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

last week was rough with all the snow. Not a lot of progress to report.

Silver Ridge exhaust blower issue is resolved. Two days of trying to get the old mount to work failed to solve the problem, so we installed new blowers and ducting. We will of course save all of the old parts in the event we can reinstall later, but we also realized that part of the problem seems to be the alterations performed by Amtrak on the framing itself. Parts were welded together, and mount holes washed out. The motor i removed was from 1977, so amtrak was definitely in there.

The upside to the issue is that the blower is once again functioning as intended, not pretty but working, AND it will once again be quiet in that corner of the car.

The blower repair also made me review the “bandaid” wiring i had been doing in the car. It was always safe and oversized, but the circuit repairs over the past four or five years had become messy. So, this was my opportunity to resolve that issue before it got any further.

I rewired all circuits through a newly installed breaker panel in the cabinet, providing separate protection for the high and low voltage supply, plus replaced the outlet cords with properly installed outlet boxes. Again, nothing flashy, just a cleaner, long term solution to the function of the car.

Seats damaged during the Terror event should be repaired in plenty of time for public season. The roomette doors damaged are already apart, and if Nick brings home the parts we expect, all should be fine for spring.

With the snow piling up, the access to Silver Pony will be seriously reduced for the next week or so. In the meantime, we have located several of the round ceiling lights that are missing, and hope to have them on hand soon so we can cleanup that part of the cars interior.

 The blowers in thai car are going to be a challenge, as they were an earlier type, belt drive blowers. The motor is out, lying on the floor and it is definitely from an earlier time. The thing is huge and weights a ton. The fan housings are off their mounts and lying in the ceiling. This is the reason the panels were down when the car got here. Unfortunately, whoever removed the motor wasnt too fancy about the rest, so its kind of sloppy up there, but not impossible.  

We have begun to look for seat frames to deal with the missing ones, three downstairs and 5-6 upstairs. Cushions can be made, and our upholstery shop is looking for comparable fabric.

http://www.irm.org/gallery/CZ-Silver-Pony/abq

http://www.irm.org/gallery/CZ-Silver-Pony/abw

 We are also looking for dutch doors out in the parts world. They differ from the other streamliner doors. we have learned there are two main designs. The ones for this car are Truss type, which look to me like a transition from the 40s style Pullman. Latch mechanisms are in the door itself, and hinges are individual not piano style. Once again, we are exploring the realities of chronology in the design. This car is 1948 built, and the earlier technology is evident.

I hope to have a path planned for the weekend of the Soiree Feb 26. Looking at the current position, i am thinking to use the DLW coach as a passage, which will make the trek through the snow 70 feet shorter, and closer to the road. This should also give me a chance to do some more work in the Yard 5 cars.

This weekend is a board meeting, so we wont be around until afternoon Saturday for folks to come by, and not at all on sunday. Mike is planning to be out Sunday for folks that want to go see the heavy lifting going on in Barn 3, as prep work on the trucks is taking up a lot of Mikes time this winter.