IC 3345

Here is our finished recreation of IC 3345!   We have yet to apply the lettering but that will be accomplished as soon as time permits.    I  hope you think our efforts are well worth it!     We do.    As I have previously mentioned we hope to repaint another passenger car next year.   As for now our painting volunteers are going to take a winter vacation and start the next paining project in Spring of 2018. This does not mean we are stopping our progress.     On the contrary,  we will just focus on other projects.    Please watch for the future announcements.   In the mean time please send any suggestions that you have to this blog address.I cant thank these people enough for all their efforts in making this paint job happen!Yet to be completed is the painting of the vestibules.   Yes, our next big job is the stencil lettering and numbers.  Estimated cost is $437.00.   We have placed an order for them and should be arriving in the next two weeks.  I would like to thank all of you who have sent in donations for the IC 3345.    It shows our hard working volunteers that our efforts are indeed appreciated and that, you, indeed like what we are doing in the coach department.   We will, very sincerely, try to excede your expectations by improving the appearance of our  passenger car collection.   Please consider sending  donations to your favorite piece.  It does make a difference.         Thank you                    Roger    

This last Tues and Wed saw the final step in the painting process on the IC 3345.   Howard, with my assist, applied the yellow yellow stripe to this side of the 3345. We had a very small but productive crew, Tuesday.  It seems like a few of  the steam department volunteers have also been enjoying helping the coach department.    This was the case Tuesday when Matt Gustafson decided to help us.   He is a very energetic young man who jumped right in and began sanding the other side of the coach in preparation for the final coat of brown.     Thanks for all your help, Matt.  Hope to see this coming Tuesday.      I can not overemphasis the amount of time/work that goes into just masking off this entire 85 foot coach.    Painting is the easy part compared to the time spent setting the lines for the yellow stripe.   For a clean straight edge we used 3M  blue tape purchased from our local Sherwin Williams paint dealer in Huntley.  If you would like to see more passenger cars painted in the future we would like to suggest a donation to the coach dept  fund or to the individual pieces listed here.     Up for consideration for future painting projects are the following pieces.    Although not in any order of importance are the following projects.     Milwaukee Road X5000, Pennsylvania  Cascade Knoll,   CB&Q 481, CB&Q 1923,  John Mcloughlin and Mount Harvard.                      Thanks              Roger Kramer

Here are more action shots of the painting of the IC 3345. All these pictures were taken last week!  As I have said its taken a long time but the results are well worth the wait.   Be sure and stop by barn 10 in the next couple of weeks to view our progress on freight  and passenger cars.  Yes, we have applied three coats to the coach and it really looks great!   The results are truly amazing.   Its quite a beautiful coach!!