Wabash Business Car #6 Comes to the Monticello Railway Museum. Updates.

Some other news is we actually got an award this past year for best buildings by the TRAIN (Tourist Railway Association).

We've also cleared our former Illinois Terminal railroad line from the IC Junction Switch (north of Nelson's) to the county road south of White Heath.
This track is used for the storage cars we get from local industries.

One of our upcoming projects is getting some of our MOW equipment restored, mainly IT A52 speeder.



Cheers,
Woody:wave:
 
Funnily enough, I was in Decatur the day after you were discussing it, on the 28th.

I've been reading about the 401 for a few years now, it's great to see it in that sort of condition. Are you guys restrictive about crazy railfans poking around the shop?
 
No! We are more than welcoming to railfans in the shops!
It is in our rules that you must have a volunteer escort, for safety, however there are many friendly, knowledgeable people that are willing to take you through.
I can't count how many time I've shown people from one end of the yard to another.
If you plan on visiting this year, contact me and we'll see if you can make it up on a weekend I'm there, I'll show you around the shops, take you up in the engines and introduce you to 401's crew and the shop we work in.
My philosophy is simple, be friendly to the railfans, and you are being friendly to the very thing that keeps the place going!
As Allen (backyard) would say,
"Knowing, Sharing, Doing...It's the only way!":cool:

Feel free to contact me via Private Message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Cheers,
Woody:wave:
 
Hello dh2k3 and Nikos,

Concerning IC #6071, There is much debate on the final paint scheme it will receive, our chief mechanical officer is pushing for Electro-Motive Demonstrator paint because 6071 was originally the EMD SD40 Demonstrator.
However, our President (MRM not Obama:hehe:) is a huge fan of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, he also owns GM&O caboose 2954.
He wants it painted as GM&O 950.

Where do I stand?
I go with GM&O all the way, personally, I don't care if it stays IC black.

The traction motors are off therefore it does not run, worse, CN kept them and we don't have any to replace them with.

But it is our plans to return her to operation, better yet she serves a purpose!
We need the SD40 to haul our growing number of storage cars, we are beginning to get many and they are too heavy for our GP11 and F7.
6071 is vital to our collection.

Cheers,
Woody:wave:


Correct me if im wrong, but didnt the EMD 434A just wear a plain black paint job in Demo service, much like this
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/emd434D.jpg
If i remember right, there was never a specially painted official SD40 demo.
If it gets painted GM&O, i would like to make the trip up there to see it, one of my all time favorite schemes.
What a shame about the traction motors, rather odd of CN to strip the unit before donating it, im sure there are plenty of other EMD SD's bound for the scrapper that they could rob traction motors from. Hope you guys get it running sometime though.
 
Some other news is we actually got an award this past year for best buildings by the TRAIN (Tourist Railway Association).

We've also cleared our former Illinois Terminal railroad line from the IC Junction Switch (north of Nelson's) to the county road south of White Heath.
This track is used for the storage cars we get from local industries.

One of our upcoming projects is getting some of our MOW equipment restored, mainly IT A52 speeder.



Cheers,
Woody:wave:


Thats great news and good luck with the other projects!:cool:
 
I thought our Chief Mechanical Officer told me it wore an Orange and Whiet Scheme when demonstrating, because I argued with him extensively on the paint scheme issue.
I have to thank you for posting your opinion on the paint scheme, I can print this thread off and use this against him!:hehe:
Yes, I want to see a GM&O locomotive out there, we have two GM&O flat cars and a caboose, several IC cars, so it would look good to have a GM&O engine leading a mixed freight I think.

Anyone else want to post there opinion on the paint scheme?
I will gladly print the posts off and show the museum as a "Public Interest" bit.

These are the four paint schemes it wore,
*EMD Demonstrator

*Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (Red & White)

*Illinois Central Gulf (Orange and White)

*Illinois Central (Black)

Please, give me your thoughts on the paint scheme, this could possibly make a difference!


Cheers,
Woody
 
He may be thinking of the SD35 demo, i couldnt find any pictures of it, as it seems to have been quickly sold to the ACL becoming their 1000, i assume it was in the same Orange and White paint job as their GP35 demo
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/emd5652.jpg
I have a classic trains magazine somewhere with a article on the EMD SD40 demo's wish i could find a pic since i think it has a shot of the 434A in it.
Maybe before you strip it down to repaint it, you can patch out the IC lettering and slap 434A for a authentic demo look.
 
Never had the opportunity to see a slide valve disassembled. Seen the outer casing, and see cylinders with them completely off, but never seen the valve itself taken apart.

Were (hopefully) going to be starting work restoring our D&RGW GP-30 #3011 this year at the Colorado Railroad Museum. But everyone has been saying that for the last two years, so who knows. She won't run (we run Narrow gauge) but she sure will look pretty when done!
 
Aww, your missing out. We recently restored and leased SERM's ex-SOU GP30 2594, looks and sounds great, I hears she's also a smooth ride. GP30's are fine engines!
 
Oh, that's right.
Doesn't Ben Neal volunteer there?

I'll have to come down and see that Geep 30, I've always liked the 30's, they were hefty yet somewhat streamlined.



Cheers,
Woody
 
Nope, wrong RR museum!

Oh, that's right.
Doesn't Ben Neal volunteer there?

I'll have to come down and see that Geep 30, I've always liked the 30's, they were hefty yet somewhat streamlined.



Cheers,
Woody

No,where he works at the Southeastern railway museum not the tennesee valley railroad museum, and I agree about the GP30!:cool:
 
Museum Member

I'm happy to hear that the 6071 is coming to MRM!

The 434A was black in every picture I have ever seen of it. I don't know if it ever made it to grey/orange.

It's missing it's dynamic brakes now, and I'm not sure if an SD40 hatch would fit or if they need a time-machine to find an SD35 to scrap? It's also going to take a lot of quarters in the can to purchase 6 decent traction motors. You only want to install them once, believe me! The locomotive seems to be in decent shape otherwise, and a restoration project of this proportion is not out of the question with the capability of the museums shop and talented volunteers.

I can't wait to see the Wabash business car. I've been hearing about it for awhile...
 
TBundy1982,

Are you stating that you are a fellow museum member?
If so, please make your preference clear on how you want it painted!
Please consider GM&O...:cool:
If you are a member, tell Kent that it should be a GM&O locomotive as God intended it to be!



Cheers,
Woody:wave:
 
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