Chicago Great Western X 38 Russell Snow Plow

The weather took a turn for the better, only about 88F, although it should be back near 100 F in a week.  Still no rain!  But the crew came out to WORK.

Bucket Truck

We really need to thank Dave Diamond of the Buildings and Grounds Department, who has agreed to loan us this truck.  It is more or less of a sport model bucket truck with boom.

In the Bucket

Victor Humphreys was the first one in the bucket, getting training, and trying it out.  Gerry Dettloff, Dave Rogan, and Jim Leonard watch from a distance.  Are they discussing who will be next?  Is this on their BUCKET LIST?

At Work

Simon Harrison is in the bucket and has made substantial progress on the hard to reach areas of the wedge.  There really is no easy way to set up a scaffold and reach those safely.  And this way it is a little FUN!  At least for the first turn in the bucket.

Last Two Hoses

Dave Rogan and Jim Leonard installed the last two replacement hoses for the plow wings.  Good job!

Crew Portrait

Around mid day you can see six eager workers on the plow and there were at least two more inside the shop.  Chipping, cleaning, grinding etc.

New Framing

I know this is a lousy picture, but the camera does not like recording dark areas inside with a very bright field through the doorway.  Aren't human eyes wonderful?  So you will have to take my word for it that the three framing timbers we made last week were installed by both doorways, and bolted in.  They fit perfectly the first time.

More Framing

In the shop Al Reinschmidt and Dave Rogan have planed more wood, and are cutting six more pieces of framing for the interior of the plow.  Good progress throughout the day, still needing some work on four mortices and four tenons before we can do a dry fit of these.

This is another project where the hot and hotter weather slowed the pace of outdoor work.

New Framing

In the morning John Faulhaber and Victor Humphreys selected three pieces from the new lumber delivered this week.  The result is these three pieces custom sized and planed to be used for framing the doorways on either side of the plow body.

Paint Already

We ducked out to the plow with care - it was like getting slapped in the face with the heat.  Measurements taken, marks made, holes drilled and counterbored.  This first one got prime painted the same afternoon by Victor.

Pipe Dreams

John Faulhaber and Jim Leonard are reassembling and repairing a lot of the interior air piping for the plow wings and here, for the flanger blades.  It was indeed hot weather so only the morning got a lot of attention inside the plow, now hotter than ever with with temporary window blanks in place.

Second Coat

Victor Humphreys has sanded down the first coat of paint on the left side of the plow wedge, and here is completing a second coat of nice glossy black.

Headlamp

Not much to see here folks, with the reflector backing of the sealed beam headlamps.  Anybody have a few Westinghouse 200 watt, 30 volt lamps in the garage, about 6.75 inch diameter??