1500 Progress

Kelly, Wil, Jeff P, Jayden, Adam, and Jeff K have been at work in the Northern (1500). The hallway wall visible from the viewing platform through the kitchen window is almost completely free of varnish. The upper varnished areas in the stateroom are also being cleaned up.

Wil working in hallway. Photo- Gina Alimberti

Hallway is cleaning up

Jeff working in stateroom

Kelly working in stateroom. Photo- Gina Alimberti

Stateroom varnish removal progress

2018 Trolley Care Program Starts

The 2018 Trolley Care Program series began today. Despite the cold start, we saw a good turnout for the session. Participants gathered in 1326 for an introduction then were split into two teams. New members covered maintenance on 836 with Galen and were taught about how the cars function. They were also given a tour of the shop. Returning members joined Kelly and completed maintenance on 5645. The whole group took a trip on 1326 before gathering for lunch. All enjoyed their day.

If you are interested but were unable to attend the first session, we still encourage you to come to future Trolley Care days. You can contact the museum office to be added to the mailing list for the program to receive information throughout the year.

Adam and Katy clear flange ways outside of Kelly Barn before the day began, taking over from Galen and Kelly who greatly appreciated the help

Participants gather outside 1326

Galen shows participants inside one of 1326's journal boxes and explains how the lubrication system works

Meanwhile, Rex and Bruce cleaned up inside 1500 as we prepare for the museum to open next weekend. John installed a new air governor in 2600 and replaced the air gauges on 16. All 7 cars are in an operable state as we enter the 2018 operating season.

Hidden Treasure

Removing damaged paint in the stateroom of the Northern yesterday revealed original gold leafing under a later repainting. Lots of patience and gentle scraping is bringing the pattern out. Much is damaged or missing, but there is enough left that we'll be able to recreate the original design. The light green was the original wall color. There are hard to reach areas on the car where this color was never painted over.

Pattern begins to emerge

Section of the full design on the upper walls

A corner of the pattern

A glimpse of the pattern from the ceiling. This needs more work to be fully revealed

Caring for an Oft Neglected Car

The car shop was happy to welcome Nick Green to the crew yesterday. He was quickly put to work with Kelly and Rex as they got a jump start on spring maintenance in the unseasonably warm weather. They began with the SC&ET Department's long ignored line car, S193. Unfortunately, no one could remember when the little red car last saw a complete maintenance routine and the consequences were quickly apparent. Journal bearing covers were found to be exceedingly difficult to open, partially due to the excessive weight the car has been carrying for decades. The SC&ET Department hopes to have their shop area ready soon which will give the excess equipment a new home and alleviate stress on the car. The controller was given a thorough cleaning and lubrication, the motor was oiled, and a new trolley shoe was installed. The car is now ready to face another year of work and has been permanently added to the spring maintenance schedule so it won't become neglected again. We also hope to get line car 1 running for the SC&ET Department this year which will help them in their endeavors.

The maintenance crew then moved on to 1326 and were joined by Wil. After giving the car its complete maintenance, it was taken out down the line. This served the purpose of completing a line check before opening day on March 23. It also gave Nick and Rex a chance to run a car, which they did between Winkler and Wells Roads. Both did a great job and will get more operating experience later in the year. The shop aims to have all interested crew members capable of moving cars around in the yard and into and out of the shop. Currently, half of the crew is either a fully qualified member of the Operations Department (motorman or junior motorman) or yard qualified (able to run as long as no visitors are aboard the car).

If you are interested in learning about the cars and how they work, we encourage you to consider attending the upcoming Trolley Care Program. If you cannot make the scheduled date(s), we still welcome you to stop by and see us on a Saturday (please let us know of your visit in advance, if possible). The Operations and SC&ET (Signals, Communication and Electrical Transmission) Departments are also looking for new volunteers. Please reach out to the museum office if you are interested in helping out in these or other departments.

John and Fred continued work on components for 3001 and Bruce worked on 1500 while Galen got back to work on the much needed drainage project which will alleviate flooding of the front lawn.

Old Comics and News

Work continued in the Northern this weekend. Kelly, Larry, and Brian continued to remove old varnish and paint from the bedroom. Galen worked in the bathroom and kitchen, measuring out where the sinks and stove may have been given outlines found on the wood flooring which were exposed then the linoleum was removed. Meanwhile, Fred and John keep 3001's restoration moving ahead by cleaning component parts.

Carpet remnant from 1500's hallway. We think it may have been original

Comics found under the linoleum in the kitchen date from WWII

News from 1943 found under the kitchen floor

Current status of the bedroom. Varnish is off the lower walls and paint removal has begun

Another image of the bedoom

Aftermarket Flooring is Gone

The shop was delighted to have a record size winter crew of eight in yesterday. While Fred and John continued cleaning parts for 3001 up in the loft, Galen, Kelly, Wil, Bruce, Rex, and Larry made great progress in 1500. A large portion of the varnish has been removed from the bedroom walls. Additionally, the linoleum that had been put down in the kitchen, bath, and bedroom areas has been taken up, revealing the original wood flooring beneath. Torn and stained oriental carpeting was removed from half of the car's hallway. The stubborn ice box door was removed. Bruce took it home to be cleaned up and slightly trimmed so it will no longer stick. Wil also started cleaning up seat bases for 3001 so they can be repainted.

This half of the hallway is now carpet free. The ice box door has been removed for repair

Aftermarket flooring has been removed in the kitchen and bath areas 

The bedroom walls are starting to look a lot better without a lot of their old, peeling varnish

Kicking Off 2018

After a cold, snowy, and icy end to 2017 and beginning of 2018, the shop is happy to be back to work. Fred continues work on cleaning up detailed components for 3001. Galen has cleaned the old varnish and paint form 169's clerestory windows. John is working to repair a leaking brake stand in car 16. Bruce, Rex, and Kelly have begun the shop's traditional winter work on the restoration of car 1500. This year, work continues in the kitchen and dinning room. Work has also begun in the bedroom.

Bedroom in 1500

Bedroom of 1500, looking into the bathroom and kitchen

Bedroom in 1500

Varnish removal has begun in the bedroom of 1500

Final Touches

Saturday was the shop's last chance to get in some final touches before opening day on April 1st.

Inside the Visitors' Center, John finished up the small projects on two cars while Fred cleaned up the Northern (1500). As of next week, we'll be back out in the shop, no matter the weather.

65's faux roof has been painted

10's controller has been repaired, reassembled, and painted. Visitors will now be able to use it and experience what it is like behind the controls of a trolley

Outside, we were excited to see the Overhead Department at work. They've set a new pole for the shop lead, adjacent to Kelly Barn. Once the wires have been transferred, we will be able to run cars up to the shop under their own power, something we've not been able to do for over a year due to the old pole's condition.

Bruce conducted some minor repairs on 5645. Simultaneously, Galen and Kelly finished up some maintenance on 2600. They were joined by Junior Motorman Wil Gambradella. After a break for lunch, they conducted some car moves.

Line car 1 had been left on the main shop track after car rearrangements in the Visitors' Center and under the train shed. It was moved up to outside of Northern Barn, allowing access to the shop.

Next, 16 was brought down from its winter resting place in the shop to rejoin the fleet in Kelly Barn. Maintenance was begun on the car and will be finished during the week by John so it is ready for opening day. Opening day fleet will be 5645, 1326, 2600, and 16.

836 was brought up to the shop to take 16's place. The shop will conduct a wiring inspection at the recommendation of the New Orleans Public Service (NOPS). We are also waiting to hear back from the NOPS if they have any of the special segments used in the controller for the full series and full parallel notches. These segments are worn on both controllers and need to be replaced. Unfortunately, their design is different from all of our other cars, so will need to be custom made if the NOPS does not have any that they can spare.

Wil backs Diesel 1 away from the shop after Kelly and Galen placed 836 within

Northern Work

The shop continues to work inside the Northern (aka 1500).

Here's some of the intricate inlay work in the dinning area that has been cleaned up and revarnished. This is the level of beauty that can be coaxed out of the remainder of the car. Keep this in mind

Bruce and Gary have been at work removing the cracked and splintering outer wall layer in the kitchen. This will be covered with nice, new 1/8 inch material. The hole cut into the wall by the previous owner will also be covered up. Eventually, the partition between the bathroom and kitchen will be recreated.

The orbital sander made quick work of stubborn green paint.

Terrible green and white paint has been removed from the majority of the kitchen/bath. Ceiling sections display cracks and will have to be replaced. The room's doors have been removed to give a bit more space to work in. While they're down, their brass hinges and knobs will be polished.

January Thaw

Today we were lucky enough to have an unusually warm winter day with the temperature reaching into the low fifties. We used this to our advantage, getting some work done in both the shop and Northern barn in the afternoon.

Fred, Kelly, and Bruce started the day in 1500, continuing work on scraping old varnish and paint from the walls and trim. They were joined by Bruce's brother Gary who's visiting from out of state.

Galen has been busy wiring 1201 for 120V lights so it can become an illuminated display. The new ceiling was recently installed by Motorman Sully Mrowka, and friends, as part of his Eagle Scout project.

John has gotten 3001 completely cleaned out. He and Fred worked on the car in the afternoon, Fred beginning the process of removing old paint from the wooden corner supports.

Galen and Kelly spent their afternoon chasing wires in work car 101. This car was one of the ones vandalized in 2010. Thieves ripped out the majority of the interior wiring, including the special control panel that allowed this car to operate on both 600 and 1200V DC overhead. The below images shows the empty control panel box and the 12 wire remains that used to connect to it. By using a continuity checker, Galen and Kelly were able to find points on the motor cut out switches and reverser where 11 or the 12 wires electrically connect to. It is a start in deciphering how this car was once wired. The hope is to have the car rewired and running so it can be used by the shop as well as track, overhead, and signals departments who now rely on S193 and Diesel 1 as their main means of transportation.

2017 Winter Work Begins

As some of the last of the Winterfest decorations came down, the Shop returned to work on the "Northern", Northern Ohio Traction & Light #1500. Bruce, Fred, and Kelly continued work on removing old varnish and paint from the kitchen and bathroom areas while John sanded the first coat of varnish that he'd applied to the kitchen cabinets last winter. We're all excited to be back to work on this magnificent car which once belonged to the president of this defunct trolley line.