Re: nng--Car57, where are you?

This brings up the old question of restoration versus re-creation--an argument that I am not going to wade into. I know at the CRRM we are in the process of restoration (depending on your definition of "restoration") of a C&S n.g. reefer The entire superstructure of the car was taken down to the floor, leaving just the ice bunkers and the floor left standing. Over time it will re-emerge as a "new" (if you call it "new") C&S reefer, after countless manhours of volunteer labor and no small amount of expenditure for materials.

You cannot breathe life back into wood that has been sun-baked, water-soaked, and frozen for nearly a century. Some cars are luckier than others because of the climate in which they have lived, like the Montana combine. Others, like the reefer, which spent its working life exposed to water and ice, have taken a beating. So for the reefer, there was little choice in what had to be done. Will the car that emerges be a re-creation or a restoration? Does it matter? Not really. What would be the alternative?

If you look carefully at the two photos of the Montana car, you will notice that it is not sitting on the ground; it is set atop some sort of a pre-existign concrete foundation. Not a perfect soluntion, but far better than sitting directly in contact with the ground. There is a fair chance that there is a serviceable frame under this car. It would obviously need trucks and all the truss rods and other "stuff" that goes into supporting a wood car. Doable? You betcha. Long-term project? Yup. How costly? Your guess is as good as mine. Anybody willing to rescue this car? Don't know.

Mike