Chassis is for the 1912 Series 1 M-6-30. I decided to put a new frame under it since I was concerned about the emerald ash borer insect that is starting to attack the ash tree. Franklin folks and Louisville Slugger better keep an eye on this! Anyway, plenty of ash available now since people are harvesting the trees to stay ahead of the game.

Regardless, there was almost two inches of frame sag in the old boy, with a complete break on one of the rails at the rear. The break wasn't an unsafe condition because the car had fabricated steel U-channels securing all four ends of the frame rails. The front of the rails were cropped back about 40 inches with solid wood pieces added and secured by the channels. It is noteworthy how much weight the steel added to the frame, however.