D&RGW 280 comes full circle
| August 22, 2014 07:05PM |
I present the following as food for thought for those involved in restoring wooden railcars………..
Just over 15 years ago, on August 16, 1999, former Denver & Rio Grande Western coach 280 was moved from Boulder’s Central Park to Uhrich Locomotive Works in Strasburg Colorado for a complete restoration. Like many restorations, this was intended to be “the” restoration that would solve 280’s problems for generations to come.
After sitting in the park and being abused by weather and vandals for nearly 50 years, the coach was in dire need of help. Much of the weather damage was the result of the siding rotting in the areas where it met the window sill. The rot was most prevalent in between the windows above the sill, but could be found below the sill as well. Once water was able to get past the siding, it started causing rot damage to the structural frame of the car and by 1996, the interior was braced with 2x4’s to keep 280 from collapsing.
Over the next 2 years, 280 was restored by Uhrich. Much of the wall and roof structure was rebuilt and the car received all new siding and windowsills, along with a new metal roof. Poplar was used for the new siding and the new wall structure was made of oak. All of the new wood was coated with linseed oil prior to installation and the siding was primed piece by piece as it was installed.
In April of 2001, 280 returned to Boulder briefly before going to the Georgetown Loop where it was operated daily for a couple of weeks and then on a couple special trains during the 2001 season. In November of 2001, 280 was moved to the Colorado Railroad Museum, where it remains today.
While at the museum, 280 has been repainted at least twice and has been the recipient of at least two rounds of repairs to the siding and window sills as rot damage started to crop up. Today, sadly, 280 is in roughly the same situation it was in in 1999; portions of the window sills have rotted to the point of disintegration and extensive rot is evident in the siding in between the windows along the sill. Water is once again getting inside the walls and starting to cause damage to the wall structure. The car is not structurally unsound; however damage is occurring in the walls and if nothing is done soon, interior wall parts will be in jeopardy. What took decades to happen with the wood used on the car 80 to 120 years ago has taken less than a decade and a half to happen to the wood used on the early this century.
On the plus side, the roof does not show any signs of leaking, the interior is holding up well and the windows that Uhrich made (from oak) are doing fine. The issue seems to be limited to the siding and the windowsill and the secondary damage caused by the water getting past the rotted exterior wood.
I guess the question now is what to do? (Not that I have in involvement with 280)It would seem that new siding and new windowsills are the only really good solution. Expensive yes, but cheaper in the long run than letting the wall structure rot away again.
DISCLAIMER – Before anyone freaks out and lights the flamethrowers, I would ask that you re read my post in full and consider the following;
This is not meant as an indictment or criticism of either Uhrich or the Colorado Railroad Museum, just a look at the realities we face when trying to preserve wooden railroad equipment. If it is an indictment or criticism of anything, then it would be the modern crap that passes for wood and paint these days.
Anyway, onto some photos;
D&RGW 280 at the CRRM 08/15/14
A close up of some of the rot damage on 280. 05/15/14
A gratuitous shot of D&RGW 280 in happier times, on the Georgetown Loop, April 27, 2001.
Jason Midyette
Just over 15 years ago, on August 16, 1999, former Denver & Rio Grande Western coach 280 was moved from Boulder’s Central Park to Uhrich Locomotive Works in Strasburg Colorado for a complete restoration. Like many restorations, this was intended to be “the” restoration that would solve 280’s problems for generations to come.
After sitting in the park and being abused by weather and vandals for nearly 50 years, the coach was in dire need of help. Much of the weather damage was the result of the siding rotting in the areas where it met the window sill. The rot was most prevalent in between the windows above the sill, but could be found below the sill as well. Once water was able to get past the siding, it started causing rot damage to the structural frame of the car and by 1996, the interior was braced with 2x4’s to keep 280 from collapsing.
Over the next 2 years, 280 was restored by Uhrich. Much of the wall and roof structure was rebuilt and the car received all new siding and windowsills, along with a new metal roof. Poplar was used for the new siding and the new wall structure was made of oak. All of the new wood was coated with linseed oil prior to installation and the siding was primed piece by piece as it was installed.
In April of 2001, 280 returned to Boulder briefly before going to the Georgetown Loop where it was operated daily for a couple of weeks and then on a couple special trains during the 2001 season. In November of 2001, 280 was moved to the Colorado Railroad Museum, where it remains today.
While at the museum, 280 has been repainted at least twice and has been the recipient of at least two rounds of repairs to the siding and window sills as rot damage started to crop up. Today, sadly, 280 is in roughly the same situation it was in in 1999; portions of the window sills have rotted to the point of disintegration and extensive rot is evident in the siding in between the windows along the sill. Water is once again getting inside the walls and starting to cause damage to the wall structure. The car is not structurally unsound; however damage is occurring in the walls and if nothing is done soon, interior wall parts will be in jeopardy. What took decades to happen with the wood used on the car 80 to 120 years ago has taken less than a decade and a half to happen to the wood used on the early this century.
On the plus side, the roof does not show any signs of leaking, the interior is holding up well and the windows that Uhrich made (from oak) are doing fine. The issue seems to be limited to the siding and the windowsill and the secondary damage caused by the water getting past the rotted exterior wood.
I guess the question now is what to do? (Not that I have in involvement with 280)It would seem that new siding and new windowsills are the only really good solution. Expensive yes, but cheaper in the long run than letting the wall structure rot away again.
DISCLAIMER – Before anyone freaks out and lights the flamethrowers, I would ask that you re read my post in full and consider the following;
This is not meant as an indictment or criticism of either Uhrich or the Colorado Railroad Museum, just a look at the realities we face when trying to preserve wooden railroad equipment. If it is an indictment or criticism of anything, then it would be the modern crap that passes for wood and paint these days.
Anyway, onto some photos;
D&RGW 280 at the CRRM 08/15/14
A close up of some of the rot damage on 280. 05/15/14
A gratuitous shot of D&RGW 280 in happier times, on the Georgetown Loop, April 27, 2001.
Jason Midyette
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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