Hello Everyone
Sorry I haven't updated this in a few weeks, it has been a very busy time.
A lot has been going on despite the weather being so hot lately.
Work on 65 has begun again. On July 9, a few of us removed a lot of the parts that were stored inside the car and then removed seats etc. to make more room inside the car for working. The car was also leveled, and further investigations made to determine the level of work that is planned on the car. At this point, the expectation is to disassemble one end to address issues with settlement, doing at least some wire work on the ends along with restoring the interior wood work, and roof repairs and a new canvas. I will be setting up another work session soon.
By the way, sorry for the black and white photos. New camera.
Work has begun on the Mansfield caboose. George, Xian and Tim have worked to remove the interior flooring, and roofing materials.
Work has also begun on 451. The car is now stored in Kelly barn, and will be painted. This is an Eagle Scout project, and once I get a schedule we hope to get some more people involved to do some body repair work that is needed. More to come soon.
1326 received some much needed attention over the last few weeks with work done on the steps to better reinforce them, additional work on the bumper to provide a cleaner repair, and work on the window sill including scraping and painting, along with regular maintenance work.
You may wonder why one of the trolley buses is in such an unusual position. We worked out a trade for shipping of trolley wheels in exchange for one of the trolley buses. The bus will be leaving the property for another museum, and work is underway to get it moved to the parking lot for transport.
Perhaps the most exciting news is that we have finally started the turning work on the wheels on 836 that will allow it to return to service. In this picture is a summary of the work that needed to be done to allow this project to occur. the gantry crane over the lathe was altered to allow it to fit, then set up over the lathe. The tracing attachment was set up on the lathe including machining and welding the support for this attachment. Work was also done to get the lathe running again including installation of a motor, and repair to the operating equipment. On Saturday July 16, the first few cuts were made, and Pat was busy this past Saturday working on the project. Thanks to Chris, Pat and John for all their hard efforts to get this project to the point it is at.
Work has continued on the restoration of the compressor for 355, and 355 was moved into the shop on July 23 to allow the compressor to be re-installed. The expectation is to see the compressor installed this coming Saturday, so anyone interested in helping out on that project, we could use a few extra hands. Once the compressor is installed, the running boards will need to be reinstalled on that portion of the car (the running boards are removed to remove the compressor).
Planning work is well underway for Rails to the Darkside, and some work is expected to be completed on the outside walk this coming Saturday. We need to grade the walk, then install the posts and guide rope for the walk. Anyone interested in helping out, please come on by. We will probably spend a few hours working on getting the trolley bus ready to move also this coming Saturday also.
As you can see, it has been a busy period at the museum. We can certainly use help now that we are starting to get into the fall and winter special events. Hope to see you soon.
Galen
