Day 2 at the Train Museum in Portola

Hello!
  We went back to the train museum in Portola to walk around and see what they had there. They give you pretty much free rein of the place. "If it's open, go in it" seems to be the only rule. They have a LOT of rolling stock. I couldn't even figure out what some of the cars were!
  There are no operating steam engines at the museum, but that will change, as they are currently restoring a 0 6 0  switch engine that was built in 1919.

   Believe it or not, this is a steam engine! They've taken it apart to rebuild all the various parts. You are looking at the end that the Engineer and Fireman would ride. That hole is where the fireman shoveled the coal. The cab is inside the building, being repaired.

This is the front end of the engine. The front piece has obviously been removed for repairs. All those holes will eventually be filled with new, steel tubes running front to back. The heat and smoke from the fire pass through the tubes to heat the water and make steam pressure. It really is an involved process getting a steam boiler recertified. When they're done, it all has to be inspected and the welds must be X-rayed or checked with a Sonigram for perfection.

This photo looks mildly like a steam engine. The wheels are all inside getting worked on.

Here is one pair of drivers. There's three pair for this engine. They are about three feet tall.

Here's the cab. They are replacing rusted steel and filling unnecessary holes by welding in pieces and grinding them smooth.

Here's an old Ford they're working on. IT RUNS! It lacks a radiator, but when they get one, they'll throw it on the rails and off it goes! We talked with the guy working on the mechanicals and he said he was surprised when he went to the local NAPA Auto Parts store and they had 4 spark plugs for it!....LOL.

Here's Patsy (and Sassi) standing by a Domeliner. This one was part of Western Pacific's fleet and was part of the California Zephyr. It ran from Salt Lake City to the San Fransisco Bay area. She remembered riding in a car like this "back in the day". She rode the Santa Fe Super Chief to San Diego with her Mom and Brother. She remembered the Porters wearing their white uniforms, and how beautiful the train was inside. Before planes got efficient at moving people, trains were the way to travel. Fancy China and Silverware, Linen table cloths and the Porters were there to ensure you had a comfortable trip, and were well cared for....Ahhhhh the good old days!

  We hope you enjoyed this brief, small representation of this train museum. It is really a LOT bigger, and these aren't even the high points. But this is nothing more than a snapshot of what they are doing.
   We hope all of you are well, and we're thinking of all of you......

Tomorrow, we're traveling across California to Fort Bragg to ride the Skunk Train!