Illinois Railway Museum Blog

This time we will look at DL&W 556, one of three open platform Lackawanna coaches we have.  There is not much illumination in these so pardon the pics - and thank goodness for digital images where some enhancements are easily made.  The cars were built by Pullman in 1914, seat 78, and are classic railroad roof steel coaches.  They were acquired by IRM in 1972, and have long served as the backbone of our our weekend passenger service.  But they are getting timeworn and long overdue for repairs and rehab.

DLW 556

This car has been out of service for some time.  Mike Baksic and Ray Moorman have replaced steel and decking on one of the platforms, while others led by Mark Hoffman are concentrating on the interior.

DLW 556

The seats and light globes have been removed and a LOT of peeling paint is being painstakingly cleaned from the sidewalls and ceiling.  The schedule hopes for the car to be repainted and ready to go back into service in 2013, and that may be optimistic as more issues are uncovered.  But with more volunteer help it could easily meet or exceed that date.

The other two cars in the set are numbered 561 and 567.

The Passenger Car Department is alive and well at IRM with a lot of projects ongoing and a lot of work being done.  Hope you enjoyed these short looks behind the scenes.