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Saturday, February 20. 2021Dover Strait Progress Part ThreeThis blog continues the restoration story where Dover part 2 ended. Here is wider shot. A very difficult area to work in. Remember, too, all this work was completed in cold winter weather. Wally and Gregg provided the labor. Much can be said about our amazing volunteers. A new volunteer, Wally Fiebiger, has been removing the old paint in both of the upper berths. Not an easy job considering he has to crawl up there in that small space. The next four photos show the bedrooms A and B completely repainted and restored. We are missing the oval mirrors. They were at the local glass shop getting fitted for the mirrors. You cant imagine the beauty of these two bedrooms. What a contrast. Its has taken some 20 years to complete the restoration of all six bedrooms but the wait is well worth it. One important note here is that the work seen here on these three blogs is all paid by donations from the restricted fund, Dover Strait. My Thanks to all who have participated on this project over the years. A special thank you to Gregg Wolfersheim for his expertise and devotion to this the last phase of the Dover project. All you donors have made this possible and I thank you. The chairs and sofas along with their repairs will come this late spring and early summer. There is still one major project to complete, mainly the purchase and installation of carpeting. Look for that to happen later this year. Please consider donating DOVER STRAIT RESTORATION FUND. Thanks, Roger.
Thursday, February 4. 2021Dover Strait Progress Part TwoThis last August 19th, 2020 we moved the Dover into barn 11 for more restoration work. My goal was to install the parts into the two remaining bedrooms and to install the three metal dividers into the lounge. This, then, is the story for part two and the next blog part three. A quick word about the Mahogany trim. We had one piece from the original trim and so I contracted with an outside woodworker to manufacture three more. Two left hand and one right hand were needed. Thanks to Gregg Wolfersheim for all his hard work. If you wish to contribute to this project in the coach department, please consider sending a donation to DOVER STRAIT RESTORATION FUND. Thanks, Roger. Thursday, January 28. 2021Long Awaited Dover Strait Progress ReportI haven't blogged for some time regarding our restoration of the Dover Strait. In 2017, Mark Hoffmann and I began removing parts from the last two unpainted bedrooms, A and B. We stripped off the old paint, primed both walls and ceilings and then our work ceased. Other projects, instead, became more important to complete. Fast forward to 2019 when our part time employee, Sandi, restarted the restoration by again priming the walls and ceiling in preparation for painting the final coat of paint. Due to the colder weather our restoration efforts ceased in late October 2019, and shifted to the interior of the John Mcloughlin. More about the "John" in a later blog. Fast forward to August 2020, and part 2 will begin. Thanks, Roger.
Tuesday, January 12. 2021Pace of Restoration Quickens on the PawneeThe interior restoration of the Private car, Pawnee, has been greatly helped by the addition of a new volunteer, John Knoll. A retired business executive, John, along with my assistance, has begun the job of installing the various interior parts back into their correct location in the car. This is definitely not an easy job for both of us. Having worked on many restoration projects gives me a general insight on the location of various parts on any project. Whereas this project presents a unique challenge. What makes this job so difficult is, first, the many parts had been removed at least 20 years ago by another party, and second, there is no central listing where they are to be installed. Yes, some were marked, but many have been found lying on the floor or sofas with no indication of their location or how they interacted in the grand scheme. Between the two of us we have been finding the locations. It sure takes a long time. As I sometimes say it’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. John has been faithfully working on the car twice sometimes three days a week. He also brings some of the parts home and uses them as "homework assignments." My thanks to John for his perseverance and dedication to the Pawnee. The two buffers that were shipped to IRM in April, 2020 were installed by Gregg and I. The end buffer is shown here. We have finally installed one ceiling fixture. Each bedroom has one so now we have three left to install. There is still much work to do but we are striving for an operational rollout of the Pawnee sometime in 2021. In the meantime, please come down to visit our restoration shop in barn 10 once we open this upcoming season. Thanks, Roger. Tuesday, January 5. 2021Milwaukee 649 NewsWe have completed, in 2020, the installation of all the window frames in the 649. 20 frames have been painted and installed with new window gaskets and new glass window panes. Our Lead restorationist on the project, Steve Dobberfuhl, along with Howard Geier, have done a marvelous job getting this coach back into operational shape. Two items yet to be resolved before it is released for operation is the repair of the trucks and the air conditioning system. That will be the job for 2021. Steve is working in our woodshop manufacturing new white oak trim for the interior framing of each window. Finished wood trim. Please note the many different angles that had to be handmade and custom fitted. Please consider stopping by and viewing all our progress in the museum's Freight car and Coach barn 10 shop. Thanks, Roger.
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Comments
Sun, 02-21-2021 21:12
Hi Ethan The 428 has been worked on recently but the focus now is on the maintenance and repair on the 1630 and the Shay. This Spring we will [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 15:10
How is the UP 428 Steam locomotive engine is most done being fixed. OK Roger.
Sun, 02-21-2021 13:18
Hello Max The answer is Yes, the Dover will be used along with our other Pullman cars only in special event operations. When not in use [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 12:30
Hello Jim We will be operating the Dover this year depending upon its mechanical condition. I hope to use the car in display venue as well as in [...]
Sun, 02-21-2021 12:24
Hello Kirk Hello, Yes the Dover is now in great shape. There are a couple of little projects to accomplish when the weather changes. I am [...]
Sat, 02-20-2021 18:55
Will the DOVER STRAIT be operational for Museum trips
Sat, 02-20-2021 17:06
I’m really impressed with the wonderful job your volunteers are doing to restore this historic passenger car. Once the restoration is complete, does [...]
Sat, 02-20-2021 14:02
It is great to see the work that Bob Hunter and Gene Macowiak started in the 1990’s. Great work done in finishing the two bedrooms and the buffet [...]
Fri, 02-19-2021 18:41
Very good article. I definitely love this website. Continue the good work!
Tue, 02-02-2021 10:15
I know it is wintertime, and the Virus is making getting people in to do work is difficult, so in a few months, when it's warmer, would someone please [...]
Sun, 01-31-2021 14:37
Hello Jack Thank you very much We in the coach dept are working very hard to have these trains restored Thanks Roger
Sat, 01-30-2021 18:45
pre oiler is a great idea saves lots of wear and tear on engines. a pat on the back for the diesel crew