What strange things have you found during restoration???

We haven't found anything weird while working on 6167, BUT, what has been found in the engine over the years is another story. I've been told that people were hiding supplies of drugs in the light fixtures in the cab, and that one winter, some guy went around town shoplifting and hide his loot in the water tank. But the crowning discovery...

Was the dead guy they found in the coal bunker back in the early 90's. Seems he was living in the cab, before he decided to expire in the tender.

Who can top that?

Thankfully not us. Althogh we did have a laugh at the old style 70s camping chair we discovered in the water tank.!!

A bottle of cheap, fortified wine (empty) inside the side wall panels on a fomer St. Louis Public Service PCC streetcar, number 1743, which is undergoing restoration at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. The car went to MUNI. The bottle, I believe was a California brand, so I imainge some MUNI shopworker left it there years ago.

A large rubber dildo under a built in bunk in a work train camp car. Made me glad I didn't work for CSX.

dave

While rehabilitating BCER 1225 a 1912 St Louis Car Co built interurban we found a Queen Victoria penny and the date 1928 and the initials DB hammered by a nail point into a piece of wood. Obviously done during a period of work in the BC Electric Co. shops while in service and only 15 years old.

Before C&O Kanawha #2789 was moved to North Judson, she was in West Side Park in Peru, Indiana for over 25 years. For many years after her arrival at HVRM, we would find nuts hidden in various places on the locomotive, apparently placed there by the parks squirrels. I often wonder if perhaps those squirrels, at the same time they were hiding those nuts, had also borrowed a little asbestos to line their nests.

Les

If so, I'm sure we'll be hearing about it from a class-action attorney suing the C&O, the HVRM, the asbestos makers, CSX, and everyone else possible on behalf of the squirrels.

In the process of digging out the 1850s built ash pit, we found an old caboose toilet with flapper valves attached and functional. We excavated the ash pit last summer and did it with small picks and shovels. Otherwise this artifact would have been destroyed if we had used a backhoe. Makes you wonder what might be buried inthe turntable pit!

Later!
Mr. Ed

While doing a good cleaning to the dining room section of CTM's Car 1500, the "Northern", back in a crevice, in the floor, in what was the china cabinet was a silver nutpick. Probably the only part of the car's service left.

Ted.

We found 1 rabbit and 3 squirrel skeletons in #475's tender during her restoration. I understand how the squirrels got in there, but the rabbit has me stumped.

Rick

Helping with a boiler wash on Commonwealth Edison No. 5 (0-6-0) years ago, I washed a watch crystal out of the mud ring. It was from MY watch!!! The year before my watch band broke and the watch dropped into the cistern. I have no idea how it made it past the strainer. Never did find the rest of the watch.

That discovery of human remains in the tender sounds like a plot line for a TV show like Bones or Cold Case. (this message sent from Southern California, where "everyone" has a script idea tucked away)

While doing some work on an old observation car, we removed the old carpet. Underneath the carpet, we found a mummified cat, skin intact, flattened to probably less than an inch thick.

No idea what happened, how he got there, whether it was accidental or intentional, and no idea how long folks were saying "What's that horrible smell!?!" Also not sure how it managed to end up looking like a mummy.

Speaking of Asbestos, the squirrels that were living in 6167's turret were defineatly getting into that. There used to be a small pile of asbestos on the boiler jacket, just under the hole in the turret that they were getting in through.

Also, when we opened up the smokebox, we discovered a large assortment of washers in with the soot. No idea what that was all about.