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Saturday, May 30. 2009
A rainy day so no new work outdoors on the car, but the crew spent productive time in our woodshop milling 25 new pieces of car siding for the next steps on the car. Victor Humphreys begins priming and painting the new siding, as well as two larger timbers cut to replace the fascia on the car side at the top, under the roof edge.
Saturday, May 30. 2009
Just outside the woodshop doors, Tim Peters is stripping old paint and finishes inside CRT 1268. He seems to have his work cut out for him, for weeks (months?) to come.
Saturday, May 30. 2009
Bob Payne watches as Bill Leiter wrestles the large drill, working up on the cupola deck, inside the caboose.
Thursday, May 28. 2009
IRM RPO Days – June 13 and 14
June 13 and 14 (Saturday and Sunday) will feature former RPO (Railway Post Office) clerks at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM). Eight or more former clerks are expected to be on site with most on Saturday. Many of these men will be making their first catches from a moving RPO for the first time in over 40 years.
An additional highlight will be the Union, Illinois Post Office canceling mail with a special cancellation remembering the adjacent UP (former C&NW) rail line where the Chicago & Freeport RPO once operated. IRM will be selling cachets with the special postal cancellation as a fundraiser to repaint the RPO car (former CB&Q 1923).
Without the assistance of numerous volunteers at IRM, this event could not take place. The Passenger Car Department is preparing CB&Q 1923 (combination baggage and RPO) for this event. The Operating Department is altering the normal operation of the diesel coach train to allow two mail catches on each run. Thank you all at IRM for recreating the RPO operation.
RPO catches began at IRM with the donation of a mail crane three years ago. In September 2007, N.J. Shacklette and John Rothwell arranged for Andy Koval, a former RPO clerk dying of cancer to make one more catch. A year later, in September 2008, with the encouragement of Shacklette and Rothwell, I arranged for both Frank Scheer, curator of the Railway Mail Service Library in Boyce, Virginia, and Ed DeRouin, author of Moving Mail and Express by Rail (2007), to come to IRM and tell the story of the RPO. The 2008 event brought four former clerks to IRM to each make anther catch. One of last year's participants was so excited that he is bringing five other former clerks to the Museum on June 13 and 14.
Unlike 2008, there are no formal talks planned. Instead, the RPO clerks will do the talking. This year's RPO days at IRM does two things. First, this event brings together 8 or more former clerks to share their experiences with visitors and to have the opportunity to make another catch. Second, this event allows these former clerks to share their stories of working on the rails with the public.
Come on out to IRM on June 13 and 14 to meet these former clerks. The website for IRM is www.irm.org.
I thank all at IRM who are making this event possible and for the former clerks traveling to IRM to share their stories.
Jon Habegger
Thursday, May 28. 2009
The passenger Dept is happy to announce and support the upcoming RPO Weekend June 13 and 14. Rather than try to duplicate the information, I have been given permission by Jon Habegger, event organizer, to use his description, as it covers it pretty well. June 13 and 14 (Saturday and Sunday) will feature former RPO (Railway Post Office) clerks at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM). Eight or more former clerks are expected to be on site with most on Saturday. Many of these men will be making their first catches from a moving RPO for the first time in over 40 years.
An additional highlight will be the Union, Illinois Post Office canceling mail with a special cancellation remembering the adjacent UP (former C&NW) rail line where the Chicago & Freeport RPO once operated. IRM will be selling cachets with the special postal cancellation as a fundraiser to repaint the RPO car (former CB&Q 1923).
Without the assistance of numerous volunteers at IRM, this event could not take place. The Passenger Car Department is preparing CB&Q 1923 (combination baggage and RPO) for this event. The Operating Department is altering the normal operation of the diesel coach train to allow two mail catches on each run. Thank you all at IRM for recreating the RPO operation.
RPO catches began at IRM with the donation of a mail crane three years ago. In September 2007, N.J. Shacklette and John Rothwell arranged for Andy Koval, a former RPO clerk dying of cancer to make one more catch. A year later, in September 2008, with the encouragement of Shacklette and Rothwell, I arranged for both Frank Scheer, curator of the Railway Mail Service Library in Boyce, Virginia, and Ed DeRouin, author of Moving Mail and Express by Rail (2007), to come to IRM and tell the story of the RPO. The 2008 event brought four former clerks to IRM to each make anther catch. One of last year's participants was so excited that he is bringing five other former clerks to the Museum on June 13 and 14.
Unlike 2008, there no formal talks are planned. Instead, the RPO clerks will do the talking. This year's RPO days at IRM does two things. First, this event brings together 8 or more former clerks to share their experiences with visitors and to have the opportunity to make another catch. Second, this event allows these former clerks to share their stories of working on the rails with the public.
Come on out to IRM on June 13 and 14 to meet these former clerks. The website for IRM is www.irm.org.
I thank all at IRM who are making this event possible and for the former clerks traveling to IRM to share their stories.
Jon Habegger
Thursday, May 28. 2009
Hi folks sorry for the lack of updates , we have been busy opening for season, and finishing some projects. Hope to post more after this weekend. with two weeks of "relative normalcy" around the pass dept
Tuesday, May 26. 2009
I ventured to visit IRM, still with a bad arm and other issues. No sooner was I on site than Kirk Warner put me to work helping to re-hang the ladder. All the new siding on this half of the car is installed, and the chalk line set for cutting the tails. And next, Kirk is cutting the tails, making a neat finished job of it. Well, the rains came later in the afternoon. But not before the siding work was complete. Note the upper door track installed today, and a lot of touch up and primer getting ready for the second finish coat of orange.
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Comments
Sun, 05-20-2012 17:31
I would like to make a note of a couple of things. The sandblasting process involves taking the sand like material, called blackblast, and smashing it [...]
Fri, 05-18-2012 22:48
This is one interesting freight car. I've been browsing images on-line of these B&O wagon-top cars lately, and noticed a variety of lettering and [...]
Fri, 05-18-2012 12:03
Mark, Its hard to say if 760 will be running in early July. It will be for Diesel Days, but I can't answer yet if we'll have it ready sooner than [...]
Thu, 05-17-2012 13:13
Im going to drive from California to the Chicago area in early July and staying for about 3 weeks. Im a big fan of FM units. Any chance the MILW 760 [...]
Sun, 05-13-2012 11:44
Line sidewalks and steets with rail ties and fill with small pea gravel. Similar to construction near Lincoln Home in Springfield, IL.
Fri, 05-11-2012 10:45
Thank you. If you are send pics to Irm in mail,Please make it attention Roger Kramer. Thanks..
Thu, 05-10-2012 17:08
I will be sending some color photos of the CGW 285 shortly after rebuilding by the CGW. And yes, they had chrome grabs and the end gate. I had been [...]
Thu, 05-10-2012 12:58
Yes there are some chrome plated partsespecially on the sissors gate. Unfortunately, they were recently taken off, and left in the gravel. I have [...]
Thu, 05-10-2012 00:46
The book "Chicago Great Western Color Guide" (Morning Sun) has some interesting notes about these CGW combines: [BEGIN QUOTE] "In 1954 the CGW bought [...]
Sun, 05-06-2012 21:42
Nigel, What you just told me is great news. YOU clarified things for me.
Sun, 05-06-2012 20:34
Wally, I must say that I am puzzled by this comment. The whole driver for the current work is the major FRA mandated inspection (15 year 1472 [...]
Sun, 05-06-2012 16:39
I am just afraid that by the time 1630 is up and ready to run, it will have to be dismantled again to do the Federally mandated inspection. I am [...]