Illinois Railway Museum Blog

Making Tenons

Rich Witt has been helping out in the wood shop the last few weeks.  Here he is seen cutting the cheeks for tenons on window rails.

1268 Windows

Scott Greig watches, Victor Humphreys is behind the Berlin sander to catch the window frames as they come out, and Tim Peters is feeding the frames in.  Working at warp speed, I think 18 new upper sash windows have been assembled and glued, and we took the opportunity to sand both sides before beginning the finishing steps.

Locomotive Foot Boards

Buzz Morisette is working on the second set of new footboards for the TM locomotive L 4.  This is really a heavy assembly as they are being constructed of white oak.

Windows, windows, EVERYWHERE!  If you have been following recent updates, you will remember hints of window work in progress.  Maybe we ought to open a production shop and see if we can get outside work.

Upper Sash

Tim Peters is making good progress on his goal of 44 new windows for the CRT 1268.  Here are numbers 5 -8 fitted and glued, setting overnight in our press.  No window is simple with true mortise and tenon joints, but these take it to a new level.  One side of each is curved; and pairs, one right and one left, will make up a two window wide arched effect when installed to replace the existing upper sash windows.

Parts

Stacked on the shelf are some more of the many pieces needed for the 1268 window project.  An old window panel rescued from the scrapper many years ago provides patterns and insight into the original sash construction.

Quarter Round

John Nelligan is checking out new window beading we produced.  He is holding something over 100 feet of quarter round of 5/16 inch radius and using true mahogany.  Of course nothing like this relatively common profile can be purchased commercially - so WE MAKE IT!  Also on the bench are parts made for five new windows for the Passenger Department, and pieces for a replacement sash for the Sand Springs 68.

Mortising

Here is a close look at John Nelligan mortising a side rail for a window destined for Boston & Maine 1094.  This vintage machine was manufactured about 1925 in nearby Rockford, IL and has been restored by IRM and is used to drill SQUARE HOLES.  That is correct; and a row of those square holes forms a slot for the tenon in the mating window piece to be inserted.  At the far end of the rail being processed you can see a completed slot.

Steam Department Too

Finally, we are in the process of beginning to construct multiple copies of three different windows (eight in total) for our Steam Dpeartment.  [If they cannot weld it, torch it, bang it, machine it, or bend it - they cannot make it]  John Nelligan is doing the layout and engineering work needed to plan the work and make a purchase list for material as he studies a vintage Norfolk and Western company drawing.

I hope you have all been playing along at home and get the same total I do.  FIFTY EIGHT new window sash are currently being processed at the IRM woodshop by a handful of part time volunteers.  WOW!!