahoo list, members only) Joe Stupar's account here.

Send a Care Package

This car card is as relevant as ever, with the recent disasters in Haiti and elsewhere. Helping the less fortunate is always a good thing to do!

Farewell to Cleveland

Today we finished preparing our three steel CA&E cars for shipment to the Museum. Actual loading and transit should start tomorrow (Monday). A substantial crew of Museum volunteers went to Cleveland to do the work and make this possible.

I arrived early enough on Friday to do some sightseeing. There isn't much left at the old Trolleyville location; all of the track and line poles have been removed, except for this one by the office. The display track in the parking lot is gone. If you look closely, you'll see "Trolleyville" on the sign over the door.

The city park along the Rocky River is quite scenic (though not railroad-related) so I did quite a bit of hiking and picture taking there. And we all had some great eating and conversation together.

Here's the 460 in the yard. This was the last car with a pantograph, so it was being used as a locomotive (and fan trip vehicle!)

I was too busy to take many pictures. I met Steve Heister from NORM on Saturday; he took a lot of photos and will post them on the CA&E list.

Here we are on Saturday trying to remove the steps and pilot from one end of the 451. The design of the St. Louis cars makes this incredibly difficult, much harder than any of the others. Who knew? From left to right, Alex Mahoney, Jon Fenlaciki, Warren Lloyd, and Frank Sirinek. Alex is a former Lake Shore volunteer who worked with us both days and was a tremendous asset. He's now an honorary IRM member. Thanks!

Our friend Walt Stafa showed up on Saturday and was a great help, as always. Here he is helping with the 409.

Photo by Steve Heister

Of course, I must also thank Tim O'Donnell for all of his help and coöperation, and Carl Wilgosz, an RTA employee. They went out of their way to assist us.

If I'm forgetting anybody, let me know!

Finally, here's a portrait of our three cars in the yard during a switch move.

Trolleyville Update

The IRM team got a lot accomplished today. Members included everybody I mentioned last time, plus our old friend Walt Stafa who showed up and was very helpful, as always. I met Steve Heister who took a lot of pictures; that's good because I was too busy.

The 409 and 451 are now ready for loading. Removing the steps and pilot from the 451 turned out to be much harder than anyone had expected. We still can't figure out how the CA&E managed to maintain these things. The 460 will be done tomorrow, but at least we have a much better idea of how to proceed. I plan to be home tomorrow night and will post pictures then.

Postcard from Cleveland

Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!

I just arrived in North Olmsted; we'll meet for supper tonight and start work at Brookpark Shops tomorrow morning at 7 am.

Yes, this is the same postcard I sent you last time. They cost less if I buy them in bulk.

As before, I won't be able to download any actual pictures from Cleveland until I get home tomorrow night. So a more thorough trip report will have to wait until then. And I'll also have an update on Whitey's Diner in Fremont. After 30 years, it's still in business and little changed.

Let's see, who all is here? There's Stan and Krystine, Julie, Jon F., Norman, Frank S., Mike, Joe, Charlie, Warren, and Laura, a friend of Julie's. Marcus Reuf is supposed to be arriving about noon on Saturday. And me. That ought to be enough.

Trip Report - Southeast Pennsylvania

Work took me to Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania last weekend, so of course I took the opportunity to get in some railfanning. I was able to make a few stops between Washington, DC and York, PA, starting with Thurmont, MD, where Hagerstown & Frederick box motor 5 is displayed next to a former H&F substation. The last time I saw H&F 5 was in 1998, when it was still at the Rockhill Trolley Museum. It's been nicely fixed up.

Next came a stop in Gettysburg, PA, where I took the opportunity to pay my respects to the memory of the 160,000 or so Americans who fought there in 1863. I stopped at the "High Water Mark," the famous copse of trees on Cemetery Ridge, which is a veritable forest of monuments; at left a 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry soldier, with Brig. Gen. Alexander Webb in the left background and Maj. Gen. George Meade in the distance, is memorialized in bronze. I also did a bit of railfanning while I was at it, snapping a photo of the unidentified bobber caboose below left, now attached to a battlefield tour company office in between the Cemetery Ridge and Seminary Ridge lines. Below right is the 1859 depot in Gettysburg, used as a hospital during the battle and site of Abraham Lincoln's arrival in town for the famous Gettysburg Address.








Between Gettysburg and York is the small, mid-19th century town of New Oxford, home to a small railroad museum in the center of town. Out front is a Pennsylvania Railroad bobber, and next to the station is a heavyweight RPO lettered for the Western Maryland.








Across the street was a pair of coaches that had apparently been gutted and converted into office space, now available for lease; anyone know the histories of these cars?

My final destination was York, where I stopped at the Industrial & Agricultural Museum, which I highly recommend to anyone in the area. The primary reason for my visit was York Railways 123, a 1916 Brill single-trucker that has recently undergone some cosmetic restoration work (note the access ramp under construction). The museum has an interesting assortment of displays - note the airplane buzzing the streetcar - including various cars, trucks, agricultural tractors and implements, a working grist mill, a large machine shop, fire engines, a huge mechanical refrigeration plant from the late 1800's, and more. The EMD Model 40 at below left was displayed in front of the streetcar - it was built for the US Navy and later worked at the Harley-Davidson plant in York - while the stationary steam engine at below right was in amongst the machine tools.








Finally, before I left town I made a quick stop at the Maryland Avenue carbarn of York Railways; the outlines of the original arched barn doors at the front of the building are still evident.

Dave's Depots -- Murray, Kentucky -- N.C.&St.L.

On January 14, 2010, I found myself returning to my native Kentucky for work. Work took me far from my Nelson County birthplace to Murray, Kentucky. Murray is located in Callaway County, in the far western portion of the state. Those of you who live in Illinois and travel up and down I-57 may notice that Murray State University advertises heavily as Kentucky's "Public Ivy University."


Located just a block from the Courthouse is this depot. Built by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, this structure most recently housed a locksmith. A check of the interior finds that the depot was gutted mostly for this new use. Now abandoned, the depot remains in fair shape, along the tracks of the Kentucky & West Tennessee Railroad, current operators of the line.


This trip also netted visits to the NC&StL freight station in downtown Paducah, the old ICRR shops, also in Paducah, and IC steam locomotive 1518, all which will be covered in future posts.

319 Report

As mentioned below, the steel cars have been moved to Brookpark shops. We will be driving out to Cleveland on Friday and prepare the cars for loading on Saturday/Sunday. Of course, we'll post breaking news here as quickly as we can.

In any case, I was able to spend the entire day working on the 319. I started by making a prototype locking device for the two wood cars which will not require modifying the car in any way. Right now the cars are locked with a chain on the train door, which is not a good permanent solution. My new locking system should work well once the 1/4" plywood pieces are replaced with steel.

Then I started on seats. Actually, they're generally in better condition than I had thought. Several seat cushions are ripped and torn, but almost all of the seat backs are probably usable. The cushions I can do myself at home, and I have material left over from the 308. I removed two cushions to take home and recover, one of which is seen here.

This was one of the more uncomfortable seats at Trolleyville. Fortunately, I have plenty of spares from the 318, and I selected one from storage and took it home to be recovered.

Then I worked on the roof. The 319 was recanvassed at N. Olmsted, but there are several problems. First of all, they used the old tack molding, which is always a mistake. As you can see, it's badly split, so the tacks have pulled out. Then they used a non-standard method of attaching the canvas; it was tacked from the inside then folded up and over, leaving only 1/4" folded under, if that, and with only a few widely spaced nails and staples(!) And the canvas is just too short, it needs to be farther down the molding. I started reattaching it with the usual two rows of tacks closely spaced. To be fair, this is the worst section; most of it is still holding together somehow. I was able to tack down most of the loose material before running out of tacks. The canvas will have to be replaced eventually, but that's a major project requiring department resources and manpower. I believe the roof we have now can be used for a while, but the 319 will certainly be a fair-weather car like the others. I don't like to be critical, so let's accentuate the positive: this canvas job is a very educational display of why standard procedures are what they are.

This is the only broken window in either car, fortunately. (It didn't break in transit, it's a result of vandalism while the car was stored in the subway.) I removed it and looked for a replacement drop sash in storage. I don't have one, sadly, so I took it to the shop and removed the broken glass. Frank Sirinek cut out a replacement pane of which Bill McGregor would be proud. Thanks, Frank! I put it back in place temporarily; next time I'll have to bring out some rubber caulk and caulk the new glass in place in the shop.

There were lots of other people working on various projects today. Here we see Henry Vincent and Gerry Detloff making a test fit for new steel to be welded into the Com Ed 4. This project is almost done. Watch the department blogs for news on everything else.

Update: Steve Heister has posted several great photos of our cars at Cleveland on the CA&E Yahoo list, also of the Fox River 303 being moved to NORM. I'm not sure whether you can view these if you're not a member of the list, but here's the link.

"409 Westbound at Brookpark, Call for Orders..."

We received word from Tim O'Donnell this morning that all three of our steel cars, plus the 458, are at Brookpark Shop on the Cleveland RTA ready to be prepped for loading and transport home to Illinois! The 409 running on two motors led the train, followed by 451 and 460 (both "running on all four"), with 458 under tow carrying the markers. The current plan is that the IRM crew will head out on Friday and spend Saturday preparing our cars for transport to Union.

Tim relates, "Ed Allen's stepdad gave him a classic old gold Hamilton R.R. watch when he started with the C. A. & E., he carried it there throughout his career. Ed gave me the watch several years ago. (I now have Ed's old job at the RTA.) Ed couldn't ride last night; he asked me to carry the watch while making the last run. The 460 is Ed's favorite car; after we completed the trip I called and let him know his watch & 460 made it just fine. Tried to give them a proper send-off."

Dave's Depots -- St. James, Missouri

This edition of Dave's Depots takes us to picturesque St. James, Missouri. St. James is a town in Phelps County, and is located approximately 80 miles southwest of St. Louis. The town sits along old Route 66 and Interstate 44. Located in the center of town is this structure, a wood depot built by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (better known as the Frisco). St. James sits on the Frisco's St. Louis-Springfield, MO mainline.
St. James is and was a center of Missouri's wine making industry, as the soil conditions are good for growing grapes. I'm sure many a crate of LCL wine passed through this depot's freight house. Today, the depot appears to be unused, but is in good condition. I am unsure of its ownership.

IRM Deaccession List

Our illustrious Executive Director Nick Kallas asked me to post a list of the equipment that has been deaccessed by IRM over the years. This is an incomplete list - corrections and additions are welcome - and is slightly pared down for legibility from the original database version, which also lists date built and a couple of other data points. A roster of equipment currently at IRM can be found here. 
Click here for additional photos of deaccessed equipment taken by Bill Wulfert. Enjoy!
Have photos of any of this equipment while it was at IRM that you'd be willing to have posted? Let us know - thanks!

Cranes 
ComEd 1 (cab-on-flat electric crane) Scrapped 1964 (20-ton crane; scrapped to pay for move to Union)
ComEd 2 (cab-on-flat electric crane) Scrapped 1964 (20-ton crane; scrapped to pay for move to Union)
C&WI 1917 (self-propelled diesel crane) (25 Ton)
Metra RC50247 (self-propelled Burro crane) Sold late-2010s (In St Paul, MN as of 2020)

Diesels
UP 14A (turbine cab unit) Scrapped (Scrapped off-property)
UP 16A (turbine cab unit) Scrapped (Scrapped off-property)
UP 28A-B (two-unit turbine) Scrapped (Scrapped off-property)
UP 29A (turbine cab unit) Scrapped (Scrapped off-property)
Delray 66 (switcher) Scrapped 2006
MARC 91 (E-9A cab unit) Sold c2015 (Various components to UP 967B)
YS&T 607 (type VO660 switcher)
Hines 4062 (gas-mechanical) Scrapped
PRR 4668 (diesel motor car) Privately owned; sold 1979 (Sold to Clint Jones)
USAF 7563 (gas-mechanical) Sold 1982 (Sold to Catskill Mountain Railway)
CB&Q 9920 (E-9A cab unit) Transferred 1998 (Not owned by IRM; stored for approx. 1.5 years)
CTA #? (45-ton center cab) Scrapped 2010 (Scrapped off-property)

Electric Box Motors
CNS&M 202 (converted wooden combine) Scrapped 1974
CNS&M 236 (center door freight motor) Scrapped c1974
CNS&M 237 (center door freight motor) Scrapped 1996
Indiana RR 738 (converted interurban) Scrapped 1981 (Scrapped off-property)

Electric Interurban Cars
THI&E 36 (wood combine) Scrapped 1996 (Off-property at Lake Shafer)
THI&E 53 (wood combine) Scrapped 2015 (ex-IC&W #102)
SEPTA 68 (center entrance suburban) Sold 1983 (Sold to Indiana Ry Mus)
CNS&M 250 (steel combine) Scrapped 1995
CA&E 318 (wood coach) Scrapped 1977 (Off-property at TWERHS, parts to 321)

Electric Locomotives
Singer 1 (wooden boxcab switcher) Privately owned, stored at IRM (Sold to IMOTAC)
ComEd 5 (artic truck steeplecab) Scrapped 1964 (Scrapped to pay for move to Union)

Electric Non-Revenue Equipment
CNS&M 3 (double truck snow sweeper) Scrapped 1964
CTA S-1 (rail grinder/converted 4000) Scrapped (Scrapped off property - Skokie)
CTA S-2 (unpowered weed sprayer) Scrapped 1999 (ex-#S-108, originally CNS&M piggyback flat car)
CTA S-313 (cab-on-flat wheel car) Scrapped 1983 (Rebuilt by CTA in 1953 from pass. car #3145)
IT no num. (four-wheel tower car) Sold (Likely to IMOTAC though this isn't certain)
TMER&L D-15 (dump motor) Scrapped 2001 (Scrapped for parts for TMER&L #F-208)

Electric Rapid Transit Cars
CTA 53 (ex 5003) Scrapped 2013 (Stripped off property at Monticello and sent to scrap)
SEPTA 126 (Broad Street subway car) Scrapped 1987
CTA 1279 (wood "L" trailer) Scrapped 1991 (Scrapped off property - Howard)
CTA 1770 (wood "L" car) Scrapped 1973 photo 2
CTA 1775 (wood "L" car) Scrapped 1973 photo 2
CTA 1784 (wood "L" car) Scrapped 1973 photo 2
CTA 4083 (center door 4000) Scrapped 1980 (Scrapped off property - 63rd lower yard)
CTA 4215 (center door 4000) Scrapped 1974
CTA 4216 (center door 4000) Scrapped 1974
CTA 4253 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1985 (Tool car)
CTA 4279 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1979
CTA 4288 (standard 4000) Sold 1983 (Sold to FRTM)
CTA 4289 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1979
CTA 4341 (standard 4000) Traded 1980 (Traded to CTA for Met car - body to Kimball)
CTA 4342 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1980 (Scrapped off property - Des Plaines Ave)
CTA 4350 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1980 (Scrapped off property - Des Plaines Ave)
CTA 4355 (standard 4000) Scrapped 1980 (Scrapped off property - Des Plaines Ave)
CTA 4373 (standard 4000) Traded 1980 (Traded to CTA for Met car - body to Kimball)
CTA 6057 (half of 6000 married pair) Scrapped 1985 (Stripped off property - Skokie - & sent to scrap)
CTA S-350 (work motor) Scrapped 1979 (Former #4318)
CTA S-351 (work motor) Scrapped 1979 (Former #4302)
CTA S-366 (tool car) Scrapped 1979 (Former #4438)
CTA S-368 (work motor) Scrapped 1985 (Former #4386)
CTA S-370 (work motor) Scrapped 2007 (Former #4393, Crystal Lake McDonald's, scrapped off property)

Electric Streetcars
F&L 14 (double truck open car) Scrapped 1983 (Bought from Conn. Elec. Ry.)
WCF&N 381 (suburban) Sold 1958 (Sold to Midwest Electric Ry; never on property)
KCPS 767 (postwar PCC) Scrapped 1987 (Later SFMR #1183)
MBTA 3235 (prewar MU PCC) Scrapped 2002
MBTA 3269 (prewar MU PCC) Scrapped 2004
MBTA 3334 (double-end PCC) Removed 2015 (owned by McKinney Ave, stored at IRM 2010-2015)
GCRTA 4651 (postwar MU PCC) Scrapped 1983 (Former CTS 4226, TTC 4651)

Freight Cars
CNS&M 1004 (interurban caboose) Sold 1987  (Sold to Skip Lichter in Rockford)
CNS&M 3004 (wood box car) Scrapped 1964 
URTX 5315 (wood refrigerator car) 
URTX 5348 (wood refrigerator car) Scrapped 2021
UTLX 8715 (tank car) Traded (Traded to Chicago & North Western)
UTLX 9255 (tank car) Buried 1968 (Buried behind Main Depot)
UTLX 9315 (tank car) Buried 1968 (Buried behind Main Depot)
M&StL 23869 (flat car) Sold c2015 (Sold to Stone Mountain Scenic)
URTX 26507 (wood refrigerator car) Scrapped 2018
URTX 37226 (steel refrigerator car) Burned (Scrapped 2005 due to arson damage)
GTW 54204 (flat car) Scrapped 1983
URTX 72919 (refrigerator car) Scrapped 1994 (Bought from TWERHS)
CB&Q 76731 (wood gondola)
GATX 80709 (tank car) Buried 1984 (Buried near steam yard)
GATX 85402 (tank car) Buried 1984 (Buried near steam yard)
TTX 156067 (flat car) Deck (frame/deck used as platform for the gift shop c1982-2018)
BN 968362 (flat car) Scrapped 2010
B&O C-2231 (wood caboose) Privately owned; sold (Now at YMCA camp in Boone, IA)
CTA S-212 (flat car) Scrapped 1999, frame/deck retained until scrapped 2010
CTA S-300 (flat car) Scrapped 1998
CTA S-329 (flat car) Bridge (Body made into Boot Creek footbridge c2000, scrapped 2019)

Passenger Cars
CB&Q 90 (wood office car) Scrapped 1994
MILW 122 (lightweight diner) Privately owned; sold (Now at Charles City Ry, Charles City, IA)
C&NW 404 (steel sheathed business car) Scrapped 1997
C&NW 1131 (wood baggage-RPO) Scrapped 1998
C&NW 1236 (wood baggage-RPO) Scrapped 2025

N&W 1801 (heavyweight coach) Scrapped
N&W 1803 (heavyweight coach) Sold (Sold to Alan Lind, now Coopersville & Marne 7010)
N&W 1804 (heavyweight coach) Scrapped
N&W 1808 (heavyweight coach) Traded 1992 (Traded to Kansas City RR Mus for UP 6930)
N&W 1818 (heavyweight coach) Traded 1992 (Traded to Kansas City RR Mus for UP 6930)
AT&SF 2302 (wood combine) Traded (Traded to Ft. Wayne museum for keg of spikes)
CRI&P 2521 (lightweight commuter coach) Scrapped 1983
CRI&P 2528 (lightweight commuter coach) Sold 1985 (Sold to Whitewater Valley RR)
CRI&P 2595 (lightweight commuter coach) Sold 1985 (Sold to Whitewater Valley RR)
CGW 4062 (combine) Sold 1994 (Ex-286, sold to Pere Marquette 1225 group)

C&NW 4103 (commuter coach) Scrapped 2025
PRR 4618 (streamlined diner) Sold 1982 (Sold to Maryland Midland Ry)
CB&Q 6144 (heavyweight coach) Sold c1980  (Sold to Glen Monhart)
CB&Q 6148 (heavyweight coach) Sold c1980  (Sold to Charles Wiesner)
CB&Q 6167 (heavyweight coach) Sold c1980  (Sold to Clint Jones) 
C&NW 300969 (MOW baggage car) Sold 1983 (Ex-8654, sold to Henry Latt, later resold)
MILW Camp Grant (heavyweight solarium) Scrapped 2009

Steam Locomotives
BP&R 1 (0-4-4T narrow gauge) Sold (3' gauge; now at Oxnard, CA transportation museum)
Cora-Texas 1 (0-4-4T narrow gauge) Sold (3' gauge; now at Forney Museum, Denver CO)
Saginaw 2 (2-8-2 branch line Mikado) Sold 1982 (Sold to Skip Lichter)
US Steel 2 (0-4-0T narrow gauge) Sold c1980s
NWS&W 05 (0-8-0 switcher) (Currently stored in Galt)
NWS&W 06 (0-8-0 switcher) Traded 1988 (Traded to scrapyard for CB&Q #4963)
FdeSyT 6 (2-6-0 narrow gauge) Sold 1986 (Now at End O' Line Museum, Currie, MN)
NWS&W 10 (0-8-0 switcher) Scrapped 1982
Lee Tidewater Cypress 18 (2-6-0 Mogul) Sold 2017 (Sold to the Gramlings in Indiana)
NWS&W 25 (0-8-0 switcher) Scrapped 1982
NWS&W 27 (0-8-0 switcher) Sold 1983 (Sold to Bandana Square)
NWS&W 28 (0-8-0 switcher) Traded 1988 (Traded to scrapyard for CB&Q #4963)
NWS&W 30 (0-8-0 switcher) Sold 2000 (To Buchanan Cty. Visit. Ctr.)
LS&I 34 (2-8-0 Consolidation) Sold 1992 (Sold to Western Maryland Scenic)
NWS&W 72 (0-8-0 switcher) Traded 1988 (Traded to scrapyard for CB&Q #4963)
NWS&W 74 (0-8-0 switcher) Sold 2006 (To private owner in Nebraska)
NWS&W 75 (0-8-0 switcher) Traded 1988 (Traded to scrapyard for CB&Q #4963)
NWS&W 79 (0-8-0 switcher) Traded 1988 (Traded to scrapyard for CB&Q #4963)
Ga Nthn 102 (4-6-0 Ten Wheeler) Sold 1994 (Sold to End O' Line, Currie, MN)
B&LE 154 (2-8-0 Consolidation) Traded 1989 (Traded to Ford Museum for T-D #16)
Milwaukee Road #? (tender only) Scrapped 1975 (Scrapped off-site, parts to MILW 265)

Buses
CNS&M 10 (31S gasoline bus) Scrapped 2013
M&ST 896 (34SW gasoline bus) Scrapped c1983
M&ST 917 (34SW gasoline bus)
MVTA 960 (E800 trolley bus) Scrapped 2003
CTA 972 (motor bus) (this listing questionable)
M&ST 1075 (41SW gasoline bus)
M&ST 1076 (41SW gasoline bus) Scrapped 1998 ("Terrarium")
M&ST 1199 (TD4007 diesel bus) Sold 1982 (Ex-Indianapolis 436, sold at auction)
M&ST 1216 (TDH4511 diesel bus)
MCT 1925 (TDH5303 diesel bus) Scrapped

Be a Nurse

One very good bit of news is that all of the car cards in the 36 and 319 are in good condition. (I have no idea how to restore ones that are damaged or deteriorated.) Nearly all of them are duplicates of ones we've already seen from the 309, but there are three or four new ones.

I vaguely remember ads telling you to write for information on one thing or another c/o your postmaster. I can't imagine that works any more. When did that go out of fashion?