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