Priming and Welding

The majority of 169's east end platform is now wearing a fresh coat of primer. Bruce has removed the pocket door and is in the process of cleaning it up. The door was sticking, so the sliding mechanism will be examined before the door is reinstalled.

169's east end platform sports new primer

169's east end door is cleaning up nicely

Larry primed 18's doors yesterday and Galen began repainting the roof. Meanwhile, John gave Kelly her first welding lesson and the side of the locomotive now bears its first steel patch where the side had rotted out.

18's east end door primed

18's south side prepped for weld

 18's first patch panel is in place

Pat has removed the troublesome starter from the auger truck. A rebuilt or new starter should be installed next weekend to get the truck back up and running for the SC&ET department. The truck is used to create holes for setting new telephone poles along the line to support the overhead wire.

Sprucing up 18

With a beautiful spring day, lots of work was accomplished.

Kelly, Brian, and Wil greased the motor gears for the majority of operating fleet.

The crew also made great progress on 18. Larry and Fred painted the west end cow catcher and window frames black. Galen prepared the locomotive for the installation of the new brake pipes and worked to patch the hole in the roof. Rex and Jordan vacuumed out the interior of the locomotive, clearing years of debris from the floor and ensuring there were no fire hazards inside the electrical boxes and controllers.

Freshly painted window frames on 18

18's west end is looking better

John has removed one of the steps from the side of 3001 where the treadle door will be eliminated. Kelly got back to work on cleaning up the east end controller. Fred also got in a bit of work removing paint from 169's east end platform ceiling.

Brake Work Begins on 18

As the afternoon brought some warmth, Galen, Brian, and Kelly began working on locomotive 18. The east end brake stand was removed and the sections of rotted out piping were located and removed. New pipe will be installed, sealing the leak in the air system. Additionally, removal of the steel plates under the windows on the interior began. This will give the crew better access for weld repairing the rotted areas on the sides of the locomotive.

Brake stand is out

2018 Operating Season is Underway

While operations began last weekend, worked continued on maintaining operating fleet. Kelly, Wil, and Rex cared for car 355. Galen helped as well, replacing a defective brush holder in the compressor. Locomotive 18 was placed back in front of the shop where we hope to have time to work on it again soon.

Yesterday, we were happy to see Julia Saari-Franks and Christopher Franks, current participants in the Trolley Care Program. They helped Kelly maintain cars 4 and 16, finishing the spring maintenance for the operating fleet. They then moved on to scraping paint on 169 while Kelly continued cleaning up 3001's east end controller. With spring weather arriving, we're all glad to be back out in the shop.

John has begun planning the year's work for 3001. Fred and Bruce continue to clean up seat bases for the car. John and Kelly also discussed potential other projects for the year, including some much needed floor painting for operating fleet.