Wood Shop

HOLLYWOOD

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you some of the behind the scenes action in preparing these BLOG entries.  Actually a production crew was on the campus with lighting, cameras, props, actors, caterers, etc to film an upcoming commercial for the Belk Department Stores - found in the southeast of the US.  Probably over 40 people needed to make this relatively simple product.  Here, they had taken over the depot platform, using the C&NW bilevels as backgorund and part of the scene.

Welocme Back

Welcome back to Rich Witt, who was recently a 'victim' in a vehicle accident.  He got banged up a bit, and is still pretty tender and limited in activity. But it was good to see him stop in.  He has brought out some new tools for shop use, and John Faulhaber helps examine the plunder.

Barn 4 Addition

Most of you have followed along as a new lean-to shop addition was added to the southwest corner of Barn 4.  Here, a B&G crew of three prepare the earth for a new concrete apron and pad, which could be poured later this week.  Dave Diamond has the transit set up and is checking elevations.

Taking Shape

Jim Windmeier was out in the shop continuing the almost furniture quality work making many new step boxes, replicas using wood.  Here he is filling and sanding, and by the end of the day, many parts had received the first primer.

New Side Sill

George Clark is getting ready for installation of a new steel side sill on the Lake Shore Electric 810.  The new fabricated sill is in the foreground, fitted and cut to length, and the old rusted out member has been removed.  Today, George was fussing with other parts and pieces that needed to be put in place before the new steel is welded in.

Truckin

Jerry Saunders had a crew put together to do more work on 6000 series Chicago L cars.  Motors were taken out and put back, and I think a truck swap completed by days end.  Here one of the Clark trucks is on the pit in Barn 4, being prepared for installation.

I suppose I should grab your attention with some progress on CTS PCC 4223

Bumper Rails

Eric Lorenz is cleaning up the various bumper rails that will be installed along the lower sides of this car.  There are several pieces involved, some made new, some being restored.

PAINT

NEW PAINT GOING ON THE CAR!  As we hinted in earlier entries, the finished color is being applied to CTS 4223.  Here we see the right side between the center doors and the front.  What a difference this makes, already, even though this is a relatively small first step in the process.

Windows

Randall Hicks continues a new burst of energy to complete windows for CA&E 319.  The frames have been primed and inside painted, and here are the interior trim strips getting some finished paint.

CTA 30

Dave Fullarton was in the shop fabricating new roof saddles and other parts for the roof of one of the CTA 'single' L cars.

Roof Parts

Jeff Brady squeezed an extra volunteer day into his schedule and was cutting lap plates to continue installation of the custom roof panels for the Michigan Electric 28.

I managed a few more minutes work on a Sand Springs 68 window, and Dick Lukin was making repairs on the Illinois Central MU cars.  Frank Sirinek, Mike Stauber, and John Myhre were working on motor wiring and connections for the Chicago & West Towns 141.  Lots going on today.

In the Freight Car Department, Dan Fenlaciki helped us out, installing a new angle cock and hose (a task started last Wednesday) on our ICG 199458 caboose.

The Martians Have Landed

Well, not exactly.  Here you see Randall Hicks working to sand old finish off of some original CA&E 319 windows.  Who knows what is in that old stuff?  He is a smart man to use precautions and 'suit up' with protective gear.

Dr Frankensteins Laboratory

In this case Dr. Nelligan's Laboratory as John continues his quest to decipher a rat's nest of untagged and undocumented wiring on the Charles City Western 300.  Here he is focusing on the headlight circuits.  He is testing resistance values in a box full of resistors to drop voltage to the headlights themselves.  The switches in the cab seem to be wired for two positions - bright and dim - but the headlights themselves are a carbon arc design (no bulb).  None of us youngsters have had much experience with carbon arc headlights.  The electrodes touch together when not energized, and after connecting the circuit it seems a magnetic coil pulls the electrodes apart to establish or 'strike' the arc.  There is one preset gap and as the carbon rods burn away in use, they can be extended.

But how does a bright/dim setting work with a carbon arc?  Is brightness proportional to voltage, even though the length of the arc is fixed mechanically?

Switch Engine

After lunch Gerry Dettloff helped out by moving the old CB&Q shop car a few feet west.  A heavy chain and the Bobcat did the trick after some planning and set up.  It worked as we envisioned and was over and done almost before you noticed.  The shop car had to move west to open up a gap between that and the CB&Q silver baggage car under restoration.  A number of body repairs have been completed on both sides and on the east end.  But space for scaffolding was needed to access the west end, which area still awaits our practitioner of the black art of metalworking.

We spent some time making air brake repairs to a caboose, ICG 199458, completing installation of a new air hose on the east end, and struggling quite a while to remove a defective angle cock on the west end.

Henry Vincent did some more painting in the new shop addition on Barn 4 and helped to begin installation of some fine antique woodworking vises in the shop.

Apologies here as I am struggling to climb the learning curve trying to use a new camera.  Or at least new to me, since I am finding things like memory cards and accessories are not available generally, technology having leapfrogged this model while it was still in the box on the store shelf.  But here we go for last Sunday.

The Step Box Boys, Jim and Tom Windmeier, were back in the shop continuing their project, building a dozen or so wood replica step boxes to assist our visitors in boarding.

Slice It

Tom was slicing some wood on our tablesaw.

Boxes Everywhere

And later both were on one of the workbenches sanding and fitting pads to the bottom of the four legs.

Roof Work

Norm Krentel and Jeff Brady continue to install custom panels on the roof of the Michigan Electric 28.  Just as most restoration work, it deserves a chapter in the new book - "NOTHING IS EVER SIMPLE".  But progress continues to be made.

I guess I will lump together a lot of related things here, most of them centered in the Barn 4 area.  Last week we hosted an event attracting almost 100 woodworkers from across the country.  A success as measured by several yardsticks.  Thanks to all volunteers who helped with the cleanup, provided docent and other services for the event.

VC 19

Going, going, gone.  That is, the Columbia Park and Southwestern lettering applied by Trolleyville.  Mike Stauber and Frank Sirinek have sanded, primed, and repainted the letterboards on both sides of this car.

At the left side of this image, you will see what is now the west end of CRT 1797.  Welding repairs are now done, provided by Gerry Dettloff, and Tim Peters is in the process of trimming out the paint, and finishing some of the parts, showcasing what this end, and the other one, will eventually look like.

Let There Be Light

Here is the first of new lights being assembled, installed and tested in the shop addition space on Barn 4.  Barb Lanphier and Eric Lorenz seem to be amazed; while Ed Waytule remains in the backgorund working on CTS 4223.

Speaking of which, Ed and Eric have been cleaning and reconditioning the side bumper rails for that car to make them 'showroom new'.  Several recent weekdays saw activity with sanding, blocking, and painting done on the PCC.  If the weather holds warm enough for a few more weeks, look for some exciting results here.