As outlined on our sister
Hicks Car Works blog
here and
here, the Illinois Railway Museum has gotten its Illinois Terminal line car,
IT 1702, operating for the first time since it left the IT in 1958. Museum volunteers began working on restoring the car's body in 2021, work that was completed in early 2024, and the car's control system was rebuilt over the last five months or so to get it operating for an event this past weekend.
The car's status on PNAERC has been updated from "undergoing restoration" to "operated occasionally." Another update at IRM has been made to
IT 415, the first car ever to run at the museum back in 1966. This lightweight interurban was taken out of service in 2020 for exterior restoration, and that work was completed within the past couple of weeks as well. Its status has been updated to "operated often," as it has long been a mainstay of public operations at IRM and is expected to return to a prominent role.
Frank,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the story with the blocked windows on IT 415. Were there arched windows at one time like the Fox River/Shaker 300s?
Wesley
Yes, when car 415 was built - as Chicago & Illinois Valley car 64 - it did have arched upper-sash windows. But replacing them would involve far more than simply removing sheet metal and making new window frames and stained glass. As built, the car was single-ended and was about 18" shorter or so, with a shallower front platform. It also had a very different interior, including a toilet. Photos can be found at https://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2022/11/chicago-ottawa-peoria-illinois-valley.html
DeleteTo address our other comment, could the car be rebuilt in this fashion? Theoretically, yes, but you'd end up with a car that was largely a replica instead of what it is today, an artifact that is complete and authentic to its later days in Granite City suburban service.
Wesley,
ReplyDeleteI believe you are correect about those windows. I wish they IRM people woud re-open them! They make the carr look lop-sided the way it is now! TM IRM Member PS the Fox River 306 at IRM is coming along nicely!