Trians, Trains and Trains

A week or so ago it was National Train Day and one of our local train museums had free admission for the day. Aside from them allowing people to blow the horn on one engine, which the boys really didn't like, it was a pretty nice day.

There were several lanes of track with numerous cars on them. One length was opened for people to walk through. There were fans going so you didn't notice the heat - much. A couple cars toward the back had air conditioning, so that wasn't too bad.

Coach Car, nicely refurbished.

Sleeping Cars were interesting. This was more of a private room, but even so space is at a premium. The table folded up and the couch folded out to become a bed.

Berths folded up into the wall during the day and the ladder was stored in the tiny bathroom. Cramped quarters to say the least, but I tried to explain to the boys how this was how people with more money travelled and most people did their best to sleep in the coach seats. That didn't sink in this time around.

A couple of Tanker Cars seen from the hallway window of one car

This was the Turquoise Room. A section of one car separated by accordian doors on both sides with a hallway bypassing the room (the window slats behind the boys show the hallway from the room, but people walking the hallway can't see in. This room was for movie stars, corporate execs and prominent politicians. It had its own porter and it was very close to the kitchen, so personalities didn't need to leave at all - except to go to the bathroom.

We took a little ride in a caboose. Mostly the public was not allowed in this part of the train as it was for workers only.

Erik relaxes at a trainman's workstation in a caboose. This is where he would record what cars were picked up or dropped off and at what time for each station.

Jake was sitting in the Trainman's seat in the caboose. Here one can get a pretty good view along either side of the train and probably try to scare the boys who stood and watched as the train went by (or rather those boys who did a bit more than watch - throwing rocks at the train or getting closer to the tracks than they aught).

More Trains!

For those who can't get enough on trains...here's some more shots from the Railway Museum.

Double bunk in a sleeper car.

50's era dining car. Some of the older dining cars had wood tables.

Parts graveyard

Illinois Railway Museum

Cousin Kurt & his son Brian took Erik and I to the Illinois Railway Museum for a day. We had a good time looking around at all the old trains, trams, buses and such. Kurt remembered the 'good old days' when you could pretty much go up in most of the engines and cars. There weren't sheds then and everything was exposed to the elements. Now there are a good number of sheds housing all kinds of transportation.

There are still a large number of trains exposed to the cold and rain and in various stages of disrepair. Some are in excellent condition and are still running.

Erik at the cable end of this electric trolley. There is an arm above the car with a pulley that sets on a wire running 800 volts. We rode in this trolley to another section of the museum.

This is the Silver Bullet.

Here are Brian & Erik on the upper deck of a double decker passenger car.

We stopped for some ice cream and talked with a man working on the trains. He took us to a shed off the beaten path where they worked on trains...many of the tools they use are from the steam era. He taught us a lot about how things work. This picture shows the insulation covering the boiler which is then covered by a sheet of metal. It must be stripped off and replaced every 5 years or so on running trains. The bolts are special in that they allow for some movement - the boiler expands when heated and without allowing for it, the stress on the metal would cause it buckle and crack. The tubes running inside are also replaced and they have huge tool & die sets that put threads on new tubes and flange the ends just like it was done originally.

Only problem with the maintenance on these big machines is the labor...Back in the day, they had plenty of people to do the work. Now just a few are putting in time - mostly volunteers. Even those are finding less time to be able to spend on this labor of love. That it must be as the work isn't easy and it sure ain't pretty (until it's done).