Wood Shop

Here is another report, heavy on photos, aided and abetted by images taken by Jon Fenciki, and just a whole lot of activity by the volunteers.

Jon Fenlaciki Photo

This a a very good example of how projects should work in the shop.  Four days ago Jon Fenlaciki brought in a window that needed repair, from Indiana Railroad 65.  We noted what we thought should be done and supplied info to Jon on purchasing new wood.  Jon did exactly that and delivered some new mahogany Saturday morning.  Before you knew it the stock had been roughed out and planed, and here - Bob Kutella, Rich Witt, and John Faulhaber are setting a jig for cutting the stop cuts for new tenons.  Jon was on the spot, making decisions as needed and helping with the work.  A real team effort.

Tenons

The tenons are being nibbled away by Rich Witt and John Faulhaber on the table saw.

New Bottom Rail

Rich has the new bottom rail complete, ready for final fitting, while Jon displays the original piece, the reason for the work.

What Is It

It is always good to throw in a quiz question to see if the class is paying attention.  What is it?  Maybe some peanut butter and a glob of creme filling?  See next photo for the surprise answer.

Jon Fenlaciki Photo

The new bottom rail has been fitted and the window reassembled.  Rich Witt is using an epoxy product that is both an effective adhesive and also serves as a wood repair filler.  The window is clamped up and will be ready for sanding and refinishing the next visit to the shop by Jon.  Our new motto - "One day and done!"

Caboose Grab Iron

Victor Humphreys is making some final fit checks and careful readying three end fittings for welding to the curved caboose grab iron.  A lot of metal grinding and filing, foreign to a sawdust maker like me.  It is looking good.

More Window Work

Victor Humphreys and William Peterson are busy completing the gray primer on all eight new windows for Chicago Great Western X 38..  Bill is a relatively new volunteer in the shop and seems intent on completing his 'apprenticeship' and joining the old hands club.  Thanks Bill

Set Up

We finished up a lot of 'small' projects early in the day before quitting time, so went on to the next steps for the two new doors for CGW X 38.  That means setting up the mortising machine to plunge many slots in the door stiles and rails.  William Peterson is making and installing new wood blocks for the 'hold down' clamps on the mortiser.  Basically, almost every job is a different size and set up, and it takes some small time to get it ready.  Set up complete, we made two mortises and hung an OUT TO LUNCH sign on the machine.

Molding Work

Now to continue the story of Chicago Rapid Transit 1024, from last weeks report.  Tim modified (sacrificed) a carbide router bit and ground it for the custom profile needed for the "UPPER" tack molding on the 1024.  That is the piece that finishes the edge of the large flat roof, while a similar but different piece is needed alongside the hip roof areas, that called the "LOWER" tack molding.  The best product is very long pieces of stock to minimize joints in this rail.  It takes many hands to to this work carefully, here done by John Faulhaber, Fred Zimmerman, and Tim Peters.

Finishing

Fred then hand sanded many pieces of this, and finished the effort with prime painting all of them.

Mock-Up

It can be difficult to visualize how a project's parts need to be made and to go together.  Here is a mock up of a key element needed for the next two windows for Boston & Maine 1094.  The small heel or haunch on the side stiles will support and anchor the rounded top rail.  We used a variety of steps, jigs and tooling to make this part shown by Rich Witt.

Molding

Buzz Morisette is slicing thin strips of oak on a bevel cut.  These will be replacements for damaged ceiling moldings in the private car ELY.

Jon Fenlaciki Photo

Dave Fullarton, Greg Kapka, and Richard Schauer were in the Barn 4 pit working on the group switch underneath rapid transit car CTA 2154.

As usual a lot of other work going on in the shop and around the property.  I did not catch a pic of this, but we finished running six windows for heavyweight passenger car Illinois Central 3996, working with Roger Kramer, and also completed and surfaced the first of the door panels for the new CGW X 38 doors.

Another chapter in getting better photos for you:  These are from the new camera, and getting them this far was not without DRAMA.  But things are getting better.  Next step is to get better resolution.

So - I was trying to take lots of photos in different situations, and the crew obliged with many projects going on.  This report will be heavy on photos, thin on commentary.

Brake Cylinder

We get questions all the time about the status of Chicago & West Towns 141.  A lot of progress lately.  The brake cylinder under the car floor was removed and new supports fabricated.  Here Gerry Dettloff is adding mounting bolts while the weight of the cylinder is resting on a dolly.

I Can Reach That

You almost have to be a contortionist to get where you need to be.  Gerry is on the other side tightening the nuts.  His rosy complexion is mostly due to the effort of working under the car while it was about 10 F inside the barn.

Brake Rods

In the shop new brake rod assemblies were fabricated, now complete with bushings and pins for installation under the car.

Clevis Ends

Special order clevises had to be sourced and then the rods made to the correct length.  I already mentioned putting hardened bushings (two) in each clevis and one of a kind hardened pins made (four).

Door Work

John Faulhaber is making stop cuts to define tenons for new door parts destined for Chicago Great Western X 38.

Window Work

Meanwhile, Dave Rogan cut and fit quarter round molding for eight new windows for the X 38.

Windows

Buzz Morisette pitched in and began prime painting some of those windows.  The race is on.  Will we finish the windows before spring when the hoped for better weather will allow us to install them in the control cupola?

A Molding Job

Buzz continues to be the driving force in restoring and rebuilding the ceiling in our private car ELY.  Here he is cleaning old finishes from some delicate molding.

Repair

Buzz and Tim Peters confer on how to make a repair on one of the damaged pieces of ELY trim molding.

ELY New Ceiling

Buzz and Victor Humphreys are wrestling large panels through the table saw to cut them to size for installation.

Jointing

Tim Peters and Frank Kehoe have set out some long heavy pieces of new hardwood lumber, moving to the next steps on Chicago Rapid Transit 1024.  The first thing to be done is to push them though our 100 year old jointer and this machine will make a smooth straight edge on a rough cut side, which may come to us somewhat curvy.  Then the stock is ripped to width on the table saw.

Planing

Some of the above lumber has been cut to width and now Tim and Frank are running it through the planer.  These are LOONG pieces of lumber and must be threaded through the obstacles in the shop.  What are they for?  These will become new tack molding for the roof area of the car.

Another Window

Jon Fenlaciki has removed a damaged rear window from our first car, Indiana Railroad 65.  New pieces will be made in the shop and then it will fall to Jon to assemble and refinish the sash.

Roof Work

Jeff Brady was taking careful aim with a tricky setup on the table saw.  And making test cuts on new wood for the roof of Michigan Electric 28.

So, yes, there was a lot going on and I did not capture some of the project work.  There was MORE!

Photo Update:  This is becoming my new hobby - BEAT THE CAMERA.  I used a new camera this week and hopefully the pics will be better.  But the software with the new camera seems not to load properly on my computer with Windows XP OS, in spite of the disc saying it will.  Of course no tech support available on a weekend.  So, after a three hour workaround I think I have the images out of the camera.  I figured there would be a learning curve so my backup plan was to use a USB memory card reader, but even that failed to work with the SDHC card.  UGH!  On to the NEWS - - -

Windows

More progress to report on new windows for the Chicago Great Western X 38 snowplow.  Here, Victor Humphreys and John Faulhaber get ready fire up our BERLIN sander and run eight frames through.  This is the BEFORE pic, and perhaps you can see some of the glue lines and squeeze out.

The AFTER Windows

As usual there is always drama when using century old wood working machinery.  In the end all windows were sanded smooth and finished.  But the machine will need some attention in coming weeks.  We knew the sandpaper on Drum Three was about at the end of its life, and now that is no longer a question.  Time for a change, which is not a trivial investment of time and energy.  You do not have to be a cabinet maker or talented woodworker to do this.  Any skilled backyard mechanic may help.

Related to shop upkeep was the changing of blades int he planer and a thorough cleanup of the innards.  This stuff does not happen by itself.

Next

You may have noticed that the side stiles of the completed frames looked too long, to have had tails on the ends.  This is intentional, part of the process.  Here Victor and William Peterson have helped to trim them all flush.  The final step here was to run a six degree bevel on the bottom member of the frame, to help drain water and to fit the angle of the new sills in the car.

Continuing

We continued the process with William Peterson doing the fussy work and cleanup of the frames after sanding, and Rich Witt starting to cut and fit the newly made quarter round beading that will be used to retain the glass.

Sign Boxes

Eric Lorenz has two of the original sign boxes out for restoration and installation in Cleveland Transit System 4223.  To get the side windows properly installed, there is a great assembly of parts and pieces that all have to fit in concert before the trim work can be completed.  Who would have designed something THIS way?

More Parts

We were all happy to see Lorne Tweed back in town and that he has his priorities right.  Early after his return to the midwest, he was on site and working on the 4223.  He is priming one of the special trim pieces, a one of a kind item to cap the window post immediately behind the motorman's position.

Grab Irons

Victor explains the steps to make new caboose grab irons to William Peterson.  We made a plywood template to get the round bars bent correctly, and now will use that to add blocks for it to serve as a welding jig.  It as all part of the game, plan the work and you are seldom disappointed.

Third Rail Beams

Keith Leitsch and Randy Hicks were caught in the act of working on new third rail beams for Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 36.  The first task of getting the new wood and preparing the blanks for the beams is done.  Now, comes many hours of sawing away parts of them, drilling many holes, cleaning and painting the hardware items, and installing them.  Stay tuned.

Workplace Improvements

Rich Witt is at the new and improved, better equipped Engineering work station.  He is preparing working drawings for two new windows for the B&M cafe car, and it almost looks like a real engineer from the 1920's.  All he needs is a green eyeshade and gaiters for the shirt sleeves.

And of course lots of other work and activity including three new window sash fitted and glued for Chicago Rapid Transit 1024 (by Tim Peters).