Work Begins on Line Car

Work began on line car 1 today as part of the Trolley Care Program. Galen and Kelly were joined by Steve, Harrison, Adam, and Larry. The first goal of the day was to remove the coal stove from the car to allow the motor access hatch to open That completed, the motor leads were separated and the motors tested. Unfortunately, both motors showed indications of being wet, so drying efforts are in progress. The motors will be tested again in a few weeks to see how the drying is progressing. The crew was able to hook up the car to power using a bug and confirm that the interior lights work.
The old roof boards and cleats were removed along with the remains of the canvas roof. A new, durable roll roof will be installed on the car. Several of the cleats will be replaced and all new roof boards will be used.

Harrison and Steve remove the last pieces of old roof

The lights are on

Chris is working on replacing west end steel in 3100. The car is on jacks to facilitate this work.

Line Car 1 Brought to the Shop

The crew spent a large part of today switching cars around. Car 65 has been temporarily put into storage so line car 1 can visit the shop for inspection. The line car will be reviewed as part of the Trolley Care Program next week. Today's initial quick physical inspection was positive. Car 3100 is back outside the shop as Chris Perry will be spending the next week with us to work on it. New Jersey Transit PCC 15 has been moved up to the track outside Northern Barn where the Operations Department will work on striping and repainting both the exterior and the interior. Finally, the box car was shifted further down the loop track to allow the SC&ET Department access to the overhead for repairs.

Line car 1 is in the shop and its tarp has been removed

Motormen Aiden Nies and Owen Dalton have painted 836's floor, which was much needed and is highly appreciated.

836's new floor paint

Shimming Slider Plates

Car 355 is back in service after a two week visit to the shop. The car's slider plates (greased metal blocks that allow the body to slide over the trucks when going around corners) were re-shimmed while the car was with us. The car has settled during its time in service and was riding constantly on the slider plates, rather than only during curving. Riders will notice that the car now rocks side to side more while traveling down the line.

355 leaves the shop on its way to rejoin operations. Photo by Wil Gambardella

Work also began on re-shimming 65's slider plates as they are riding too closely to the car body. We took the opportunity of the car being outside while we switched it back into the shop after 355's departure to remove the rest of the dirt from the roof using compressed air. Work also began on cleaning up the car's clerestory windows.

Galen cleans off 65's roof. Photo by Wil Gambardella

John continues work on 3001's west end and Chris Perry is visiting to work on PCC 3100 (seen in the photo above with 355).

East End Platform Primed

The shop hosted two Scout tour groups yesterday.

John has replaced several more window supports in 3001. He's also almost done hand removing the 265 rivets from the sides of the car, a slow and time consuming process.

Kelly and Wil made great progress with the disassembly of 3001's east end controller. It is now largely apart. It will receive a fresh coat of paint and new wires prior to reassembly.

Fall maintenance is complete for the entirety of operating fleet. John will be bringing 2600 down to Kelly Barn during the week and 355 will take a break in the shop during Pumpkin Patch and Rails to the Darkside which begin on Friday.

The wooden portion of 169's east end anti-climber has been installed. Bruce applied a coat of primer to it and the platform floor.

Broken Brakes and Anti-climber Fit-up

The shop started the day with a repair to 355. The car had a derailment Thursday, leading to a broken bolt in the brake system. John and Galen were able to conduct a relatively quick repair with assistance from Adam. Unfortunately, the accident set us back half a day on the 1326's motor installation, although Galen was able to start motor assembly in the afternoon.

Chris is here for his annual visit and is hard at work on 3100.

3100 is out from under its tarp

Paul and Kelly worked on 169's front end yesterday, drilling out a hole to accept a pin when the car needs to be towed. Larry also got his first experience with bondo, filling in the gaps where the wood has split on the car's south side. In the afternoon, the car's original anti-climber was rescued from atop a tall shelving unit and the wooden potion was test fitted. The wood is relatively solid, however it shows signs that the car may have been in an accident. The metal sheathing is also deformed.

Pieces for 169's anti-climber

Anti-climber is test fitted

Cracks being patched on 169's south side