I did not get pictures but thought this might merit as a news item.
Best guess, trying to reconstruct events, a squall line of thunderstorms came through the museum site about 10-11 last night. It appears that the trolley wire near Barn 8 got a hit and the current traveled inside the building to our newly installed safety switch and disconnect. It totally destroyed that, a pile of molten metal in the bottom of the charred case.
Then it blew a hole in the back of the case and blew a hole through the metal barn siding. From there the metal siding conducted the strike to the corner trim (all fasteners at the joints burned), then to the door trim (some burning at the lower hinge) and into ground.
When it blew through the building wall some of the wood timber and framing caught fire but self extinguished. Also puzzling is that both of the five bulb clusters indicating barn power is energized had exploded bulbs, or bulbs blown completely out of the sockets, and the fuses for those were burned. Either the current got there from ionized air inside the cabinet or a second branch of the lightning jumped the outdoor section insulators to get inside. Those are only designed to insulate against 600 volts, far below the potential of lightning, but we may never know.
So for now, no 600 volt service is possible to Barn 8 and cars inside are in effect stranded. They might be able to be pulled out with a locomotive, or moved with a heavy stinger, but there is no other place to store them, and this cumbersome process would have to be reversed at night.
Damage maybe in excess of $2K-3K and a significant lead time if we are to order and replace the cabinet, cables, fuses, etc.
Bob Kutella
Comments
Wed, 03-04-2015 08:42
If I recall correctly, that shelter was built last year by a TV production company for filming of the pilot episode of "Scandal", and was removed [...]
Mon, 03-02-2015 08:40
Thanks Jeron for the info. Roger
Sun, 03-01-2015 16:46
That was sprayed on the cab while at East Troy. The locomotive is TE-1. It was built for Toledo Edison, and worked there its entire life until [...]
Sun, 03-01-2015 07:14
Thanks Roger... It seemed too good to be true. Bill McCoy Strasburg, PA
Sat, 02-28-2015 21:28
Hello Bill I hope someone from the Electric Car dept will respond to your question. I believe one of the members wrote that on the engine. It [...]
Sat, 02-28-2015 21:24
Hello Mr. Fan. I was wondering if you ever had conveyed your interest to the team restoring the plow? Not being involved but knowing the members [...]
Sat, 02-28-2015 18:16
while 428's cab is still on the ground, there could be some premature painting and decals that could go on the outside of the cab
Sat, 02-28-2015 15:50
The last picture in the woodsshop report shows the Electroliner and a yellow steeple cab with a CNS&M monogram and spray painted number 454. Could [...]
Fri, 02-27-2015 16:26
Thank you Nigel! We look forward to seeing 1630 in operation this season. Good luck with the repairs!
Fri, 02-27-2015 12:17
The UP sticker could be for a truck trailer. The headlight is neat. However for the accuracy nut, the plow originally had a style of Pyle [...]
Fri, 02-27-2015 11:44
Mike, Yep. We always like to think she may have been operated by Casey ...... but we will never be sure. Nigel
Fri, 02-27-2015 11:42
Zach, At this time we will not be offering "Take the Throttle" on 1630 this year. The issue is that, after not running for a number of years, we [...]