Illinois Railway Museum Blog

The Snow has Melted

Project Manager Bill Leider gets his hands dirty on the first warm day of spring.  The project car has been moved one track over but is still in Yard 5.  Bill is repairing body damage in this view.

Airing out the Inside

Dave Bates is inside the caboose working on the benches.  This interior has seen extensive work with most of a new floor complete, and cupola cabinets and framing in process.

Joe, the Woodworker

In the WEDNESDAY Shop Car, Joe Luciani works on new doors destined for the caboose interior.  In the background sharp eyed viewers will see Wayne Bates, father of Dave, seen working in another view this date.

2006 Photo

Our Union Pacific caboose, 25086, has seen significant progress and ongoing efforts by a dedicated group of volunteers who travel to IRM to work on this car almost every Wednesday, year around.

For ROSTER info, click here!

EXTRA! As you will see toward the current entries of this blog, the car has been sandblasted and painted. So, I need to ask for donations to work toward getting this fine work under cover in one of our barns. Donations are tax deductible, should be marked for fund R 25086, and sent to:

Illinois Railway Museum
PO Box 427
Union, IL 60180

EXTRA EXTRA!!!  As of August 2009 the caboose restoration work has allowed this car to reclaim its previous identity - UP 3786.  So you will see mixed id's depending on when the blog was posted.  Don't worry, donations can be sent to either car number and they will be properly credited.

First we had the pleasant surprise of a box from Fedex.  Inside was a handcrafted 22 inch diameter flat belt drive pulley form a friend in Virginia.  He was a visitor last Ocober to our meeting of woodworkers, and saw the machine it is destined for, and offered to try to 'scratchbuild' one.  It is BEAUTIFUL.

68 Pieces of Oak to Make That

Here Victor Humphreys and Tim Peters (l to r) show off the pulley in its approximate location.  The machine is called a single head molder/sticker, mfd by J A FAY circa 1878 and obtained from the TM in Milwaukee.  We hope to have this running later this year, and with appropriate knives and tooling, will greatly expand our ability to fabricate restoration woodwork.

Happy Tim Peters

Next we see a better view of Tim holding the new pulley, and showing off the restored machine, except for the drive system which we have to re-create.  This cleverly posed photo allows the viewer to use the wall mirror and see both sides of the pulley at once.

New Doors

Here you will see Tim Peters and two new very heavy white oak doors (in primer) and one of the old rotted out doors from CTA S-105, a Baldwin Westinghouse locomotive.

Express Cart

Buzz Morrisette is back in the picture with a very nicely restored hand truck or baggage dolly that is well over a century old.  There is a lot of new wood in this nice job, painted green and lettered for Railway Express Agency.  It has taken a place in our depot and two more 'hulks' have been presented to Buzz, our new Station Accessory Restoration Department!

New Windows

Another project in the woodshop is new windows for one of our elevated cars, Chicago Rapid Transit 1268, a wood car.  You can see two very old original frames laying on the table saw, while Tim Peters displays four new mahogany frames, two leaning against the saw and two upper sash in Tim's capable hands.

Passenger Department

Shelley Vanderschaegen, long time volunteer in the Coach Department, works on trim molding for a new window for the Bessemer and Lake Erie 25.  Soon, these parts and the frame will get another coat of varnish (that same Sunday afternoon).

More New Doors

Frank Hicks is working here on the new door leafs (mentioned previously) for trolley car IRR 205.  Those pesky little trim moldings are vexing.

Steel Plating on the Inside

Wayne Baksic and Shelley Vanderschaegen are preparing a new metal plate to be installed on the SECOND new baggage door for CNW 7700.  The first door, turned out by the Wood Shop this winter, was completed and installed on the car this week!