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Updates 8/26/20 , Information provided by Joseph Hazinski

August 28, 2020 12:56 PM | Anonymous member

In this series we start off with CTA MS-65 as James Ham and James Tarbet working on removing the journal box shims as per Chief Car Officer Jeff Bennett’s direction.   Mike Gilles photo

James Tarbet put in a good two days removing all the shims and degreasing the four journal box areas.  The next step is to install replacement shims to square the two axles so that they are in alignment.  Jeff Bennett photo

With the receiving of a generous donation, work was started on removing the paint from AE&FR 5 by needle scaling in preparation for priming and painting.  Jeff Bennett photo

On Saturday August 22nd, AE&FR 304 was moved out of the car barn so 5 could go inside for prep work and eventually spray priming and painting.  Mike Gilles photo

By Sunday the headlight bezels were removed and more than 90% of the locomotive had been needle scaled.  The radiator louvers will be a harder item to do.

As is usual 5 was not the only project underway.  CTA 4288 continues to see progress on its restoration.

Here John is welding up some faux rivets on some new steel on the southeast corner of the car.

Thee is heating the steel with the torch so it can be bent around the corner.

Here the metal is being hammered into place while heat is still being applied.  Both Thee and John are very accomplished metal workers who did the work on 4451.

Work continues on the north end of 4288 so that the final end dash can be installed.

Here Jeff is sorting though the wiring on the #2 end.  I recall the CTA rapid transit rosters of the 1960’s having a footnote that the #2 end cabs of the married pairs of 4000’s were sometimes disabled.  4451 was not but 4288 was so all the control wiring will have to be recreated.

After an exterior power wash on Saturday AE&FR 304 , here passing over the Stop 54 cattle run, made a couple of trips on Sunday August 23rd.

On Sunday August 16th Ralph Taylor, assisted by Mike Gilles, started on-site work restoring the museum’s North Shore motorcar in the Maintenance-of-Way shed.

A replacement piston and rod were reinstalled in the Fairmount model M-9 engine and the radiator taken home for cleaning and a new gasket.

On August 8th, Ralph installed two signal bells on CNS&M 715.  They are reproductions, manufactured in the 1980’s which Jeff had acquired to replace the makeshift bells the car came to us with.  Hopefully we will someday be able to obtain the correct Adlake bells that were used on this car, but in the meantime, we now have a reliable system for conductor/motorman  communication.

Here 715 is climbing up out of Track 2 onto the mainline with Bruce Kuhnhofer at the controls.

Passengers on 715 were masked and sitting apart on another journey into the past on a Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday August 23rd Ralph put the first coat of paint on the North Shore motorcar engine after securing the head.

The cleaned-up radiator was returned as well.  Now the ignition system needs attention before the one lug engine can be mounted back onto the car frame.

Ralph and Mike lug the engine, which needs a second coat of paint, into the Maintenance-of-Way shed after another Sunday of progress.

It’s August 16th and the spraying of the cream color on CTA 4451 is underway.

Professional painter Kyle lays down the cream on the letter boards and window posts of the carefully masked car.

Under all that masking 4451 is beginning to look like the proud rapid transit car that it is.

During the week Cliff Blanck was installing the trim pieces for the flooring.  Jeff Bennett photo

A week later the train doors on 4451 finally received their exterior green paint after careful masking.

The tongue and groove flooring for 4451 has arrived and awaits installation.

The new wood flooring is starting to be installed by Cliff from the isle towards the wall.  Mike Gilles photo

Another view of 4451’s east side with the masking still evident.  The masking is kept in place until all painting is done.

I never seem to get to the museum when the new flooring is not covered to protect from errant spray painting as this is what it looked like on Sunday August 23rd.

Finally this portion of 4451 has got a good coat of paint on it.  Jeff was never satisfied with the finish he got so he passed the task onto Kyle.  Here the paint is curing into its protective, weather proof coat.  These are just some of the hundreds of steps necessary to bring the car back to operational status.

 

 


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