December 2021 @ PTM

 December @ PTM Blog

 

 

The month started out covering the work that Ralph is doing on the retired SEPTA bucket truck 9974, which served the Red Arrow lines during the 80s and 90s.

 

 

 

When Ralph started the project the floor of the truck's cab was  a real 'Fred Flintstone' special.  Removal of the floor mats revealed the real scope of the decay.

December 1. Ralph started by cutting out the rocker panel/sill and completely replacing it with a piece of channel.

 

 

December 1, Jeff and Beau placed new light fixtures at the entrance to the Archives and offices at the Reliance building.

Back at the Bucket Truck on Monday December 2 Ralph works to weld the new metal into the driver side.

By the end of the week the driver's side was completed.

 

 

Saturday the sunny clear weather provided an opportunity to get some photos of the Santa Trolley event.

Lots of staff and volunteers were on hand, with

 By December 6 Ralph had started on the passenger side of the cab floor

 December 7 Ralph drove the forklift and Art directed from the ground and they worked all day to rearrange racks, tooling, tooling cabinets and machines in the area of the Reliance shop  to clear around the huge milling machine that was included as part of the deal when the building was purchased.

December 7, I mounted a Skyscan clock that I donated near the east doors of the shop area of the Reliance building.

 

 

December 10, I had Ralph pose next to the bucket truck after he finished the work and coated the floor with bed liner compound.  He also repaired a rust hole in the bottom of the door on the passenger side as well as a crack in the fender behind the door.  The line crew has express their sincere appreciation of his efforts.

 

  

 

 

 

 

December 11 I capped off my coverage of the landscaping by our neighbors with these photos of the grass growing on the embankment.

 

 

 

 

December 12, I finally got around to making a circle of thin oak-like plywood for the Pennsy Station clock that was rescued from destruction years ago by PTM Founder 

RH Brown.  Barrie is refinishing the clock box, Kim F. is restoring the original dial and John H. is working hard on a movement for the clock.

This is a work in progress so that the clock will be ready for mounting in the new Visitor and Education Center at the East Campus. 

 

The clock was originally readable from either side.  Unfortunately that was altered at some point so the back of the case needed a circular cover, the diameter of the face.  This was accomplished in the shop on December 12 using a time honored pivot and band saw fixture that Bruce fabricated.