Steam ain't the only show in town! What do you see in the bottom of the shot glass for new restorations (cosmetic or otherwise) for the 2004 season?

Again, I'll spark up the conversation with an eastern perspective.

Depots look to be faring well. The Lehigh Valley's West Penn Twp. depot should see some significant work, and restoration has been approved for the Lisbon, NH B&M station.

What eastern groups am I watching with great interest? The EL dining car guys... RMNE... Pine Creek... so many more!

What's going to make news?

Rob


rdavis@rypn.org

> Steam ain't the only show in town! What do
> you see in the bottom of the shot glass for
> new restorations (cosmetic or otherwise) for
> the 2004 season?

> Again, I'll spark up the conversation with
> an eastern perspective.

> Depots look to be faring well. The Lehigh
> Valley's West Penn Twp. depot should see
> some significant work, and restoration has
> been approved for the Lisbon, NH B&M
> station.

> What eastern groups am I watching with great
> interest? The EL dining car guys... RMNE...
> Pine Creek... so many more!

> What's going to make news?

> Rob

I'm waiting to see the "Flying Yankee" out.


http://www.flyingyankee.com
ff1044@aol.com

We will be opening the final leg of the Laurel Line to the Lackawanna County Visitors' Centre.

Visitors will be able to go from the Visitors' Centre to the Trolley Museum by trolley.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

OK, Rob, since you axed (as we say in da Bronx), RMNE's plans are:

Job One-- complete the Thomaston Restoration Shop (and yard leads). Too many years of working outside in New England weather for us. We've already proved that we are "Hardy Yankees"-- no need to keep doing that.

Other Stuff-- Replacing a bad 567C prime mover in B&M GP9 1732 and returning that unit to service. Coach dept. work will include repairs and repaint on one car, and putting another back into service. Freight car dept. is planning on completing one and possibly two caboose restorations, and completing a GATX tank car. Thomaston station may get some more interior work. And the Track dept. has a list, including some serious wintertime tree and brush cutting.

As it says at the bottom of the timetable, in small print: We reserve the right to substitute equipment and alter schedules when necessary and without notice!!!!

hpincus@mindspring.com

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has three large projects that are scheduled to be done in 2004.These are:

- The loop at the east end of our main line, scheduled for completion in April.

- The resoration of Red Arrow car 14 (fully operational) scheduled for June.

- The completion of a new large carbarn, which will provide indoor storage for all of our trolley collection, which is not yet scheduled but is likely to happen in the first half of the year.

These projects have all been ongoing for several years, and it is only partially coincedental that they will be completed in our 50th aniversary year.


artschwartz@sprintmail.com

> The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has three
> large projects that are scheduled to be done
> in 2004.These are:

> - The loop at the east end of our main line,
> scheduled for completion in April.

> - The resoration of Red Arrow car 14 (fully
> operational) scheduled for June.

> - The completion of a new large carbarn,
> which will provide indoor storage for all of
> our trolley collection, which is not yet
> scheduled but is likely to happen in the
> first half of the year.

> These projects have all been ongoing for
> several years, and it is only partially
> coincedental that they will be completed in
> our 50th aniversary year.

The FO 261 crew in Minneapolis has Skytop "Cedar Rapids" off of her trucks for inspection, virtually all of the underbody equipment stripped-off and the 480v junction box, cabling and conduit in place under the car. A generator, fuel tank and septic holding tank will be fitted and after passing an Amtrak inspection, the car will be Amtrak compliant for use on the Grand Excursion trips this coming summer. Former Amtrak 3103 has had a big gen-set hung under her with a 225 gallon fuel tank. It is already Amtrak compliant and this will make it self-contained and capable of power a couple of more cars. Steve also hopes to get one of the two "Clocker" coaches, purchased from Amtrak last year, Amtrak compliant. All of this is being done along with the normal maintenance on the 261.

We do not believe that the privately operated, mainline steam excursion is dead.....at least, not yet. Your support this summer, helping to make the Grand Excursion a success, will provide additional monies to keep #261 operating and assist FO 261 in continued upgrades to the passenger car fleet. As Bartels and James used to say, "Thank you for your support!"

Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

Any idea if anything positive has happened with "Arrow Creek" and Gold Creek", the two "Creek Series" Skytops that ended up on the Lansdowne? Last I heard, they were still sitting there on the cardeck in Buffalo, New York, with no real positive future in site. At the very least, one would think they could be a parts source!

TJ

The FO 261 crew in Minneapolis has Skytop
> "Cedar Rapids" off of her trucks
> for inspection, virtually all of the
> underbody equipment stripped-off and the
> 480v junction box, cabling and conduit in
> place under the car. A generator, fuel tank
> and septic holding tank will be fitted and
> after passing an Amtrak inspection, the car
> will be Amtrak compliant for use on the
> Grand Excursion trips this coming summer.
> Former Amtrak 3103 has had a big gen-set
> hung under her with a 225 gallon fuel tank.
> It is already Amtrak compliant and this will
> make it self-contained and capable of power
> a couple of more cars. Steve also hopes to
> get one of the two "Clocker"
> coaches, purchased from Amtrak last year,
> Amtrak compliant. All of this is being done
> along with the normal maintenance on the
> 261.

> We do not believe that the privately
> operated, mainline steam excursion is
> dead.....at least, not yet. Your support
> this summer, helping to make the Grand
> Excursion a success, will provide additional
> monies to keep #261 operating and assist FO
> 261 in continued upgrades to the passenger
> car fleet. As Bartels and James used to say,
> "Thank you for your support!"

> Don C.


"Coffee Creek" Restoration

tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

Let's see... John Bechtel and a host of volunteers were hard at it residing an ex-N&W combine the other day. It's due out in the fall as our ADA car.

BC&G 4 was getting some testing of the backhead the other day... I figure the steam group will have us a strategy on it early in the year. Won't be done in '04, but it'll make some good progress after a lengthy tear down, testing, evaluation and fund raising.

Pending completion of a match toward a T-21 grant, the Southern FP7 will go out for an overhaul and paint job sometime next year. The $ keeps coming in, so I'm pretty hopeful about that one taking place in '04.

The contractors will have the Back Shop Windows done come spring. No $ for the interior - yet, but it will be in the interim a great place to get a few more pieces under cover.



http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

The Western Railway Museum is getting close to opening another 2,000+ feet of electric rail. The new section is an s curve that has an amazing view to the souuth of Mt Diablo.

At that point, we will have the longest amount of rail under wire of any museum in the good old United States.

We continues to make progress on the Sacramento Northern 1005. Glen is a talented craftsman, he also turns out to be a great people manager, working with a crew of volunteers almost every day of the week.

A new Executive Director will come on staff to help that gray hair sybdrome so common in volunteer museum magagement these days.

ted_miles@nps.gov

> The Western Railway Museum is getting close
> to opening another 2,000+ feet of electric
> rail. The new section is an s curve that has
> an amazing view to the souuth of Mt Diablo.

Good job. Looking forward to riding on it.

> At that point, we will have the longest
> amount of rail under wire of any museum in
> the good old United States.

Really? How many miles? The East Troy Electric Railroad Museum in Wisconsin has 7 miles under wire, and we're adding an 800 foot passing siding at the midpoint of our line. It will also be under wire, as are our other sidings and spurs.

> We continues to make progress on the
> Sacramento Northern 1005. Glen is a talented
> craftsman, he also turns out to be a great
> people manager, working with a crew of
> volunteers almost every day of the week.

BTW, we will also be putting Sheboygan interurban 26 (Cincinnati, 1908) into operation in 2004. Glen Guerra did most of the work on this car as well.

> A new Executive Director will come on staff
> to help that gray hair sybdrome so common in
> volunteer museum magagement these days.

Always a good move. Get the younger guys involved.

Jack Franklin


East Troy Electric Railroad Museum
jftrolley@aol.com

> BTW, we will also be putting Sheboygan
> interurban 26 (Cincinnati, 1908) into
> operation in 2004. Glen Guerra did most of
> the work on this car as well.

> Always a good move. Get the younger guys
> involved.

> Jack Franklin

... thats quite a subtle BTW, 26 is a real gem and a milestone in restoration! Despite the G&D listed above there is a lot of dedicated work going on behind the scenes at many places that are not publicised, like East Troy ...although your unofficial car department is a wonder. Somehow the glitch in mainline steam operation and the drying up of grants does not mean the end of the line in a lot of places.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

> Steam ain't the only show in town! What do
> you see in the bottom of the shot glass for
> new restorations (cosmetic or otherwise) for
> the 2004 season?

The WW&F in 2004 plans to:

- return #10 to steam (and celebrate it's 100th birthday too!).
- build a replica water tank at our Sheepscot Station site.
- build a replica flag stop for the Alna Center site.
- put all new track in service, and build run-around tracks for both Sheepscot and Alna Center.
- hopefully choose a boiler maker for #9!

WW&F Railway Museum

> Steam ain't the only show in town! What do
> you see in the bottom of the shot glass for
> new restorations (cosmetic or otherwise) for
> the 2004 season?

Well, SCRM has several major projects in the works. There are also a few smaller projects planned.

Barring a major disaster, we ought to have the track rebuilt into Rion by spring. It's looking questionable if it'll be done for the Bunny Trains at Easter, but we *should* be running to Rion Quarry by the normal June opening (I hope, I dearly hope). We'll also be rebuilding the old granite building that served as the offices for Rion Crushed Stone as the Rion Quarry depot. The track work is being bid now, hopefully the building work will be bid after the first of the year.

Later in the year, once the State turns loose of the 2003 TEA-21 money, we'll be looking at getting USAF #1249 running again. Shaw AFB toasted the BLH RS4TC's main generator with only about 12 hours on the Cat prime mover. Sister #1276 is currently in service at the Museum. There's also money in this grant to surface and do spot tie replacement from Rockton to Summit, which was originally rebuilt in the mid '90s by volunteers without the aid of TEA-21 money. If the money is released soon enough we'll try to get that done before June, but I think next winter is more realistic for that work.

Our "stuffed and mounted" Hamton & Branchville #44 is getting a coat of paint over the winter. No real work, just making the faded and peeling paint look good again.

We had a partial asbestos abatement done on ACL #712 (a.k.a. "that piece of $%#@ in the quarry") a couple weeks ago, but have to move the engine to finish the job. Something's locked up (probably the pistons) and she won't budge. Once the asbestos removal is complete, the engine will get a coat of paint but again, not much more than that. I'm not foolish enough to project a timetable on that little project.

I've been doing a slow primer job on SAL business car #3, "Norfolk." Unfortunately other demands on my time have caused this project to happen in fits and starts with long gaps in between them. I hope to at least finish sandblasting and primering the side that shows from the road this winter.

Once the Norfolk and 44 are painted, the next cosmetic restoration project will be our express reefer. It's former ACL, sorry I don't recall the number offhand -- I think there's a picture on the Museum's website. It'll cause some heads to turn when it gets repainted because it'll go back to the ACL Champion scheme. I'm not dumb enough to put a time frame on that one, either.

The South Carolina Railroad Museum, Inc.
mconrad@msmgmt.com