Hello everyone-

I have had some more requests for progress photos on our GTW combine and how its coming. We have three shots which pretty well show how it started and where it is currently. You'll see them below. It may take a bit of time, but there are three pictures. The first shows the car after what remained of the exterior woodworkw as removed; two shows the car in stabilization process (hence no window cutouts in this shot---the car is outside, and this is Michigan); third was taken about three weeks ago.

In regards to what I know will be inevitable questions on the steel fire door where the Baggage Door should be in the third photo, here is the answer. When we received the car, there was only one of the original (original as of its 1891 rebuild anyway) baggage doors left. As this shot shows the side of the car that will be connected to our depot by a glass enclosure, the steel door is placed to meet code requirements. If you wish to see more detailed photos of the car, please e-mail me at tjgaffney@phmuseum.org.
Interior work is just starting, so I don't have much yet to show there, but I'll be happy to send what I have.

Thanks especially to Dave Lathrop, Angel, and everybody at the ARM/ TRAIN meeting who have given helpful suggestions, ideas, and support, as well as (in Dave and Angel's case) put up with the number of e-mails and photo attachments I have sent to them.

TJ Gaffney



Port Huron Museum

peremarquette@hotmail.com

Hello again-

I seem to be having issues with the photo link, so to view the shots, please do this:

1.) Hit the "Port Huron Museum" link at the
bottom.

2.) When you reach our homepage, hit the "Edison Depot Museum" link

3.) Go down until you see the underlined "here".
That will lead you to the link with the three photos.

Sorry for the problems.

TJG



Port Huron Museum

peremarquette@hotmail.com

Dag, T.J. What a project!

Where did you find her? Are trucks around for her?

Rob Davis

superc@monmouth.com

> Dag, T.J. What a project!

> Where did you find her? Are trucks around
> for her?

> Rob Davis

Rob-

We found her through the guys at Cuyahoga Valley. She was part of a shopping complex called "Shaker Square" which was located in Akron, Ohio. CVSR wanted a couple of ex-PRR cars that were part of it, and found that our car was going to be torched in place if it didn't find a home. Knowing that we were looking for a car with GT heritage, they contacted us, and kindly stored the car for us for a year while we got our funding in place for its restoration/ replication.

The trucks we have are what were under the car when we received it, but we do not believe they are the originals. The car's current trucks are three-axle, and from everything we can find she was built with two-axle trucks. We believe that sometime during her GTW years her trucks were replaced with three-wheel trucks (with the journal box covers marked "Grand Trunk" by the way) to try and imporve her riding characteristics. Unfortunately, finding much about GT-predecessor car histories is difficult, as much the original records were destroyed in a fire at the Fort Gratiot Car Shops in 1913. Our car was repaired there in 1891, and we know of at least two others (EJ&S #2 at Mid-Continent in 1889, and one in a private collection said to have been repaired in 1886) that were rebuilt at the car shops. She is very similar to EJ&S #2, which Mid-Continent recently found out was built by Osgood-Bradley in 1864. We have been unable to determine the build date of our car, but given the fact she was repaired at the shops in 1891, we believe it could be as early as the Mid-Continent car. Anyway, we are retaining those trucks becuase they are part of her service career, and we deemed it too difficult to find a set of original trucks for the car.

T.J.


Port Huron Museum

peremarquette@hotmail.com