Perris, CA 4/26/03
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During the recent festival, I got a chance
to watch some of the OERM crew working on the restoration of an old Rio
Grande idler flat. They were busy with a torch, welding on new metal
supports. |
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The heavy overhead crane comes in handy
with restoration jobs as extensive as this. The three foot gauge
track in the foreground run into a large four track building where the
collection is stored out of the elements. |
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There sure are a lot of cars waiting for
some tender loving care! |
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The old wood of the side panels has seen
many years of hard work, but the paint is fresh and you can almost
smell the coal smoke! |
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The entire deck has been
removed for serious restoration. |
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Here's a detail shot of the underframe that
one usually only gets to see after a wreck! She's bent and bowed,
but probably quite healthy. |
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A detail of the brake rigging and truss
rods. |
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Around the corner are two D&RGW baggage
cars. This one has a filled in clearstory type roof. The
other one has Harriman lines, probably of D&SL heritage. Both
cars are open, and house a toy train collection. |