Should you feel a desire to contribute time, funds, materials or supplies, or items such as woodworking, refinishing, sheet metal fabricating, or welding equipment, or what have you, to this wonderfully worthy historical project, Contact Circus Bob Horne at Cell Phone 941-321-5643.

The massive project to restore the Jomar to its splendor needs all of the help that can be mustered... Your Generosity will be appreciated!!  Interested to learn more about the Jomar - Contact Bob Horne - Circus Spoken!

Jomar # 27 December 25, 2004  "Dear Santa"

On Christmas morn I arose in a wink. (At my age it was probably two or three winks.) I dressed in a flash (ha)! ate my bowl of Frosted Flakes, jumped (well, climbed) into my trusty Subaru and drove to my favorite 7-11 on Lime Avenue. I bought a cup of hot coffee and a chocolate donut. (Please don't tell my wife.) Then I drove over to the Jomar. What to my surprise everything was just as we had left it last Saturday. A gaggle of 'glasers had not finished the Fiberglasing of the observation roof. Nor had a herd of your little helpers finished welding all the rust spots. None of your North Pole gnomes had cut out the old steel on the roof line. No Magi bearing gifts of generators, lumber and sheet metal had shown up. No angel from on high or the Ringling Museum had visited the JomaR and spirited it away to a well-equipped restoration site (like the Orange County Choppers' Shop). Alas, Virginia, there is no.... But wait, wait. Just hold on a minute. Yes, we have worked hard. Yes, it has been tough, especially on us old folks. But I have gained so much. Bob has taught me construction trades I would never have learned. What little I know of Fiberglasing I have learned from Chris. The stories he has told me about his grandfather, Rudy Bundy, were most interesting. I learned some carpentry tricks and poetry from Zane. Joseph showed me that patience and perseverance do pay off. Barry, bearing gifts from afar (a generator and heavy duty extension cords) also brought along a great sense of humor. He is a good worker and fun to be around. Although I think his car is dorky, Joel our newest team member, brings a great work ethic and mucho talent. Skip Doyle, the Webmaster for the Showfolks web site has kept me on schedule, chiding and probing to keep the JomaR Chronicles coming. Dale Riker has not stood in "Judge-ment". He promoted breakfast at Bob's and the JomaR project whenever he could. My editor, secretary, lover, cook, best buddy, wifemate wishes you, Santa, had given me a a dictionary. So, yes Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus. If you don't believe me, just look at all the friends he has brought me. As I sip a coffee and take a solitary stroll through the rusted hulk of a once mighty heavyweight private car, my mind ponders all of the circus history stored in the nooks and crannies of this rolling tribute to John Ringling North. Well, Dear Readers, my cell phone just rang and Carolyn wants me to come home and open my Christmas gifts. Little does she know I have already received some of the best gifts of all.

After a very successful open house on Saturday, December 4th, it was back to work. And work we did. We signed on and welcomed a new volunteer, Joel Wall from Venice, Florida. Joel is a retired county employee from the East coast. He came to the open house, liked what he saw and has already been a BIG HELP.  Progress! Joel spent the better part of the day working in the guest bedroom, cutting out all of the channel iron in the ceiling. No small job. The John North era remodeling has to be cleared away so that work on the original roof line can begin. Joel was able to remove all of the channel and wood frame.  Bob was on the scaffolding again, trying to finish the infernal Fiberglasing. This has been a thorn in our side for months and months. Anyone out there in the cyber world who knows how to Fiberglas, please report to the old Stottlemeyer Lumber Yard next work Saturday.  Progress! Last January 25th was my first Saturday on the JomaR project. On that day we worked on removing large wooden racks from the lumber yard storage building to be used for scaffolding. Today we started to increase the length of the scaffolding down the sides of the JomaR. Barry DeChant was napping in his car. I woke him and asked if he could help me. After wiping the sandman from he eyes, he did a hell of a job climbing up in the rafters and prying nails out of the framing. When we had the 18 foot section broken loose, Bob brought his truck down, and we hooked a tow rope to the frame. After it was free, we added cross support and towed the frame to the East side of the JomaR. We pushed it sideways up against the side of the car and filled in a 4 foot gap between old and new scaffolding. Now we have a new 22 ft. section of scaffolding on the East side. The next work Saturday we'll do the same for the West side.  If you care to help, come on down! If you care to just stare in utter amazement at the wonderful and talented workers, come on down! If you want to watch Barry snooze, come on down!

...........Cried Chris Pratt from atop the 16 foot high scaffolding on the aft end of the JomaR -- without the aid of a mechanic or safety net. Chris dove into his Fiberglasing. It was so good to again smell acetate wafting on the breeze. It has been difficult and frustrating to complete the Fiberglasing of the observation roof. Chris is a longshoreman, and when the ships dock at Port Manatee, he must report. Bob and I have tried our hands at Fiberglasing. Chris has since pleaded with us not to attempt the task anymore. I bow to his wishes. It should definitely be left to the skilled and experienced craftsman. Patience. Billy DeChant (oops) Barry and yours truly were back to some serious carpentry work. Billy (oops) Barry and I have now installed a completely new ceiling in the observation room. Let me tell you, this was a chore. But, thanks to Billy's (oops Barry's) carpentry expertise, we made great strides. The room looks much improved.  Bob was working like a Trojan on the back observation deck. He was busy cutting away rusted steel, fabricating new decking, welding then grinding. The deck is now secure. I hope we can get a coat of primer on the steel asap.  We hope everyone who is in town will make their way to Fruitville and School the morning of December the 4th for breakfast at the JomaR.  Quote of the day: "Now what are you two clowns doing?" Billy (oops) Barry and I simultaneously gave Bob the one-fingered Vulcan V sign. Beam me up, Scotty.  Rumor mill: Universoul Circus is cutting back to one unit for the 2005 season.

Today Barry DeChant returned from his global travels and I, for one, was glad to see him. Barry and I went right to work on the ceiling in the observation room. At one point I had to hold up a large sheet of 3/4 inch plywood with my HEAD. (I am quite familiar with plywood, as I boarded up my house windows three times this summer due to hurricane warnings.) Bob looked over with a smirk and said, "Now that's using your head." I gave him the one finger Vulcan V sign. All said and done, Barry and I accomplished a lot.  While Barry and I slaved away, Bob was basking in a lounge chair, soaking up the sun and sipping Mai Tais. (Not really. But he can dream, can't he?) Bob cut steel for the observation deck. There had been extensive rust damage. He wanted to make it safe for the December 4th coffee at the JomaR. While Bob was welding with the arc welder, Barry and I had to stop drilling. We were back to the old "share the generator" game. All in all, we got a lot done for just 3 guys. Not to be redundant, but we sure could use some help!  Pete Adams came by and took another series of progress pictures. Pete was duly impressed with the amount of restoration work that has been done. Thanks to Pete, I have a time line record of progress. And along with Walter Heist's pictures dating from 1992, we can see where we were and where we are.  Circus News: Pete Adams and I drove down to Cape Coral, Florida on Tuesday the 16th to see the Cole Bros. Circus. As you can imagine lots of rumors were swirling around. The show has two more stands and then it's back to Deland. I hope to be in Deland next spring when they make their 2005 debut.

Rumor Mill: Hollingsworth is taking out a show in 2005. I hope I can make their debut.  Quote of the Day: "Will you two stop clowning around in there and get some work done?"

Don McGarvey

"Here I go away for two weeks, and when I get back you guys haven't finished the Jomar yet! What have you been doing?" On that note both Bob and Joseph gave me the one-fingered Vulcan V sign. Beam me up, Scotty.  Bob and I worked very hard cleaning up the observation room. Lots of leaves and debris littered the floor. We moved a ton of metal back to the dining room. All the lumber we have on hand is also stored in the dining room. After scrubbing fore and aft Bob and I went to work boxing in the ceiling. After a lot of cutting, screwing, banging and sawing we were able to get a 6 foot section of the ceiling finished. We moved the scaffolding forward so that next Saturday we can hit it bright and early.  Meanwhile, Joseph is getting a lot of practice cutting out rust spots on the car's 50th Street side. And believe you me, he has a long way to go. He is doing a great job. We could pick up the pace if a few new faces showed up.  For the record, there will be no more circus breakfasts at Bob's Place Restaurant on Saturdays. For visitors and locals alike Bob will have breakfast at the Jomar on Saturday, December 4. Come on down and check us out.  Quote of the day: "I can't believe it ain't done yet!"

Two of a kind any day. Last Saturday there were just Bob and I. Today we had a full crew. For the first time Bob and I worked inside the Jomar. We cleaned up the observation room. Yes, Virginia, it was a mess. Bob was working on the ceiling, and I was trying to cover some of the many holes in the floor. The floor is cement, about 2 ½ inches thick. This weight gave the car a center of balance 22 inches above the rail. The ballast was used in case of a derailment, keeping the car from turning over.  Chris and Zane took up where Bob and I left off, putting Fiberglas on the observation roof. The only difference was that they were doing a MUCH better job than us'ns. Joseph was busy doing his welding, grinding, sanding, filing and buffing thing. Quote of the day: "Damn this is a long car."  This is coming to you late. My wife and I have just returned from the wilds of Texas (Houston, San Antonio and Austin). I did all the things a good Texan does: chowing down barbecue, roping wild horses, punching steers, branding calves, riding bulls and slinging a lot of bull. We had a great visit with our Houston family, including two grandchildren.  While sitting on a bench on San Antonio's River Walk we spotted Dale and Evelyn Riker ambling by. Small world. They told us that Circus Chimera was appearing on a lot in Austin. Next day we took off for Austin. Damn if we didn't run into the Rikers again.  Jim Judkins, owner of Circus Chimera, was a great host. He took time to show us around the big top. We bought tickets for the 7:30 show. It was very good and well worth the cost of admission.  Everything was going well, until ……… Jim had some posters for Dale and me. While we chatted at the ticket wagon, my dear wife and editor started jumping around. I said, "Easy girl." She took off running for the car. She had been standing on a fire ant hill. She took off shoes, socks and slacks quicker than I had ever seen. But that's another story, Dear Readers.

Bob and I tackled the formidable task of Fiber glassing the curved end observation roof. For starters, Dear Readers, I have never worked with Fiberglas. It is quite demanding. You have to mix this with that, quickly soak a sheet of glass, then put the glass on the wire mesh. Then you coat it with more. Next you brush like hell before it sets up. Stand back and watch it bubble up. I kept looking at the mess we were making and comparing it to the part Chris had done. No comparison! Bob said, "Not to worry. We will sand it all down next Saturday." Oh, goody.  In the meantime, Joseph was at it again, cutting out rust and welding in new steel. Then he ground down the welding beads. It is a very slow and tedious process. Joseph could sure use some help.  We three retired to the Silver Star for chili (heavy on the onions) and grilled cheese sandwiches. Come visit the Jomar site and join us for lunch.

Bob was so excited today. He cried, "Look what I have for you!" He showed me 3 boxes of 3/16th steel self tapping screws. "With these bad boys you do not have to drill pilot holes," he said with confidence. I think he did not want me to go into the record books for the second week in a row. Well, Dear Reader, I tried. After I had stripped about half of a box of these special screws, Bob gave me a handful of new drill bits. And there I was. Back to my old game of drilling and screwing.  Joseph Melancon worked on cutting out rusted spots on the car's side. He managed to cut, weld and grind two holes each about a foot square. We have about 40 of these rust spots to cut, weld and grind. Then we'll take body putty and smooth them out.  Bob and I, working aloft, were able to apply one 6' x 5' roof plate and one 6' x 3' celestial plate. Progress.  We had two sets of visitors today. Three men, whom I met while driving tram at the Ringling museum, dropped by. As I was touring them around the Ringling estate last Monday, I had told them about the JomaR project. Being good railroad buffs, they decided to include the JomaR on their list of places to see in Sarasota. They enjoyed their visit and took lots of pictures.  The next visitors were Skip Doyle, Ray Swiess and Ed Sheehan. Skip took some photos for a project he is working on.  We took a vote to retire to the Silver Star for lunch. The vote passed 6 - zip. We had a good time and talked about everyone who was not there.  Note: OOPS..In JomaR #18 I misspelled Jackie LeClaire's name. I saw Jackie at the Showfolks Club and offered my apology. He was very gracious and gave me a brief history of his family name which was originally French.

I want to send a special thanks to the two men who sent me pictures and information on the JomaR. My notebook of JomaR photographs and documentation is growing.  Marlin Weaver sent me a copy of the August/September 1974 issue of THE LITTLE CIRCUS WAGON. In this issue were photos and a fold out plan of the JomaR. I made several copies of this plan, gave one to Bob Horne (who thanks Marlin also), and delivered another to the Sarasota Historical Society. Their copy is so black that you cannot read it. Thanks, Marlin, for your help and support.  Walter G. Heist, Jr., sent me a series of pictures from 1994 to 1999 that he took of the JomaR rusting away here in Sarasota. Looking at the photos and observing the deterioration year by year is enough to make a grown man cry. If this project had started 10 years ago, there wouldn't be such a large amount of restoration work to do. Walter's photos are a lesson in missed opportunity and the power of Florida weather. Walter, I appreciate your photos and the accompanying text.  Sincere thanks to these two fine circus model builders.

It is Oktoberfest all over Sarasota. Last night Pete and Shirley Adams and yours truly visited the Zamperla Thrill Circus that was set up on the Sarasota fairgrounds. Next to the circus, Brent DeWitt had a small tent with seating and stage where he presented Prof. DeWitt's Cavalcade of Comedy and a very good Punch and Judy show. It was a free attraction on the midway. The Zamperla Circus had a $5.00 charge. At the 5 o'clock show there were only the three of us in the tent. It goes without saying; the 5 o'clock show was canceled. The 7 o'clock show was not much better with about 12 paid attendance. The Zamperla rocket man was launched at 6:30.  Today was a beautiful day on the JomaR. There was a nice breeze blowing, and for the first time since early August there was no person's name attached to the breeze. I spent the morning drilling. No screwing today. I broke so many drill bits that Bob said he is going to submit my name to the Guinness Book of World Records for the most drill bits broken in a 4-hour shift. Meanwhile, he was wire brushing roof plates on the starboard side. He got the entire side brushed and then applied a coat of primer. He was a happy camper. That's progress folks. Chris Pratt worked on windowsills in both the observation room and John Ringling's bedroom. Zane Carriker completed erecting the scaffolding in the observation room. He then took about 9,000 measurements. His notes looked like a plate of spaghetti. Last time I looked, he and Bob were pouring over a molding catalog to see if they could match the original molding.  Later at lunch Bob informed me that he was picking up a check for $1,500. One of the grants he applied for came through. I said, "Oh, Goody. Let's have at party at the Ritz." He looked at me and gave me the one-fingered Vulcan V sign. "Okay", says I, "Can we buy a gross of drill bits?"  Bob and I had a nice lunch of chili and grilled cheese sandwiches. Then we celebrated each other's birthdays. Mine the 1st and his the 4th of October.  Tonight is Oktoberfest at the Showfolks Club. Bob is doing the cooking. Please light a candle for me. Auf Weidersehen

Another Saturday when I had to rush home and board something up. Thank God we sustained no damage from Jeanne except a few broken tree branches.  Saturday found a full crew. Bob and I spent the morning drilling and screwing. (Does this sound like a broken record?) Just an example of the amount of drilling that is required. Each sheet of roof steel has 26 rivets. We must use 3 different drill bits to get one hole drilled. That means 78 different drilling operations to affix one roof plate. Bob is eager to get two more plates on. Then we can steel brush the roof and get a coat of primer on it. We are very close to either moving the scaffold or adding another section to it.  Joseph kept busy all morning, welding the unwanted holes closed. Some of us are making new holes while others are closing old holes. While we are on the subject of welding, we must rig up a lift of some kind to hoist the welder and tank up to the work level. We also have 4 or 5 drills and sanders plus 3 buckets of tools. Too heavy for these old bones and muscles to physically lug up. Joseph and I will work on this.  Chris and Zane were working on the windowsill in John Ringling's bedroom. They filled in the rusty sill with Bondo, a substance used in auto body repair. Chris says he is going to build a mold and make the sills in advance and cut them to fit the window. One down, 36 to go.  Visitors to the lot today were: Clark Beurlen, Pete Adams and Rudy and Bev Rudynoff. They all enjoyed touring, photographing and talking about the JomaR. Also, Skip Doyle dropped by and then joined us for lunch at the Silver Star. He was replete with lots of stories. He owns a very beautiful band organ. We got to hear it at a hurricane benefit performance at the Van Wezel. It was set up in a garden area outside the building. With a gulf breeze and a rising moon, the setting was perfect. Jackie LeClaire and Chuck Sidlow added great humor to the variety show held there on Saturday night.

This was the first weekend in a long time that I didn't have to rush home and board something up.  Todays work centered on attaching another piece of roof steel. I know, dear reader, you think this job is like being on a ship sailing from Boredom to Tedium. Believe you me, I feel the same. It sounds like all we do is put on roof steel, drill and screw. But that is how the project moves along, one screw at a time.  Joseph Melancon was manning the MIG welder today, trying to patch up a lot of holes in the roof and welding strip steel over some badly rusted spots. Joseph was complaining that the "wind" was blowing the gas away from the arc. I, on the other hand, thought the "breeze" was wonderful. And I thanked God it didn't have someone's name attached to it.  Bob and I worked on the West side of the car, putting on two sections of the roof. We have to drill 3 holes to get one bolt in and, yes, we snap a lot of drill bits. To apply the roof plates, we use self-tapping screws. Well, that may be what the box says, but I did not have the strength to make that happen. I had to drill pilot holes.  We had a visitor today, Carlton aka "Corky" Young. Bob gave Corky the full 25-cent tour, showing him the inside and outside of the Jomar and the exterior of the other three Ringling cars. At the end of the tour Corky turned to me and said," Wow, you guys have a lot to do. How old are you?" I know what he might have said, but he was kind enough not to be blunt about it.  Today's work was cut a little short. We ran into our old nemesis -- generator problems. Barry's 5kw was humming like a bee, but Bob could not get either of the small generators running. The MIG takes so much power, and when you start drilling, it makes the welding very erratic. Joseph was not happy with the results of his hard work.  The humidity was probably 200 per cent and the time was 11:15. I suggested that a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich was in order. A vote was taken and it passed unanimously. We retired to the Silver Star Restaurant and wallowed in ice tea and AC.  Thanks to all who responded to Jomar #16 1/2. I received a lot of encouragement and helpful information.

I made my way to the Sarasota Historical Society building on North Tamiami Trail today to do some research on the Jomar. There was next to nothing of historical value, but lots of paper work on the "Save the Jomar Society". I asked the history specialist, Jeff LaHurd, if there were any photographs. The answer, "Yes, but we cannot find the folder." He promised that I would be called if the folder were found. Noticing my notebook with photographs, he asked if the society could copy all of the material I had. My answer was, "Yes", and their files grew considerably. I, on the other hand, gained very little.  Now to the HELP part. Does anyone have any pictures, stories, or historical data on the Jomar? If you can assist me in researching one of the world's finest private railroad cars, I will appreciate it

Please contact me at: E-mail: McGarveyDJ@aol.com   Phone: 941-377-8797.
Don McGarvey
128 Tall Trees Court
Sarasota, FL 34232-1966

When I arrived at the Jomar this AM, Bob was hard at work putting some heavy-duty 3/4" plywood over the door to car no. 185. The homeless had broken into it again. The whole site will soon be labeled a "construction zone". Once that is done, the penalties for trespass become more enforceable, and felony charges can be imposed if folks are caught trespassing.

Chris was trying to get some Fiberglas applied before Ivan arrived on the scene. He did not have much luck. Thanks to Frances, water got into the resin. Chris could not get the Fiberglas to bond to the wire mesh frame. He gave Bob a long shopping list of supplies he needs to finish. I never realized how complicated and time consuming the process is. Bob and I spent the day cutting, bending, shaping and drilling the original roof steel to fit the "new" 1917 look. There is a great deal of bending to get the proper curve of the roof line. We must use heavy hammers to bend the steel to the proper angles. When I watch Orange County Choppers I get very jealous. They have all this great equipment to work with. I have Bob and a two-pound hammer.  Before quitting, we secured as much as we could around the job site. We did not want Ivan to blow our stock away. We all went to the Silver Star Restaurant on Lime Avenue for lunch. It was a good break. We cut up jackpots for about an hour. Then I went home to batten down the hatches.

There we were, lashed to the scaffolding. Bob with the welder in his hand, wind blowing, skies boiling, Frances bearing down on us. Bob was determined to get another roof plate on. He looked like a cross between Captain Bligh and Captain Ahab. The gusts of wind were blowing the bubble around the arc welding, making it very difficult to get a good bead.  Barry DeChant and I worked very hard trying to bolt another roof sheet on. In one sheet there must be 30 rivets. We had to drill through 3 layers of steel. It required the use of 4 drill bits, starting with a very small bit and working way up to a 3/8 hole. Barry and I worked well together. Each of us had a drill and we drilled and drilled. We did NOT hit oil, so we drilled some more. All the while we kept our eyes on the eastern sky. We were very fortunate to have Barry's generator. Bob could arc weld and we could drill -- all at the same time.  I was very disappointed when I arrived at the Jomar today. Last Sunday, August 29, I had stopped by the Jomar to see if Chris was going to fiberglass the observation end roof. He was there with a friend all prepared to fiberglass. Much to my dismay they only completed about 2 square feet. I wish the fairy godmother of fiberglass would wave her magic wand over the roof. That seems to be the only way it's going to get done.  Last week, late at night, when I handed my wife 3 pages of misspelled chicken scratch, she looked up at me in exasperation. I said, "Please don't say it." Then I told her to look on the bright side. At least I am not writing a book. We just finished an 1160 word piece for "Around the Curve" for David Orr. And a short piece for the Showfolks Tent newsletter, "The Connection". Without her help none of this would be possible.

Today we had visitors. Fr. Jerry Hogan was in town to perform a wedding, and he stopped by to give us his blessing. He and Dale Riker were given the 25-cent tour by Bob Horne. Fr. Jerry, Dale and I agreed that Bob should air condition the lumberyard. I will make a formal proposal at the next board meeting. Chris Pratt was also a visitor. You will note that I moved him from the worker list to the visitor list. He swears and be damns that he will do the Fiber glassing on Sunday.  Joseph Melancon and I started in earnest to reinforce our scaffolding. We scrounged some plywood and 2 x 4s. The old decking on the scaffolding was breaking up. We covered all of the bad spots. Then Joseph went to work making handrails. I watched him swing the hammer. I could tell it was not the first time he had done that. He did a bang up job putting in a guardrail on the whole 49th Street side. Joseph worked hard -- way too hard. He became exhausted by the heat and sat for a while before deciding to call it a day. Folks, it is an oven out there!  It takes a clown to really screw it up!!! And Barry De Chant did a heck of a job. He was on the very tip top of the Jomar, drilling holes and screwing down all of the roof sheet steel. It was a hot and tiring job. He performed well.  I, on the other hand was reclining on my chaise lounge while 8 Nubian slave girls fanned me and fed me grapes. (Note from wife and typist: dream on) Bob was ...well, busy being Bob. He was everywhere helping both Barry and myself. He corrected a roof plate that was mis-cut. He helped me punch out the rivets after I ground down the heads. I could pound out most of them, but some were really stubborn. Bob explained that when the rivets are put in they are almost molten, and they ooze into all sorts of nooks and crannies. This makes them difficult to punch out straight.

Today we discovered that homeless people had entered car #180 through the Jomar. 180 and Jomar are parked end to end. They totally destroyed the door and frame to car 180. Then they kicked out a large window to get some air in the car. I guess the homeless do not have to respect laws governing destruction of private property. Car 180 has about 10 staterooms. It was last used on the Ringling Red show in 2003.  I know it sounds repetitious, but we are making progress. Work continued on the observation roof. Chris dropped by and said he would work on the roof during the week. He has a new job at Port Tampa, and the paying job comes first. Joseph Melancon has been doing a lot of welding. He has been a great help because he can weld while Bob works on other projects. Bob put the finishing touches on the roof frame. (Last Saturday, the 14th, Bob worked alone. He was able to install two sheets of steel on the main roof.)  I looked down from the scaffolding and saw a yellow car with a red nose. I thought, "Oh joy, here comes another clown." One more clown up here and we could do our own walk around! And, sure enough, it was another clown. Barry DeChant or, as I call him, "Generator Man". Barry was a big help. He and Bob bent roof steel and then he and I cut more rusted metal from the west side of the car.  Progress, one weld at a time. Soon we will be moving the scaffolding further up the car. That will be a big day. I helped put the scaffolding in place on January 28, 2004, and it will be my pleasure to move it along. Progress with a capital "P".

Last Saturday, July 31st, was a bust. Bob reported for duty very sick. He looked like an Army T5 making his first North Atlantic crossing on a flat-bottomed LST. Now THAT is sick. I ordered him to report to sickbay. Then I reported to the Silver Star Restaurant for some eggs, bacon and home fries.  Today Bob showed up hale and hearty. In our haste to get another roof plate on at our last workday, we forgot to put a 2-inch bend in the sheet steel. This morning we tried to bend the steel while attached to the car. That proved unworkable. So we removed the plate and hammered away.  Barry DeChant showed up with another gift. (Remember he loaned us his 5 KW generator.) This time it was a 100-foot heavy-duty power cable. Bob wasted no time in putting Barry to work. He had Barry ratchet the bolts back on the roof plate we were reinstalling. Job completed, Barry said he had another engagement and would return next Saturday. If I were to write a wish letter to Santa I'd ask for more folks like Barry. I don't understand why in the circus capital of the world more people don't show up to lend a hand. I have been working on this project since February 28, and I can count on one hand the number of people who have come by.  Joseph Melancon was using the arc welder to put a bead where our new (old, we are using the original sheet steel) roof met the existing Jomar side. Bob, Joseph and I agreed that today was the hottest, most humid day we have worked. How hot was it? I thought you'd never ask. Joseph kept getting shocked as his work gloves became soaked with sweat and were conducting electricity (220 volts) from the welder to his hands. We found him dry gloves.  We finally got the roof plate back on. Joseph finished as far as he could go. Bob put final touches on the wire mesh for the end cap. I suspect next week I'll learn how to apply fiberglass. I reckon that is why Bob parked the Jomar on SCHOOL AVENUE.

And his name is Barry DeChant. Last week when I gave you all a math quiz, Barry was the only one to come up with the correct answer. The answer? 5 KW. Barry has loaned us a 5 KW generator. The generator produces 40.5 amps. It toured the United States with Barry while he was ringmaster on the Kelly Miller Circus. Bob is ecstatic. With the added amps he can weld his little heart away. Actually, the MIG welder behaved quite well today. Bob was able to get a much better bead. We also had the 19-amp generator going, so I could continue drilling the rivet holes. Bob said I now have no excuses to slack off. "Just keep on drilling, no stopping." Gee! Thanks, Barry.  Our work party was reduced to two today -- only Bob and myself. We did make progress. Bob welded and I drilled. We applied the second piece of roof sheet on the car. After Bob tack welded the sheet on, I noticed that he had not put on the insulation first. Aha! I got the chance to give him heck!! He informed me that it was the helper's responsibility to put in the insulation. I went immediately to check the rule book. By George, he was right -- again.  We put in a short day. I had to leave to go to my other volunteer job as a tram driver at the Ringling Museum. My regular shift is on Monday. They asked me to come in today to help with the Italian Festival crowd. I sang an aria from AIDA as I drove the patrons around the grounds. Most people said they would rather walk.  Meanwhile, Circus Sarasota was presenting two performances at the Circus Museum. The circus is appearing throughout the month of July. I volunteer as an usher every Wednesday for two shows. It is a good presentation and well received. Lots of interaction with the children in the audience -- and only an hour long.  So, dear readers, you can see I am as busy as a little beaver. (My wife will take exception to the "little" part.) I have two books coming out in the Fall, and a movie contract soon to be inked.

Our generator produces 19.0 amps. Now, let's do the math. 45.5 - 19.0 = 26.5. The answer is a negative figure. We need a bigger generator. With everyone working, we have to take turns using the power. The MIG welder takes all of the output of the generator. HELP!!!!  I arrived at the job site about 7:30 AM. Bob Horne had not yet arrived. I sat on the tailgate of my Subaru, sipping my coffee and contemplating the enormity of the Jomar project. I thought of the few volunteer workers. Calculating my age, the amount of work left and figuring in the rate of progress, I don't think it is likely I will ever dine in the restored Jomar.  Bob showed up about 8:45. I gave him the blues for being late. He looked at me and I thought, "Oh, oh, here it comes." Instead he told me that he had been cooking ribs at the Showfolks Club since 6:00 AM, preparing for the 4th of July party that night. Having been put firmly in my place, we started to unload the truck.  Joseph worked all morning on the roof frames with the MIG welder. Chris was doing his boat-building thing on the "new" end cap. Bob and I put in another section of roof plate. And drilled holes for the rivets that would hold the roof on. We quit about 11:15. Bob had to get back to the Club and finish cooking the evening meal. I understand the meal was a great success -- plenty of great food and fellowship in the newly painted and refurbished Showfolks Club.  Pete Adams was a visitor to the lot this morning. Pete has graciously accepted the job as unofficial photographer for the project. He took many photos. I hope they will be on "Vern" soon.  A recent visitor to the Jomar was Peter Rosa. Peter was kind enough to bring some cold beer and soda. The drinks were much appreciated by the crew. Thanks.  Clear track ahead, full throttle, white flags flying. See you next Saturday, on the siding, Fruitville and School Avenue, Sarasota.

Boy!! Whoever said, "Jomar was not built in a day," knew what he was talking about. Whew! I returned after a two week sabbatical in the hills of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Arriving on the Jomar project site this AM, I found Bob Horne single-handedly lugging the Mig welder up the rear platform steps. I said, "I thought you would have finished by now." Bob looked and grunted. Then, fresh from the hillbilly CFA convention in Pigeon Forge, I yelled "YAHOO"!!!!! Again, Bob only looked and grunted. I said, "I only drink my liquor out of an old fruit jar." Bob's hands were full, so I gave myself the Vulcan V sign.  As it turned out much progress had been made in my absence. The fiberglass end cap for the car is almost complete. Chris Pratt was working on the final framing for the left side of the cap. Chris is trying to "secure" 5 gallons of fiberglass to complete the end cap.  Joseph Melancon was fabricating the braces for the left side of the Jomar. These new braces will hold the sheet steel roofing plates. Joseph was also resurrecting his old welding skills.  Bob and I worked on the right side. We put in a row of rivets where the old ones were cut out. We finally got to put a section of the roof on. Much to our glee we applied a half roll of insulation and then tack-welded the roof plate on. PROGRESS.  We quit at 11:00 because Bob was to donate two pints of blood at 11:30. The heat got to Bob today, and I was concerned. Folks, it takes a lot of effort for Bob to load up his pickup truck with two heavy welders, a 16 foot extension ladder, 5 buckets of tools -- then, arriving on the site, to unload and put all of this stuff up on the scaffolding. Running back and forth and keeping us three workers straight isn't easy either. Bob is an excellent and patient instructor and generous in sharing his construction knowledge. Bob is doing work in the cool of the evenings, and another volunteer is working in the afternoons.

Pete Adams will be returning to Sarasota on June 29th. He has promised to come down and take some pictures.  We don't get many visitors, but you can come on down and see the Jomar project for yourself on any given Saturday at Fruitville Rd. and School Ave.

Today started off in a most ominous way. Thunder rolling, lightning flashing, clouds billowing and 5 rainbows in all their glorious bands of color. Bob and I were up in the scaffolding. I looked down and realized that I was standing on steel plate. I gave Bob the Vulcan V sign and climbed down. Sipping coffee and noshing on Krispy Kremes, we waited for the front to pass.  Bob had spent hours several days this past week working on the wooden roof frame. He has almost finished the frame. I worked on a table on the ground, cutting furring strips. Joseph Melancon arrived and began cutting and fitting the 2 x 4's, which will act as a footing for the wooden roof frame. I went topside and started heating and punching out rivets. Chris Pratt arrived and began rolling roof sheet steel, trying to achieve the proper bend to make it fit the roof line.  Considerable progress was made on the observation roof. The frame is almost complete. All of the old rivets have been removed. New underplating has been welded into place. Just the wooden frame has to be assembled, and then Chris will fiberglass a new roof. Chris works for Chris Craft as a final inspection supervisor.  With all four of us working, we made good headway today. But, alas and alack, we will need a LOT more of these "today'".  This will be the last Jomar report for two or three weeks. Your reporter and his favorite editor, proofreader, speller, punctuator, typist and faithful, long-suffering wife are heading to a cottage on a working farm near Asheville, North Carolina. We will spend a few days with two of our sons, daughter-in-law and grandchild. Then it will be over the mountains to the CFA convention in Pigeon Forge.

This AM when I arrived at the "lot" Bob was already up on the scaffolding building what looked like a hangman's gallows. I said, "Oh. Oh! Bob must have read my e-mails. Instead of the Vulcan V with one finger he is building a gallows!!" Then he proclaimed from on high (and we thought that only Father Jerry could do that), "We are going to put a tent up". I asked Bob if it was going to be 6 big top poles, 36 blue and 54 red quarter poles and 124 yellow side poles. You guessed it; he gave me the Vulcan V sign. In reality it turned out great. We got the poles up and put two large tarps on the poles. It created a well-shaded spot to work. Bob, I thank you. And my dermatologist thanks you.  Have you seen the TV show, TWO AND A HALF MEN? Well, that is what we had today. Bob Horne and I were the two, and Chris Pratt was the half. Chris was running a roofing gang, and he lost his balance and sliced his hand on some flashing. Chris is the grandson of Rudy Bundy. He has a lot of fond memories of traveling with his grandfather on the RB 66. Chris spent many a summer, starting in 1963, traveling with the Big One. The RB66 was an ex hospital car. The car was 96 feet knuckle to knuckle. The RR wanted the Jomar and the RB66 out of the Venice station. In 1985 Charlie Smith made the cars ready to be sent to Ruskin, LA. In 1990 the Jomar came back to Sarasota and the RB66 went to Baraboo, WI.  The Venice Station is soon to be home to a 7-foot statue of Gunther Gebel-Williams. The folks in Venice have done a beautiful job restoring the station, a Mediterranean revival building, to its former glory. It was originally built by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to encourage investors to come to Venice by land. In 1927 serious financial problems were plaguing the Brotherhood's "ready made " city. The station was built at a cost of $47,500. (Today's statue project, in comparison, is costing $40,000.) The first Seaboard train arrived on March 27, 1927. Later, when Ringling moved its winter quarters "down the track" to Venice, that opened a whole new chapter in the history of the Venice Station.  On a serious note, we are in desperate need of some welders. Bob can't do it all. He is trying to teach Chris, but it is a process that slows Bob down. We ARE making progress -- in small increments. As Monty Hall would say, "Come on down". Address: Fruitville Rd. and School Ave.

Some people ask, "How do you measure your progress?" Well, picture a 6,000-ton wheel of cheese. Now picture three little mice -- well, okay, three BIG mice -- nibbling away. That's how we measure our progress.  The work today centered on Chris Pratt cutting old sheet steel, taken off the roof, to be refitted onto the original roof line. The original roof line had a boxier look. Bob is making the raised portion of the roof a little higher than the original to accommodate more insulation. This will allow air-conditioning of the car to be a little easier. Note: John Ringling built a trestle into Sarasota Bay, far enough out to be away from the pesky mosquitoes. He would open all of the windows and let Mother Nature air-condition the car. Plumbing was not a problem. "DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET IN THE STATION" did not apply.  Another volunteer is Joseph Melancon. Joseph was a set, screen and prop builder for stage and TV. He owned his own scenic company for 21 years. Currently he is an exhibiting artist. His landscape paintings are being shown and sold at the Brock Gallery at St. Armand's Circle. His abstract works are on sale at the Elizabeth Rice Gallery on Main Street, Sarasota. Joseph spent all morning working out the angles and trying to build a frame for the observation roof.  Yours truly was busy cutting any rust on the 50th street side of the Jomar. (This is a test for circus folks.) And Bob was welding on the 49th street side. Progress? One nibble at a time.  Your reporter may have to reevaluate his involvement in the Jomar project. I have recently had 3 malignant cancers removed from my face and ear. As you may know Irish complexion and sun do not mix well. Bob Horne is going to start some evening sessions in a few weeks. Hopefully I will be able to put in some hours on the late shift. I'll continue to report on the project, but may not to be able to participate as much.

Today's work centered on three areas (because there were only three of us). Bob Horne welded his butt off replacing a lot of new steel on the "east" side of the car. He was fabricating, cutting, grinding and welding. Sometimes all four at the same time. Some folks would pay to see that!  Zane Carriker, a local contractor here in Sarasota, was working at his "lofting table" (a ship building term), laying out the arcs for the observation roof. Then the frame will be covered with fiberglass. He could have used a helper. I could only assist him part of the time.  I was busy doing my carpentry thing, extending the scaffolding on the "west" side of the car. The wood for the scaffolding is coming from an abandoned lumberyard. The termites have done a number on a lot of the wood. Bob said I had nothing to worry about because all of the termites were holding hands. Yeah, right! I put in a lot of extra braces. When I am on top of that scaffolding that is where I want to stay.  The local bums have broken into car #180 and even moved a mattress into Jomar. Bob re-nailed the two end doors shut again. We hope to soon gut #180 and turn it into a shop car. The sooner we remove all of the bedding the less temptation there will be to set up housekeeping. A lot of work left to be done.  I have been receiving a lot of positive e-mails from folks who enjoy hearing of our efforts to restore the Jomar. It is a monumental task.

The role was called by Captain Kirk and there were five "here's. Bob and I went up on the scaffolding. Bob was fabricating parts for the lower roof line. I was back to cutting a 20 foot line at the roof edge to make room for new metal. Chris was cutting old roof sheet to be put back on the new roof line. Zane and Joseph were foraging plywood to make the form for the new observation roof. When the frame is complete Chris will fiberglass a rounded end for the Jomar. I told Bob that his welds looked like bubble gum. He gave the Dr. Spock V sign, but he didn't know how to do it very well. He only used one finger.  Received a welcome call from Joe Bruno of the Gold Unit. His words of encouragement were well received by all. Pete Adams came by and took some photos. It is very helpful for keeping a log on the project.  Yes, Virginia, there is a Jomar. She is 81 feet, 11 inches long. 14 feet, l 1/2 inches tall. She weighs 131,560 lbs. Her trucks weigh 43,840 lbs. She is a hefty gal at two 175,400 lbs. There is a faction in Sarasota that says what we are working on is not the real Jomar. I will address this by saying that I have studied the engineers' "as built" drawing. This drawing is labeled: private car Jomar, lot #4440, plan 3305, drawn by the Pullman Company March 22, 1917. I have seen the number 4440 in places that no one has seen since 1917.  There is another faction (there are lots of factions in Sarasota) that feels the Jomar project is for private enterprise. Yes, I guess it is. Although a filing for a 501(c)(3) status for the Jomar is in the works. An application for $4,100 from the NATIONAL RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY has been filed. The stated use of the Jomar will be to have it used as a centerpiece in a theater/sports/business complex. The car will be on static display under cover. Small parties can be served in the Jomar's dining room. The Jomar's kitchen will be used to prepare meals for larger parties located in tents near the car. Guests will also be able to use the car as a hotel for one or two nights as another way of raising money to maintain the car.  Another faction says that Bob is a "pipe dreamer". I say," Good for him." Where would we be without dreamers and visionaries? I personally think it is better to help on this project rather than let the car rust in a cement factory and be cut up for scrap. I hope to have dinner in the Jomar someday. For now I'll settle for donuts and coffee on the job site.

The work force was pretty slim today. Just Bob Horne and myself. Actually a quite a lot of work got done. Bob taught me how to use the acetylene-cutting torch. On a personal note three things happened. 1). I did fairly well for my first try. 2). I did not burn myself. And 3). I did not set the Jomar on fire.  Bob set about welding braces on the observation roof to stabilize it. In past weeks we had cut so much away the 1916-17 roof was just hanging on by a thread. (A rusty one at that.) I was busy trying to keep my torch lit and cut away rivet heads so that we could get the old metal off the car.  Before the day was done we were starting to REBUILD. (Yea!) Up until this point we had been tearing out. We were moving forward at last. It felt good to be putting back. Bob said we made a lot of progress today. Does anyone remember the song from the sixties "In the Year 2525"? Bob said if I did not stop singing that song he would weld my lunch pail to the deck.  Our visitor today was Dale Riker. He was kind enough to bring donuts and coffee. We stopped and chatted. And Bob said to me, "Did you ever hear the song 2535?" I went straight back to work. Thanks Dale.

Today's efforts centered on restoring the observation platform roof line. There are actually 3 roof lines on the present JOMAR. One, the original 1916-17 line. Two, the 50's line and three, the 83 reinforcement put on by Charlie Smith at the Venice Station. Charlie's was a heavy reinforcement of the rear end of the car. When it was moved to Louisiana the railroad ordered the rear to be beefed up. Charlie put in heavy 4" channel and lots of welds. Believe me, it was heavy! The entire roof has been cut away to reveal the original roof line. The start of a wooden frame has begun. The wooden frame will be covered in fiberglass and installed on the observation platform.

A line was struck 5 inches from the roof line and with a grinder I cut out the very rusted top part of the side of the car. Bob has a fabricator and is going to cut the sheet steel 5" wide. Theses strips will be welded into place. We cut low enough to get good metal for welding. The vertical studs inside the wall are in pretty good shape, and the new plates can be welded to them.

Standing on the roof, one can see the JOMAR job number handwritten on the plates. Its number is 4440. In Mabel's bedroom this number appears behind a cabinet we took out. It was kinda eerie looking at the numbers made long ago by craftsman of the Pullman Co. World War I was just heating up.

We had one visitor on the "lot" today. I did not get his name but he said he wanted to see the car before he went north.

Today, as on most Saturdays, was a workday at the JOMAR site just off Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota behind an old lumberyard. Bob Horne and a cast of three are working on the roof line to reestablish the 1916-17 look. John Ringling North streamlined and added air conditioning in the early 50's. It is very hard work the car has really rusted through. A lot of cutting and welding will have to be done. Todays work centered on removing the "new" observation deck roof, cutting welds and finding the "old" roof line. Progress is slow, much work remains to be done.

There are now 3 RBBB sleepers on the site also. These cars are in pretty good shape although vandals broke into them in the Bradenton yards and did damage to the windows.
The interiors of these cars are made up to be staterooms. All of the interior framing will be removed. Bob sealed these cars up. There are a lot of vagrants in the area. Example: all of the roof struts we cut last week and left under the JOMAR were stolen. (For scrap we guess). Lots of work!!