Today the Fox River Trolley Museum was at Brookpark prepping CA&E 458 for its pending highway journey. Switching cars around created new photo opportunities. Once the roof work was completed, 458 was first shifted to the west end of the pit so the poles and other roof appliances could be loaded into the car. Then it was coupled again to 460, 451, 409, and 303. This 5 car train ran through the shop to position 458 outside the east of the shop. This was so 451 could be positioned for the removal of its poles, etc. 409 has already had her roof items removed by the time I came upon the scene. Todays photos have been added to the CA&E on Cleveland RTA folder at the yahoo group "The Great Third Rail", http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thegreatthirdrail/.

On Saturday 1-16, IRM will be in Cleveland to prep their 3 cars for movement. That only leaves CA&E 453 and Shaker Boxmotor OX to be prepared for transport to their new homes.

Steve Heister
Northern Ohio Railway Museum
http://www.northernohio.railway.museum

I can report that the last items have left the dock at approximately 8:30 PM 1/17/10.
The trucker just called and was just pulling out of the building with the big machines headed to CT Trolley Museum.

I'm sorry to hear that IRM has lost such an essential tradecraft. Fortunately that skill is well preserved at WRM, and our team of experts stands ready to assist in getting your forklifts stuck anytime you need.

Only last week I got one stuck... on railroad track... that was ballasted up to the top of the rails. And I hadn't even made the mistake of driving the wheels out past the end of the ties like the last time. (in that previous incident, we were saved by the fact that the fender splash guards were made out of 2" plate. We figured the lifting lug atop the splash guard evidenced a jacking point...)


Yeah, we almost did that. The trick is, keep the back end of the forklift facing where the locomotive will be. Real hard to tow a forklift from the forky end. The way I had bolluxed it up, we'd have had to call Uncle Pete.

The two big machines (the wheel press and wheel boring machine) have been successfully delivered to Connecticut. The trucker left Warehouse Point around 7:45pm this evening for Shoreline Trolley Museum to pick up a spool of wire.

I visited Trolleyville in the mid-80's shot some 8mm there, set up a shot on the reverse S-curve there dangerously close to the tracks but I measured it doing arm lengths to place the camera correctly, and the red CA&E car makes its sharp corners and looks like its going to hit the camera but veers off in the last second unscathed, quite a shot.

I motioned to the motorman, cmon!! heh, put the camera on auto run and stood back safely.

Per a posting here: http://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2010/01/cars-409-and-451-arrive.html, CA&E cars 409 and 451 arrived at IRM, and were unloaded yesterday.

CA&E 460, and CSS&SB line car 1100 are scheduled to arrive Friday.

Jeff

folks,

I wish I owned some stock in Silk Road Transport. with the moving of some 25+ cars around the country; they are going to have a special dividend some time soon!

I am most pleased to hear that the cars are getting to their new homes.

Have not heard anything about the two Cleveland cars that are going back to Seashore Trolley Museum.

Is there any thing to report on that trailer and a mass transit car?

Ted Miles

Cars are already at Sea Shore. Only 4 cars remain in Cleveland last I knew. The Fox river car is supposed to ship this monday. I have not heard the status of OX to NORM. The cars going to Scraton and Connecticut are tentative for first week of February. We have a tetative date to Unload 303 in CT on Thursday the 4th. This still is dependent on 453 making it to Brook Park.

Out of curiosity -- who has been responsible for orchestrating or coordinating all the moves? Has each museum been responsible for moving their own stuff, or have there been ringleaders from one or two museums?

I know that an eastern museum coordinated WRM's stuff.

And by the way, Silk Road is hauling a bunch of cars west to east from San Francisco to Pennsylvania, so the westward moving cars may be going on backhauls.

The museums each had a point person. some groups decided to move their own equipment. others chose to work a group buy through Bill Wall to have Silk Road move it. The other equipment is coming by various means. Ultimately, Bill Wall held control to prevent scheduling conflicts and such. So, you could call Bill the ring master of this circus:)

WRM? This is the first mention I have heard of Rio Vista Junction getting involved in the act. Maybe PCC cars and parts? North Shore interurban?
O.

The cars going from San Francisco to Pennsylvania are SF Muni PCC's that fall into three categories:
Muni 1040, the last PCC built in North America. Body is in sad shape after years of outdoor storage, and probably needs a lot of electrical/mechanical work.
Muni 1006, 1008, 1009 and 1011, the "Torpedoes", double-end PCC's, also in need of major overhauls plus in at least one car fire damage repairs.
Muni 1070-1080, the ex-Newark/NJT (originally Twin Cities) PCC's, which turned out to need electric wiring replacement. They look great but have intermittent electrical problems traced to 60-year old insulation. Anyone who's ever worked in an old house, or tried repairing a vintage radio or car knows about this situation.
As far as I know, Western Ry. Museum at Rio Vista Jct. is not involved. Also, as far as I know, this whole saga has been closely watched by many West Coast traction fans, but with only academic interest.

Where are the 16 Muni cars going to in Pennsylvania? For rebuild or to a museum?
Thanks
Bob

The Muni cars are heading to (and some are already at) Brookville Equipment in Brookville PA. They're already working on Muni 1, Muni's very first streetcar, doing an extensive overhaul to make it better than it was when it was built nearly 100 years ago. I expect that Muni 1 will be the star of the the show when Muni celebrates its Centennial on 28 Dec 2012. Also, Muni is supposed to start construction this year on covered storage for the vintage cars on the site of the former Market St. Ry. Geneva Car House, so #1 and the other railway relics will be out of the weather.
(for more info on Muni's classic streetcars and the "F" Market St. line, check Market Street Railway's website at streetcar.org).

With all the Muni cars, another candidate that would make sense (my opinion) would be Muni 1030 at the Fox River Trolley Museum. Also in rough cosmetic shape after many years of outdoor storage, this car could use some love and attention as well.

The single ended design isn't really suitable for FRTM operations, the streetcar wheel tread also not the best for their operations. Freeing up some track space as well as removing some "temptation" from the neighborhood riff-raff wouldn't hurt either.

Speaking of other cars moving here and there to make room, any word on the Johnstown car at FRTM ? I haven't been past since just after the first of the year, and it was still outdoors and exposed (with it's damaged ends, broken doors and windows. None of our FABULOUS Midwest winter weather can be doing anything good to the car.