RGS caboose 0404

A while back we brought RGS caboose 0404 into the shop for some long overdue work. This is not a restoration as much as a general shopping. Mechanically the car appears in good shape. Mechanical inspection is not complete as of this writing. The goal is to have the car visually appealing and safe for operations behind RGS 20.

What we are concentrating on for this shopping is getting the exterior of the car repaired and/or stabilized. Inside the car we are doing much of the same. Minor repairs and touch up.
One of the things that has bothered me about this car was the cupola lighthouse. While correct for the paint scheme on the left side of the car it was not for the right side. By the way I want to officially state that we will no longer be painting or lettering equipment differently from one side to another. This practice is confusing to guests and is unprofessional in my eyes.

So I decided to remove the lighthouse. The roof of the car is currently covered in tin, we had to do some delicate work to remove the tin and the lighthouse. It turned out to be more difficult than we first thought, and a surprise was found when we finally go it off. Seems the entire roof tin is made from old Museum road signs.

We have already made good headway on this project and hope to have it complete in a few months. Provided we are still allowed to work and everyone stays healthy. long term I want to bring the car back in the shop in a few years and perform a thorough restoration.




Here is the lighthouse prior to removal.




Here you can see the underside of the lighthouse and tin, relieving the old sign.


We replaced the roof boards to "fill" the hole on the ceiling.

Jeff Taylor
CRRM curator of equipment and rolling stock.