Thomas Open House
July 7, 2013
Digital Photos by Pete Blaess
PRRH operated a limited open house on July 7th in conjunction with the Thomas event on the Bel-Del. The middle two weeks of July average the hottest daily temperatures of the year and there was no question about that to the volunteers and visitors. The Accuweather real feel index was over 100 during the mid-day. Undaunted by the heat the shows went on.
I took a quick look around the engine house while Bob M was prepping the little train. Glenn and Bob have been working on getting the C&S 1502 up to snuff. Little by little they are finding the source of the air leaks and replacing the part or plugging the hole. You can see 2 new hoses in the picture above.
The reverser was leaking fluid like a sieve so it has been removed and is being rebuilt. When the 1502 is ready the 1503 will be taken out of service for a well-deserved overhaul.
John and Carl are making progress rebuilding the L&HR caboose. The end roof support beam was cut from a single piece of wood. The original was probably heated with steam and bent to shape.
Bob backs the C&S out of the engine house as Paul discusses today’s operations. The Susquehanna group was backing out their train also as evidenced by the smoke over the coal pockets.
NS was kind enough to send a WB rack train through.
Prior to taking on any guests the train runs the full length of the track as a safety check. The NS Washington local was heading east as was the 1503.
Staying in the shade when possible was the order of the day. Meg, Earle, Ritchie and Carl kibitz a bit between runs.
Paul made contact with one of the Thomas shuttle drivers and arranged to have them drop off any guests who wanted to take the free ride in town.
Engineer Bob M couldn’t escape the heat of the engine or hang in the shade. This is true dedication. Paul and Carl took turns being the conductor.
The coal pockets make great shade for the east switch tender.
Ridership wasn’t as high as it would be during one of our full open house events, but considering the heat it wasn’t disappointing either.
PRRH will be open again next Sunday (7-14-13). Let’s hope it’s a little cooler!
Pete
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