Museum site for members and fans.

[trolleyboy]

Good morning folks. Looks like another scortcher is already well on its way to happening up here.

To the new news at the HCRY :

The TTC snowplow TP11 has now had it's truch sideframes rewelded, and has passed all their needed inspections for final assembly and installation of the rewound traction motors and new steel wheels and axle sets. We had initially pulled her out of service three years ago due to chipping and cracking of her original as installed cast iron wheels.We have found that steel wheels will wear and last much longer than the cast iron variety, si cars which we intend to operate, and operate regularly will get the steel wheel upgrades. So for TP11this should start the home stretch as it were for reassembly of the car and many more years of reliable operation.

We still have had no further lick getting the developement fees for the new barn waived or reduced,talks I'm told are still ongoing. The remainder of the funding for the bar skeleton is in place we are now just waiting for the go ahead to build. ie The developement fees agreed on and paid.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Good evening folks.

Art - Hey thanks for stopping by. Always nice to hear from another traction fan. I thought myself that that was an odd looking bit of overhead. I can't for the life of me figure out why it was strung that way. I'm used to the single track single wire city trackage like that which we use at the museum. I'm wondering pan + pole trackage ? strung a different way.

JR - No progress yet. We are still trying to sort out the insane developement fee. It's still being negotiated. We have one switch at the east end that's off limkits at the museum. It's and old stub switch that leads to the raised  loading ramp at the east end of the property. We haven't run a car into there in probably three years now. With the loop at the east end this track is extra now anyway so the replacement of the switch and the switch stand are a low priority. The main thrust right now at the museum is ongoing overhead pole replacement. We still have eight of the original poles to change out. we've used them for 50 years and they were used when we got them.Still you can't beat those pld wood poles they've given us stirling service, but now it's time to retire and replace their wood pecker chewed carcases. Good luck on the part sorcing. Keep us posted.

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

The middle picture (Los Angles) posted by wanswheel showed something I've never seen before. Three, count'em - three, overhead wires. The pic shows only the front end of the bus but it must be electric.

Sure would be hard to find that nowadays.

Art

[GMTRacing]

Rob,

   Thanks for the tip on MLW/Bombardier. I have spoken to a couple of other people about the filter housings and found so far that they are no longer made at least by the people I spoke to.... I can fab up new parts, but I'll try getting NOS replacements first. Haven't  gotten as far as hard parts yet and probably won't for a while but it's good to know the 251 is still being made somewhere. At this point I'm still waiting for the fiirst batch of bits to come back from the blasters so I can start straightening and repairing. How is your new shed and trackage coming? Lurking out in our yard is still a really bad section of track and a couple of  now off limits switches. Only have room for so many first priorities at once right?   CUL<J.R. 

[trolleyboy]

Good evening folks.

JR - Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what that RS needs.Good top hear that it sounds to be mostly functional as well.I'm guessing that you guys are on a tight ( free is good ) type budget for this restoration.One thought may be to contact Bombardier in Montreal. last I heard they were still manufacturing 251 prime movers and spare parts seeing as they had assumed control of MLW in the 1970's. I had heard at one point that GE was still making spare parts for 251 series prime movers as well. You may be able to pick up brand new spares. Use dparts are always an option, but I know from experiances the museum has had over the years, that sometimes the spares can need as much or more work than the original parts. One other thought would maybe to get in touch with the Mexican railways. they had upto a few years ago ran alot of MLW's and Alco locomotives so they may still have parts to burn as it were. that or even try CN with their takeover of BC rail in the last couple of years they inhertited alot of MLW locomotives so full locomotives and engines and engine componenets may be available from CN as well through their CANAC leasing and selling arm.

 

Rob

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

Finally got some time in between races to get started on the DL701/ NH1402. The locomotive looks fairly intact and was running when rescued from quarry duty in Georgia. It has had a repaint at some time but is still black and still had painted over Penn Central letterng on it (since removed).

   We started loosening the pivot pins and handles for the doors and roof panels and removing the filters grates and shutters from the long hood. We will need some metal work and welding on the roof and hood junction, and the compressed air cooling line covers will need some rust and damage repair. The plan as it exists for now is to do cosmetics and stabilisation to the outside and clean the engine bay out while panels are off for stripping/straightening/primer. There are a couple of inches of sludge covering parts of the motor and all the floor.

   I would like to source spares for the filter carriers 19 5/8" x 19 5/8" x 2 1/8" steel boxes with grille work and replaceable elements. as they have been bodged and some are pretty badly rusted. I can make them from scratch if need be, but it is off to google for spares unless someone else has a good idea where we can look. All for now as it is time to get to my real job.  CUL,J.R.

[trolleyboy]

Greg , thanks for stopping by.If you get a chance why not pop back with some more info on the movings and shakings at your museum. It's always nice to chat with members of other organizations.

Mike, great photo urls as always sir thank you for sahring them.

 

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm a member of the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, IN.  We're a 19-mile, all-volunteer operating railroad museum and are known for our collection of Lima-Hamilton locomotives (we have 3 on site).  We offer a variety of train trips through the year, our main season being May-October.  Each February through March we offer classes -- meeting on the 8 Saturdays during those months -- and graduates can go on to crew trains, etc.  I started three years ago and am a conductor.  For more information about us, please see our website http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/.

Greg

[wanswheel]

Hi Rob, check out these 3 pictures of streets with streetcars, enlargable to full screen.

Chicago in 1941 http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/archives/cushman/full/P02386.jpg

Los Angeles in 1952 http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/archives/cushman/full/P05735.jpg

El Paso, TX in 1959 http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/archives/cushman/full/P10510.jpg

[trolleyboy]

Good day again folks,been a busy sort of month at the museum( work wise ) our customer counts a bit down due to some on going construction on the main road in.We have made some progress in other area's however. The Queen of the fleet interurban car L&PS # 8 is now fully back into the swing of service, headlinning the weekend runs at any rate.Our collection of CPR frieght cars are all now in place, two insulated boxcars which are now parked on a standard guage pannel of track,thes are being readied for some internal conversions, man entry ways with a stair case joining the two togwhter and full HVAC installation which will allow them to be the permenant home of the musuem's paper,picture and document collections. all things requiring proper climate controlled storage. Two other boxcars and a ballast hopper are being converted to the museums's TTC guage and will be used as parts cars which can be moved to where they are needed along the line or yards in the case of the boxcars, the ballast hopper will be used for ballasting, nio longer will we need to do it by hand.All in all it looks to be shaping up to be a busy summer,.

 

Rob

[trolleyboy]

JR thanks again, getting large crowds out and interested is an extremely important thing for any railway museum. Good luck up at Mosport this year.

Rob

[GMTRacing]

Rob,
The show is in conjunction with the people at Strassburg, Pa. who run the historic railway. The engine was built in their shops (as was Thomas). Nice fellow that came up to oversee the works. We needed to adjust a couple of things and he got right in there and pitched in to help put it right. we didn't get the same numbers as we did with Thomas, but I think the up fronts are more reasonable. The big thing is to get parents and kids in to the museum. Shows like this can only help. I'll see if I can get a web address for you. J.R.

[trolleyboy]

Thanks for popping buy again JR. Sounds like a similar deal as the Thomas The Tank engine display that wheels around the various railway museum's. A good tool for bringing in a decent gate. One Good Thomas weekend can set a musuem's budget for the year ! Unfortuanltly we don't run on standard guage so we can't usually pull off these types of shows. Do you have a website for this road show. If so I'd like to send it into the directors at the musuem. Never know it may be something that we can do.

Rob

[GMTRacing]

Morning All,
Rob - "the Little Engine That Could" is a 4 - 2 - 4 mock up that looks just like the book cover. It tours the country as a franchised show with a ton of requirements and gets a cut of the gte in return. Promotion is up to the hosting organisation along with the final mix of story tellers food vendors, etc. Looks grim for profits this year, but you really need a 3 year plan and commitment for stuff like this to see how the idea trends. It all comes under the heading of "what we do to play with trains". I'll let you know how it went after next week.
Of course next week I'm back in Ontario for Mosport again so I'll miss the second week of the show. One good thing is the work on the coaches came out really nice.
CUL,J.R.
the latest DRM newsletter is available on site at www.danbury.org/drm

[trolleyboy]

Good evening again folks. JR Hey thanks for popping buy and with pictures too[tup] Looks like your workforce is doing a bang up job on those resterations. I can almost here that Alco growl [tup] RS's of any sort are a personal diesel favourite.I know off all the trials and tribulations of getting funding and fund raising, so much to do so little cash is the railway musuen's credo I'm afraid. Still any little idea helps so long as it adds to a museum's operating budget. The fund raiser you mnetioned sounds interesting. Is it a travelling play or a travelling rail exhibit of some sort? I'd be interested to see if it's something we could look at later on this year.Again don't be a stranger pop by with updates anytime you wish.

Rob

[GMTRacing]

God Morning from Danbury. Since Rob inspired me with the tour of the HCRR works last year I've joined the workforce at the Danbury Railway Museum and gotten involved there.
Currently we are working on a fund raiser using the touring company of "the Little Engine That Could" so our major work this year to date has been in preparation for the event. To that end we did cosmetics onthe interior of the four coaches we got from the State of Connecticut on lease, installing a sound system and so on.
We do all the work out in the elements at this time so one of our goals will be getting funding to erect a shed or building so work can progress year round. Our premises are at the Danbury station which has the loop track enclosing the old rail yard. We have been given a long term lease for the yard so that's where we operate for now. There used to be a roundhouse and back shop on the site but those were torn down in the 60's because people kept setting the buildings on fire, but the turntable still exists and was excavated and put back into use. As we get back to work in the yard, I'll try to post photos and update. CUL, J.R.


ex New Haven 1402 awaiting restoration in the yard


NH caboose on turntable


RS sitting on pad of old roundhouse next to our tool car

[trolleyboy]

Good evening again everyone.It's been a busy spring of getting ready for this summers season at the museum. We still have not got any sort of reply on the fee's but we are still fighting the fight as it were.

On an upside it should be an interesting summer season this year many irons are in the fire. Physical plant upgrades are still ongoing, with several mainline poles replaced and five or six more that are needing to be done.All inall the musuem's overhead should be nice and tigh and problem free this year. Yard two's overhead has also been tightened which will allow for the patograph equiped equipmnet to operate flawlessly again.

The line up of operational cars looks good this year. Two Witts two PCC's interurban cars 8 and 107, Line car 45,Chicago L car 48 open car 327 and possibly open car 23,and there will be the occational runs with snowsweeper S37 and grinders W03-01 and W28 all inall a good mix this summer. Why not pop out and visit.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Hello folks, still loking for some new blood around here, don't be shy guys wwe don't bite. [swg]

On a slightly less happy note the musuem just took a shot to the teeth. As I have been mentioning we have been fundraising to build barn 4. The money to raise the stars of the structure has been raised,the $4000 dollar building permit has been aquired and the sight plan has recieved approval to build. However the town in it's infinate wisdom ( read greed ) has decided to not live up to their promise of not charging us developement fees on the sight ( they said that they would make us a deal )In a nutshell they want to charge us $94,000 in developement fees ( a right granted them under provincial legislation, also their right to wave )These fees in essence are used to funds schools pay for city water and infrastructure and sanitaion etc etc. It is not supposed to be charged to educational facilities. Which we actually are, we have school programs not to mention outr historical preservation efforts. We don't use the services paid for from this pool of cash, we are on a septic system ( not city water ) We do not use local garbage collection or recycling services and we certainly are not sending any kids to school. I urge any Milton or GTA area readers to speak to their town councellors it is an election year. As it sits we are now in another holding pattern and the valuble historic artifacts which were to be housed in the new building are still suffering outside in the elements.

TRhanks for listening to this rant.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Just quick note for everyone.I'm hoping that a few more jump on board, Please feel free to discuss a musuem that you are part of or support. Or a historical society. Lets chat up restorations and all the things we love about classic trains.Steam,diesel,electric even model info is always welcome here.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Just a quick museum update. We unfortunatly Lost one of our founding members recently Peter Mathews who had been one of the original six passed at his home in California on the 8th of dec. He will be missed. Even though he wasn't extremly active at the museum he( do to the great distance ) he was still keen to know how his "baby" was still doing all these years later.


Car Rebuild Updates

CTA 48

The reguaging of the track brakes is underway. due to the compact design of the B-3 trucks, it is proving to be a bit of a challenge for the shop crews. Work on it's defective drum brakes are also ongoing. It is hoped ( should ) have the car in service for the summer season as a replacement for Montreal and Southern counties 107 which will only see limited use this year.

CP 2211-19

This former TH&B ballast regulater is now fully operational. Being a diesel powered unit we have been using it for track inspection patrols during the winter months Looking for rail tie and branches on the overhead problems . Now that it's hydriolics are again up to snuff , it will be doing the heavy shoving and lifting of the new ballast for yard 4 the track 37 spur to the mainline and for barn 4 as they are completed.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Gday again folks museum update time again.

TTC TP-11 Well the resistor grids are now completed and will soon be reattached to the car. The truck assembly is well underway, all the motors have been re-wound and the re-assembly is commensing. Motor controller is now being refurbed as well as the final touches on the auxillery wiring.

TTC 416 Well this long term project has seen some decent progress this winter as well ( the mild temps this winter were very helpfull ) all the roof carlines are installed and both vestibules noe have their carline built,installation is ongoing. This work was held up becaus it was found that the original wood was elm, hard to come by , a supply was procured and the pieces have been built. All the window frames are done stained ( cherry wood ) and this installation is now almost completed as well. Once the weather's nice a new roof will be made and installed ( stretched canvas over the wood carlines and tongue and groove ) Then the metal work on the underframe and body can comence along with a new floor and the underfloor wiring conduits. Both ends will recieve operational controls as it's the goal to get the car back to as close to as built condition ( double ended controls etc ) as possible.

Misc An extra truck for all electric PCC 4000 has been completely refurbed,until it's needed as a spare it will be a display piece for the public in one of the barns. L&PS #8's pans are now rebuilt and going again thanks to the donner parts from retired inco locomotives, also some of the spares are being used on L&PS #4's pan making it an operational replacement for 8. It too once complete will be a display for the public until such a time as it's needed operationally on # 8

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Good day again everyone. a quick museum update. We have applied for our permits to start construction on Barn 4 The Sir Adam Beck Building. Finally looks like this loooong term project is nearing the home stretch. Hopefully construction will start later this year. Let me thank everyone who has contributed to the project thus far [tup][tup].

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Hi David. I love hearing those stories from yor. Lots of them in fact. We have come a long way since then, That original barn is nearing the need for replacement or at least heavy rebuilding. Barn 4 should be up in the next 18 months all fingers crossed on that on as it's been a long time comming. The fund raisng for barn 4 alone has taken up all our efforts the last3 or 4 years, it will be good to see it built and then we can turn our attention back to the long term car restoration projects. 1704 and 797 are the two top ones in my mind that and Civic car 55. Glad that you popped back in, hopefully your next visit(s) to the museum won't require you doing any re-railing.

Rob

[BR60103]

Hi Rob.
My first visit to HCRR was in the late 60s. The entire opoeration was at the east end. There was one car barn and the tracks went just far enough to pullcars out of the barn to shuffle them. Track had the switch from the main line and the 3-way.
There was no overhead, and everything was done by the line truck or the trackmobile.
Near the end of the day, one of the cars (a small Witt?) came off the track on one of the switches and we watched (and helped a bit, lugging heavy pieces) as it was put back on the rails.

[trolleyboy]

Hello again everyone. Some more from the archives shots from the museum. These shots predate me ( litterally ) Thanks to museum member for getting these shots for us.

All three shots are of the museum's open car 327( TRC ) taken in Toronto in aug of 1967. The first two shots are the car in the TTC's Hillcrest shops being prepared for display at the CNE for the century of progress pavillion,to comemerate Canada's 100th birthday. the third shot is at the CNE display.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Just back to post some shots of the now restored London Street railway open car 23. Some mechanical and electrical bugs need to be resolved but the car may be able to enter regular service/ or at least a modified once in a while service.







Three shots of the restoration process. From approx 5 yeaars ago. The car was a 20+ year process to the point it's in today. One must remember that this is a 90% wooden car of 1901 vintage. Which when aquired by the museum in 1984 had been used as achange room at a public pool in London ontario. Sitting on cinder blocks so much of the underframe hardware.windiws and all the running gear had to be rebuilt/replaced. The car has made several foray's onto the mainline at the HCRY over the last 3 years.







These three shots ar internal external shots of the car on it's last operational day. September 18th 2005 at our second anual transit day.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Okay folks winter is somewhat upon us < yeah I know it's been wet and mild for the most part > This means that for most rail museum's it's restoration and rehabilitation time , at least for those of us who operate equipment. UIt also means that museum hours are less or as in our case we are closed till May. So haveing said that lets see some photo's of projeccts or links to etc etc





Two shots of the Interior work done on Russell built snowsweeper S-37. The "A" end is complete new wood externally and the sweep gear and motor is now fully operational. At our winter shows the line's trackahge was swept by thw snowsweeper to the delight of the kids of all ages at the show.

Rob

[trolleyboy]

CNR Thanks for the updates on the ECRM. Laast news we had heard at the museum ( from one of your members ) wa that you indeed may have needed to find a new home. Good news indeed if it's repairable [tup] I knew of coarse of the remains of #4. Last time we were there though so much of the original car had been removed and replaced that for all intents and purposes's it's not restorable without alot of time and money. If you get a minute pop by the " Our Place " thread also on this forum. Several members there are museum restoration types form the US side. Midland Railway and IRM to name but two. Usually some really good info as well.Do you guys have any time frame on the roof repairs ?


Rob

[cnrnorthern]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy

Some bad news. i had reported several pages ago about another rail museum here in Ontario. The Elgin County Museum in St Thomas On. The old MCRR shop building they are in has a bad roof support beam ( one of the main ones ) As of sept. the building was condemned and the general public could not go in. Now as of dec 1st the members are now not allowed in. CN still owns the building and to this point the museum ahs not got any confirmed support for fixing or assuming the building from them. Looks more and more likely that they will have to relocate. Not an easy task as they have a fairly extensive collection of vehicles. CNR Hudson 5700 and the one and only MLW RSD 17 locomotive are two of their more notables. Perhaps everyone can do a web search and find their site ( haven't got it handy ) see if some moral support can be sent out.

Rob

It's funny how rumors can get out of control. The basic steel frame of the building is sound. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the main support . It is the roof panels themselves that are in question. The roof will have to be replaced, but the structure will not. It is very unlikely we will have to relocate.
BTW, the website is http://www.ecrm5700.org

[cnrnorthern]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy
#4's pan ( car was scrapped by CN in 1960 ) is not useable in that it has extensive frame rot so it will not hold up to the rigours of everyday use. Rob

Hey Rob. L&PS car #4 was not scrapped. It survives today at part of the Ossawippi Express Dining Cars in Orillia. http://www.ossawippi.com/