The Wiring Begins

 This past weekend officially began the rerunning of wires in car 16.

Wire runs now begin through the terminal block in the cargo compartment of the car and run through the side panels to the auxiliary systems

Wires for auxiliary systems now running through the terminal block

Phil created wire organizers out of wood in the shop to further help make the wire runs clean and organized for later maintenance/inspection. 

New wire runs down the length of the car

A New Terminal Block and Knife Switch

 This weekend began the process of rewiring 16. It took a long time but all of years of cloth and sheathing has been removed from the main 600 VDC bus wire to make ready for a replacement wire dropping in from the roof. To ensure easy repairs in the future, the shop is routing the main 600 volt wire from the roof of the car into a Terminal Block and Knife switch. The terminal block will be able to control power to auxiliary systems of the car such as the lights and heat. The knife switch is going to be the cutoff for the main propulsion system of the car. There is still a lot of wiring to be done, but this is a large step in the right direction. 

Beginning to construct the box to house the knife switch and terminal block

The box with the terminal block and knife switch mounted

The finished product. The door to the terminal block will be screwed in once the wiring is complete

Tracing the Wires

 As with most equipment from the 1900's, it is very difficult to find any sources of documentation about the equipment. That is no exception for trolley cars. 

This weekend was spent tracing various auxiliary system wires from the main 600 VDC Feeder on car 16. At this point, all the wires for the heating, lighting, and line switch circuits have been traced. This means that in the coming weeks, 16 will begin getting  rewired to make repair work easier in the future and ensure the safe operation of the car. 

Ceiling Panels and Trim have been taken off to trace wires

16's Wiring Work

 With 1326 back in regular service, car 16 was brought into the shop. 16 is due for work on the trucks of the car as well as a general inspection of the condition of the car. The Connecticut Trolley Museum also received a donation from the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts for a new roof for the car.

During the general inspection of the car, Gio and Wil inspected the Line Switch of the car to ensure proper operation. The line switch is an important component of any car that has it, as the part prevents most controller arching. It also acts as a safety to where the car will not operate under 40 pounds of air pressure.

16's Line Switch

During the inspection of the wiring from the main 600 VDC feeder to the auxiliary systems of the car (Lights, heat, Line Switch, etc) a few inconsistencies were found in how the car was wired. Out of an abundance of caution, the shop will be replacing the wiring to these auxiliary systems.

This starts with creating an insulated box on the interior of the car with a copper bar inside to where 600 VDC can safely and cleanly be routed to the auxiliary systems.

The new machined Copper Bar

The box which will be insulated and house the copper bar and wiring

1326 Brake Rigging Work

 After operating last week, 1326 was brought back into the shop to continue the work on the brake rigging. 

As a part of the work, Gio removed one of the brake rigging arms that attaches the brake shoes on one of the trucks to the piston arm to be repainted

sanded and repainted brake rigging arm

After the reinstallation, new bolts and cotter pins were installed to replace the old ones.

Brake rigging bolted to the arm of the Brake Piston

Other end of the rigging bolted to the brake shoe mechanism

As the final part of putting the brake rigging back together, the slack adjuster needed to be adjusted to keep the appropriate amount of tension on the system. 

Gio working on reassembling the Slack Adjuster

Continuing Work on 1326

 This past weekend, once the crossmember was replaced on 1326, the shop crew completed a test run of the car and it passed inspections. The installation of the crossmember also reduced the lean of the car body. The car was temporarily put back into service to help with the large crowds for that weekend. 

On Saturday 1326 was brought back into the shop to continue work on the brake system on the car. In an effort to begin overhauling brake components that are beginning to show age, Gio worked on replacing piping that runs from the air tank into the brake system. 

This work will be continuing into the upcoming weekend. 

A New Crossmember

 During the off season and a regular inspection of the car, it was discovered that Connecticut Company Car 1326 had some major wear and deterioration of one of its crossmembers. This particular crossmember was on the west end of 1326 and had components of the cars brake rigging running through it. 

The crossmember after removal

Mike L. removing the truss rod holders

Gio and Jayden drilling holes in the new crossmember for brake rigging to run through

Mike cutting slats in the crossmember for the handbrake cables

Final photo of the crossmember before getting installed under 1326