On the Move

When the 319 is on the move, the brakes work, but it seemed to me they were a little sluggish to apply. So I decided to remove the triple valve for cleaning and inspection.

Here is the M-2-B triple valve sitting on the bench. This is the mechanical brain of the brake system; it monitors the pressure in the train line and decides when to apply the brakes and at what pressure.

And here it is with the top cover removed; there's a gasket, and you can see the top of the piston for the slide valve mechanism.

The slide valve itself is seen here; it has several ports for graduating the transfer of air between the various parts of the system. It may not be obvious, but the slide valve has two parts which slide relative to each other also. Basically it looked OK; I cleaned everything up and then lubricated it with graphite.

We have a brake test stand which could be used to test the triple valve, but I'm not sure how to use it, where all the correct parts are, and couldn't find an instruction manual. Where's Jeff Hakner when you need him?!?

So the 319 itself has to be the test stand. We have a good supply of the correct gaskets, so I replaced the gasket between the valve and the bracket, as seen here.

And here is the installed valve. It seems to work somewhat faster; I don't have a good way to time the process. I decided not to take the car out for a test trip since I was by myself; maybe next time.

Next, it's back to work on the windows. We still have eight of them to strip and repaint. Nobody could find the big pad sander the department used to have, so I used my own sander. I finished sanding down two frames; a partly done one is seen here.

Another thing that's on the move is the shop's old planer. We now have a newer and better one, so this one's for sale, as you can see from the label. Make Bob an offer!

And saving the best for last, the Schroeder Store is finally on the move! This building was most recently an antique store in downtown Union; the Museum acquired it in 1991 and moved it to its present location next to Spaulding Tower. The original plan was to have a string of buildings on the north side of the parking lot along the main line ROW. But in 1995 we were able to buy the Knut Olson farm and the IRM Master Plan changed. The store will now be along the new Main Street extension.

Here we see Nick Kallas (L) and Dave Diamond (R) busily excavating for the concrete foundation on which the store will sit.

I'll bet the Executive Director of MSI never has this much fun!

This will be the first permanent construction along Main Street, so it's quite a milestone!