Illinois Railway Museum Blog

Here is a post that will certainly not be the same run of the mill news.  This project has been in the works for maybe a year and one half and the job was executed Friday.  Jamie Kolanowski led the effort including securing replacement wheelsets.  Helping were Mark Secco, Jeron Glander, Mark Sanborn, and John Brazil.  Mark was instrumental in this task since the heavy lifting was done with our CNW 6363 crane, and this would not have been possible without the many days of work Mark has devoted to this piece of equipment.  Pictures were furnished via e mail today from Jeron Glander and Mark Sanborn.  Thanks fellas!  Of course I was unable to be there, and have tried to place them roughly in time order and 'invent' some caption info.  There are a lot of them, and I am sure you will see the steps, and appreciate their long day, made even longer by a line of thunderstorms which rumbled through before 10 AM.

Setting the Stage

Our Commonwealth Edison 15 locomotive moved everything into place roughly as you see it here.  The location is where Depot Street is crossed by the tracks leading to the Thomas boarding area.

On Spot

The equipment is nearly where it should be, Jamie walking beside the caboose, Mark wearing the orange safety equipment.  A spreader has been rigged and the crane moved to the next adjacent track to the east to give room to work and a better angle.  Oh yes, what was the project?  Replacing two thin wheelsets on our Illinois Central Gulf 199458 caboose.

The Work Starts

This is still before the rain with the crew working on the truck in question.  Luckily (?) both bad wheelsets were in the same truck.  First step - to remove the keeper castings designed to hold the roller bearing cartridges in place in the truck frames.

Worker Bees

I guess everyone needs a title and if I was there, Mark (in orange) would be the LIFTMASTER.

Looking East

Here is the arrangement but that sky is looking ever more threatening.  AND THEN IT RAINED AND RAINED.

Wet Streets

More of the Same

Here is the overall view after the line of storms had passed.

Ready to Lift

  Now you can see why railroads called this type of equipment the BIG HOOK.

The Perfect Pose

From this angle the new wheels are directly in line with the ones to be removed.  All we need is a Star Wars transporter device to swap them out.

Quiz

What is Mark pointing at or doing?  Quiz of the day allows you to furnish the best caption.

In Style

Mark did this exact job for the UP before retiring and still looks very stylish in his garb.

In the Air

In the Air

The lift has been made.  With the trick frame chained to the car body, the old wheelsets simply drop out.

This caboose has been out of service several years due to the poor condition of two wheelsets.  Next job is to do our department inspection and lubrication.  Once mechanically sound, should we operate it?  It is a favorite with our train crews with the large spacious end platforms.  This modern caboose was built in 1970 and the years have not been kind to the paint job, never having had enough support to be considered for storage inside a Barn.  I am thinking we should recruit folks to clean it up and repaint it, and that includes the interior which is also pretty shabby and with peeling paint.