Coal Stove

Gents,

Here are four pictures of Dennis Sloane in front of his coal stove in the IC Caboose

that Dennis owns. Imagine going down the line with a coal stove in one of HVRM's

cabooses.

Staying warm on a cold day

 

Gents,

My caboose was on the train last weekend because the ARCHES caboose group from St. Louis was coming up to ride behind 401 and they had requested two cabooses on the train.  They had reserved both cabooses for the 12:30 trip.  I was Conductor last Saturday and we had a good day, almost 400 for 4 trips.  It rained a little on the first trip but the rest of the day was fine.  Last weekend was the last time for 401 to run this year.  I was scheduled to be Flagman on the train today and when I got to MRM this morning my caboose was still in the consist.  It was cold all day and we didn't have any heat in any of the cars but I did have a coal stove and plenty of coal in my caboose so I thought I would warm things up a little bit.  When the word got out that I had a fire in the stove in my caboose it suddenly got quite poplar. 

Dennis Sloane MRM

Little bit of everything at Hoosier Valley 10/28/17

 

Greetings!

We had a little rain, some snow showers, a peak or two at the sun and cold temps all day today at Hoosier Valley.

A bunch of the guys did a number of tasks as they tried to find and repair the leak in HVRM table/meeting car # K-325.

With the weather turning colder, Mark Knebel has put a hold on the lettering of Chicago and North Western PS-1 box car # 284.  While the weather was still good, he managed to get the informational data put on the car (photo 1).  Eventually, he wants the car put into the West Annex of the Shop building, which is heated.  Right now, the Porter Notre Dame & Western diesel occupies part of the track space back there.  Hopefully, some shuffling will eventually be done and C&NW 284 will get switched in.

As part of that project, the roof walk will have to be put back on.  The second photo shows Bob Albert doing some clean up work on those parts.  Earlier in the morning, Rich Warner had welded a section of one of the roof walk ends back together as it had somehow broken off.  This roof walk job will be done after C&NW 284 is put into the Shop.

Rich and Joe Kingsbury were in the West Annex working on the Porter diesel and the 3rd photo shows Rich removing some rusted steel from the cab.  After lunch, Tom Rainford came over and helped Rich and Joe out and the 4th shot shows Tom doing some of that clean up work.

Speaking of lunch, Margrett Cook provided meat loaf, potatoes and corn for lunch today.

Bob Barcus worked in the gift shop while Loretta Kosloske handled tickets.  Today was the day for the Not-So-Scary/Scary animal show, with train departure at 4:00 p.m.   Loretta also rode the train out to the museum spot where the show was held.  Erie Lackawanna  Alco # 310 was motive power today, but GE # 11 was fired up and stood by as back up power.  Doug Kosloske was engineer for this twilight train, with Bjarne Henderson as conductor.  Steve Henrichs was engineer for number 11 with John LaOrange as fireman.  There was some problem with the oil pressure on the GE, but eventually John and Rich were able to find the problem.

I spent the day working on trying to get the three frames into one of the windows of Kanawha # 2789.  It took me much of the day to get the grooved steel window track removed but I finally was able to get it done.  Had some other problems but eventually managed to get the three frames into the engineers window.  The fifth photo shows the frames in place but much still needs to be done including grinding the original upper window track to removed some of the roughness so that the frames will slide better.  After that is done, then the frames will need to be removed again so that glass can be inserted into the currently empty places.  Now that the 2789 stays inside on Saturdays, this project can get going again.

Finally, as I was getting set to head for home after the train had left, I happened to walk past the Porter diesel.  I had mentioned in previous museum reports, that Joe had needle scaled one side of the cab, and I noticed that this old paint removal has exposed the USA that had been painted over after Notre Dame purchased the unit as U.S. Army surplus.  The sixth photo shows that USA lettering.   Can you see it?

There will be no train operations now until December and the Santa Trains, except for miscellaneous switching.  Supposed to be cool next week with high temps in the 40's and 50's, all below average.  Try to stay warm, and have a great week!

Les 

   

Enjoying it while it lasts at Hoosier Valley 10/21/17

 

Greetings!

Great weather for late October today in North Judson for the final Saturday of Pumpkin Patch trains.  All 3 trains were well filled with the overflow caboose EL # C345 being used on the first two trains. 

Earlier this week, Bud Tibbie, Cory Bennett, Rich Warner and Tom Rainford went to Harvey, Illinois to pick up some donated items arranged for by Bud.  The first three photos show the items after they brought to the museum and put in the West Annex of the Shop.  They will be used!

Operating crew for today included Doug Kosloske at the throttle of EL S-1 Alco # 310.  Student conductor Stephen Bulla was running the show although conductor Bob Albert was on hand.  Various folks doing car host duties at times today including Tom Rainford, Bud Tibbie, Jim Vosberg, Kevin Kennedy, John DeGan and yours truly.  Bob Jachim was the Mulberry Street flagman while Mark Knebel covered flagman duties out on the roads away from North Judson.  Bing Risley flagged Main Street today.  Bob Barcus was in the gift shop with Loretta Kosloske covering tickets.  Loretta was also out at the pumpkin patch being ably assisted by David Cook, Cory Bennett, Tom Travis, Louise Kingsbury and John La Orange.  Margrett Cook prepared lunch for the gang.  

Last week we mentioned a leak in the roof of the museum's table/meeting car # K-325.  John La Orange thinks he may have found the area that is leaking and the fourth photo shows him putting asphalt on the suspected spot.

The 5th shot shows Joe Baker and Brian Elkins using the man lift to do some additional electrical work.

Meanwhile, it was discovered that a few of the recent boards put into the new depot platform, did not have screws in every joist.  The sixth photo shows Bob Jachim taking care of that little problem.

It was warm enough today, with temps moving into the mid to upper 70's, that a recharging of the air conditioning unit under Long Island coach # 2937 was necessary.  The last photo shows Rich Warner (orange hat) and Mark Knebel doing the work after the first of the three trains had arrived back at the depot.

Todd Flanigan, John DeGan and Bjarne Henderson were here for and engineer update today.  While at the museum, Todd found the stencils he had made some years ago for C&NW boxcar # 284.  Great news!  Mark had put the small informational lettering on the car this past week.    

Next Saturday will be the Halloween Special with departure from the North Judson depot at 4:00 p.m. Central Time.  With the late return to the depot, this is the only scheduled train at Hoosier Valley that operates after dark.  Doug Kosloske will have the Pennsy marker lights fired up on the Bessemer & Lake Erie caboose!

Enjoy your week everyone.  Our warm weather is due to end this week with some days seeing high temps in the 50's.  Well, we knew is was going to happen sometime!  Stay warm!

Les

Successfully avoiding the rain at HVRM's second Pumpkin Train day!

 

Greetings -

I wasn't at the museum last Saturday, so no report.  Today, there was a Board meeting in the museum's table meeting car # K-325.  Ladder up to the roof.  Apparently there is some kind of leak.  Dave Cook and John La Orange were spreading tar on possible roof leak sites at times during the day.

Mark Knebel continued his work on Chicago and North Western box car # 284 (see first photo).

Pumpkin trains went well, with all 3 trains running near capacity.  Loretta Kosloske reported 594 riders!   Most members were involved in some way, with the operation of those trains.  Here is a list of those who helped:

Train crew:  Bjarne Henderson (engineer), Steve Henrichs (conductor), Stephen Bulla (student conductor)

Depot crew:  Loretta Kosloske and Jim Vosberg (tickets), Bob Barcus (gift shop)

Car hosts:  Joe Kingsbury, Tom Rainford, Bud Tibbie, Les Beckman, Doug Kosloske

Road flagmen:  Bob Jachim, Mark Stanek, Bob Albert

Pumpkin patch:  Dave Cook, Craig Bennett, John La Orange, Rich Warner, Loretta Kosloske

It was a hectic day, and I probably have missed a few folks.  My apologies for that.

The wheelchair lift on EJ&E transfer caboose # 184, was very busy today, with a number of visitors using it.  This lift remains a terrific museum asset!

The first two runs were operated normally, but thunderstorms were moving in just before the third trains departure, so instead of going to the pumpkin patch AFTER the passenger run, it was decided to go to the pumpkin patch FIRST, and then do the train ride.  This was a great decision because the rain did not start until the train had left the patch and was  heading back toward the depot and English Lake.  The second photo shows this third train pushing back toward the depot with the PRR position signal giving a clear board! That's conductor Steve Henrichs elbow on the platform of B&LE caboose # 1989.

The rain really came down hard AFTER the equipment was stored on the caboose track, so we avoided the worst of it!

Joe Kingsbury had someone make a drawing of the number that will appear on C&O Kanawha # 2789.  I unrolled the effort once I got home and the result is shown in the 3rd photo.  I now have to get a stencil cut from this info.

Don Nickel dropped off a CD of 765 on a photo freight when the Nickel Plate Berk was here at HVRM a few years ago.

Thanks to Joe and Don for the above. 

On the way home, I spotted 4 covered hoppers spotted for CFS at their unloading area on CKIN located west of m.p. 218 (see photo number 4).  A bit further down the line, near the intersection of Bigler Road and 2200 S, sat a CKIN GP-38 (last photo).

One more pumpkin train Saturday to go!   Hope everyone has a great week.

Les

 

A change of plans at Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum 9/30/17

 

Greetings!

Nice sunny day at HVRM today with temps just over 70 degrees.  Good day to ride the train!

I had plans to work on the cab windows for C&O Kanawha # 2789 today, but those plans quickly got squashed!  Small museums mean members have to "go with the flow" and some circumstances today necessitated putting the window job on hold.  Uncle Sam (the U.S. Postal Service) called Mark Knebel and told him he had to report for duty!  Doug and Loretta Kosloske were relaxing  for the day.  Joe Kingsbury had to leave early.  I was thus pressed into train duty; no one else available.

Day had started out with David Cook, Cory Bennett, Bob Jachim and John La Orange doing road patch duty on the museum rail crossing of State Route 10/39.  Good word is that the job was done and done safely!

Joe Baker and Brian Elkins were doing electrical work in NKP camp car # X58538.

The new train platform that I mentioned being finished last week, is shown in the first photo, after the orange safety stripes were painted on.  Note GE number 11 moving off into the distance with the first of two guest engineers (this one from Ohio!) at the throttle.  Not quite the end of the story on the train platform however!   Turned out that one of the new planks developed a bad chink and, in the interest of safety, had to be immediately replaced.  A new piece was measured and cut.  The second photo shows Cory in the process of removing screws (and handing them to John standing next to him) from the bad plank and then after it was removed and the new one slipped in, he is shown putting in the new screws in the third shot.

Mark spent some time this week, working again on Chicago and North Western box car # 284, and the 4th photo shows his progress thus far.

Before Joe had to leave for the day, he is shown needle scaling Porter # 5332 in the fifth shot.

Before I had to start my trainman duties, I was able to check out one of the new window frames that Joe had trimmed last week, and it appears that it is a good fit.

The train crew today consisted of Bjarne Henderson at the throttle with Bob Barcus performing Conductor duties and with Stephen Bulla getting in additional time as a Student Conductor.  Bud Tibbie was the car host on Katy open air car # 13833 while I handled the duties in LIRR coach # 2937.  Bob Jachim handled the Mulberry Street flagman duties for the 12:30 train while Tom Rainford took care of the 2:00 train, while also handling country road crossings for both trains.  In the absence of Loretta, and with Bob Barcus doing conductor duties, Tom Travis handled  both ticket and gift shop sales in the depot and the 6th photo shows Tom taking care of one of the sales.

With the shortage of personnel today, the difficulties weren't quite over!  The 12:30 train went off without a hitch and with a nice crowd in both the open air car and the coach.  But, not so the 2:00 train.  Just past the Toto Road crossing, GE # 11 broke down.  After a number of attempts to get it going, Cory drove out in his truck but also had no luck.  A fuel pump problem.  The crew had informed Tom back in the depot immediately after the unit stopped and John La Orange was alerted and got Alco # 310 fired up.  Eventually, the 310 arrived, coupled on, and pushed the train over the Kankakee River bridge and to Milepost 218 before returning back to North Judson.  Riders seemed to take the delay in stride.

The 7th shot shows the 310 shoving the train (and a dead # 11) into the caboose track after our return and passenger unloading at the depot.  Stephen is shown in the next photo in the process of getting ready to uncouple the two units from the train.

Finally, although I was able to get up to Grasselli Tower and talk to some of our visitors during the day, because of train duties, I was not there for everyone who stopped in.  The 9th shot shows a sign posted in the tower.  The reason for that sign is shown in the last photo.  Certain of the levers do not have spring handles on them.  When those are pulled forward, there is no way to throw them back into their original position.  As you can see, a visitor, or visitors, has pulled four levers forward.  It was too late in the day to go down to Grasselli's first floor and search for those particular levers and fix the problem.  A job for another day!

Enjoy your Sunday, which is also supposed to be seasonably cool.  But the heat is returning next week!  Hang in there!

Les