Two Milwaukee Streetcars

STOP THE PRESSES!

Wheelsets

THE WHEELSETS HAVE RETURNED TO IRM!

Recall that the goal of this project is to restore two operating streetcars to service at IRM.  As they say on TV, do it big or go home.  The wheelsets are back at IRM with new steel tires applied, and they look spectacular.

Here is a short summary of the project to date.  New steel tires were ordered and custom made, enough to apply to both streetcars.  The trucks were removed from the TM 972 and extensively rebuilt.  One truck has had essentially a total rebuild as we found badly worn pins and bushings in the linkage, rods, levers and brake systems.  This was not something anticipated and was discovered after the trucks were being dismantled.

What is one to do, stop everything?  In the true IRM spirit we had to repair these items while the truck was out and disassembled.  Such is the life of a restorationist.  We could have had the needed parts custom made and waited until September for delivery and another six weeks to install them.  Instead we made these ourselves in the machine shop, and heat treated and hardened them on site.

This saved us months on the timeline and saved us about $4000 in costs.  See where this is going?  It also added up to about $8000 in unanticipated expenses, so money in the fund is running very low, about non existent.  We have spent money ahead on common parts for the CNS&M 354 to get the same treatment but need your support now to see the TM 972 running this season.

We are ready to begin final re-assembly of the trucks NOW and will keep you updated of any 'new' discoveries.  Please keep this major project on track and moving ahead with a donation to fund  RTMS.  We really need this and the money is not squandered.

This is an active and ongoing project with the goal of restoring two cars to operation - TM 972 and CNS&M 354.

Assembly

Jeff Brady is assembling the many components of the truck.  This is a complex and intricate process involving many pieces and requires a level of expertise I do not share.

There are and have been many players in this project.  The recent focus has been to rebuild this truck from the 972.  As might be expected in a car which left service in 1958, and then may have been near the end of its useful life, we have uncovered many areas needing attention.  These are never known for sure until the disassembly and inspection is well along the way.

For example, the pedestal liners were missing in one case, or cracked and worn in bad repair.  We managed to get new liners fabricated - cost $2000.

Then we were on to the the pins and bushings used to connect the many moving parts in this truck, primarily but not exclusively associated with the braking system.  I have reported extensively on that process and progress. Over one hundred specialty bushings were manufactured in our shop and heat treated.  In the past we ordered these parts from outside vendors, but in today's world that would have been very costly to meet needed dimensions - none are 'standard' - and a delay of 3-4 months for delivery.  By making them ourselves we were able to complete them in about nine weeks at a savings of several thousand dollars.

Hardened pins are used in these bushings, and none of these were simple.  All of those involved a lot of machining, heat treating, and were made in our shop.  Again, savings in time and money.

The bottom line is that over $8000 in unanticipated costs were added to make these upgrades and the rebuild.  We will have a mechanically reliable and safe car to operate.  So, we again thank you all for your support but must again ask for help to continue the work and move forward.  The restricted fund is designated RTMS and donations can continue to be sent to

Illinois Railway Museum

Box 427

Union, IL 60180

We hope you can help on this and we all look forward to seeing this car roll down our line this year.

It really is amazing to witness the work on this project.  It is significant on so many fronts - engineering, machining, metallurgy, and the massive amount of less than ordinary GRUNT WORK.

Assembly

Jeff Brady is dry fitting and assembling some of the completed levers and rigging in the truck.  That is correct - enough of the new bushings and pins have been fabricated and heat treated to see how it goes back together.  He is inserting the new pin into a lever nicknamed a 'dog bone' due to its resemblance to such doggie snack treats.

The Dog Bones

Here is a closer look at the dog bones and how they fit into the truck.  There are two of these in each quadrant to next receive the brake head castings, which in turn hold the brake shoes.

Boring

Each of the many parts in this truck receives attention.  This once bent brake lever has been heated and straightened, as seen by the gray discoloration on the casting.  The old deteriorated bushings have been removed with a hydraulic press.  Here the lever is on the drill press table and about to get its holes reamed to receive the new bushings.  As I said above it is truly amazing, doing this on a wish and prayer with old tools and a lot of hard work and commitment from the volunteers.

A lot is happening very quickly on this project.  As reported previously the next step is to do repair and rebuilding work on the dismantled truck now in our shop.  The immediate focus is on the pins and bushings which hold together brake rigging, the slack adjusters, etc.

Pedestal Liners

Before we get into the details of that work we were pleased to note that an entire set of new pedestal liners has been fabricated and delivered.  These are wear parts to allow the journal boxes to slide vertically as needed, when the car is in motion.

Engineering

Jeff Brady has been busily engaged for some weeks as the truck is dismantled, taking careful measurements, and tabulating the needed new parts.

Schematic

Jeff created this schematic to help keep track and identify the complex connections and pieces.  Note that there are 78 bushings and 26 pins, needed for EACH truck assembly!

Pressing Task

Greg Kepka was pressing out the old bushings from the various rods and levers.  It was somewhat disconcerting to hear screeching and clanking like breaking glass as the rusted old bushings broke free and became loose.

Links

Here are some of the links, old bushings, and newly loosened bushings that Greg was working on.

As the Rod Turns

Rod Turner was turning new alloy steel rod to size in the small lathe.

Some Like It HOT

Here is the new small furnace/oven for heat treating newly fabricated pins and bushings to case harden them.  Four of the new pins are on the bench in front of the oven, having undergone their particular version of a trial by fire.

Truck Work

Gerry Dettloff works on fabricating new rods for the rebuilding of the truck on TM 972, and my camera tagged this image as number 972!  Work continues on a regular basis for this truck.  Most of the dismantling is done and now the hard part is to fabricate pieces to reassemble it.

Pins

New ground for us is to fabricate and heat treat the hardened pins needed to replace time worn pins in the truck assembly.  Gerry is set up to cut some new rod, and Rod Turner has a new small furnace for doing the required heat treating in stages.  Very impressive for our restoration specialists!

Work continues on this exciting project, with the hope of having TM 972 back on its trucks and operating at IRM this season.

Truck Work

Norm Krentel and Jeff Brady are working on one of the trucks from beneath this car while the wheel and axle sets are out at a shop.  This is a golden opportunity to do what amounts to a substantial rebuild of the truck, while the wheels and motors are out for work.  The frame is inside our shop, so winter weather is not an issue.

Unlike a model railroad truck consisting of three molded pieces, there are literally over one hundred parts and pieces.  Over time, some of those become worn.  They may still work for a while yet, but the clock is ticking with every additional service mile logged.  So the prudent decision is to the repair or replacement of items showing substantial wear and which are badly out of spec.

Current efforts involve still more dismantling of the many pieces, but right now we are focusing on "pins and bushings".  The brake rigging in particular involves several levers, rods, and assemblies which must pivot and move when the brakes are applied.  Each of those joints usually is held together by a hardened steel pin which rides inside a hardened steel bushing.  The bushing is a press fit into the respective casting it resides in.

All of that work is well along the way.  Remember this an active project, and as with any project, unforeseen work may become apparent along the way.  In this case we have made the decision to replace many of the pins and bushings, assuring decades of relatively trouble free operation.  But that also means purchasing many of those parts, those we do not have as spares in inventory.  And this is the first truck, the other awaits the same treatment.  So we are not at the final cost and donations are still appreciated.  The restricted fund is  RTMS  and your generous donation and support guarantees you are PARTICIPATING in this progress.

WOW!  Lots to see and report on this project!

Truck Repairs

Gerry Dettloff works to weld up some of the surfaces on the truck pedestals.  With the truck totally dismantled for painting, repairs are being made along the way to renew worn areas and breathe new life into the truck.

Pedestal Liners

Several of the pedestal liners were worn, cracked or missing.  These should be replaced with new, and we feel we can fabricate new ones to suit.  The problem is with sourcing the manganese steel plate used for these wear parts.  So, if anyone has a shop willing to part with a few square feet, it would save us the prospect of having to buy an entire sheet, a very expensive sheet at that.

New Tires

We said things were moving fast on this project, and were not kidding.  Here is your FIRST LOOK at the new tires, now delivered to the machine shop for mounting.

Old Wheels

Also in the shop, here are two of the old wheel and axle sets, with the old tread turned down and ready for the new tires.  The new tires get heated to a substantial temperature to expand their diameter, are placed on the wheel hubs, and then shrink and grip as they cool.  This is a technique and proven process that has been used in the rail industry for over a century.