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Thursday, October 31. 2013
Dynamometer Car Runs Sept 14-15th, ... Posted by Pauline Trabert
in Passenger Car Department at
16:54
Comments (2) Dynamometer Car Runs Sept 14-15th, 2013 – First Time Since 2007!Thanks to MANY volunteers, we were able to run the Dyno on Sept. 14-15 and 22nd, 2013. We began plans to ready the car for service after Laddie Vitek from the IRM Diesel Dept. inquired in mid-July if we could run the car for folks visiting IRM post-MRHA convention in Rockford on Sept. 22. We agreed it would be a great idea and then also chose to run it Museum Showcase Weekend as well (Sept 14-15). From July-Sept we would spent several weekends removing no longer needed items aboard the car clearing out space on the car for riders and getting the necessary repairs made and the necessary systems working. Getting the car ready to be run will be a separate blog post in and by itself that encompassed many weekends. The car performed flawlessly Members Showcase Weekend and Sun 9/22/13. The following people at IRM helped make this happen: Chuck Trabert, Pauline Trabert, Laddie Vitek, Adam Farance, Jeron Glander, Paul Sawicki, Bob Olson, Jamie Kolanowski, myself, Warren Newhauser, and a few others. Welding the cut lever bracket back on in Yard 11. The Diesel Dept guys straightened it out for us. 9/14/13. X-5000 volunteer Brian LaKemper (left) and Jeron Glander (right) work on the hydraulic dynamometer unit. 9/14/13 We offered to replace some of the 120V bulbs with 32V to provide more light, but when we did the passengers adamantly insisted they preferred the soft glow of 120V bulbs better. Dyno’s 32VDC trainline powering the 3 coaches equipped with 120V bulbs makes for a nice ambiance! 9/14/13 Most images and text provided by Warren Newhauser. Thursday, October 31. 2013Steam Department 10-30-13 Extremes of high and lowSitting in a hotel room overlooking a very windswept Wellington harbour this is about the most poignant blog entry I have ever had to make. After a few days of silence the e-mail has been red hot in the last few hours and the messages contain extreme highs and lows. The key news items are that 1630 was steamed today and passed its FRA inspection but on the same day we heard of the passing of Bill Chyna, a wonderful guy and a stalwart of the department for as long as most of us can remember. I have received input from many people but I do not think I can do better than the following note from Collin: “Today we, as a group, experienced a loss and a triumph of emotional extremes. This morning Bill Chyna passed away. Bill had celebrated his seventy fourth birthday Saturday and was said to have enjoyed the event, spending time with family and friends. He was eating cake, so what is not to be happy about?. Bill spent fifteen years with us, and I cannot remember a major decision he was not a part of; a project he did not contribute to. Bill was the first guy I took direction from-the beginning of many orders!-on the first day I came out to the shop. Bill's understanding of electronics and wiring proved to be an invaluable skill as we set up equipment, repaired broken tools and generally moved projects forward. Bill had an understanding of how things work that comes only with decades of experience. I recently visited Bill at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Center where he was undergoing physical therapy. He was in great spirits and probed with questions of what we were doing on 1630, how we were doing it and what our timeline was. I returned the favor by peppering Bill with questions of home repair projects on which he had considerable knowledge. Bill's passing will create a large hole in our team that will be challenging to fill. 1630 was steamed up today and passed by our FRA inspector. While much work remains to be done Brian, Jason & Tom gagged and tested the safety valves, performed the orifice test and ran the locomotive back and forth to the satisfaction of the officials present. The hard work contributed by all of you over the past few years got us to this point, plain and simple. Over this winter we need to keep up the pace to complete the job but we are well positioned to enter the 2014 season full steam ahead. I think we can all say that it is a curiosity of steam that drew us out to the museum in the first place. But over time it is the people who make the whole thing worthwhile and keep us coming back. Please keep Bill's family in your thoughts and prayers.” Well said Collin. Nigel Wednesday, October 30. 2013
John Mcloughlin update Posted by Roger Kramer
in Great Northern John McLoughlin at
20:10
Comments (0) John Mcloughlin updateWe have some progress to finally report on the ongoing restoration of the 8-1-2 sleeper. Mark Hofmann has been wire wheeling and needle chipping the women's bathroom and connecting hallway for the past two months. He was at it again this last Sunday, Oct 27. He worked on grinding off the excess paint on the ceiling where he had previously chipped. This is a very difficult job. First, working overhead with an electric grinding is very painfully. Very quickly your muscles fatigue from the overhead work. Second, the temperature near the ceiling is always hotter at the top. Don't try this in warm weather! It's another reason for fatigue. The heat can be unbearable. That's the reason we accomplish these tasks in either early Fall or Spring. He also finished priming the hallway where months ago he had needle chipped and sanded the area. If you don't prime the area it will soon start rusting. Here are the results of his efforts. We are also getting some estimates for making a missing wall panel from R&B Welding of Woodstock, Ill. Please consider a donation to help defray the costs of manufacturing. Thank you. Roger and Mark EXTRA!!!! EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Steam Locomotive, Frisco 1630, our 2-10-0 was test fired for the first time today! It also moved under its own power!! Thanks to the men and women of the steam dept! A job well done! A special Thank You to Tom Schneider. |
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Comments
Fri, 03-29-2024 21:26
We're slackers and spend more time working on the equipment in the shop than keeping all you readers updated. We'll work on it, but I'm sure updates [...]
Thu, 03-14-2024 08:02
What happened to the Department Blog? It's been over 2 years and I still regularly check for updates, but nothing comes...
Mon, 12-27-2021 16:28
Happy New Year to all the Departments at the Illinois railway Museum! Thanks for all the good work you do in railroad preservation. Ted Miles, [...]
Wed, 10-13-2021 13:33
Was the CB&Q 1309 every transported to IRM?I’ve been reading old issues of Rail&Wire and the car was mentioned several times.
Mon, 06-07-2021 22:40
I was wondering if in the model layout display what scale would you guys be using and would you be displaying model train history as well? Just [...]
Wed, 06-02-2021 17:27
Nice to see 428's cab back on. Looking forward to when it is operable!
Tue, 06-01-2021 16:47
I hope the work will continue on the UP #428. Now that they are the museum's connection to the national railroad network; she would be very [...]
Sat, 04-17-2021 23:07
What is the status of 126, the Milwaukee Buffet car that is in S. Dakota? Any guess on when or if it will get to IRM?
Wed, 04-14-2021 21:09
Perhaps it is time to scrap the remains of the c, B & Q 7128 to make room for the Villa Real. Ted miles, IRM member
Wed, 04-14-2021 15:26
Hi IRM my name is Jason and I was wonder If you guys would be willing to save a CN Dash8-40cm they are currently being retired by CN and being [...]
Fri, 04-09-2021 19:56
Bear in mind that the Nebraska Zephyr is an articulated train set, so cars cannot be inserted at will. Although cars and/or a second engine could be [...]
Wed, 03-31-2021 11:37
I believe Silver Pony is currently on the back burner, and has been put into storage in one of the barns. The car needs a lot of work done to it's [...]