Illinois Railway Museum Blog

Work on this restoration project has continued all summer, with rusted out areas of the car sides cut out and removed.  New metal was cut and fit into place waiting for welding.

Welding

All the pieces fell into place, as it were, and the boxcar was moved inside Barn 4.  A welder systematically wrestled with the new steel and matched it up very well, to the existing sides.  This was necessary since the steel sides, and patches for that matter, are somewhat flexible.

New Steel in Place

By the end of the day four areas had new steel welded in and all the sections were bolted in place.  These bolts are to hold everything tight and are removed, one at a time, to place the new rivets.  Of course there will be a few hours of work with the grinder to smooth the welds out and make them 'disappear'.

SHOWCASE SHOW

We had very good weather for our annual Museum Showcase events.  On Saturday, the team working on the CGW snowplow planned to demonstrate the operation of the wings as they rotated out from the plow body to push snow wider from the right-of way.

A Gathering

Despite being announced only on various websites, a crowd began gathering well before the appointed hour of 1:30 PM.  It got larger and perhaps over 100 visitors watched the show.  And then we invited them to go inside the plow in a sort of OPEN HOUSE, and to try their hand at the controls so THEY could engage the wings and make them move.

Bob Vaughan Photo

In the cab, Dave Rogan took over instructing and guiding the visitors through the maze of piping and levers.  Many took advantage of this opportunity for the next hour.  Thanks to all who attended and who also were very generous in adding a donation to further the work of the project.  It all went as planned, and was very satisfying to see an entire summer's of work appreciated.

Bob Vaughan Photo

We are always reluctant to waste any time on a good weather day.  While last minute preparations for the demo were underway, Bob Kutella and Jim Leonard installed a cast steel door threshhold on the north side.  And then we added the trim molding to serve as stop jambs.

A Closer Look

By the end of the day Sunday, the doorway area was complete, the new molding glistening in fresh maroon paint and the threshold plate shiny black.  While the actual work was interrupted for the weekend to some extent, it was a good way to demonstrate work on an active project.  We also got some unexpected benefits as Bob Vaughan was visiting from downstate, and he donated a copy of original CGW artwork for the CORN BELT HERALD.  Another unexpected benefit was Mark Secco delivering the original air pressure gauge for our plow.  We know the plow was scheduled to be scrapped before we acquired it, and a lot of the air piping had been dismantled.  A fan got the gauge, perhaps as a sort of keepsake, but returned it this weekend to resume its correct place.  What are the odds of that happening after an intermission of seven months?