On the Move

When the 319 is on the move, the brakes work, but it seemed to me they were a little sluggish to apply. So I decided to remove the triple valve for cleaning and inspection.

Here is the M-2-B triple valve sitting on the bench. This is the mechanical brain of the brake system; it monitors the pressure in the train line and decides when to apply the brakes and at what pressure.

And here it is with the top cover removed; there's a gasket, and you can see the top of the piston for the slide valve mechanism.

The slide valve itself is seen here; it has several ports for graduating the transfer of air between the various parts of the system. It may not be obvious, but the slide valve has two parts which slide relative to each other also. Basically it looked OK; I cleaned everything up and then lubricated it with graphite.

We have a brake test stand which could be used to test the triple valve, but I'm not sure how to use it, where all the correct parts are, and couldn't find an instruction manual. Where's Jeff Hakner when you need him?!?

So the 319 itself has to be the test stand. We have a good supply of the correct gaskets, so I replaced the gasket between the valve and the bracket, as seen here.

And here is the installed valve. It seems to work somewhat faster; I don't have a good way to time the process. I decided not to take the car out for a test trip since I was by myself; maybe next time.

Next, it's back to work on the windows. We still have eight of them to strip and repaint. Nobody could find the big pad sander the department used to have, so I used my own sander. I finished sanding down two frames; a partly done one is seen here.

Another thing that's on the move is the shop's old planer. We now have a newer and better one, so this one's for sale, as you can see from the label. Make Bob an offer!

And saving the best for last, the Schroeder Store is finally on the move! This building was most recently an antique store in downtown Union; the Museum acquired it in 1991 and moved it to its present location next to Spaulding Tower. The original plan was to have a string of buildings on the north side of the parking lot along the main line ROW. But in 1995 we were able to buy the Knut Olson farm and the IRM Master Plan changed. The store will now be along the new Main Street extension.

Here we see Nick Kallas (L) and Dave Diamond (R) busily excavating for the concrete foundation on which the store will sit.

I'll bet the Executive Director of MSI never has this much fun!

This will be the first permanent construction along Main Street, so it's quite a milestone!

Read more »

We Need a New Governor

Yes folks, we need a new governor. Our current governor has been wasteful and incompetent, as shown by several leaks. This puts an undue strain on the rest of the system, which can no longer be tolerated. So I say it's time for a change! First, however, we'll have to break the power of the union.

The governor, of course, regulates the air pressure in the main reservoir by turning the compressor on and off at preset values of pressure. With use, however, many of them start to leak air, and the 319's was leaking very badly. Fortunately, Bob Heinlein helped me locate a good candidate in storage, at the back of a shelf. We have a good number of these Type J governors, but most of them were already tagged as defective. We took one back to the shop and tested it on compressed air. It doesn't leak and was already set correctly, for 100/80.

Here's a Type J with the cover removed. The air portion is on the left; on the right are the electrical connections with a plunger (yellow arrow) which is pushed out rapidly when the air pressure exceeds the "off" setting. At the same time, a puff of air helps extinguish the arcs.

To the right is the far end of the air portion, showing the two adjustment cylinders for the on and off settings.

And here it is with the cover installed. By the end of the day, I was able to install the new one in the 319 and test it. It operated just as we had hoped, so this is another step forward. I'm afraid our ex-governor has been sentenced to life without parole in the dreaded "blue reefer," one of our maximum-security facilities.

I also drilled some holes to finish installing the handrails, and I attached the rope guard at the #1 end of the car.

We have been having problems with the controller at the #1 end of the 308, and also with the brake valve. I know what the problem is, but there's no way to fix it in a hurry. The blue cars are not running this weekend due to Diesel Days, but they will be the next two weekends. So the easiest way to avoid this problem was to switch positions of the two cars. I first retested the controllers, brakes, and whistles at the #2 ends of both cars, then switched them out. They should now be ready for continued service.

And while taking a break, I took some quick pictures of the current displays in the Art Train car in Yard 5. It's nicely set up with low level lighting, so these flash shots don't really show it very well.

A display about railway mail clerks.

Posters and other info about railroads in WWII.

Interurbans along the Fox River.

Fred Ash worked on this until health problems occurred; Ray Bellock and Phil Stepek have been doing most of the work since then. John Cloos provided the interurban display, and others are in the works. They're doing a good job of providing some educational displays that look very professional. And the car is air conditioned, so what's not to like?

Read more »

Controller Inspection

IRM is now officially open for visitors on weekdays, although nothing is running and the barns are not open. And of course we don't charge admission under these circumstances. Still, there were several groups wandering around viewing the outdoor displays and enjoying the nice weather.

I started by putting a final interior coat on three 319 windows and their window shade tracks in the shop. I then turned to finishing (pretty much) inspection and lubrication on the 309, as I had brought out some Vaseline for the controllers and reversers. I still need to do the roof when I have a helper. But say, while we're here, let's take an educational look at how a controller works.

CONTROLLER STUDIES 101

This is a GE C-6 controller for type M control. Most GE models have the same general design. Note that the main drum is geared to the controller handle shaft, so it turns in the opposite direction. At the top, #1 is the reverser drum, with two contacts for forward and reverse, of course. It's mechanically interlocked to the main drum so you can't move the handle unless the reverse key is in forward or reverse, and you can't move the reverse key unless the handle is off. #2 is the spring which drives the throttle mechanism (#3). There are two sliding contacts, wired in series. The throttle can only be engaged by holding the throttle button down while the handle is moved from off to the first point. #4 is the gearing for the main drum. #5 is the star wheel which helps the motorman keep the controller in the correct position for each point. Below that is the main drum (#6) with all of the various contact fingers. The arc chute assembly has been opened, and is off to the right. Finally, #7 is the magnetic blow-out coil at the bottom of the controller.

The second picture shows the main drum advanced to about the third point.

As with all GE type M controllers, this controller switches 600 volts DC, unlike the Westinghouse electro-pneumatic system, where a dropping resistor reduces the voltage to the controller to perhaps 150V.

Any questions? OK, good. There will be a quiz on Wednesday.

I did some cleaning up in the 319. And I helped Joel for a while with the project of removing a spare bus jumper pin, which we need for the 460. We're making some progress, and we figured out what sort of custom-made tool we'll need for the job.

And while walking out to check on the 321, I found some vantage points overlooking the creek.

Read more »

309 Inspection, Cont.

Inspection on the 309 continued today, and with a few minor exceptions, everything is done. No problems were found, and the car should be ready for service beginning Memorial Day weekend. Al Reinschmidt helped with this, so it went pretty quickly.

Lubrication is always an annoying job. I seem to be a magnet for grease and dirt, but it's done for this year. Of course, we next need to do the 308, but at least it only has two motors, so there's less work.

After putting the 309 back in Barn 8, Al and I went over to look at the 319. As mentioned earlier, the buzzer cord was broken in two, because for some reason they had been using clothesline. After the rigors of inspection, this seemed like a fun thing to do, so we removed the old buzzer cord and installed a piece of the correct wire-core rope from one end of the car to the other. Attached to the cord in one vestibule there is a leather strap, held on with metal clips, which I'll need to replace, so I took it home. Charlie is still working on the 319's paint job. He's going back to work soon, but promises the 319 will be painted.

Read more »

The NYC S Motor

Want to see the inside of our New York Central S Motor? I know you do!

These locomotives were made famous by the many toy trains modelled after them in the early days by American Flyer, Ives, and others.

Here's one of the control positions, with a close-up. Notice the phone. "Hello, Central?"

You have to step down to enter the hoods at either end. Please watch your head! These contain the control system.











Here are the huge contactors and the reverser, located inside the hoods.

This is the original pantograph. It's tiny because it was designed to contact an overhead third rail, not wire, so very little vertical adjustment is needed. No dome cars could travel into Grand Central!

Finally, here's a third rail beam; each truck had two shoes next to each other. And here's the huge 2500 amp fuse box, with its mechanism for breaking the arc. I'm sure I wouldn't want to be nearby when a 2500 amp fuse blows!

Read more »

CA&E Car Wiring (Updated)

Joe Stupar asked about how the roof cables were wired. A picture is worth a thousand words. These diagrams essentially apply to all of the wood cars except the 36, which has only one electrical cabinet and a different interior lighting arrangement.

Read more »