IML: Mrs. Blueberry - yet still she sleeps

["Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx>]

Tomorrow, the 3rd of July is the 47th anniversary of the original purchase 
of Mrs. Blueberry, my rather down at heel 1958 Imperial.  The sad thing is I 
still won't be able to celebrate the day by taking the old gal out for a 
drive.  After almost 16 months, the engine and transmission are still out of 
the car.  Both have been completely rebuilt but not reinstalled.  I was 
delighted when the owner of the huge trucking company volunteered to take on 
the project way back when and I console myself with the sure fire knowledge 
that the car would actually be in worse condition in my garage if he had not 
done so as money woes have either been beating me over the head with or 
trying to trip me up for quite some time now.  Still and all, it would be 
nice to get it back, as you can imagine.

I was speaking to the trucking company owner about it on Thursday.  At the 
same time I had to mention our 1958 fire truck needed some serious attention 
after the clutch on the manual transmission burned up on a recent parade.  I 
finally was able to stay home because some one else volunteered to drive it 
and they cooked that clutch so badly it's a wonder the vehicle didn't catch 
on fire.  Oh well!

Roy asked me, with a certain amount of devilish amusement, which vehicle was 
more important to the museum.  That's like being asked if you want to be 
beaten over the head with a trick or tripped up by it.  I had to say the 
fire truck, of course, as it is a revenue maker, but, and forgive me if I 
sound ungrateful if he can make time and space for a big old fire truck 
you'd think he could squeeze in the Imperial, especially as the engine and 
transmission have been rebuilt for ages and are just cluttering up the 
joint, and not nearly as much as a fire truck, either.  Sigh!  They sent a 
big wrecker out for the fire truck today.  Some times fate can be very 
fickle.

The good news is I figured out a way to include the car in my forthcoming 
book, due to be published this fall.  It is a local railroad history book, 
but I wanted the Imperial in it if at all possible and I came across a time 
relevant association that made it pertinent.  The city of San Antonio was 
given a retired 2-8-0 Mikado, Number 784, in 1957.  It sat neglected for 
years in an obscure park until 2000 when it was moved outside the newly 
restored SP station.  I took the Imperial down there a few years ago and 
took a snap of it beside the locomotive.  So, I get two for the price of 
one.  A picture of the locomotive and a car from the era it was donated to 
the city.  Here is a link to the picture on the museum's web site:

http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/SPD90.htm

You might be surprised how much effort I put into coming up with the idea. 
Simple things for simple minds, I suppose.

Hugh 




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