Entries by Roger Kramer

A job that was long on the wish list of coach department projects was finally completed June, 2019. Thanks to the energy and determination of Nick Dey, who spearheaded the project, our RPO again is in beautiful shape and should be kept that way for many years. Nick started the project in mid August, 2018. Working in barn 3 by himself his goal was to repainted the 1923 for the Museum Showcase Weekend but because of the lack of volunteers that date was missed. In early September saw the RPO moved into barn 14 and the work there was continued. With more volunteers helping in the Fall, 2018, and Spring of 2019, the 1923 finally was repainted and re-lettered and placed back in service for RPO days in June of 2019.

RPO now located in barn 14.

Sides are sanded in preparation for primer.

Here is Nick working on sanding and taping the roof line.

Another view.

The car side sanded, old lettering removed.

Primer applied on lower course.

As Nick Dey watches Ben Metzger primes more of the side.

September 11 saw this side completely primed.

The 13th saw the other side primed.

Unfortunately, the team just ran out of time to complete the job in the Fall of 2018. The next year was sure to bring a renewed emphasis to complete the job. In the spring of 2019 Gregg Wolfersheim entered the picture and thus completed the project.

Gregg first painted the roof black and then began sanding and abrading the primer in preparation for the finish coat Sherwin Williams Urethane.

A smiling Gregg after the paint job. And What a beautiful job it was.

Both sides of the car were painted with Sherwin Williams paint.

The lettering reapplied.

The 1923 also reapplied onto the car side. Boy does it look nice!

The completed project displayed outside Barn 13.

The goal was to demonstrate how the railroads use Railroad Post Offices in bygone service years. We met that goal when the freshly painted car was used again on RPO Days 2019! I didn't take any pictures of it in operation last year but I sure heard many favorable comments from members and visitors alike. Thanks to Nick Dey, Gregg Wolfersheim and the many volunteers who spent countless hours working on the CB&Q 1923. Again, it takes a team effort. If you wish to see more painting projects like this in the passenger coach dept PLEASE contribute to https://www.irm.org/donations/category/passenger-car-department/    Thanks, Roger.

December of 2019 will be a well remembered month in the coach department for we received an early Christmas gift. The "gift" was the PAWNEE, previously owned by John E.N. Blair. It was the last heavyweight, all-steel, non-streamlined private car built by The Pullman Company. It arrived on our interchange that grey, cold December 12th day. This long awaited Pullman heavyweight, historic, private car was switched into our campus about 1:15 PM. It moved, proudly, on its own wheels from Landisville, PA to Union, IL on three different railroads. Quite a fete considering all the regulations required by the railroad to move any type of passenger car, let alone an old car such as the "PAWNEE". It was a amazing accomplishment!

West of Olson road is where the PAWNEE was cut off from the rest of the train and brought up to us.

The UP takes it past the switch ready to set it out on our siding.

Bring our car back to us.

Another view.

You can't imagine how excited and happy I was to see the PAWNEE finally at the museum. It took an lot of phone calls and maneuvering to get it here.

Our US Army switcher, 8537, backs up to it on the West end. Thats Bob Olson in the picture. 

Heres Nick. Hes our conductor for the day.

The crew, Gregg, the engineer, and Nick in the cab of the 8537.

Thats Nick and I on the platform.

Here is another shot. Boy, did she ride nice over our rails. Quite a smooth ride. Didnt even feel any joints.

Here is just a little bit of the history of the car. Harry Payne Bingham, the original owner, was the son of wealthy Cleveland, Ohio, industrialist Charles Bingham, president of Standard Tool Company. His father, Charles, was also a trustee of the then monopoly Standard Oil Company. Does that name sound familiar? That company was owned by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Harry was born in 1887 and died in1955. In 1930 Harry, now a multi millionaire, place an order with the Pullman company for a private sleeping car. He named it ,of course, PAWNEE. The rest of the story will be told in upcoming articles in the Rail and Wire.  

Crossing Olson Road.

A three quarter shot. Please notice the beautiful painted exterior. Not a bit of rust on the side sheets. The stairs are painted in primer and will be painted black this coming season.

A side view on the streetcar loop next to barn 9.

The three of us took some extra time and switched it ontoo the leads going into barn 10. Again this picture is on the streetcar loop operating towards the creek.

A close up of the side of the PAWNEE. Please notice the beautiful condition of the side of the car. I cant emphasis enough how beautiful it is.

Let me introduce John E.N. Blair. He is the gentlemen who previously owned it and gave to IRM. This was taken about two years ago in the inside store facility in Landisville Pa. 

John had the foresight to secure it inside and have it repainted to its previous Pullman green color. This is the reason why the PAWNEE now is so extremely well kept and in beautiful shape. If you wish to view the PAWNEE please visit barn 10.  I will be more than happy to show you the car.  It is now stored in that barn along with other freight and passenger car projects.  If you wish to donate to the PAWNEE to continue the interior restoration please send a check or visit https://www.irm.org/donations/pawnee/       Thanks, Roger.

The increased restoration activity in the heavyweight sleeper, John McLoughlin, began in earnest, the Spring of 2019.  My long-term goal is to operate this sleeper, along with our other heavy weight sleepers, in our demonstration Pullman passenger train!

Here Sandi is re-priming a section in the long hallway.

With much of the interior restoration of the Mt Harvard finished my focus shifted from the Mt Harvard to the John McLoughlin. Comparing both projects I soon realized that the "John" was certainly going to be a more complicated and very expensive project! We had, in the past, worked in barn 3, on both the exterior, as well as, the interior. It was a fill in project and took a long time to complete anything. What we did accomplish took years. Please review past blogs concerning those efforts. The reader will soon realized the extent of our concentrated efforts. A project like this takes a lot of men and women power, as well as, paid and volunteer help. Critical to our success is You. Please come out and help!

These hallway walls and ceilings had been prepped and sprayed primed a number of years ago. Now they had to be primed again.

Here is the hallway entrance by the door. Notice the color difference between ceiling and walls.

Once that area was completed we turned our attention to the other end of the sleeper.

Here Mark Hoffmann is again prepping the surface in the hallway near the mens bathroom.

Mark is masking an area so that he can prime the area.

Two days later Sandi is painting that area.

Here is the finished product. Walls are painted. Yet to be done is the ceiling. Thats the hardest part. We began removing all the old ceiling paint by scraping and then sanding to get a uniform surface.

Sandi is painting around the Emergency tool box.

Andrew, our new volunteer, continues removing more old paint in hallway leading to the drawing room.

Not to be out done, the exterior receive a makeover from Howard Geier. Years ago Mark Hoffman and I needle chipped both sides of the John McLoughlin and applied a coat of Sherwin Williams primer and satin top coat.  I knew I wanted to coat it with a finish coat but never got around to it. Now the opportunity presented itself.

Howard is painting and having fun doing so.

The finished product below the belt rail.

Another beautiful August day and again Howard is painting above the window line.

The sleeper is finished painted on one side.

What a beautiful job Thanks Howard! Nice work as always!

Well, we got one side painted now for the other side. That might take a while for the car has to be turned around and that takes a lot of switching! If you are interested in volunteering see me or the other volunteers in our shop, barn 10! Progress on the John McLoughlin is on the fast track. Your donation will certainly help us reach our goal. Please consider a donation to the John McLoughlin restoration fund.   Thanks, Roger Kramer.

Here are some pictures of the building construction which will house the model railroad display, Milwaukee Road Historical Association displays and the new home for the Pullman Library Archives.  The museum should be very proud of this monumental construction project.  Dave Diamond has done a marvelous job  as general contractor scheduling the various companies to complete this building!

outside brick laying begins

Contractors can install brick but it must be heated in the area.

These contractors are installing the huge heating and a/c plants.

This is what it looks like from the inside as they are laying the brick and cement block.

Window framing is almost done.

Another view from the inside. Please notice the large plastic curtain. That is how the heat is kept in the work area.

Inside the front half of the building. The wall is the divider between front and back half of building.

Close-up view of the exterior.

Another angle

Brick work is almost done the plastic has been removed to show the front of the building.

Another exterior view.

A close up view of the brick work. All the masonry work was being preformed a week either side of the Christmas holiday.

Talking to Dave he hopes to have the building interior finished by either late Spring or early Summer of this year.

Thanks, Roger Kramer  

It has been over a month since I updated the building progress. Boy a lot has changed since then. Rain has slowed the progress somewhat but nothing major. It is and will be a very impressive building!

Supports are being installed!

Different view.

Another view.

Contractors at work.

The different photo dates show just how fast the building is progressing.

Interior beams are being installed.

The roof supports are being installed.

Again another view.

Entrance side doors are being installed.

The next blog will show the frame being enclosed.  Stay tuned                      Thanks Roger