Wood Shop

Lazy me - or just short of time this week.  But I am going to report on several different projects in this single BLOG ENTRY.

Finally, A Brake

I would be embarrassed to chronicle the time spent on this project but suffice it is longer than 3 years.  And no, that time was not consumed by delays and wasted time at IRM.  But here is the first sample new brake shoe created for Chicago Surface Lines 3142.  This is a special design produced to a pattern made in our IRM wood shop by Buzz Morisette.

On the Car

A sample shoe was immediately tested for fit on the car, sitting over the inspection pit in Barn 4.  It fit almost perfectly, so good that we were pressed to find something to correct in the geometry.

Steamy Windows

Victor Humphreys is smiling at the two new windows made for Norfolk & Western 2050.  Smiling with satisfaction at completing them, but also at the prospect of not having to tackle those again!

972 Truck

Progress continues to made on the rebuilding of the TM 972 for our ongoing TMS project.  New pins and bushings are completed every week and assembly has progressed to where cleaning and painting of the truck was started.  Here, Dan Fenlaciki, Frank Sirinek, and Mike Stauber are on their hands and knees applying primer.

Done

And by the end of the day all the parts were substantially completed, looking good in fresh primer.

Illinois Terminal

Buzz Morisette continued on his work to restore two doors for one of our Illinois Terminal cars.  Once you do a 'pretty good' job there is always the urge to take the next step to get closer to perfection.  So a 'quick patch' has turned into a more significant effort.

ME 28

Three fellows from the Michigan Electric 28 work team made a rare Saturday appearance.  Here, Ray Schmid works on another of the fancy upper sash windows, cleaning and showing off the prismatic cathedral glass.  Some more of the salvaged sash are at the bench beside him.

Spooge Tank

What is that???  It is a nickname for an electrolytic process that is fairly effective at removing paint and reversing the oxidation process that results in rust.  Some simple washing soda and a 12 volt battery booster are the major items for trouble free rust removal on convoluted and elaborate pieces, not easily stripped by any other process at IRM.  Tim Peters is putting the finishing touches on such a rubber lined wood tank at the east end of Barn 4.  The SPOOGE?  Soon you may see the frothy curd like foam that consists of the removed coatings and rust of the piece that serves as the 'victim', ceiling grills from the interior of CRT 1797.

More Windows

Also on the 1797, Tim had to pull these two glued up window frames from the press as another project was waiting for the machine.  Do not worry - plenty of time overnight for them to set up and have sound joints.

Finishing Up

The final two recesses have been routed into the new fireman's side window for Norfolk & Western 2050.  Dick Cubbage is touching up the last areas by hand - the old fashioned way with some sandpaper.

Fitting

Victor Humphreys is doing the final adjustments to fit for the engineer's window for the N&W 2050.

Book Em

The above window and the last sash for the Illinois Central 3996 diner were assembled and glued.  John Faulhaber helped on this and then completed the task by cleaning up around the shop.  So, we are close to closing the books on two shop orders.

Stop Em

Mike Alterio and Frank Sirinek were trying to resurrect two hand brake assemblies to be installed on the Chicago and West Towns 141.  Other work seen in the shop included George Clark working on new siding for Lake Shore Electric 810, John Nelligan working on Charles City Western 300,  and a few more volunteers working on the TM D 13, a traction dump motor.

I spent a lot of time this weekend on admin chores, meetings, things which disrupted my plans to take more pics.

Windows

Victor Humphreys is working on a new engineer's cab window for Norfolk & Western 2050.  The new fireman's window is complete except for parts we are waiting for from the Steam Department.  Buzz Morisette helped out in the afternoon and much of the tricky work is done.

Pressing Work

Jeff Brady is at our hydraulic press with a brakehead for the TM 972 truck.  As we have been reporting here, new pins and bushings are being fabricated on site to renew and provide years of service for the brakes and rigging.

A Clear Picture

Ray Schmid is cleaning up the second piece of cathedral prism glass for the Michigan Electric 28 upper sash windows.  This car has paired windows for the upper sash, two windows wide.  AND it has two windows for every opening, an inner sash and an outer storm window type of sash over that inner one.  So you BLOG readers can look forward to seeing a lot of "window" entries here in the future.

Mounting

Ray and Dan Fenlaciki are mounting the cleaned glass into a previously prepared and restored wood sash frame.  Both inner and outer sash use the cathedral style prismatic art glass, but the inside of the glass for the inside sash is frosted, as compared to the conventional clear glass inside of the outer sash.  Got that?

I suppose you will not see this much progress in the wood shop on this date for four more years (lame joke dept).

Windows

Victor Humphreys and John Faulhaber are squaring up and clamping two more windows for Illinois Central 3996.  Earlier, John went through the painstaking fitting of the last sash needed for this 'order' and then proceeded to glue up two more.

Patchwork

Buzz Morisette continues on restoration of an interior door for our Illinois Terminal electric equipment.  He is skillfully fitting a patch to one stile to replace rotted sections and then will add the bottom rail before gluing everything in place.

HMMM

Victor Humphreys and Tim Peters are studying the schematics in an effort to complete work to use our large 20 inch tablesaw.  A lot of effort has gone into this and it is needed now to saw large salvaged timbers destined for the CRT 1797 project.

There was of course other work on site today.  A crew was working to resolve electrical problems out in the Barns where our Milwaukee Electric dump motor D 13 lives, while in the shop we completed a new fireman's side window for N&W 2050, and made progress on a second similar window for the engineer's side of the cab.