Re: Florence & Cripple Creek passenger car in Antonito

F&CC 2nd Class coach #52 is currently in the NCNGRR restoration shop being worked on. Thus far the man door cut into one side of the car has been repaired along with the belt strapping that runs through the lower wall of the car. The flooring has been removed and any dry rot damage has been treated and repaired. New belly boards have been placed under the car and new longitudinal and transverse queen post casted or constructed and then the truss rods applied. A Westinghouse airbrake cylinder and triple valve has been applied and pipped to the piston cylinder and has been tested and working properly. We are currently preparing to put in the air lines up to the end sills. Both platforms need repairing which is coming up next and then the air lines will be completed. Once the new flooring is put in sometime this winter then work on clearstory roof will begin.
F&CC 1st Class coach #56 is being stored at one of the Nevada City yards and has been covered up and waiting for coach #52 to be moved out of the restoration shop. This car is going to need a lot more work and unlike #52's solid long sills, the 56 will need two new lateral sills which will require the car being stripped down to its frame. The 56 does have a more solid roof unlike 52 which has light coming through. Lot of work to be done but since they are identical coaches we will have collected a lot of knowledge which we can apply to the second car. John Christensen