Passenger Car Department

Sunday, January 18th: Work continued in the 1st Exhibit Car on the railroad china display. Present were Jon Habegger, Michael McCraren, Mark Gellman, Jim Windmeier and Paul Matchett. Patrice Connelly was also there to offer advice and assistance.

Patrice Connelly is in conference with Jim Windmeier - Photo by Michael McCraren

Jon Habegger, Paul Matchett and Mark Gellman discuss one of the displays - Photo by Michael McCraren

Our tribute to Fred Harvey and station lunch rooms - Photo by Michael McCraren

Sunday, January 25th: Brian LaKemper reporting - Roger Kramer was working in the Pullman Car John McGloughlin squaring up an opening in a wall which will have a large patch put in. Brian Patterson, Brian L. and and another person were focused on moving ahead with the Lackawanna 556's interior repaint. Brian P. did some wire wheeling and Brian L. went along after him sanding the nearby primer to prep for priming the area where the baggage racks are located.

Brian L. also removed the excess fare signage on the wall, uncovering some original paint underneath which had not faded. It seems that the last time the car's interior was repainted, the car was needed in such a hurry that the sign frame was put on before the paint had dried, as the frame was stuck to the underlying paint.

Later in the afternoon Brian P. and Brian L. helped the Electric Car Department move Sand Springs 68 into Barn 6, and put UP 3786 into Barn 11 where Sand Springs 68 had been, and managed to make enough space in Barn 11 to hopefully fit one more piece of equipment indoors.

Paul Cronin was working on some steam heat components, and Brian L. went through the Milwaukee Road Dynamometer to make sure there were no new water leak issues, and no freeze damage to the car.

We want to welcome Paul Cronin to the Passenger Car Department. He officially took over as curator on January 1, 2015 when Michael Baksic retired.

Paul Cronin - New Passenger Car Department Curator - Photo by Shelly Vanderschaegen

Paul has been a volunteer at IRM for seven years and has moved here from the east coast where he had a career in railroading from 1966 to 2011.

Michael Baksic joined IRM in 1995. He was appointed Passenger Car Department Curator in 1998 by Nick Kallas. Mike plans to continue to volunteer at the Museum but will not be here as much and plans to have more fun.

In other news, in December, Michael Baksic, Ray Mormann, and Michael McCraren began working on the wiring in the Birmingham diner parked in Yard 5. The railroad china disply in the 1st Exhibit Car is still going coming together but slowed a bit with the colder weather in December.