Sycamore Steam Show

Today for a change of pace we'll visit the steam power show and threshing bee in nearby Sycamore.  I hadn't been there for a long time.  Of course steam railroading is much better, but it's still very interesting to see the various steam-powered devices in action.  And I have many more pictures if anybody's interested.  A good time was had by both of us.

First, an actual steam shovel in operation:

 

And a steam roller:

A tandem-compound stationary engine:

And then there was the big parade, with twenty or thirty steam tractors, followed by many more internal combustion tractors and so on.

Several steam tractors are currently equipped with locomotive-type whistles, and I don't know if these could be original issue or not.   This one even has a railroad-style headlight:

Two for One

Here we have another two-for-one special.  Two days' worth of news and pictures for the low, low price of one.  Enjoy!

The Museum's main priority right now is getting ready for Day Out With Thomas.  But we'll mainly focus on other things, just to be ornery.

Among other things, all of the bolts holding up the compressor on the 36 have now been replaced.  And I worked on the roof of the 319, but there's little more that can be done without switching the car to a new spot.  And there's always cleaning and straightening.

And then, for something new, I worked on the 150 a little.  It had these goofy rain gutters installed when it was a flower shop, and they always bugged me.  And sometimes it just seems more fun to take things apart than put them together.

 Underneath the gutter is the car's original letterboard (or what would be the letterboard on any other interurban) and it's in about the same condition as the rest of the body.

 

 Sooner or later we'll get around to painting it.

Our contractors, Volkmann Railroad Builders, were hard at work building the cutoff for access to the south yards.  But first..

 I should have mentioned that our own Track Department leveled out and tamped the curve into 84, which is greatly appreciated.

Now if it looks to you like there's no room to get around the PCC on this curve, it looks like that to me too.  But there's actually just about one measly inch.   And switching is often a game of inches.

Here's the new switch for the Schmidt cutoff.

 And as I left they were making rapid progress on the cutoff track itself.

Henrietta

 Our friend Roger has been too busy to post any pictures of the similarly rapid progress the Rock Island guys are making on the Henrietta, so here are some updates. 


 He could probably give you a much better idea of what has been accomplished.

Here the concrete floor is being patched.

And look, repainting of the Great Western Russell plow is nearly complete!

As the sun sinks slowly in the west, let's visit the steam shop.  The 1630 is outside, waiting to be fired up for Thomas.  The Rock Island Pacific is just inside for some cosmetic work.

The Shay is next in line for complete restoration.  The front truck has been pulled out for overhaul, and staybolts are being replaced.  It's a daunting project.

We must have acres of land under tents for Thomas.  

Add your own caption.

Vacation Miscellany

And a few more pictures from our recent wanderings, in case you're bored:

The Flying Yankee inside its cocoon at the Hobo Railroad.  We got there late in the day and there was no one to show us around.

It would be interesting to know what the cost and expected lifetime of a structure like this might be.

How to improve an RDC.  It's too bad the North Western never thought of this. 

Typical IRM board meeting.

While we were in Minneapolis visiting friends, I didn't have much time for railfanning.  But we did ride the new light-rail Green Line to St. Paul.

Another old friend.

Back to Work

Having been on vacation in various places over the past few weeks, it's time for me to get back to work.  Or so they say.

I started by painting some of the wood on the roof of the 319.  In order to put new canvas on the center roof, some switching needs to be done, and the poles and bases must be removed.  So I'm trying to keep the pot boiling on that part of it.

And then I installed some new bolts to hold up the compressor on the 36.  So that job is now 3/4 done.

And next, I decided this was a good opportunity to install the new third rail beams on the 36.  You may remember the process of making them last winter.  Bill Wulfert and John McKelvey helped me load them onto a cart.  From there, it can all be done by one person.

The cart brings the beam alongside the truck.  If anything, it's too high, but that's better than being too low.  Then it gets bolted to the mounting brackets.

Before we cover up the evidence, let me point out that these are the only trucks in existence that date back to the beginning of the CA&E.  You will notice that the cars originally had a much smaller third rail beam, and the mounting brackets were part of the spring pocket on the equalizer.  These brackets were later partially cut away, but are still there.  The later mounting brackets are riveted to the equalizer.

Sorry.  The beams were left in the shop for several months, and got very dusty.  Please try not to notice our housekeeping standards.

This seems like a lot of work for something that will never actually collect current, but at least it looks correct.  Over the winter, I'll make the other two beams for the trailer truck.

 And I also started installing the toilet ventilator on the 319. 

The weather was beautiful today, and we seemed to have a good crowd of visitors.  CA&E 409 and 431 were running, along with the wood L cars, the coach train, and the 3142.  

But of course the most useful activity is getting ready for Thomas.  Tents are being set up and all sorts of various items put in place for the festivities.  IRM has been doing this very successfully for a long time, so we have it down to a science.  This year it will be two weekends, August 16, 17, 23, and 24.  If you're a member, we can always use more help of all sorts, and if you're not, you should collect any small children of your acquaintance and come on out.  Tickets are going fast!

Valley Railroad

 While visiting Boston, we spent most of a day visiting the Valley Railroad in Essex, Conn.   We had a great time, and can recommend it highly. 

My old friend Dave Conrad took time out from his busy schedule to give us a shop tour, which was greatly appreciated.  The Chinese locomotive was pulling the revenue trains, and the 40, a 1920 Alco 2-8-2, was in the shop being overhauled for its 1472 day inspection.

 A shop extension has recently been added, not yet complete.

 A Pennsy heavyweight is being completely rebuilt.  With full-time paid workers, a job like this goes quickly (by our standards, at least!)

The revenue cars are a mixture of Lackawanna, CNJ, and perhaps others.  They have all been repainted "Connecticut Valley" and I must say the effect is stunning.

Various other cars, including several freight cars, are on display.  Some are lettered for the Valley, others in their original schemes.

The herald is of course patterned after the New Haven's older style script.

As part of the ride, we got off the train at the north end of the line, and rode a car ferry across the river.

Then you hike up the hill to Gillette Castle, a mansion built by a silent-movie star to his own unique specifications.  There were many interesting things to see there, among which was what's left of his 18" gauge railroad.

 The right of way is now a walking trail.

And later, we also took the riverboat ride.  But that's enough for now.