January 1975
Dear Pioneer,
Wow! I had no idea that U-505’s Christmas story would be so… fragrant. Most Christmas stories I’ve ever heard have been about being together, but not usually so literally! It took a long time for our volunteer letter reader to get through it. When he himself wasn’t struggling to continue with a straight face, the Goddesses were making all kind of noise about it. From shrieks and gasps to stifled giggling, I think they enjoyed the story most of all. I guess passenger cars, similar to children, like it when things are a little gross. As for myself, I’m just happy U-505 was willing to share it with us. Please tell him “thank you” and if he wants to share any more stories (smelly or otherwise) my train and I would be delighted to hear them!
As usual, the winter months are an odd time for us. With no visitors, it’s a good time to get work done, but of course the weather never cooperates so it’s usually slow-going. The Steam Department wants to get Frisco working properly by the summer season, so there’s been a lot of noise from that side of the property. I’ve been told they’re entirely replacing her sheet metal jacket, so she’s going to look absolutely wonderful when the museum reopens in March. She’s still undergoing restoration, technically, but in the meantime she at least looks as operational as the steam department wants her to be.
I feel as though I’ve mentioned her ongoing restoration in all of my previous letters, but I’ve been assured that progress is being made, slowly but surely. I suppose it’s difficult with so many pieces of stock on the property to accomplish everything you want in a timely manner. She didn’t seem discouraged at all when we talked during Member’s Day, which is a good sign. She has a great disposition for preservation, so I’m hopeful this will be her year. I think the visitors would love being able to ride her train more often!
There have also been rumblings about getting some more streetcars running for 1975, including the Green Hornet who joined us in 1973 along with her sisters from the other museum. Just like the Steam Department though, the Car Department has been juggling multiple projects at once, so I can only remain hopeful for her.
All this, alongside the plans for a new barn which is due to begin construction this spring, makes it feel like everything at the museum is on standby. It feels a bit like idling at the platform, waiting for the moment we can finally start moving again. Venus says I’m being impatient, which isn’t something I’ve ever been told before. Silver Speed was always the impatient sort, not me!
That said, I am looking forward to your response, as always. Any engine would be impatient for that.
Your friend,
Pilot
February 1975
Dear Pilot,
My cars think U-505’s Christmas story to be a bit crass, so that your Goddesses were so enthralled is a pleasant surprise for him. He says if they like gross stories then he has another they might enjoy, but as he said it, my helpful guide started clearing his throat in that way that means he’d like to change the subject. Another time then perhaps, haha.
Winter cold seems to freeze time as well as earth and water, particularly for those of us left outdoors with both. It’s slow for us out in our yard as well, but much is happening indoors as ever.
A new tree for Lithuania was added to the “Christmas Around the World” collection at the very end of December. The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture donated it to us in honor of one of their countrymen, Simas Kudirka, who has just come to America after a lot of difficulty. The guides brought out the newspaper with a picture of the tree to show me the ornaments their museum had made for us. They’re built of small white sticks arranged into triangles to make shapes of things. It’s hard to explain, but maybe we can send the clipping along so you can see too.
We also broke our all-time attendance record in December, both for the month and in a year. You were right that the oil shortage did make it harder for people to visit us too. We certainly had fewer school field trips since they have to charter buses for them. The CTA started running a program last March where fares were reduced on Sundays though and I’m sure that helped get people out to see us. I hope the CTA trains know what service they’ve done for our museum. I suppose they must, but it’s just in the course of the work for them.
We had an exhibit on Puerto Rican art just close and now they are setting up for the fourth annual “Black Aesthetics” exhibit for black artists. They’ve done that one every year since 1970. Mr. MacMaster, the museum president, says that Chicago is made of all kinds of people from all over the world and so doing cultural exhibitions like these attracts new people to the museum who might not otherwise come. Clearly, it’s working!
I’m looking forward to getting to meet the people again once it warms up and our yard is open. Maybe Venus is right about being impatient, but I get that way too around this time of year. By February, one is weary of all the cold and gray and quiet. March can’t come soon enough.
Your museum seems quite determined and industrious, if I may say. They got both you and Frisco running again. I don’t think it’s out of place to be optimistic for further improvements for the both of you and your streetcars too. Once your volunteers get past February, I’m sure they’ll be just as reinvigorated to work as you are.
Your friend,
Pioneer
March 1975
Dear Pioneer,
I’m glad U-505 was eager to share more of his stories with us. The Goddesses seemed to have an impression of him as standoffish before but they’re quite interested in him now, ha! I understand your guide’s reservations, though. Maybe we can save the stories for special occasions.
Are all the trees in your Christmas exhibit donated? I remember you mentioning that at first it was just one big tree when the tradition started but now there are a great many smaller trees, which sounds like a lot of work for your volunteers to keep up with. It’s nice that at least one has a group dedicated to decorating it. Either way, the clipping they sent along with your letter showed off the Lithuanian tree very nicely.
I’m glad about your visitor numbers. It’s great that people are able to take the train to visit you and that it’s even being encouraged by the CTA! They and their trains have been good friends to both our museums it seems. Not only did they help us out by giving the museum old line parts when the trolley bus services shut down two years ago, but this month we’ll be working with them to do our second annual Snowflake Special.
Our guys are chartering a train of old 4000s trolley cars to do a fantrip over the weekend on the L. The 4000s series are very old. They were built between 1915 and 1920, and they were the very first steel-bodied cars used on Chicago rails! They weren’t very fancy. Utilitarian, as U-505 might say. Since they had no decorations on their roofs, they got the nickname “Baldies”, which Vesta thought was very funny until Venus pointed out that she’d qualify for the same nickname if she’d been around back then. Vesta didn’t think it was so funny after that.
There are a few 4000s here at the museum, sisters 4146 and 4412, but the cars for the charter train are ones that belong to the CTA. As nice as it would be for our 4000s to join the train, it would be too much work to try and have them pulled all the way from Union to the city just for one day. They don’t seem to be jealous though. My letter writer tells me 4146 is quite pleased that her sisters will be getting some more miles under their wheels. 4412 says she hopes that if they make a good enough impression that more of the 4000s might find their way here.
I hope all those new visitors your museum is attracting are coming out to visit you in the yard! March is the first time I get to see visitors too, but not too many are willing to brave the unpredictable temperatures this time of year except our most ardent regulars, haha. We don’t have a cultural exhibition to attract new visitors, but there’s a rumor going around that something new will be coming to our museum soon. In the meantime it’s just me and my train and those who are willing to brave the mud to come chat with us for a bit. It’s not so bad though, I can already feel the pace picking up around here!
Thank you again for your words of encouragement. I’m already looking forward to April and the spring thaw that accompanies your letters.
Your friend,
Pilot
April 1975
Dear Pilot,
I’m not sure if we’re ever going to get to hear that particular story from U-505 again, if it’s the one I am thinking of. There’s been debate around here recently about how much of people we ought to be seeing and that story involves seeing quite a bit.
We’re holding the Pan-American Festival of the Arts currently and there’s been a lot of upset over one artist who did a drawing of a man with no clothes on. It must have been quite good because it won second place in the awards, but Mr. Danilov, the director, says that nude bodies are art, not science and so they should not be shown to children. Mr. Paley, who is in charge of public relations, says nude bodies are science and not art.
It sounds complicated, figuring out what is art and what’s science. It surely doesn’t help that it’s an art festival at a science museum. I’m sure I couldn’t tell the difference either if it was any business of engines. 999 says she’s been described as both science and art, and then 2903 said quite decidedly that a thing could be both then. I’d be quite happy to agree with that.
Since Mr. Danilov and Mr. Paley couldn’t agree if the drawing was scientific enough to be shown as is, they put some tape over the artistic parts as a compromise. The artist, though, didn’t like that at all and told the newspaper all about it. So now people are coming to the museum to see the controversial art, which means we in the yard are getting to see more people too.
I’m not sure if the Christmas trees themselves are donated, but all the decorations and the work of putting them on the trees are. Every tree’s ornaments are handmade and local groups and organizations come in to decorate the trees for the event. It sounds delightful and I’m a little jealous of the engines who get to live inside since they get to meet all these different people and see their trees. Luckily, we’re doing all these other festivals throughout the year so we in the yard are not missing out too much.
It’s wonderful that your CTA cars are being remembered - and used even! One sometimes gets to feeling our obsolescence in retirement, especially since we’re meant to be Useful. You’d think being a part of people’s every day would make us forgettable once we’re not anymore. It’s good to be reminded that many of our passengers think back on us enough to want that experience one more time.
Last month, my guides came out with a newspaper clipping to show me. It was a question-and-answer column and an elderly couple wrote in to say that riding my train was one of their fondest memories, but that they had lost the brochure from their trip and wanted to know if another could be found for them. Burlington Northern did find one and mailed it to them! We are retired and our railroad has been merged into three others and yet they are still taking care of our passengers for us.
And the CTA is doing the same for the 4000s. Even if yours cannot join their sisters back on the rails, they must be very proud that their service is being revisited for old times sake. I feel that way when I hear you are doing a run too.
Your friend,
Pioneer
May 1975
Dear Pioneer,
Oh gosh! That business about the drawing was as controversial here as it was over there. After they heard 999’s comment about her being art and science, Venus and Vesta had a lot of opinions about how to tell if an engine or car is art or not.
Vesta says our whole train is art first and foremost because we (she might have been including me, but I didn’t ask) were designed to be seen as one continuous machine from the outside. Our fluting is a bit like people’s clothes and without it the illusion is ruined, so if the man didn’t have his clothes on how could that be art? Venus said she’s heard the inside of a machine called art before and that the way each piece is designed to fit with every other piece is beautiful to some people. Vesta said that was the science part and that the closer you get to the inside of something, the more science it is. Venus said you’d have to go under a person’s skin for the science to start happening, the art doesn’t stop at the clothes.
I think I’m inclined to agree with you and 2903 on this one. I’m just glad it means you’re getting more people to come and look at the art and/or science that is you and your yard!
That’s really lovely of the BN to send your old passengers the brochure they remember. It’s nice that it’s not just the passengers and volunteers who want to keep those memories alive, but the railroads (and transit systems!) too. I know it’s not all for philanthropy since money changes hands all the time over us, but plenty of stock here at the IRM survives because the people at the railroad want us to be around in the future to remember the old days.
Our newest acquisition can attest to that firsthand! Remember last letter when I mentioned there had been some hinting about a new arrival? Well, she’s here: Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific 265. That’s a bit of a mouthful so she just goes by Old Smokey. She’s a 4-8-4 Alco and the whole steam department was excited to finally be able to move her here this month. She was quite excited to arrive in turn.
The Milwaukee Road donated her to the city of Milwaukee after her end of service back in 1956. She says her exhibit was the talk of the town at one time, but since then it’s been hard for the city to raise enough money to keep it looking nice. That’s where our museum stepped up to offer to take her on. She says she’s looking forward to being under a roof, but more so to having other engines for company again. Having another engine around here with a name is nice! It means the people who donated her really did love her, the city and the railroad both.
Her story isn’t unique though. There’s probably a dozen reasons to preserve an engine over scrapping them, but at least one of them is that the railroads appreciate what their engines meant to the passengers at one time, even if they’re going by a new name. Whether it’s sending an old brochure through the post, helping run a fantrip, or entrusting entire trains to museums who care about them, they’re still providing service. Venus says that’s called a “legacy”.
I hope when I get to run again I can help contribute to the Zephyr legacy too.
Your friend,
Pilot
June 1975
Dear Pilot,
That drawing was controversial right up to the last! On the day before the festival closed, a young lady ripped the tape off. I suppose since it was so near the end of the showing, the museum just decided not to put the tape back on so everyone got to see the drawing the way the artist wanted it for the last two days.
And one would have thought that finally would be the last of it, but a couple weeks ago, there was an editorial in the Trib about how the whole thing was just a big publicity stunt. They said that the artist called all the newspapers to complain about the museum censoring his art so they would talk about it and more people would come to see it. And then they said that Mr. Paley was wise to it too. He let the reporters take pictures of the drawing with and without the tape and then he told them he looked forward to seeing the photos in the paper the next day. Since none of the papers printed the pictures without the tape, none of them could really say anything about whether the museum shouldn’t have put tape on it either.
They made it sound like a lot of scheming was involved, but I know publicity stunts. There’s quite a bit of difference between planning something like this and just being quick enough to take advantage of it when it happens on its own. It did get people to come look at the art though… and the rest of the museum since they were already here. Mr. Paley would have been right at home on the Q.
My guides found your cars’ discussion quite interesting! They say that it does bear out in some ways. The museum does have displays that show the insides of people and that those are firmly considered science (no postcard of that; they say it’s like the baby exhibit and doesn’t look nice for photos. I rather agree that the insides of people are best if they stay inside.) These exhibits do show the parts they put tape over on the drawing though so it’s okay for children to see them if they are science and not art?
I wonder if the Art Institute has these kinds of troubles or if people give them more leeway because it says there’ll be art right in the name? To think we thought displaying industry was going to be the tricky part!
I’m sure the people of Milwaukee will miss their Old Smokey, but I’m sure they also think it’s for the best. Being an outdoor exhibit really takes a lot of care and maintenance, especially with the weather we have. You and I have been lucky in that way to be looked after, but it does demand resources. Being placed in a shed first thing is going to do her a world of good. Your barns are big with lots of engines all together, right? I never had the proper roundhouse experience, but it sounds cozy to get shut up in a shed at night with everyone else. I hope she’s enjoying herself and getting to know all her new yardmates.
It might not be a roundhouse, but our lawn gets cozy at night too, once everyone settles down and resolves to set any arguments aside until tomorrow. I hope you and your cars are enjoying the same warmer evenings.
Your friend,
Pioneer
July 1975
Dear Pioneer,
Ha! That was a bit of a gambit on the part of Mr. Paley. You’re right, he would have been perfectly suited to a position at Burlington. I’ve often wondered if engines on other railroads had the same sort of relationship with their marketing departments as we did with ours. I’ve never heard a Santa Fe engine accused of being ‘slick’ or ‘glib’, but I know we got that a time or two while in service. It’s funny, we never considered ourselves luxury engines, but the way some of the other trains talked about us, you’d think we were pulling gold cars and not silver ones!
Wholeheartedly agree that what ought to be inside should stay inside, whether that be people or engines. I’ve not been under-roof here except for a few hours for maintenance, but our barns are indeed quite cozy from what I’ve heard! They just finished the new electric carbarn in Yard #3 back in April and so far there’s been nothing but praise from everyone being stored there. It was pretty funny; since the barn didn’t have any electricity yet, they had Tuskegee 101 do the shunting! There were a great many snide comments made about how the place was brand new yet it still somehow smelled of old smoke, but it was all in good fun.
Each department here tries to store their most vulnerable and esteemed equipment first, to keep the most delicate ones from being damaged entirely beyond repair. Aside from the fact that there’s not really a full-fledged diesel department to build us one, that’s why me and the Goddesses have been kept outside on the wye. A little rain and wind won’t do us any harm at the moment and I haven’t been here long enough to have earned a spot otherwise. I’m not too worried though. There’s plenty of room and motivation to go around. There’s already plans for the next barn.
It always manages to slip my mind that your articulation meant your service life was different from mine in a basic, mechanical sense. I didn’t spend much time in a roundhouse myself (we were almost always on assignment or on our way to an assignment or waiting around to be assigned) but those moments of downtime under a roof, in the company of other engines, without cars to attend to… It was nice in its way, but it could devolve into arguments and sulking as quickly as any regular trainyard. Sometimes quicker! I promise, you weren’t missing much. You’re right, a yard can be just as companionable as a roundhouse or barn, and my train agrees. You can see who’s coming and going better out here.
And there was quite a bit of coming and going to observe! After a lot of hard work by volunteers and crew, the Green Hornet completed a successful test run on June 22nd. There was some uncertainty beforehand, as she’d been under maintenance since a brake failure in May, but everything was in fine working order this time. If we hadn’t seen it for ourselves, the cheering from all the onlookers would surely have tipped us off! There’s still work to be done before she’s ready to take passengers, but this is great news for the car department and the rest of the museum. My letter writer says the Green Hornets were iconic to the people of Chicago, and one in operational condition will be of interest to enthusiasts from the whole state, which means more visitors!
And this month, 1630 finally (finally!) finished her restoration! On the 18th she did her test run after coming out of the shop and was pressed into service the day after. She looks magnificent. One of the guys redid all her hand-painted lettering. With that on top of her new number plate and spray-painted gloss finish, she was a sight to behold! It was only somewhat tempered by the fact that she whistled loud enough to wake all the surrounding farms, but I think her celebration was well-deserved. The steam department said her restoration represented around 13,000 hours of work. That’s almost a year and a half! When they said it was probably the largest effort the IRM has undertaken to date, I believe them.
True to her disposition, she’s been working her tender off pulling cars for passengers and practically singing all the while, which is nice because next on the docket is Shay who goes in for some routine maintenance alongside Old Smokey and everything that will go into her restoration as well. The work never ends! At least 1630 is more than happy to pick up the slack.
And as for the biggest news– Hm, how to put this… Well, they’re working on getting me back on the line next! I didn’t want to talk it up too early, but they’re looking into problems with my air brake system and we’ve done several test runs recently that have shown some marked improvement on my prime mover. I know my letter’s getting quite long as it is, so I’ll have more details for you soon, I promise. I don’t mean to keep you in suspense, but it’s been a jam-packed month and a half and I wanted to make sure you and your yard got to hear about it all.
And of course, the faster I can wrap up my letter and get it sent, the sooner I get one back!
Your friend,
Pilot
August 1975
Dear Pilot,
999 says that in her day, they didn’t do all these publicity stunts that started coming into vogue in the 20’s. As I’m sure you are wondering too, no, apparently breaking speed records or attending world’s fairs do not count. She means all the “circus antics” as she put it. I asked what specifically she meant, to give me an example, but she suddenly did not want to discuss it any further. I do wonder though if these “circus antics” didn’t come into style in the 20’s because we had just gotten out of a Great War and then stuck around because we went into a Great Depression. Maybe a birthday cake for a train - just as an example - would have seemed silly in the Gay 90’s, but certainly no one was going to say no to free cake in 1944.
It’s been a bit of a circus around here (and not just in the circus exhibit). We’ve had a lot of visitors over the past few months. Not just the usual kind, although we’ve had plenty of them too. We’re on track to break our attendance record again. Lots of famous people have come to visit us as well though and that always gets us in the paper and reminds everyone else to come see us. We had President Walter Scheel from West Germany last June and the Empress Farah Diba of Iran in July. She says she wants to make a museum like ours in her country.
Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones visited too when the band came to Chicago to play a concert last month. My guides were particularly excited about him! They even sang a little bit of the band’s music for me. I don’t really understand it, but they were having fun and that’s always good for the museum too.
I hope I didn’t seem like I was lamenting my articulation. I do think roundhouses and your barns sound comfortable and friendly, but being an outdoor engine isn’t so bad. It’s even sort of a… vote of confidence, let’s say. That you and I and all my yardmates are outside is because our minders know we’re still strong enough to bear the weather. Not bad for a forty-year-old engine! And it isn’t as though we articulates weren’t given our own privileges. We had wyes built at all our termini so we could turn around (there was some back and forth over whether it was termini or terminuses when there’s more than one, but my guide likes the sound of termini better). We also had our own maintenance yard with special equipment to work on us. They called it the Zephyr Pit. I hear it’s still called that, even though we don’t use it anymore.
The work your museum does is truly amazing, both in results and volume. 13,000 hours on one engine is difficult to conceive of, let alone on one that’s been retired. That 1630 is making the most of her restoration immediately shows she appreciates every second they put into her. And that her jumping right in frees up your Shay to get her turn in the shops; it’s very familial, isn’t it? Sort of like how Aelous would cover the Twin Cities Zephyr for Pegasus or Zephyrus when they were due for overhaul. It would have been strange to think of doing such favors for engines from other railways when we were in revenue service, but we’ve both found ourselves with new fleets built out of fellow relics from our fallen flags. And navies, as it were. (2903’s loud snorting suggests I am getting a little sentimental for his liking.) As for your Green Hornet, I’ve never seen one, but my guide describes them as “cute”. I’m sure she’ll make herself a nice compliment to your CTA twins once she’s compliant with safety regulations.
Your people are very dedicated. Ours are too, obviously, but it’s a little different here than there. We don’t really need maintenance here the way you do, but we still have a lot of different kinds of support for us. Taxes and donations and things, official contributions so they create a sense of obligation, if that makes sense. Your people are accomplishing so much just out of a passion for your preservation.
I’m really happy they found you and brought you home to their railway. And that you are going to get your share of the hours put in. It won’t be long now before you and your Goddesses are pulling more weight among your museum’s fleet too.
Your friend,
Pioneer
September 1975
Dear Pioneer,
I’m so pleased to hear about your special visitors and potential record attendance! It seems as though those circus antics paid off, at least during the summer. Some of our younger volunteers were also excited to hear about this Mick Jagger guy and lamented the fact that our museum was too far away for him to visit us. Famous people are very busy. Not unlike famous engines, in fact! I’m not either of those things, but you wouldn’t know it from what’s been going on the past few months.
I promised you more details and I’m finally able to deliver! As you know, September is the end of our usual operating season which traditionally concludes after Members Day, when all the hard work our staff and volunteers have done over the course of the year is shown off. A couple of the guys here made it their goal to get us operational before then.
I mentioned in my last letter that they ran some tests over the summer to determine what exactly needs work, since you might as well address all the problems at once. There’s the broken valve spring that put an end to our Members Day run two years ago, but one of my engines was inconsistent at best and I’ve been told I have a “mysterious” air brake system. Put simply, sometimes my emergency brake would kick on and no one was sure why! There’s also the various issues that come with being stationary for so long; Leaky seals and such that needed replacing, cleaning, repainting. It wasn’t an insignificant amount of work. I don’t want to say I wasn’t optimistic going in, but the list of to-dos seemed daunting to say the least.
You’re right when you say the people here are very dedicated. Through July and August the guys did everything they set out to do and more! They replaced a bunch of seals, improved the brake system by quite a lot, and got both my engines back in working order. It wasn’t a solo effort, and I’m very grateful to the people from Westinghouse Brake Co. and even EMD who offered their services and documentation to help the process along. It’s not unlike when U-505’s manufacturers helped with his restoration! I understand why Frisco was so optimistic during her overhaul. It’s hard to feel down when you have so many people around you doing their best to get you up and running again.
The Goddesses were as pleased about the time the team spent cleaning as they were about the mechanical work being done. You can imagine the state my interiors were in from being outside for so long. Vesta said there was 35 years worth of accumulation to undo, but I think surely someone must have swept me out at least once or twice while I was in service. That I can’t remember the exact details doesn’t mean it didn’t happen!
Anyway, the last step was steam cleaning and repainting before the big day. It didn’t feel like previous years where we were all holding our breath and crossing our fingers just hoping for the best. Even before they hit the starter, I knew we’d be off and running again. Everyone put in so much effort and time and care that being operational again was a foregone conclusion. It was well worth it just for the looks of excitement on the guests faces as we spent the whole day taking them up and down the line!
Of course, the rest of Members Day was a treat, as usual. Frisco and Tuskegee double-headed their train, so we got double the number of whistles and cheers when we pulled into the station since they were both waiting on the other track. I’m told double-heading for steam engines around here is quite special, since it requires so much coordination and effort for their crews. Needless to say both of them were quite boisterous and the visitors loved every minute.
More exciting now that the event is over is the prospect of being able to do this again, and soon. I’ve been stationary for so long with only one outing a year, the idea that we might be relied upon to take more passengers is a bit nerve-wracking! Mostly I’m happy for my train, who haven’t stopped raving about the delightful time they had during Members Day and how next year it’s going to be their turn for a steam cleaning and new paint job.
I know this has run long again and I apologize to both your reader and my writer. I just didn’t want to leave anything out! Everyone here is anxious to hear more about your operations as ours come to a close. We might be semi-operational again, but our museum won’t see any guests for another season, so we’d love to hear more about yours.
And as always, thank you for the kind words and encouragement.
Your friend,
Pilot
October 1975
Dear Pilot,
It’s wonderful to hear you are in such fine form. You and your train have come a very long way from the state you were in when you arrived at your museum. And to think, all of the work you needed was seen through to the end by volunteers. It gives one a sense of pride in our service to know they cared so much to do it all on their own time and resources.
I am very happy to know there is now a full set of stainless steel keeping the Way of the Zephyrs in operating service again. (Nothing against our brothers in California, of course, but not being fully stainless steel, I consider them more of a spiritual successor.) You must be such a shining sight to behold. I wish I could see. Maybe your volunteers will send me a picture once you’re all steam cleaned and repainted?
As for our operations here, while we are closing down our yard for the winter season, inside they are putting in an ice cream parlor (just in time for the cold weather, haha!). It’s to be attached to the Yesterday’s Main Street exhibit, which is a replica of a typical Chicago street in 1910.
They’re calling it Finnegan’s Ice Cream Parlor, after the drugstore all the fixtures came from. There’s cabinets with glass doors and a big counter and a set of stained glass windows. They’ve all been preserved with the same kind of dedication and care that we have, all the way back from 1911 when they were first installed through to 1970 when they were donated to us. It’s a wonder too because all these things they’re putting in have changed hands and been moved to new locations and repurposed, but have been kept together all this time. There’s also a big collection of ice cream parlor tools and mementos they’re putting in the cabinets. Visitors will be able to look at all of them while they enjoy their ice cream in an authentic turn-of-the-century parlor.
I do wonder how much ice cream visitors will want to eat when it gets below freezing outside, but they do keep it comfortable indoors so who knows! If it’s not popular now, it will be in summer.
All of us in our yard send our congratulations on your train’s fantastic Members Day run and look forward to hearing about so many more that you’ll get tired of telling us.
Your friend,
Pioneer
November 1975
Dear Pioneer,
Thank you for the kind words. The Goddesses were very flattered that you want to see our picture and have assured me that when the time comes, there will be so many pictures of our train that we’ll be spoiled for choice on what to send. Vesta suggested our letter writer might send a second envelope altogether, haha. I reminded her that stamps are expensive, but I’m very glad for the collective enthusiasm. I can’t remember the mood on this train being so light in a long time.
It’s wonderful to hear about your new ice cream parlor! I especially like that your visitors will be able to see the windows and fixtures in an authentic setting, being used for the things they were designed to do. It’s very… interactive! I don’t think the cold will deter your guests from enjoying the ice cream. Ceres says that people, children in particular, don’t mind eating cold food when it’s cold—especially ice cream. She would know better than an engine, I suppose! Personally, I think it sounds a bit like running your air conditioning in the snow. Maybe Finnegan’s can put hot chocolate on the menu during the winter months for cold guests who still want something sweet. (Gosh, that makes me sound very ‘Burlington’, doesn’t it?)
We have something similar here at the IRM, though it’s a bit more humble. Our East Union depot station on the main line is the original one from the nearby town of Marengo. It was originally built in 1851 and moved here to serve as our main line railway station in 1967 after it was retired. They actually cut the whole building into pieces and moved them on a flatcar, then reassembled them once it arrived. They tell me it was the first permanent structure on the property!
It’s nice, because it’s part of the local history as well as the history of railways in general. Not much of what we have at the IRM comes from this area specifically, especially now that we’ve grown so much that we can afford to take equipment from all over the country. That the first building on the property is something that locals have known and appreciated for its entire operating life—It feels like a fitting tribute.
Now it’s a nice spot for visitors to get out of the sun and wait for the trains while looking at old maps and brochures and pictures and various pieces of railway equipment that we received as donations. Venus says all of that stuff is called ‘ephemera’ which comes from a word that means “fleeting”, or only around for a short time. Of course, it’s part of our museum now, which makes it history!
All the steam engines and trolley cars have been winterized for their season-long vacation. During Members Day, I asked Frisco and Shay what they all get up to during the cold months when we have no visitors and Shay says it’s mostly talking about the old days and sleeping. They used to discuss their maintenance plans for the coming year, but Frisco said it often turned into a competition; Which she put a stop to last year by reminding everyone about every single thing they still had left to do for her restoration. “I’ve had enough work done for another service life. I win that argument every time,” were her words.
Of course, we’re all looking forward to our own list of things to be fixed out here on the wye, but for now it’s time for our volunteers to spend time with their families. The work will continue in January, I’m sure.
What are the MSI’s plans for the season? I have been looking at our museum in the snow and thinking about your Christmas trees and how wonderful they’re going to look! I think one day it might be nice for us to be open for a few days during the winter and hang up our own lights and things. They tell me engines always look good in the snow. I’ve been thinking about your yard in the snow, too.
Please wish everyone happy holidays from me and my train!
Your friend,
Pilot
December 1975
Dear Pilot,
You and Ceres were right; despite the colder weather, the new ice cream parlor has been quite popular. I’m told it’s given Yesterday’s Main Street renewed interest. It looks quite dark in the postcard, but the ice cream parlour is bright and inviting. There was a picture in the newspaper of it that my guide thoughtfully clipped for me to send to you.
When we were new, everyone was so concerned with modernization and leaving the old behind. Give them thirty years though and now they are preserving not just us, but whole rooms and even entire buildings. Maybe since modern life goes at hundred miles per hour, it’s all people want to sit down, have some ice cream, and actually wait for a train.
As for the MSI’s holiday plans, there are too many to recount. All the trees for Christmas Around the World have been put up, of course. We’re also hosting a lot of cultural programs and dinners this month. Most of these are for countries represented by our trees and some nights more than one, but there was also one for Girl Scouts since they came in to decorate the American tree for us. Later this month, there’s going to be a lot of choral performances from local schools too. There’s so much happening indoors all at once that my guide says it’s a bit of a relief to come outside, even if it is cold.
We engines do look magnificent in the snow. In those early years, they used to shovel big piles of it onto our tracks for us to run into at speed. They called it “busting snow” and they would take pictures because they thought they could sell our shovelnoses as being good as snowplows. I’m not sure if we were really much better at it under less staged conditions, haha. We looked good at it though. There’s a really nice photo of one of my brothers with the snow bursting in front of him and flying out off his windows. It’s very dramatic and striking. I wish I knew which one he was; people often mistake that photo for me.
With our yard closed for the season, though, the guests only get to see the broad side of me and my train from the parking lot. Not my best angle and stainless steel can sometimes get lost in all that white, but at least U-505 serves as a backdrop for us to stand against. 999 and 2903 are looking much more picturesque with a nice dusting of powder. Their black liveries contrast so well against snow. They looked like a picture in a storybook together last week.
Snow used to feel very final to me. It marked the end of our working season, when they close off our yard for the year. My last run was on a snowy day too, you know. I wanted to go as fast as I could since I knew it was my last chance to, but also to draw it out as long as possible. My guide says people think of their lives in terms of seasons too and winter is the ending for them as well.
Ever since I’ve started asking about what goes on inside though, the cold weather doesn’t feel like an end at all. Things are still happening at my museum all through the winter and will be at yours when the new year starts too. As busy as it is, it’s nice to think of your winterized steam engines all buttoned up in their shed. Everyone has worked so hard this year, it’s nice to know you’re all getting a moment to sit and wait for spring too.
I’ll try then to appreciate the same in my own yard, but anticipating your next letter does help pass the time.
Your friend,
Pioneer