![]() |
![]() |
Thursday, December 5. 2013Wood Shop Update - December 4, 2013We will start off with a shot of a new signal bungalow loaded on one of our service trucks by the signal department. Volunteer Frank Carraro has worked most of the summer to install and pre wire most of the circuitry inside it. On this overcast and dreary day these hardy souls determined they would move it across our mainline west of Barn 2 and install it on a new gravel pad.
Kit form – many of our members and volunteers have model railroad roots so here are some of the new windows for our Pennsylvania wood caboose, still in kit form. One of next steps was completed with the manufacture of over fifty feet of small custom molding to be used as the beading to retain the glass once the windows are finished. Rich Witt did the engineering drawing and Rich and Paul Cronin helped machine them out. Joe Luciani and Ed Walsh moved us one step forward on the interior of Cleveland Transit System 4223. They sanded and painted the second coat of finish paint on all of the ad card panels.
Paul Cronin continued his quest to help manufacture eighteen new passenger car windows. Here he is on our mortising machine and by days end, had plunged something over 500 square holes into 36 stiles. These were one quarter by one quarter holes and several in a line to create slots to serve as the finished mortises.
Tim Peters is almost finished creating new roof mounted sign boxes for Chicago Rapid Transit 1024. At least it looks like he is finished but I am sure there are many more steps to do, fit to the car roof, paint and mount them, and then to make period sign rolls, and glaze the boxes. Oh yes, add lights and wire them up.
For Michigan Electric 28, Norm Krentel worked some more on a new headlight for the car. On the right is the original light which remained on the carbody when we discovered it over forty years ago. On the left is a similar headlight obtained from Orange Empire Trolley Museum and is being used as a parts donor where pieces of the original are too far gone.
Also for the ME 28, Jeff Brady is working to fabricate new roof boards using some good looking southern yellow pine. The old pieces lie underneath this new stock in the photo. Monday, December 2. 2013
Wood Shop Update - November 30, 2013 ... Posted by Robert Kutella
in Wood Shop at
05:09
Comments (8) Wood Shop Update - November 30, 2013 TEST ENTRYThis will be a blog test to see about using different text software to perhaps make entries more readable for old eyes like mine. Comments are welcome to make your preferences known.
This is the same image of the new ceiling progress in Chicago Great Western X 38 Russell snowplow, as shown in the original BLOG post below. Bill Peterson looks on while Victor Humphreys and Jim Leonard fit the next new board. Monday, December 2. 2013Wood Shop Update - November 30, 2013WOW! Bill Peterson and I walked out the the Chicago Great Western X 38 snowplow to see about the work being done on installing the new ceiling inside it. Here, Bill looks on while Victor Humphreys and Jim Leonard fit another board. As you can see they are within sight of the finish line. At this stage almost every board has to be trimmed, notched, or otherwise fit around supports and other features. And of course to prepare for these steps, there is the invisible work in the shop. Almost every work day, Victor primes more new boards so they will be ready. While winter has arrived, if the weather does not get too bad and there is little snow cover, look for this stage to be finished by the end of the year. I suppose I should not have said that - predictions are almost always the kiss of death. We continued to work on new windows in the shop for our Pennsylvania Railroad wood caboose. Bill Peterson was introduced to the fussy work of custom fitting each joint for a new sash. In between other work, John Faulhaber took on sash number three and worked on one joint at a time. After lunch two were done pretty well, and we proceeded to set up the glue press and do the final assembly. We started these about two weeks ago and two are assembled already! Of course these are pretty simple compared to some sash we have tackled. Tim Peters continues to work toward making two new roof mounted sign boxes for Chicago Rapid Transit 1024. The originals were removed by about 1914 so these are all new fabrications based on photos and evidence left behind on the roof and carbody. I mentioned John Faulhaber was doing other work. Early in the morning he could be seen at our mortiser machine plunging square holes into stiles for new passenger car windows. These are old machines and a flat leather drive belt finally separated and broke. John and Rod Turner crafted a replacement and by later in the day, the machine was back in service. Sunday, November 24. 2013Wood Shop Update - November 23, 2013Eddie Pszczolkowski and Victor Humphreys are rabbeting the glass space on eight stiles to be used in making new cupola windows for our Pennsylvania bobber caboose. Everyone simply calls it the bobber since it is our only four wheel wood caboose, but for those purists the number is 476199 By the end of the day Victor is checking over the completed set of stiles, for the rabbet and also for the tricky tenons which are now done. Eric Lorenz is sanding some wooden rings which will go on the porcelain ceiling light bases for the Cleveland Transit System 4223 PCC car. Bill Peterson painted all eighteen almost as fast as Eric finished touching them up on the disk sander. The ceiling lights in the 4223 are held in place with square metal plates mounted above the ceiling panel. The fixture, ceiling panel, and metal plate make up a sandwich which is fastened with a set of four screws. The previously painted metal plates had Bill Peterson running a tap through all the holes to 'chase' the threads of any debris. Fred Zimmerman is sanding down seat back sheet metal for Kansas City Public Service 755, another of our PCC cars. This is a good example of one of the many ongoing projects that get chased indoors with winter weather. Work has continued all through the summer, but I do not get over there for pics. Bill Wulfert is restoring some hang on destination signs for our Chicago rapid transit cars. Anyone got a steady hand? We need to touch up some lettering where the porcelain has chipped away. Tim Peters is fabricating new turn of the century metal roof mounted sign boxes for Chicago Rapid Transit 1024. Two are needed and almost all of this has to be made from scratch, including cobbling parts for the mechanism for rolling the signs. Buzz Morisette seems to be enjoying making new roof parts for the dining room in our private car, ELY. This saw had been down for maintenance for a few weeks and now seems to working reliably. Thursday, November 21. 2013Wood Shop Update - November 20, 2013Still not as many photos as I had hoped but I am fighting the meds and the health issue they are supposed to take care of. Time for a BLOG post now since a doctor canceled the appointment for today - leaving me some time. I had mentioned in previous BLOG entries that the new ceiling in our Chicago Great Western X 38 snowplow was proceeding and showing good progress. So finally, here is a pic of the work. Victor Humphreys and Dave Rogan nail up one more board. I should point out the ceiling in this area runs all the way from the rear wall of the plow to the control cab cupola. That is a lot of wood, and as you can see, they have passed the halfway point. Dick Cubbage and I are working out a plan to build a new seat box/tool locker for the cabin at the rear of the plow. There are clues, pitifully few that show its location. So if anyone can help with a pic of the inside of these snowplows when they were still in service - we would really like to see it. It does not have to be from a fancy camera, or only of a dead on view. Buzz Morisette is running some new douglas fir through our jointer - this operation will produce one straight and true side. The timber will be planed and cut down and will find its way to the new ceiling in our private car, ELY. We want to extend a wood shop welcome to Rick Serenda (right) who has joined us on this Wednesday. He and Bill Leider spent most of the day priming new post caps for Chicago Rapid Transit 1024. These were fabricated a few weeks ago by Tim Peters. Meanwhile Lee Regione was applying the first finish coat of paint to the inside of the ad card panels for Cleveland Transit System 4223. Fellow volunteer from the Wednesday Special Projects Team, Joe Luciani, helped Paul Cronin and they made good progress on a set of eighteen new windows for the passenger coach department. Those Wednesday guys really like to stay busy. Jon Fenlaciki and Rich Witt worked on a tricky small block of wood for seats in our Indiana Railroad 65. New research has shown that the seats in the car now are not quite perfect for the seats as when the car was built. The plans are to reupholster all the seats, so now is the time to make these blocks and otherwise tweak the seat frames to make them perfect. This little inch thick six by six block of wood had to be sanded to create scalloped hollows. One down, another 18 to go. And as usual lots of other projects had workers. John Faulhaber placed another coat of canvas paint on the roof of the Lake Shore Electric 810; and Gerry Dettloff and Jim Foraker worked on modifications and repaiirs to trucks for the car. One truck is now virtually complete and will be cleaned up, primed, and painted. John Nelligan and Pete Galayda are working on the wiring for our steeple cab locomotive, Charles City Western 300. |
Blog AdministrationCategory TreeCalendar
QuicksearchSyndicate This Blog |
Powered by s9y.
Comments
Fri, 01-15-2021 10:20
Hello Jason. Your comments are very much appreciated. Yes, there is much hard work that goes into all our restorations and maintenance here at the [...]
Fri, 01-15-2021 10:13
Hello Jack Yes, It will be one of our most impressive cars that we have at IRM when its completed. Thanks for the pat on the back! Roger.
Thu, 01-14-2021 21:05
Those cars look great so far guys! Man I wish I had the time to volunteer and become a member at IRM that looks like so much fun especially with how [...]
Tue, 01-12-2021 16:30
the pawnee is looking great a pat on the back to all involved
Wed, 01-06-2021 10:14
Good job on coach updates January 5, 2021. Sincerely, Ethan A.
Mon, 01-04-2021 12:31
Hello Jack Happy New Year from IRM. To my knowledge there was no damage from the minor ice storm that we had in late December, 2020. Some [...]
Sun, 01-03-2021 20:12
the museum area had lots of ice storms in area did the museum get a lot of damage
Thu, 12-24-2020 13:27
roger, Thank you to all of the Passenger car department volunteers. The #109 is going to be a great car when all done! Ted miles, [...]
Sun, 12-06-2020 08:46
Hello Ted We havenot finished lettering the 975 but we are well on the way. Look for a few blogs from me now that the wearther is colder and the [...]
Sat, 12-05-2020 18:36
i watched crew replace switch by diesel shop on dec 5. its good to see museum have equipment to do job and save money
Fri, 12-04-2020 14:56
It has been a long time with no news; have you finished lettering the Southern Pacific locomotive? Please post a picture. Ted Miles, IRM Member
Thu, 08-27-2020 09:53
I worked seasonally on the Cadillac & Lake City while the B-71 was in Lake City, MI, beginning in 1970. My primary job was steward/waiter/car cleaner [...]