Our Castlemuir depot is set up for covid-19 safe ticketing.

Stanchions mark six-foot spacing points before boarding on the high-level platform.

 The first trip of 2020 returns to Castlemuir with CTA 43 doing the honors.

Our first three paying passengers descend the mainline high-level platform.

 New member George Barreto wipes down the railfan seat in 43 (courtesy of Doug Rundell).

 Doug Rundell and George continue to sanitize the car before the next run.

Member Bud Wilkening with his mask on, awaits to take a ride on our second trip.  Members are on standby as only ten persons are allowed per trip.  On this trip we had only one paying passenger so three of us rode.

Member Bernie Kamenar, motorman Dan Kelly and day manager Doug taking layover time at Blackhawk as trains were running on schedule rather then on demand as we usually do.

Doug explains to potential passengers that they have to board at Castlemuir.

George posts a notice explaining the temporary operating procedures.

The covid-19 notice as posted at the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve platform.  The restrooms were still locked at Blackhawk even though there was heavy use of the grounds by the general public.

The family of three from the Forest Preserve boarding at Castlemuir while the crew checks for tickets.

The next family keeping a safe distance come up the high-level platform stairs.

Jim Tarbet, Doug and George, all wearing their face masks waiting for their departure time at Blackhawk.

“Make way for ducklings” in the area of Timepoint 53 caused a minor delay to northbound car 43.  It took a little time for mother duck to get her four or five ducklings to leave the track zone and head down towards the river.  Our six passengers got a chance to see the duck family from the train door.

Northbound car 43 passes over the 54 stop cattle run, one of four bridges on the line.  I could see that all three cattle runs have been repaired by Summers Construction and I suspect the Ward’s Bridge abutments have also been repaired but they are pretty hard to see from the train.

Ed Konecki observes Fred Lonnes and Chris Nelson operate our Racine rail saw making the last cut to fit the rail for the completion of Track 0.

Here Fred and Mike Gilles set up an electric rail drill to make the holes in the web so bolt up can be done.

The rails are line up for the last joint on Track 0.

Finally the joint bars are bolted on.  Now the track has to be gauged and spiked down so that ballasting and surfacing can take place.

At the end of the day we see all the rails together on Track 0 while the motorcar and track tools are on the mainline heading for the Maintenance Of Way building for storage.

While all the passenger operations and track work were going on, Jeff Bennett was busy in the car barn laying down layer after layer of epoxy primer inside and out of CTA 4451.

4451 now in all white primer, protecting all the old and new steel from rust, pending continued work to complete the car and its final painting.  Lots of etching and solvent wiping down takes place before the primer can go on, a process that will have to be repeated when the final colors are applied after windows are reinstalled and new wood flooring installed.