Sixty years ago, IRM began its collection with the purchase of a car from the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (CRANDIC), as you probably know. We just acquired a second one!
This is our newest acquisition, the sumptuous business car Henrietta, seen here on our interchange track. Dont let its uncanny resemblance to a Rock Island commuter car fool you. Notice the classy curtains in the windows? Without the tireless machinations of our favorite Greek philosopher, Nick Kallas, this car would still be sitting somewhere in Iowa. So thats our exciting news for today!
Meanwhile, were always glad to acknowledge the otherwise unsung efforts of others, especially if we dont have to walk too far to photograph them. Joe Stupar, Greg Kepka, and perhaps others are working on the smoker of the 757, hoping to put the car back into revenue service this year. 
The floor had to be replaced, so this was the best time to remove the seats and repaint the compartment. Here we see Joe sanding down the wall.
Some of the wood needed to be stripped, but most of the surfaces are in good condition. Because this car has relatively modern heaters, Joe is able to use the built-in heating system to make it nice and comfortable. Im unwilling to try using the heaters on any of the wood cars, so I must admit to being a little jealous of the working conditions here!
Nonetheless, I spent the day in stripping paint in the vestibule, then filling in the one remaining seam where the ceiling had separated, and then painting. Except for the one seam, which may take some more work, the entire ceiling now has a first finish coat.
So its going along well. And there were a few miscellaneous tasks to work on. Henry Vincent continues to make progress on the train door in the shop. So whats not to like?
0 comments:
Post a Comment