Illinois Railway Museum Blog

For some reason unknown to me, my picture quality continues to be quite variable.  The settings are correct, and they look ok when in small size on the camera screen.  Maybe the camera is cold, getting old, or too lazy to always do the AUTOFOCUS thing.  But I will show you what I got yesterday, with apologies.

Fitting

Let's begin with Victor Humphreys starting to fit together the first frames for the ongoing window project for N&W 2050.  Recall that all the mortising work is complete and we cut a LOT of tenons yesterday.

Trimming

Once the tenons are roughed out each window is custom assembled individually.  Here, Rich Witt is on the small bandsaw notching a tenon.  NOTCH, CLEAN, FIT, REPEAT.

Mortising

Buzz Morisette continues progress on the ten windows he is making for caboose MILW 01984.  Here he is using the mortising machine to drill square holes for the joints.  If you folks have never seen this machine in action - YES it drills square holes!

Tenant

Most every winter we open up spare space in the wood shop as needed by other departments.  Repeating last winter's efforts, Shelly Vanderschaegen is cleaning and painting seat frames for one of our Santa Fe passenger cars.  Other hardier members of the SPC department continued their work in Barn 3 in relatively balmy 30 F temperatures.  Bob Hunter was there also, continuing the work on the DOVER STRAIT.

1268

Tim Peters is glazing the new clerestory windows for CRT 1268 while Bill Wulfert checks in with advice and support.