Maintenance Department

6 Month Plan

 

 

Summer is over, at least as far as schools, travel, beaches, etc. is concerned.  Within a few short weeks, the evenings will be getting cooler, and fall will sneak up on us. 

 

This is a good opportunity to discuss plans for the next 6 months with regards to car and maintenance projects at the Rockhill Trolley Museum.  We are getting close to some of our traditionally heaviest events (in terms of vehicle use and ridership), with Fall Spectacular, Pumpkin Patch Trolley, Polar Bear Express, and Santa's Trolley in the next 15 weeks. 

 

We could also get snow again this winter; perhaps enough to have a day (or more) when we clear the line with the PST #10 Plow and our two sweepers.  This is certainly not a "mandatory" event unlike our major public events, but these infrequent opportunities are much enjoyed by many of our volunteers and are a good mix of work and fun.

 

To ensure we are prepared for these events, our running cars must be prepared as well.  There will be a major work session in early November (date to be announced soon) focusing on winter preparations.  This session in years past has been critical to having our cars available and operating properly for these events.  We are actually getting ahead of this work now with the effort on shoe inspections and general maintenance (such as controller inspections, fluid level checks, etc.), but this work session in November will be very important.  It might possibly be spread over two dates; exact confirmation to follow soon.

 

Looking forward, a rough list of priorities for November maintenance is as follows:

 

1. Test heat in cars 355, 163, 205, 6, 2743 (in this order).  Car 205 will need the heater fuses all reinstalled and the master heater control (located under the inbound dashboard) turned on.  Car 6 will need the auxiliary heat control turned on (located above the center doors)
2. Governor servicing/filter change in cars 355, 163, 172, 249, 1875, 10 (if time permits; has J-type governor versus S-type in other cars listed)
3. Complete any remaining controller inspections and fluid checks
4. Complete any remaining pole and shoe inspections
5. Grease the broom chains on Sweeper 3.

Needless to say, we will need a coordinated effort to get this work accomplished!  We have been successful for several years in a row now with getting the critical work completed and not having a single governor freeze-up event.  With your help, we can continue this trend.

 

Looking into 2013

 



Railways To Yesterday, Inc. held its official "Gala Grand Opening" on July 6, 1963, with Johnstown Traction Company #311 as the featured vehicle.  Granted, the museum had been operating in one form or another since August 14, 1962, but the official event came later. 

 

July 6, 2013, which is a Saturday, is approaching as well.  Plans have been started for a 50th Anniversary Event to commemorate this milestone.  To properly celebrate this event, we need to complete Johnstown #311! 

 

In the next several weeks, the Central of Georgia Caboose will finally leave Buehler Shop and #311 will return.  A major effort will be needed to complete #311 on time.  It is intended to contract out much of the remaining carbody work, but major work still remains for our volunteers with underbody preservation, repairs to underbody electrical wiring, repairs to/reconfiguration of underbody piping, installation of the rebuilt compressor, packing of journal bearings, overhaul of door engines, brake valves and controllers, etc.  There will be work sessions planned through the winter and spring, with the goal being a 2-day work session just before Easter (as was done this year with CA&E #315) to make the car operable again.  Work will likely continue right up to July with finishing details (JTC #355 got some final touch up work the night before its grand unveiling in 2007). 

 

Your help will be needed to make this happen.  Completion of the heavy overhaul of our very first trolley, the very first trolley to operate at a museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will mark the end of a ten year overhaul effort and a great way to start our next half century.  It will provide another practical "every day" car to our operating department.  Building on the concept of our successful "PCC Car Day" event, we can look forward to "Johnstown Day".  Please be a part of this worthwhile effort.

 

Exactly 50 years ago, RTY volunteers were working to make #311 more presentable and operable.  "The more things change, the more things stay the same..."

 

It's time to pack the car, the children, and head off for a day at the museum.  Thank you for your support as volunteers, members, and friends.

 

Best wishes,

Matt Nawn

Maintenance Department Head

Upcoming Maintenance Department Work Session

Saturday, August 1, 2012

 

 

The next Rockhill Trolley Museum Maintenance Department Work Session is scheduled for tomorrow, August 1.  Unlike some of the other sessions this year which have often involved special or unusual projects, tomorrow's session is simply an opportunity to get some basic maintenance activities completed.  This is a great opportunity for a new volunteer or member who like to work with their hands to take that first step into volunteerism.

 

 

Projects for tomorrow include:

• Inspect the pole base, harp and associated hardware on STCP #172.  This car has been dewiring constantly of late the inbound frog at Altoff siding.  To help narrow down a root cause of this problem, the pole base and harp needs a full inspection to ensure the problem is not related to the car itself (or correct the problem if it is).

• Annual servicing of the low voltage contactor on PSCT #6.  Based upon the amount of use our PCC cars receive at our museum, an annual servicing of the low voltage contactors keeps these cars braking smoothly and properly.  Hard to believe, but it has been over a year since this was last done with #6.  This is a simple task that takes less than 30 minutes. 
  

   

The contactors on the master controller can be seen in this shot.  These need careful periodic cleaning with a file.  Take note of the comment NJ Transit scribbled to its maintenance staff: "DO NOT FILE WIRES"

• Inspect trolley shoes.  Bill Monaghan has been making good progress with inspecting our trolley shoes and carbon inserts, but we need to continue this for the entire operating fleet with our busy fall and winter events approaching.  

• Survey barn space in Carbarns #1 and #2 to find a place to store two Brill 27F trucks.  We are making arrangements for shipping and delivery of the Brill 27F trucks we obtained in trade this past March (along with Sweeper #3) for former DCTS Sweeper #09.  We are planning for delivery in September.  No, we won't be jacking up Valley #12 in the immediate future and finally reuniting the car with Brill trucks for the first time since 1923, but delivery of these trucks is a huge step towards eventual restoration of this car.  Valley Railways #12, a very rare 1895 vintage car built by Jackson & Sharp of Wilmington, DE, could be our next major restoration project once CA&E #315 is completed.

 

 It will be a very good day for Rockhill Trolley Museum when these trucks arrive. 

• Controller servicing.  Cars #1875, 249, 172, and 355 could use a controller servicing as a preventive maintenance effort to ensure all is ready for fall and winter.
 
• Fluid level checks cars #1875, 249, 172, 355, 163.  At the same time controller maintenance is done, recommended practice is to ensure all oil levels in the bearings and compressors are at the proper level.
 

Recent Work Completed

York Railways #163 was giving operators fits in recent weeks with the inbound controller seeming to "go dead" after changing ends or when getting the car out of the barn.  Budd Blair systematically did several checks of the controller disconnect and serviced the device as well, but this still did not correct the problem.  Jerry Deily and David Brightbill offered assistance one evening with a controller inspection but nothing seemed obvious.  Last weekend (8/25), Budd performed some checks with a meter and found several fingers on the inbound reverse drum were not making good contact with the drum and also found a worn segment on the master controller.  After a thorough servicing and tension adjustments, the problem seems to be corrected.  Thanks, Budd!

 

This also brings to mind a note about parts in private collections.  While servicing the controller on #163, Budd found that our stock of the segment needed for this controller (GE K-68) was depleted.  After we spoke, I recalled that we may be able to salvage a spare from RTY stock, thanks to a donation in the past year of a private collection of numerous parts, including a K-68 controller.  Do you have parts in your collection?  Would you be willing to donate them, knowing they can again be used to keep a real trolley car running?  Many items used to restore and maintain the operability of our cars came from private collections (we even have a PCC car backup controller that was formerly used to power a model railroad).  Please let me know if you do, and are willing to help us!  It might be just the part we are looking for or have no spares of for a specific vehicle.

 

 Parts like this controller are very helpful to us in keeping our cars running!

 I hope to see you tomorrow in Rockhill Furnace!

 

Best wishes,

 

Matt Nawn

Maintenance Department Head

 

Report of July 20 Maintenance Session and July 21 PCC Car Day

It has been busy recently at the museum.  Thanks to the efforts of a number of volunteers, much was accomplished.  Highlights include:

Interior Work on SEPTA PCC #2743

Thanks to the efforts of Harry Donahue and Jim Walsh, interior work continued on SEPTA #2743.  More paint work was completed (particularly the step wells, which now look wonderful and inviting), followed by a thorough interior cleaning. The car looked better than ever for PCC Car Day.

Bill Monaghan, George Rich, and Jerry Evans took care of some minor electrical details by replacing a defective headlight bulb, and then, with some assistance by Budd Blair and Nicholas Brightbill, replaced trolley shoes and carbon inserts on both the front and rear poles.

Harry hard at work on his favorite car at Rockhill

Can't wait for the day #2743 looks like this again!

Minor Work on PSCT #6

With repairs previously completed to the headlight/marker light circuit, Bill Monaghan, Jerry Evans, George Rich, and Nicholas Brightbill replaced the marker light bulbs with the correct (brighter) bulbs. 

Platform Modifications at Blacklog Narrows

Bill Monaghan and Nicholas Brightbill took a trip to Blacklog Narrows, where they carefully ground down the corner of the platform on the pocket track side, which had been fouling the skirt of #2743 and preventing it to run deep into the pocket track.  Thanks to their efforts, not only were excellent side by side photo opportunities of museum PCC cars PSCT #6 and SEPTA #2743 available for visitors last Saturday, but this gives greater operating flexibility when #2743 is in service.

Touch up paint work still needed, but the excess concrete has been removed.

Photographers and visitors got this scene to enjoy on Saturday

Work on NJT PCC Car #10

With a myriad of tasks to be completed Friday for PCC Car Day, there was insufficient time to get NJT #10 fully prepared for test operation.  However, some work still was able to be completed.  Jerry Evans, George Rich, Carl Salomon, Budd Blair, and Stephen Lane got a pole and pole base from RTY inventory, prepared these for installation, installed the pole base and pole, and wired these for test operation.  The pole base and roof boards will be removed before the car is shipped to its owner (since they use only front-mounted pantograph operation), but this work is essential for testing at RTY. 

Pole base installation in progress.

First Annual PCC Car Day at Rockhill Trolley Museum

There are photos posted to the museum website (www.rockhilltrolley.org), and a full report will be provided in the next issue of The Retriever, but a few additional photos are posted here as well.



Camera shy Budd Blair helps with the movements during PCC Car Day. 

April 2011

July 2012

January 2008

July 2012

Both of these cars have come a long way thanks to the remarkable dedictation of our volunteers!

Eight year old Matt Nawn snapped this shot with David Brightbill's 1964 Ford.

NJT Cars #6 & #10 together at Rockhill Trolley Museum on July 21, 2012

NJT Cars #6 & #10 together in Newark on the last day of service August 24, 2001

(thanks to Jan Lorenzen for sharing this photo)

This was the most successful event to date of the 2012 Operating Season.  My thanks and compliments to all who made this possible.

Matt Nawn (the father of the 8 year old Matt Nawn mentioned above)

Rockhill Trolley Museum Maintenance Department Head

Announcement - Upcoming Maintenance Department Work Session this Friday, July 20, 2012

Rockhill Trolley Museum Maintenance Department has an upcoming work session this Friday, July 20, 2012.  Projects for the day include:

- Towing NJT PCC Car #10 over the pit to enable work to be done to make the car operational

- Installation of a pole base and temporary roof structure to support the pole base on NJT #10

- Touch up paint work and interior cleaning of PCC #2743

- Possible grinding work on the Blacklog Narrows platform edges to enable better clearance for cars #2743 and #6

- Other miscellaneous projects to prepare for Saturday's PCC Car Day

New faces and volunteers are always welcome!  There are projects for every skill level.

Bill Monaghan is coordinating this work session; if planning to attend please email him at RTY-1267@comcast.net and cc me at mwntrolley@aol.com.

Thank you for your support of Rockhill Trolley Museum!

Maintenance Work Session - July 13-14, 2012

Well, finally this blog is rolling almost 18 months after it was created.  Guess we've been too busy working on trolleys otherwise.

Anyway, welcome to my new blog, which helps share information about the latest and upcoming news regarding Rockhill Trolley Museum's Maintenance Department.  This blog replaces the former RTY Maintenance Department email list with a format that is more modern, can better support photos and images, and can be accessed via any internet link.  Welcome aboard!

This past weekend was a busy and productive one for Maintenance Department and our volunteers.  The following projects were accomplished:

- The Carbarn 1 pit got a thorough cleaning thanks to Bill Monaghan, Jerry Evans, and George Rich.  After spending a considerable amount of time flooded recently, a think brown slime had built up on the walls.  Bill power washed the walls, making it much more suitable for volunteer use.  George and Jerry developed a way to run PVC conduit under the rails to enable cords to be strung without the potential for being run over, and with a little help from me, this fix was wrapped up relatively quickly.

- While Bill had the power washer running, SEPTA #2743 got a much needed bath and then Bill also power washed the front of NJT #10 to make it look a little better for the photographers at PCC Car Day this coming weeked.

- I did some inspection work on STCP #172 while Bill washed and scrubbed the pit.  There had been concerns about the outbound brake valve being stiff to operate, but after a series of tests I could not get the problem to replicate itself.  Thus, with Ron Gross accompanying me as a second operator (in case of emergency the museum has a two person operating rule), we made a series of braking tests using both the air brakes and the seldom used dynamic brakes.  The brakes operated well in all cases, including hard emergency stops.  This car remains relatively "stiff", however, probably due to the fact that it sits so often (I've heard the folks at IRM use the term "sititis").  I found the everything tends to loosen up after the car is run several times.  This fall or winter the car does need some pit time so a full brake adjustment can be made, but the immediate problems are diagnosed and the car available for service.

- After finishing up the pit washing work, Bill, Jerry, and George turned their attention to the marker lights on PSCT #6.  Repairs to the headlight/marker light circuit, a nagging punchlist item from last year, were completed a few weeks back when a new voltage regulator and associated fuse was installed.  The project was wrapped up Saturday with the installation of new bulbs. 

This photo shows the condition of the headlight wiring as found.  Damage was likely due to a front-end accident when this car rear-ended #2 in Newark in 1999.  This has since been replaced:

- Once I finished with the #172 and we did some car hostling, Bill, Jerry, George, and I went to work on investigating the dyanmic brake issue with SEPTA #2743.  Car #2743 has been suffering from a heavy dynamic brake drag (more like a slam) for several months, and it had been several years before the low-voltage braking contactors had been cleaned (simple as it may sound, this is often the cause of dynamic brake drag on GE-equipped PCC cars).  Once we opened the cabinets underneath, Jerry and I found oxidation on all of the low voltage contactors, particularly the low voltage contacts on contactors B1, B2, and B3.  After about 30 minutes of work with a small file, we did a brief test run to Carbarn #2 and the car coasting perfectly.  We then returned the car to the pit, replaced all the equipment covers, and made a test run to Blacklog Narrows.  Again, the car operated perfectly.

Once at Blacklog Narrows, we made a test trip with #2743 into the pocket track along the side of the mountain.  This was a first, as #2743 never has attempted this move before.  The test was successful, although it was found that the car can only proceed to where the rear truck is nearly on the tangent before the carbody will contact the platform edge, which sticks out about 1/2" too far.  Here are some photos of the test run:

Easy does it!  The pole has to be tended during this operation with this car.

It's getting close.  Once the skirt gets to about 1' from the MG blower grill, that's as far as you can go.

There's still plenty of room for cars to get by on the running track, and the front door clearance isn't that bad.

Verifying that #2743 can fit in the pocket track gives flexibility for this Saturday's upcoming PCC car day, especially with Altoff Siding being out of service for electric equipment at present.  After these tests and a layover, #2743 was declared complete (except for a taillight bulb that will be fixed this weekend) and returned to Carbarn #1 where it will reside until PCC Car Day.

- With #2743 coasting properly, attention turned to JTC #355, which had been suffering from issues with its inbound brake valve and handbrakes at the same end which were nearly impossible to release without a pipe wrench.  After securing and draining the car, Jerry and I proceeded to remove the inbound brake valve and take it to the shop workbench for futher diagnosis.  Bill and George, meanwhile, did the thankless, but most important task of cleaning up tools from the day's other projects.  Once disassembled, the brake valve (WABCO M-28 for the technical folks) was found to have scoring in some areas, as well as very little grease (what remained was in small clumps).  It appears that foreign debris had gotten into the valve somehow and proceeded to grind itself away inside.  Thus, after a trip through the parts washer, the affected surfaces were cleaned and ground smooth.  It was also found that the rubber seal inside (RTY has been using for some time two part rubber seals and teflon key washers for these valves) was slightly oversize compared with other stock seals both in width and thickness.  Thus, the seal was replaced and the entire assembly was lubricated with WABCO brake cylinder grease and reassembled.  After reinstallation, the valve was tested and functions normally.  A running test was then made to confirm the same and also to test the handbrakes. 

With the brake valve repaired, attention turned to the inbound handbrake which has been a source of frustration for some time.  After rehanging the chain on the brake staff itself, excessive links from the inbound end chain were removed and then the assembly reinstalled.  This corrected the problem and the brakes set and release properly.  The outbound end was checked as well

and found to operate fine. 

Attached is a photo below of #355 in service (in Johnstown) that was recently shared with the museum from Bill Volkmer.  However, look closely.  The fender has been added with the aid of Photoshop.  The search goes on for a shot of #355 with sloped dashes with a fender installed.  Until then, #355 at RTY matches its in service days - no fenders!

- More than the electric cars got attention this past weekend.  Courtney Brown, with assistance from Nevin Byers, completed the brake repairs and adjustments to locomotive M-25.  Kudos to Courtney and Nevin for completing this long overdue work.  Courtney made a test run in the early evening to confirm the brakes release and apply normally.  This was no simple task as it involved burning out the old brake pins and installation of new ones, as well as some "thermal persuation" to free the brake beam adjustment nuts as well.

Thanks to all who made all of this work possible.  Hope to see many of you at PCC Car Day and the Ragtime Piano Festival this coming Saturday!

Any omissions or errors are purely mine and purely accidental.