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.

C&NW #1385: Air Compressor Update  

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As work progresses on appliances the question comes up on where do we store them?  The best place we can think of is, as seen in other updates, on the engine itself.  This is also true of the air compressors. 

The 3-D chess continues with a careful layout of where on the boiler the holes will be drilled to receive the studs that will hold the compressor bracket. Great care is required so the compressors will end up straight up & down with the bracket mounted to the curved surface of the boiler barrel. 

3-D Chess continues: Layout created of where the holes will be drilled to receive the studs. M. L. Deets photo.
A careful test-fit with everything suspended from the gantry, confirms the stud placement. M. L. Deets photo.

The perfect fit to the boiler barrel is a testament to both the skill of Continental Mfg. and attention to dimensional detail during the design process. 

A Perfect Fit: A testament to both the skill of Continental Mfg. and attention to dimensional detail. M. L. Deets photo.
As a parting shot, here is the Fireman’s perspective looking from the cab toward the front of the engine. M. L. Deets photo.

D&R #9 Work Taking Place This Saturday!

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Fletch and his crew will be working on the #9 this Saturday, May 20.  We are planning to start at 10am. The weather is looking nice.  Fletch says, “If you wanna be cool, come join us.” Lol.

This is an opportunity to help cosmetically restore the Dardanelle & Russellville #9, Mid-Continent’s oldest locomotive (1884). The locomotive is located next to Mid-Continent’s Car Shop Building. To learn more about becoming a volunteer with this project, contact the museum office or stop by during the work session.

First Volunteer Session of 2023

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April 22, 2023; We had our first volunteer session on the D&R #9 last week, for the 2023 season. My apologies that a notice was not put out for our first get together, but life got busy on me, and I didn’t get it submitted in time.  I will try to stay on top of it for future events. That is also the reason I am getting this update out so late. 

We had a successful and safe session along with “somewhat cooperative” weather.  That included sun, wind, cold, some light rain, and of course snow flurries at times. We had about 7 volunteers our first weekend, which was a great turn out.  We also welcomed our first new volunteer in a long time, and I want to thank Tyler for all his help Saturday.  We hope he continues to join us on future sessions with the #9. And a big thank you to the usual volunteers for returning for yet another year; Steve Pahl, Mike Laabs, Frank Fisher, Jay Slinde, and of course our lead volunteer, Fletcher.  I hope I didn’t miss anyone.

After a long winter, we uncovered the Locomotive (although mother nature had mostly uncovered it for us by this time). She was looking really good and dry, and ready for this upcoming year.  We also got a crew on the front of the locomotive, removed the Dyno, and checked it into storage for future preservation. The tender was looking good as well, and was right where we left it.  One of the biggest tasks we accomplished this weekend was planning and coordination.  This tends to be a main tasker of ours at the beginning of the year, and for good reason.  We also met with Chris Burdick to discuss big events such as the stenciling of the Tender, and the next goal for painting on the Locomotive.  All very exciting topics, that we hope will soon become a reality.        

It is looking like Saturday May 20 will be our next volunteer session on the #9.  I will put out another announcement to confirm as we approach that date.  Again, thanks for everyone’s help this last weekend.  – Jason & Fletcher Reiman.

D&R #9

C&NW #1385 Parts Painting Progress

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Mid-Continent Railway Museum volunteers gathered at SPEC Machine outside of Middleton, WI on Friday February 24th and Saturday February 25, 2023 to apply paint to numerous loose parts in preparation for installing the items onto the locomotive in the near future. Parts receiving primer and paint included the ashpan, brackets for the air tanks, bracket for the power reverse, sand dome parts, and numerous other components.

Turnout for both days of work sessions were great – almost too good on Saturday, making it necessary for some mandatory breaks while waiting for the paint to dry before adding additional coats.

A big thank you goes out to the volunteers that participated – a few of whom signed up for museum membership just to be able to attend this session. The work was organized and led by Pete Deets and Ed Ripp of the 1385 Task Force. They were joined by volunteers Chuck B., Ross S., Larry S., Richard C., David S., James W., Robert D., Brayden E., Joey R., Jim B., Andy S., Gary B., Rusty S., Ken E., and Jeff H.

Thanks also go out to our host, SPEC Machine for opening their shop to our volunteers to make this session possible.

Volunteer crew on the afternoon of February 25, 2023. Gary Bjorge photo.
Sand dome
Cab support
Miscellaneous brackets.
Air reservoir brackets.
Ash pan control connectors.
Ash pan components.
Ash pan component.
Ash pan component.
Ash pan doors.