Department update 2011-02-17

not a lot, as the projects are simply moving along

I hope to update photo galleries in March and April as we begin preparations for the operating season.

No new news on Olympus or the heavyweight baggage car, but we still hope to have them all home by spring. We await the Executive directors in person review of the Denver car for prep.

Silver Pony is making a bit of progress. Cleanup and interior prep work continues,

http://www.irm.org/gallery/CZ-Silver-Pony?page=1

The one item that we accomplished this week was the installation of the lights in the corridor under the dome. With all the windows missing and boarded, it is a dark spot, so the lights help a bunch for now.

There are five more of the round lights to be replaced, but we have located them and they are on the way.

We also got some more cleanup, vacuuming much of the broken glass off the floor.

Not quite ready to walk in bare feet yet, but better than it was when it got here, for sure.

Night lights in the bathrooms are now working as well, so it is possible to SEE the grunge.

A couple more stair lights fixed.

i have added a few detail pictures to the cars web page, partly to maintain an archive of the restoration process, partly to let the more distant friends share in the “techie stuff behind the scenes”.

Seats for the lower sections are in the works, samples are at the upholstery shop, and we have located a soft blue fabric to use. On the advice of a couple of DRGW/CZ experts, pale blue was one of the colors used for the original CZ seats, so I think we are safe for this. We will need to BUILD four backs and ten seat bottoms to complete just the seat frames on hand. Its going to take a bit, as first we will have the metal seat parts fabricated, then the wood and upholstery will need to be created.

Even though we dont need to replace all of them right now, of course I want to settle on a good fabric to use throughout the process, which might take years.

With the seat cushions being repaired/created,  we still need to find a source for the two missing frames for downstairs and about six frames for upstairs. We measured them, and discovered that while the frames are identical design, the dome seats are two inches narrower than the downstairs seats. It makes sense because the coach seats are intended to be a “home” for two days, while , in theory, the dome seats are for temporary occupancy.

Now, we ALL know better, as folks would spend the entire trip in the dome if they could.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, its important to remember that the work is just beginning on this car, and we have some rather expensive repairs in the near future just ot make the car presentable.

 I estimate about $5K for windows , plus another 4-5 K for the missing seat cushions. This is NOT including replacing the missing frames or the broken dome glass OR the track space costs.

Therefore, I once again remind everyone that donations are needed, and will be used specifically for car of your choice.

Many thanks to everyone that has contributed thus far, and we hope to use your gifts wisely.

http://www3.irm.org/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_7