Bob,
The thing about the metal on the caboose, is that it's pretty much rust free. It's all old iron and only has a slight dusting of rust in a few spots. I thought I'd just remove the paint and prime on any exposed metal, and then just paint over the rest. The trucks may be a little rusty, but I wasn't really planning to paint them.
Bob, If I was old enough to drive with people I'd come and take you over my self. Unfortunately i'm not, but there are several members in the Portland area that I'm sure would give you a lift. The person to talk to about this is Jerry Huck our operations manager. He knows when pretty much anybody is heading over. There are a couple of good hotels in Sumpter itself, the Scoop-n-Steamer has wonderful cabins, and the Depot Inn is affordable and comfortable. You could actually probably swing it so that you could stay on site if you wanted.
Thanks Again, Taylor