Restoration realities
I know that mail car 6, now gone is a fact that a number of people will not accept as a necessity for CRRM. This was a predominate subject for me in early August of 2011 when we were preparing to have 300 feet of new track built to segregate the big boxy standard gage freight equipment from the small wooden narrow gage equipment.
The car was moved from its long time resting place on the museum grounds to atop a flat car to get it out of the area. Once the car was out of the area we had to have talks as to what to do with it. The main factors in the discussions were that it would require a considerable amount of money for the restoration and that it would more importantly tax one of the 2 stalls in the round house used for long term restoration for more than likely 5 years. Currently just considering passenger equipment we have; the Midland Car SG, the Great western car SG, the 168 baggage car NG, the Pullman 250 NG, couch 307 NG, and the anticipated arrive of Pullman “AMERICONA”. That need to have exterior work done to stabilize them. Number 6 would require a shed to be built around it as its own structure was compromised by time and weather.
Number 6 was made available for the taking from late August of 2011 till mid February of 2012. Anyone that showed up with a truck could have taken it first come first serve. Jason had shown interest in it early on and could have had it over nearly a 6 month period of time. Nobody at CRRM stopped the 6 from being removed from the property. Sitting atop the flat car we had to move it to an area where it was sheltered somewhat from winds we have been experiencing. It was a liability to our visitors and our collection.
By early February the investigation process in the restoration of C&S refer 1113 reviled that it would require new side sills at the base of the side walls of the car. We did not have time or money to find Fur sills of that size or length as the wood has to be seasoned or it will twist. We could have ordered laminated beams but the cost and scope of the 1113 had already grown greatly. We had exactly what we needed under the mail car 6. Number 6 had already survived 2 months longer than had originally been set as reasonable for an outside party to collect it.
I was my call to take the center sills from the 6 and use them in the 1113, as the 1113 needed to move forward in its restoration process and allow more equipment to have a chance of stabilization and restoration after it. You can’t stop time. Rust never sleeps. You have to do restoration not talk about doing restoration.
I will not apologize for looking after the greater good of the CRRM collection, and I don’t ask anyone to change there interpretation of what is good for the collection. I just feel that if you are going to make a judgment on CRRM you should know a little more information to make an educated judgment.
Jack Campbell
CRRM CMO