Illinois Railway Museum Blog

I thought I would update progress on RI coaches for Lincoln's birthday.   The Steam Passenger Coach Department has been upgrading the interiors of the cars as time and dollars permits.  The progress has been happening slowly over the last few years.    

Shelly and Wayne

Shelly and Wayne

First, couple of pics show Shelly and Wayne repairing the ceiling in 2582.   Mike and Ray assisted.  The old ceiling panels were removed and new ones installed because of a constant roof leak that had developed years ago.  That project happened in May 2009.  The following year I repaired a number of loose screws from the seat brackets.  Mark Hoffman took the pics.

Repaired

Smile

Seat Repairs

That same year I decided to scrape off loose paint in one of the cars.   Peeling paint does not create a good impression especially for the Thomas customers.   I sanded the questionable areas, primed  then painted them.  

Carcards

That same year I installed advertising car cards on both sides of the car.  They were given to me by the late Julie Johnson.

Grab Holds

April 20 2011 found myself again working on RI 2571. This time I was sanding, priming and topcoating the exterior window sills.  I painted the entire length of the car.  The last pic shows the finished product. The coach was ready for service.  The last project has taken a long time to complete.   It was started in the middle 80's by the late Jim Blower. He began scraping and priming the standee grabs but never finished painting them. The 2571 was placed in service before a coat of paint could be applied . I finally decided to take the time resand the 4 grabs and paint them.   After replacing some screws and sandblasting a few small parts the results are pictured!

Priming Sill

Finish Coat

Other accomplishments on the Thomas coaches are left to Mike and Ray who diligently, every Spring, inspect and test the running gear, ie the brake system to make sure they are functioning properly.    If you would like to help us just drop by some Saturday or Sunday for a chat.  We will be glad to show you around.