First the good news

the shop trucks , which Mike and crew have been slaving much of the winter, are DONE!!!!

Sunday saw them finish the last axle, freeing it in its mount and doing the other things needed to make it functional for use.
They will NOT, repeat NOT be functional for service, but they will be used to allow us to at least get cars on wheels and move them around the property.
They are all really happy that miserable project is done.

Next the bad news

It appears that the timetable for Olympus remains stalled a bit waiting for shop time in St Louis as preparation for its travel to IRM.
This probably means that in early May, after the road restrictions are lifted,  the CBQ heavyweight baggage and Silver Pony will get mounted on wheels, but it means that the shop trucks will have to go under the dome and a second crane set will have to be planned once Olympus gets in.
Sigh…

And the rest

This weekend is the start of the prep for Opening Day, now less than two weeks away. so for the next couple of weeks we wont be getting much done on Silver Pony.
The immediate plan is to get Barn 3 completely ready for the public; all lights checked, all public areas cleaned up.
Much was done this past weekend toward that goal. All the car lights are done, and all the primary description signs are up. 
Next weekend is time to clear aisles, replace railings,  and do a general cleanup. with the trucks done and out of the way, Mike plans to spend next sunday clearing the “shop” space.
We even managed to gain some help for some of the cleanup. Eric Oleson and his “crew” are on spring break, and  he convinced assistants Aiden and Emmy to come out and help him. Windows cleaned, counters dusted. Time well spent when we were busy with other tasks. Thank you to Eric and all.
Next, we will go through Yard 5 making the paths clear and safe, as it is an area that does not get a lot of supervision.
If the weather cooperates, we can start on Wednesday, we inspect all the equipment, placing warning signs and anti climbing placards. This year we hope to improve the traffic control a bit, especially on the east end of the yard where folks sometimes wander into closed areas. The exhibit cars will be open as a separate time, pending Jons ability to get the displays ready.

Finally, in time for Mothers Day, we will have the streamliner set put together and cleaned up. I really will try to have them open as “construction zones” in April as I have done in the past, but no promises, as there remains some significant work to do in the aisles, especially in Silver Ridge.
Doors are off their hinges/rollers waiting for parts, and the the carpet in the hallway is still all skewed out of line.I have to pull the heater covers the entire length of the hall to get it loose and repositioned.
Not complicated but a days worth of work. Then the displays all need to be set up, TVs, videos, handouts, not to mention all the air conditioners get re installed in vestibules.

OK enough doom and gloom

Everyone is always welcome to stop by and say “hi”.  I may not have a lot of time to chat, but seeing folks helps keep us going.

As always please remember the cost of all this is not small.
Silver Pony, Olympus and the rest of the Passenger Dept continue to need (and appreciate) any and all financial support possible, large or small. We promise that evey donation will be used to its fullest.

The donation link for the IRM store site is listed on the right side of the page.  Thanks to everyone that has donated.

another weekend of steady progress.

All diaphragm joints in streamliner sleeper train have been closed up so when we get AC we should be able to control the space fairly well.

RDC paint removal continues, and we hope to have the interior cleared enough to at least let railfans in for Memorial Day weekend. It wont even be close to clean, but it will not be dangerous, so we will provide two entrances; one for the fans, one for folks that want to bypass it.

http://www.irm.org/gallery/CNW9933/aal

In the current configuration, we even got the side curtains between the cars to work, so another real railroad device will be out for view.

The single missing counter light in Birminghams kitchen finally got fabricated, (dont blame anyone else but me, i was trying to find one before making one) and now its installed. Kudos to R&B Metal, as they turned out a great unit, better than i expected.

The one project not completed this weekend was to track down the electrical circuit feeding the outlets in Silver Ridge. i want to connect the DVD video displays in the car itself, and eliminate the “extension cords through the corridor” syndrome and the “cords down the potty hole” syndrome. The car works as designed, it just has this one quirk i havent figured out yet.

On the Barn 3 side, Mike found a CRIP coach with bad wheels, so its OOS until the board can arrange wheels. Two other coaches were tested and cleared, and so Memorial Day will have a four car coach train. The fifth and sixth cars will be along shortly, one needs a valve, one needs testing and a ceiling panel.

Kind of a drag, but Mike seems to end up with coach work all year long now. I am sure he would love to do some restoration work but he takes his responsibility seriously and needs to be appreciated for the effort. If he ever get sout from under the coaches, he will need to work on the open coach, “known as the Vista Kallas”  and work will be needed on the Glen Springs.

Dave got the prep work done to open the walkway to allow access to the Susan Marie, and we hope to have a second set of cars open for view soon. He also got the roof replaced and new side light panels installed before the Barn 11 project begins. Thanks Dave!

On Monday May 19, Operation Lifesaver made a stop at IRM  for lunch and brief tours. It seemed to go well, and lots of folks seemed to enjoy the visit.

http://www.irm.org/gallery/album75

 now we have a youtube video of the train on pulling out of the museum after their visit as well

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=TL43-c-MyIQ

If the switch crew gets the two coaches out on the train, we may be able to get the Barn 3 moves done, and get Galt House in position to open for visits as well. We would then have two sets open for passage, and a total of 12 of 15 cars inside the barn lit.

We have a need for more docents if anyone is interested in “sitting” with one of our parlor cars. Shelly is working hard to get Ely ready, and if we open Susan Marie, it will require another volunteer. Friendly atmosphere and light workload, meet neat folks that want to enjoy the cars. If you have time please let Mike or I know, and we will be happy to have cars open based on availability.