We are saddened by the death of Rosemary Sandell over the weekend. She was a delightful, upbeat, and hard working member of the Friends, and will be missed by all.
This was a cool, but not unpleasant day when we removed the west end platform framing which was cantilevered on to the sills running the length of the car. Glenn is recording measurements and will make drawings of the construction of the framing of the platform for future reference. In the photo on the right, above, some of the notches and mortises are visible in the framing.
It was a day for the sawsall as the photo on the left, above shows. The tie rods (6) were cut as well as the longitudinal beams that were bolted on to the end cross piece. Then the cantilevered beams were removed which involved getting down and dirty in the pit under the car to remove nuts and lag bolts. John and yours truly shared that privilege.
On the left, above, Ray actually caught me working, trying to remove a long bolt holding the beams together. Some were bent suggesting some force on the end platform at an earlier time. On the right, above, Ray has taken a break from roof removal to check our efforts. The platform structure has been removed from the car, although two of the beams can be seen hanging from the track brace below the car.