Anyone from Illinois Railway Museum?

Bob Hall · **Joined:** Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:37 am **Posts:** 152

I need to get in touch with someone from IRM who can help me with some info about their Business Car "Ely".
Can anyone here help?
Cheers, Bob

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:05 am

Bob,

I'm certainly not the museum archivist, and I assume you've already found this, but on the off chance you haven't...

http://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/image.pl?conf=img800&img=/gallery/albums/NN10/aaa.sized.jpg

phil · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:47 pm

what is the question?

Bob Hall · **Joined:** Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:37 am **Posts:** 152

Dennis,
Thanks, they're what prompted the interest.
Phil,
I'd like to find out if the upholstery (olive Bronze?) is original or reproduction. Also if that is the authentic colour Pullman used and if there's any chance of getting either a colour swatch or even an offcut sample.
I'm trying to establish what was used in the Pullman car I'm restoring here in Canberra.
I've made contact with a Chinese company that still makes hair cloth upholstery, which is what NSW Railways used, but the photo of Ely I forwarded to them is not accurate enough for them to advise if they can match the colour.
Cheers, Bob

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:20 am

Bob,

It's likely been thirty years since I was last in the Ely, and just as long since I've given it any real thought, but... I do recall seeing the builders photo published someplace, and was struck by how different the car looked when built. IIRC, the car was built to a short lived style where each wide window was flanked by two narrow sash. Some of the interior photos on the IRM web site seem to bear this out, note the narrow panels flanking the windows in this photo:

http://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/image.pl?con ... 10/aan.jpg

Other photos of the interior seem to show that the interior partitions have considerably more detail work than the interior finish of the side walls. I don't know exactly when this conversion was done, but this GM&O diagram dated 1948 shows the car was already in it's present configuration at that time

http://history.nevadanorthernrailway.ne ... lyPlan.gif

The car was subsequently refurbished yet again by North American Car Co. in 1957. Given the extensive rebuilding and high profile use, I do not feel it very likely that the original 1889 upholstery survived unaltered.

Bob Hall · **Joined:** Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:37 am **Posts:** 152

Thanks, Dennis. Sometimes the deeper you dig, the greater the mystery!
Cheers, Bob

buzz_morris · **Joined:** Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:32 pm **Posts:** 344

I will try to get hold of IRM passenger car curator Mike B. and pass this along. See if we can come up with a swatch.

Bob Hall · **Joined:** Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:37 am **Posts:** 152

Great! Thanks for that.
Cheers, Bob