16's New Roof

 This week in the shop, 16 went up for a usual inspection. During this time, John found that the roof of the car was in need of work and possibly even replaced. Car 16 is currently still in the shop being worked on.

Also during this week, 5645 is getting some final touch ups and work done before its return to service by roughly the end of the month. 

Car 1326's paint work is 90% complete with the rest of the work being touch ups on the red paint. Special thanks to Roger P. and his crew for being so dedicated to repainting that car!

In other news this week, for the first time in many months, our two Connecticut Company Cars are finally next to each other in Kelly Barn! These cars really turn some eyes while on display.

Keep an eye out, there are a lot more projects coming soon that you're sure to want to see!

355 Returns to Service

 Last Monday, during the final run of the day it was discovered that car 355 had developed a brake issue. This issue was causing axle 3's brake shoes to drag on the wheel, rendering the car very difficult to move. John attempted to resolve the issue by using 355's hand brake wrench to manually release the handbrake, but was unable to fully release the handbrake. Roger P. from operations then brought the car up to the shop to receive a further inspection. 

Thanks to John's hard work, the car was released into service on Saturday and ran without issue. 

Sully M. and Brian O. bringing 355 down from the shop

At the end of the day on Saturday, 16 was brought into the shop to receive some much needed work on the roof of the car.

Roger P. continues to work on repainting the sides of 1326 and hopes to be done within the next week or so. Most of the remaining paint needed on the car is the red striping down either side of the car. 

A New Paintjob

 Over the weekend, thanks to the help of Operations Manager, Roger Pierson, Car 1326 has been receiving a new paintjob. After receiving the mixed paint from John, Roger, along with Wil, Jayden, David, and John Z. began painting both sides of car 1326. The red lettering was first covered in painters tape and will be redone after all of the yellow coats are completed.

Car 1326 primed and waiting to be painted

Car 1326 after being painted on one side

Once one side of the car was completely painted, it was brought up to the shop where it was discovered a motor lead was broken, causing wheel slip as the car tried to climb the shop lead. John promptly found the issue and replaced the broken motor lead.

November 2020 Update

 A lot has happened at the museum since we last posted. 

As of 11/21/2020 the 4, 355, 836, 16, 1326, and 303 (for special service) have been serviced and are ready for operations.

John continues to work on Line Car 1 and 3001. Line car 1 should have functioning controllers on both ends of the car soon as well as design ideas and prep for the safety platform and diving board system for service in 2021 (Date TBA). 

Minor work continues on 5645 including doors, controllers, and getting the car prepared for overhaul work in 2021.

Dennis Pacelli has been instrumental in assisting John and taking on projects of his own to maintain and keep our fleet in excellent operating order.

303 needed 2 extra days of work to repair, service, and bring the car to operational standards because of Dennis's outstanding effort. 

101 and 18 will also be getting work done in 2021. In 2021 we will continue to rebuild the track and overhead infustructure on the museum property and having good service cars and locomotives at the ready.

Thanks to our new Track Department head Camilo Santiago, a section of North Road Track 2 has been dug out and new ties put underneath it to support the track. 

Camilio replacing a rail on North Road Track 2

We'd also like to extend a huge thank you to Roger Pierson and his crew for their dedication to decorating the inside of the Visitor Center for Winterfest this year!

Work on 303 Continues

 John found wiring problems with Line Car 1's controllers during the week. We are still looking to have the controllers and handbrakes at the west end working properly by the end of this week. The shop is currently working on plans for the new upper work platform which will be a fixed stationary platform with a diving board system. The shop will also patch up any holes in the roof and winterize the car. 

John replaced the top of 1326's west end brake stand resolving the stiffness completely. Ryan Boucher also replaced the west end pole rope of the car as it was showing signs of wear. 

Work continued on 303 during the week and is showing great progress. Currently the 4 motors of the car are being baked to dry them of moister from the car's extended vacation in Northern Barn. The resistors have been inspected and given a clean bill of health from Dennis. The controller group is currently being inspected. The roof wiring is being replaced and conduit is being reattached on the car. Scraping of pealing paint has begun on the car and touch up paint will be applied. All leaking roof spots are being sealed with tar to re-waterproof the car. 

John putting sealing tar on the roof of 303

The headlights grounding is also going to be fixed. Hopefully this week 303 will be air and line tested. stayed tuned for updates throughout the next several weeks as progress continues.

Once 303 has completed her maintenance and check rides the shop will be moving on to car 101 where she will receive the same heavy servicing that 3030 has undergone. Check back weekly as work continues.

1326's Brake Stand Gets Cleaned

 Over the past week, some of the operators who ran car 1326 noticed the west end brake stand becoming stiffer over time. On Saturday, John looked inside the brake stand and saw that dirt and grime has been clogging the brake stand, limiting its ability to move. The cleaning process only takes 10-20 minutes, so the stand will be cleaned out weekly to prevent the brake becoming stiff. 

Inside of 1326's west end brake stand

West end brake stand without the top attached

The shop has also been working on 5645. The bearing problem has been solved, but it has also been discovered that 2 motors are in need of repair. These motors will need to be sent for repairs in late December or early January.

We would like to give another massive thank you to John, our current shop manager for all of the hard work that he and his team have been putting in to keeping the fleet operational. We'd also like to thank Rob, the President of the CTM, Justin, the Operations Manager, and the Operations department for the hours of hard work they have put in to organizing and helping the shop finish projects to keep the cars in working order. Thank you to all!

Welcome Back to The Fleet!

 The shop has been busy over the past two weeks and has made some outstanding progress getting some of our normal fleet back into operations. During the previous season in October a ringing sound was heard from one of the motors of car 1326, and was eventually taken out of service to be repaired. The car has finally been repaired and has been put back in service for public runs! Welcome back 1326!

1326 in the yard (photo by Wil Gambardella)

Once 1326 was returned to operations, it was 16's turn to go in for some maintenance. 16 was due for work on the brake and motor systems, both of which have been completed. 16 is now running again on all 4 motors as well as a clean brake system. Welcome back 16!

The next few weeks will be spent preparing the final cars (5645 and 65) for their return to operations. 

Passing the Torch

This post is a week late and for that I apologize. It will also be my last for now. Galen and I have both reached a point where is it best for us to step away from the museum. We leave the shop in John's capable hands and I leave this blog with in the hands of my wonderful crew. I'm sure they'll keep you up to date on goings on in the shop.

With 1326 in the shop for motor repairs, Lou has begun refurbishing the controllers, another needed job.

Lou works on disassembling an arc shoot set from 1326

Scott is helping John out with 3001 by completing final cleaning on the journal boxes.

Scott pauses in his work to say hi

Tad is making great progress on 169. He's gotten much of the front of the clerestory prepped and has started priming work on the sides where accessible.

Clerestory paint work in progress on 169

While it's hard to say goodbye, I know the cars are in very good hands. I can still be reached via the contact gizmo on the sidebar if you need to get a hold of me for whatever reason. All the best. Kelly

Hello, 1326!

1 was released from the shop after Galen completed repairs to the east end tow point. This will allow us to safely tow the car with the diesel if needed. The car returns to Kelly Barn where it remains out of service until further improvements can be made.

We had a week of air system issues with both 16 and 65 being placed out of service. Jeremy came in and assessed 16, tracing its problems to a hole in one of the pipes. Unfortunately, the pipe was inaccessible in Kelly Barn so repairs had to wait a few days until the car could move up to the shop. Galen and Kelly replaced the rotted pipe and returned the car to limited service. 65 has been diagnosed with a rotted out gasket in the main brake cylinder. We've begun soaking bolts in PB Blaster and hope to complete repairs in the next few weeks.

16's old air pipe clearly shows the source of the leak

New air pipe in 16

Mike has added logos to S193 and completed painting the hand rails. Compared to where this car was last year, it has made a complete transformation, all for the better.

1326 was moved back into the shop so we can being repairs to the motors next week. We expect repairs to take about eight weeks if all goes well. 15 was moved in front of the shop to give the Operations Team better access to power so they can continue exterior cosmetic work. 5645 has been moved to storage while it waits its turn for repair.

1326 waits for repairs

Change of Fleet

We're saddened to report that 5645 has been removed from service. The car developed a hot box with bearing melting last week. Inspection revealed that the journal boxes are skewed in the frame indicating box and/or slider plate failing. The car will require extensive truck work, similar to what John has been doing for 3001. At this point, with both of our small shop trucks under 3001, we've decided to place 5645 in storage and prioritize repairing 1326 which will be a shorter repair time-wise. We're ordering a cart to aid in safely dropping 1326's armatures into the pit and hope to start work by fall.

On a happier note, we welcomed Steve Giarrusso to the shop yesterday. He replaced the failed compressor switch on 355. He then joined Kelly in performing routing maintenance on 16. Galen completed temporary truck repairs for the car and it has been released for limited service. We hope to see 16 running one trip a week for the public. It has also be designated as the official training car for new motormen.

Scott completed varnish work in 836 and it will be running regular service, replacing 5645 as the main closed car. We've also released 65 to limited service, allowing it to complete one trip a week. Both 16 and 65 have old rattan seating which cannot stand up to the rigors of coronavirus cleaning, so the cars must quarantine after meeting with the public as their method of disinfecting. The Operations Department will schedule the cars to ensure adequate time for the virus to die off between passenger trips.

Tad has completed removal of the paint from the undersides of clerestory sides on 169. He also completed primer work on the east end wall.

169's clerestory sides are now paint free

Primer work is complete on east wall of 169

Lou completed a window repair on 836 and made a new gasket for 18's brake stand.

Lou works on cutting a new gasket for 18

Car Beautification and More

The shop would like to thank the Operations Department for all their hard work on beautifying the fleet in September. We're sorry we're so late in doing this. Thank you Justin Chasse, Mike Luzzi, Jeremy Stager, & Roger Pierson! Also thank you to Aiden Nies and his team for painting all the car floors this year!

Painting 16's controllers and handbrakes. Justin Chasse and Mike Luzzi photos

New car signs for 4. Mike Luzzi photo

Newly painted floor on car 4. Mike Luzzi photo

Touching up paint on car 4. Justin Chasse photo

Preparing 836 for paint. Justin Chasse photos

Fresh paint on 836's controller. Justin Chasse photo

In other news, John is working on truck repairs for 3001. The second armature has been repaired and will be picked up this week. Galen repaired thrust collars on car 4. Kelly documented and disassembled a replacement arc shoot set for line car 1. This set will be cleaned up and reinsulated over the winter then installed in the spring to replace the decayed set in the car's west end.

Car 1326 has been placed out of service for the rest of the year due to its reoccurring gear issues. Car 65 will be brought back to the shop for final preparation for running during the Winterfest season. Anyone who would like to help with preparing car 65 is encouraged to reach out to Kelly and Justin.

John works on 3001's trucks

Disassembled replacement arc shoot set for line car 1

Justin and Jeremy have also been at work scrapping out the remains of the boxcar that had been in Newbury siding. The car is mostly gone and will be fully removed this month.

Bringing the boxcar remains in from Newbury Siding. Justin Chasse photo

Scrapping in front of Northern Barn. Justin Chasse photos

Fall Maintenance Complete Thanks to Troop 818

The shop would like to thank the 9 members of Scout Troop 818 who came out last weekend to help finish fall fleet maintenance. Cars 355, 4, and 16 were cared for. You were awesome and we hope to see you again.

Repairs to car 1326 are completed and it returned to service yesterday afternoon. Car 4 has come to the shop to have some preventative work done. We're applying fresh lacquer to the motor windings. Car 4 will be out of service for several weeks while the repairs happen.

OPs Progress on 15

The Operations Department continues to work on PCC 15, removing old paint and putting on a fresh coat of protective primer.

Chief Motorman Roger Pierson pauses while applying fresh paint to 15 (Ryan Trombly photo)

Motorman Sully Mrowka works on removing old paint from 15 (Ryan Trombly photo)

Fall maintenance has begun for the operating fleet. Kelly and Adam cared for car 836 then jumped up to the shop to help Galen and Rob Brogle with 5645. These two cars are now ready for the special events season. Galen, John, and Rob repaired a damaged brake beam on 5645 yesterday. Car 1326 is back in the shop with more motor gearing issues. It will be out of service for several weeks while the repair is made and additional preventative actions are taken. Maintenance work for the fleet will continue next weekend.

The first armature for car 3001 has returned from refurbishment.

Roofing Started on 1

Galen, Brian, and Tim began the installation of the roll roofing onto line car 1. All material is laid down. It will need to be tucked and trimmed at the edges and the seams sealed. They began marking out positions for the roof cleats.

Roof in place on 1

Galen and Brian work on fitting roofing (Tim Lesniak photo)

John continues work on 3001's air piping.

New east end piping in 3001

New west end piping

Car 1326 was returned to service. Motor repairs are complete and the car is running nicely.

Air Pipe Work in Progress on 3001

John has been at work replacing 3001's air piping. He started with the west end brake stand and is moving down the car.

3001's new west end brake stand piping

The Operations Department has started work on the repaint for PCC 15. The are striping the old, peeling paint from the exterior of the car and will begin priming the bare metal as they work around the car.

Chief Motorman Roger Pierson removes paint from 15 (Ryan Trombly photos)

We welcome John Schnabel back to the museum and the shop.

1326 is in the shop for repair. The nut that holds the pinion gear on the armature worked itself loose on motor 2. There is minor damage to the nut and armature to be repaired. We will also readjust the brushes on motor 4 and fix a leak in the west end brake stand while we have the car. The car will be out of service for a few weeks. We thank Morgan Cummins and Roger Pierson for reporting the car sounding "off", which let us catch the issue before it got any worse.

Motor 2 gears on 1326, notice the misalignment between the gears

Lots of Fresh Paint

A couple of weeks ago we were happy to host an United Way Day of Caring group of systems engineers from Pratt and Whitney. Among other things, they got some painting done on 18. They touched up the sides where John and Steve completed the patch panels and added fresh stripping to the ends.

Completed patches and new paint

The Operations Department has jumped on to helping out with improving the appearance of the operating fleet. They have started with 1326. Operations Manager Justin Chasse and Chief Motorman Roger Pierson touched up paint on the sides and added the missing striping and number to the south side. Motormen Aiden Nies and Owen Dalton repainted the floor.

1326's newly added number and stripes

 Owen at work on the floor of 1326 (photo credit Aiden Nies)

Finished floor in 1326

Work also continues on 3001. The armatures from motors 1 and 2 have been sent out for rewinding. The field coils have been removed from the motor casings. The end caps and gear cases have been cleaned.

Adam, Brian, and Galen work on removing field coils

Lou and Galen work on separating field coils