Category Archives: News

Keep up with the latest news and announcements at Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

Mechanical Department 9/16-9/17 Work Session Update

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Update from Ed R.

“First, I want to thank Josh D. of Mechanical Technology Inc for his assistance and his employer for supporting him.  

Saturday

Josh took the lead on basically performing an annual inspection on the power car boiler with much assistance from Jim B.  The burner was removed and the front cover was opened up so the tube sheets could be cleaned and inspected.  The stack extension from the boiler smoke box was rusted out to being almost nonexistent.  Josh led the fabrication of a new stack extension.  Once this was completed, the burner was installed with new insulation and the front door was resealed.

MCRY 4 received some attention.  The batteries were removed from the battery box in the cab where the terminals were cleaned and the batteries were rinsed off.  While the batteries were out, they were topped off with distilled water.  The battery box was cleaned out and the batteries were re-installed into the box.  Perry A and Larry worked together on this project.

Sunday

The remaining steam heat connector was installed on the DLW coach 595.  There had been a failure on the last trip of Santa Express last year that resulted in the valve assembly on the coach being broken.  A different valve and proper fittings were located and prepped for installation during the last work session.  The car had been moved to the engine house to facilitate removal of the remnants of the valve.   James W, Gary B and Larry worked together to complete this.”

Small Track Repair Session

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Mid-Continent is currently seeking volunteers to assist Nick Vertein, Supt. of Engineering, to perform track repairs on a small section that was damaged by a contractor’s machinery. This will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9th at 7 AM, at the south end of Mid-Continent’s train yard (behind Engine House and Car Shop buildings.) This relatively small track repair job is an opportunity to learn more about track maintenance, while helping Mid-Continent regain access to railcars currently trapped on the other side of the broken rail.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Mid-Continent at inquiries@midcontinent.org

DL&W #563 Lift Update

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Written by Jeffrey Lentz

The fourth and final Delaware, Lackawanna & Western passenger car in Mid-Continent’s fleet has completed the process of having its trucks rebuilt and wheels replaced. Mid-Continent volunteers were joined by crews from McCutchin Crane & Rigging and L&S Electric on July 10, 2023 to pick up DL&W #563 to swap out the shop trucks and allow the reinstallation of its own, refurbished trucks.

The entire operation went very smoothly. The cranes arrived at 8:15 AM to begin setting up. The refurbished trucks were picked up earlier that morning from L&S Electric’s shop in Appleton and arrived at North Freedom at 10:00 AM. By lunchtime, the refurbished trucks were under the car.

This marks the conclusion of a Lackawanna fleet wheel/truck refurbishment program that has spanned 11 years. Each of the four cars were removed from service one-at-a-time during that time span to be worked on as time and funding permitted.

Car Builder: Pullman
Build Year: 1914
Car weight (with trucks) = 108,000 lbs
Weight of each truck = 14,000 lbs

After the crane work was completed, volunteers and L&S Electric staff shimmed the car for proper heights and clearances and then took the car for a short test run to check bearing temperatures. Everything checked out, and volunteers then moved the car into the Engine House to reconnect and adjust the braking system, which they completed the same afternoon.

The car must still complete the required annual brake testing and have a good cleaning of the interior to clear away three years of dust, but is otherwise ready to return operation. With the fourth and final car now on its own wheels, Mid-Continent’s operating coach car fleet is poised to once again be at full strength. This will be of great help operationally as it affords more flexibility if a different car experiences unexpected mechanical issue and needs to be swapped out during summer operations. It also allows for increased capacities during the museum’s busy special events such as Autumn Color Weekends and Pumpkin Special trains.

MCRM personnel assisting with the crane lift on July 10th included: Gary B., Richard C., Pete D., Bob D., Richard G., Ron H., Jeff H., Jeffrey L., B.G. Miller, Richard P., Ed R., Jay S., and Rick T. Sorry if I missed anyone else!

We have also uploaded a time-lapse video of the entire process on our YouTube channel:

DL&W #563 Update

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The DL&W #563 trucks are now in assembly, and the contractor shop is hoping to have them done in a month’s time.

As of last week, the journal wicks, wheel axle journals, and bearings were cleaned, and the contractor shop is planning to install the wheels into the trucks this week. We are expecting to have the completed trucks/wheels delivered to MCRM later this summer and are currently seeking donations to help wrap up this project.


Being that the car is nearing completion, any donation helps the museum twice – once from the donation itself, and again when we can sell more tickets for special events because of the added capacity.

If you would like to donate to this project, please click the button below.

Donate to DL&W #563 Coach Car

L&S Electric Photos

Mid-Continent Railway Museum excited to announce $5,000 Grant from NRHS

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Mid-Continent Railway Museum has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the National Railway Historical Society. This grant will be utilized for the reproduction of 16 seat bottoms and back cushions needed to complete the restoration of the East Jordan and Southern No. 2 combination car. This car is the oldest in our museum’s collection, and we are thrilled to be able to begin the last step of this car’s restoration journey.

#2 while in service. Date unknown. Location is alongside the EJ&S’s East Jordan depot. Date unknown; L.B. Herren photo; Ted Schnepf collection, from Paul Swanson.

About the East Jordan and Southern No. 2 Car

East Jordan and Southern No. 2 was originally built in Nov. 1864 as first-class coach No. 112 for the Grand Trunk Railroad of Canada and operated between Detroit and Port Huron. The coach was renumbered 585 and received a major rebuild in 1889 to update its appearance and give it new mechanical gear. After refurbishment by Hicks Locomotive and Car works the coach came to the EJ&S in April 1902. In 1919 it was rebuilt as a baggage coach combination car by the EJ&S. The combine remained in service until 1961 when the line was abandoned. East Jordan and Southern No. 2 was acquired by the museum in 1963 and it has been at Mid-Continent for the past 60 years.
EJ&S No. 2 is one of the oldest passenger cars surviving in the United States. While the exterior has been considerably altered by two significant rebuilds, the interior of the passenger section still has the character and woodwork of the 1864 car. The plan is to restore the interior to that of an 1860s car which will be unique among the collection at our museum. No seats were in the car when it arrived at the museum. We must reproduce seats typical of the time which have cast iron frame parts and cushions made with plush mohair upholstery.
Restorations on the EJ&S No. 2 has been progressing since its start in 2014. Work thus far has included replacement of the side sills. Along with the rebuilding of the “east side” wall structure, windows, baggage doors, steps, and end platforms. The siding has been replaced thanks in part to a 2015 grant from the NRHS, and as for the interior woodwork, it has been stripped and is waiting to be refinished.
The remaining work includes installing canvas roof covering, clerestory screens, as well as installation of the window, doors, blinds, and interior hardware. The last step is reproducing and installing the seats in the passenger section of the car, and with help from this grant, it can now move closer to being completed.

How to Help this Project Move Forward

Thanks to the NRHS, we have some additional help in finishing this project. However, the full cost of this project still exceeds the amount we’ve been given. In total, the full cost of the seats will be around $30,750. If you would like to help us reach this goal, please donate at the link below.

Donate to East Jordan & Southern #2 Project
(credit/debit card or PayPal account)
Donate to East Jordan & Southern #2 Project
(printable donation form)

About the National Railway Historical Society

The National Railway Historical Society is a non-profit organization that supports the preservation projects of trains, railways and stations with thousands of dollars awarded in Heritage Grants. This organization was founded in 1935 by rail historians and has since grown from a small group of 40 founding members. Today, they have over 13,000 members, who include men and women of all ages. Thus, making it the largest rail preservation and historical society.

About the Mid-Continent Railway Museum

Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society–also known as Mid-Continent Railway Museum–is an outdoor, living museum and operating railroad recreating the small town/short line way of life during the “Golden Age of Railroading,” with operating trains, educational exhibits, and displays of restored rolling stock. In 2023 Mid-Continent will be celebrating its 60th anniversary of sharing railroad history with museum visitors.