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Wood repairs to #315 April 13, 2002: Our experienced cabinetmakers have begun repairs to portions of CA&E car #315. Work is progressing well. April, 2002 |
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315 Enters Shop December 6, 2003: Chicago, Aurora & Elgin car #315 entered Buehler Shop under its own power. 315 experienced minor fire damage several years ago. The damage will be repaired, and badly rotted wood on the platform of this 1907 Kuhlman Car product will be replaced by our woodworking volunteers. December, 2003 |
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315 is brought to rest looking out the back door of Buehler Shop. The car will occupy this spot for at least the first half of 2004, as other cars such as York 163 and Johnstown 311 will visit the front of Buehler Shop. December, 2003 |
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A woodworker shapes a new piece for #315's front end, using a wonderful bandsaw which is almost surely a contemporary of the 1907 wooden interurban car. In the back of the shop, woodworkers are 'gung ho' to see repairs completed on Chicago, Aurora and Elgin #315, damaged in a minor fire several years ago. They managed to do some work during the c-c-c-cold of January and February, and the project is now well under way. March, 2004 |
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Who's cutting up CA&E 315??? October 27, 2004 Our volunteers have recently been seen attacking one end of our Chicago, Aurora & Elgin wooden interurban car with a Sawzall! Their intention is not to eliminate this power-hungry car from our roster; rather they are removing badly rusted portions of steel I-beams exposed during repairs to the wood damaged in a minor fire several years ago. Three structural members of the car's platform have been lopped off in this view, while the nearest I-beam remains in place. The end of the car is supported on jacks. October, 2004 |
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I-beams undergoing repair were sandwiched between wood and constantly exposed to wheelwash from the front wheelset. The web and flanges of the beams are badly corroded in places, and the holes to which items attach are elongated and rusted out. Rather than patching the beams, we believe it expedient to simply replace the worst areas. «An old section of I-beam (front) and its replacement (rear). Our new horizontal bandsaw came in very handy for neatly cutting these beams. October, 2004 |
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Wooden Interurban Sees New Steel November 21, 2004 As mentioned back in October, our Chicago, Aurora & Elgin wooden interurban has been getting repairs to badly corroded steel frame members at one end of the car. New I-beam pieces have been welded onto 3 of the 4 longitudinal supports for the car's platform. The woodworkers are now ready to get back into gear on their part of the process. A volunteer uses a whole bunch of moving electrons to glue new steel to old on 315. (photo by C. Kumpas) November, 2004 |
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Big Changes in Store for 315 March 4, 2006 Volunteers have begun the task of back-dating Chicago, Aurora & Elgin car #315 to its original exterior appearance. When built, the car had arched stained-glass windows on both the interior and exterior of the car. In later years the cars were 'modernized' and the exterior stained-glass removed. Luckily, our volunteers obtained windows from another CA&E car many years ago. Those windows are now being installed onto the outside of 315. Exterior siding is removed to expose the interior stained glass windows. March, 2006 |
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Work is also being done on the interior of the car, including varnishing of stripped woodwork. Photo: J Salomon March 4, 2006 March, 2006 |
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Stained Glass Restoration on 315 June 15, 2006 CA&E interurban car #315 is having stained glass windows restored to its exterior. These windows were removed when the car was 'modernized' years ago. As part of the project, the interior stained glass windows are being cleaned of decades of authentic Illinois filth. A volunteer uses liquid cleaner and lots and lots of elbow grease to clean 315's stained glass without damage. June, 2006 |
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Gentlemen - Grab Your Ladders July 7, 2007 Volunteers have resumed working on the exterior of Car 315, the museum's interurban from Illinois, to permit the reinstallation of the original arched stained glass windows. Photos: Joel S. July, 2007 |
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Gentlemen - Grab Your Ladders July 7, 2007 July, 2007 |
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