The Museum of Transportation Trolley Volunteers and museum staff moved this car into our fully enclosed trolley barn last Thursday. The recent restoration of St. Louis Waterworks Ry #10 was the cause of this car going into storage. Its track space was needed to keep the restored car under cover. You can see a view of the move on our web site's restoration projects page via the link.

Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

I'm very happy to hear that the Purdue car was moved into a totally enclosed building. However, does this mean that the Waterworks car is now in an open-sided building?

Goop

Yes, but it has to be in that area to operate it and we don't have another fully enclosed building anyway. That's always been our problem, but we're much better off then we were ten years ago when that shed was the only overhead cover at all for rail exhibits, not counting the tunnel. Now we have the much larger Roberts Building and the trolley barn, which is nearly as large, but not connected by track to the rest of the place yet. There is also the auto building, but the only rail item in it is the 1870s mule car that got us going in 1944. That was the first building of all. You can see them all on our web site.

Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

All right - it certainly makes sense to have your operating equipment under wire. By the way, how much wire do you guys have? I haven't been to St. Louis for 3 or 4 years, and at that time you had a single stretch of wire without any frogs or sidings under wire. Have you been expanding the electrification? Also, are there still plans in place for an eventual operating loop?

Goop

The electrified line is about 1000 feet long now, leading from the east portal of the tunnel nearly to the center of the Roberts Building (larger shed). The cars are stored under the Abbott Building (smaller shed) on the center track, which is also under wire for about three car lengths from the east end. This leads to the switch connecting the two tracks. We had a frog there at first but repeated problems caused it to be removed and there are two parallel wires for a short stretch over the switch. We just reset the pole from one wire to the other at the start or end of the day, making for smoother and more reliable operations. Work on a loop on the east end of the line will start soon, once some cooler weather comes. The track will have a 90 foot radius half circle, using rails obtained from Boston. The switch to connect it is already installed, and some of the track leading to is as well. The loop will go through our volunteer parking area. Poles and wire have to be erected too. We hope to have it in use next year. We've also built one high level platform at the center of the Roberts Building for use of CTA car #44, and will need a second near the tunnel to place it into regular use. You can see it at the bottom of the projects page by using the link. The tunnel will need major drainage and rock stabilization work before we can use it, and the track will have to be redone in it as well. It is now above the proper level and only goes half way through it. But progress is being made and will continue.

Museum of Transportation Restoration Projects
rdgoldfede@aol.com

Perhaps this is jumping ahead too far, but is there much available R-O-W past the tunnel? I always wondered if a loop around the ridge was possible, too.

Good question. We do own about half of the land across the ridge. The UP mainline is about 100 yards past the tunnel alignment, so we would have to curve off to the north at once. But we own plenty of space for a second loop in this area, and if we could get the last parcel a track around the ridge to the trolley barn would be possible.

Museum of Transportation Restoration Projects
rdgoldfede@aol.com