Box Car 67 - Official Work Thread

[Fred Morse]

Jason and Ed hit it right on the mark. I donated some oak and I'd be proud to have the boxcar stay with us.

[Bill Baskerville]

To agree with Fred's comments, we have lots of 'Museum built' rolling stock and facilities.  Some are reproductions, others, like 51, 52, 109, Big Joe, RowMow, Icabod, etc were never on the W&Q/WW&F tracks, but we need them, use them, and love them.  That being said, 67 falls in the 2 ft preservation category and is a great project for the skill of our volunteers.  It will serve us well in the future.  The same could be said about 554 if the opportunity comes along to make it a permanent part of our collection.

[Joe Fox]

I have said it before and will say it again. The narrow gauge railroads bought and sold equipment all the time. That is why Coach 3 survived, etc. When equipment was first bough or traded one could be led to believe that said equipment arrived with the selling railroads livery.

[Marcel Levesque]

Thank you Bill for your kind words.  It reminds me of a conversation I had with a very good friend of mine a few years ago.  It was during the time when the museum was leasing coach #3 from MNGRR.  I was feeling a little bit bad about having to spend time, money and effort in repairing/maintaining the coach because it did not belong to us.  In an attempt to assuage my negative feelings on this issue he told me this.  He said you are not doing any of this effort for yourself, the WW&F or MGRR.  You are doing for the coach in order to keep it around and going as long as possible no matter where it may be.  I had never recognised that perspective before that and after a time it made perfect sense and he was right.  So, in keeping with that theme I carry that perspective on all of the jobs that I do and that all of the equipment and the museum are still there and going strong long after I am gone.  That includes box 67.  I have learned many things from the time I have spent at the railroad and the people that I have met.  That is a ideal that I hope will continue.

[Ed Lecuyer]

Well said, Marcel.

I saw a sign recently in a motorcycle museum (where the entire collection is owned by a single individual.)
It reads:
You never really own anything.
You only have possession of it for a while.

May we be good stewards of our possessions, so that they may be enjoyed for future generations.

[Ted Miles]

There appear to be two sets of curved truss rods running crosswise under the frame. This is a feature that is not in the Portland built freight cars.

What is the name and purpose of the rods? How do you tension them?

Ted Miles, WW&F Life Member

[Brendan Barry]

There appear to be two sets of curved truss rods running crosswise under the frame. This is a feature that is not in the Portland built freight cars.

What is the name and purpose of the rods? How do you tension them?

The Portland Co. cars have the same truss rods over the bolster. There is a casting morticed into the side sills the rods come through. The rods are tightened by turning the nuts on the rod ends coming through the casting.

67's rebuild is still moving along. The roof has been disassembled and the rafters are being repaired. Mortices have been cut into the side and end sills for the car body framing.

Rafters being repaired.



The piece of fir sitting on the left side of the car frame is being ripped down for new roof purlins. One of the old purlins is sitting on the right side of the car.

[Tom Casper]

Ted.  the rods tie into a piece that bolts to the bolster to anchor the rods.  Here is a picture of our 3 3/4 flatcar with the truss rod in place. 

[Ed Lecuyer]

[Mod Note]
I moved a comment about ex-Edaville Caboose 554 to its thread:
http://forum.wwfry.org/index.php?topic=2594.msg28486#new

[Ted Miles]

Its been a few months since any new pictures were posted here.

How is the truck work going? There was a a plan to move the trucks between the #126 and the #67.

And what happened to that SR & RL wheel set that turned up? Will it be send back up to the Sandy River Railroad Museum?

Ted Miles, WW&F Member 

[Brendan Barry]

Work has been moving along slowly on 67. Most of the regular crew has been working to complete the turntable project and now that turntable is done attention can be turned back to 67. The next step is to put the roof framing back to together and then reframe the rest of the box.  Once the framing starts the car will go back together pretty quick. All the materials to finish the car are on sight.

The wheelsets are being turned right now to put the trucks back together. The SR&RL wheelsets are going back under 67. There are not alot of wheelsets around that are still useable. Edaville wore out most of the original wheelsets and most of the replacement Edaville wheelsets have also been worn out. A set of wheels for one truck is close to $10,000.00 not including the axles.

[Ed Lecuyer]

Well, there is that B&SR wheel that just showed up on CraigsList. Nothing that Jason can't fix. :-)

See:
http://forum.wwfry.org/index.php?topic=2823.0

[John Kokas]

Well I don't think anyone can salvage that axle, but if we can save the wheels then that's one less wheel set to have to find.

[Ted Miles]

Folks,
         Was it possible to purchase that wheel set off Craigs List last
October?  If not under the #67; it will be useful in any number of
other places.

Ted Miles, WW&F Member

[Joe Fox]

The wheels and axle being buried in the mud for years did no favors. Unfortunately the only thing they would be good for is display.