B&SR Box Car 56 - Official Work Thread

[Mike Fox]

at the end of the day, volunteers more often than not leave their tools where they lay not where they came from.

This has been a problem that has existed for a long time. I think it can be solved by having things neat to begin with. We need to be better about tool care. At the end of the day, picking up and putting away the tools should be part of the work. I know I have spent a fair amount of time looking for tools because they did not get returned to where they belong at the end of someones day. Treat tools like they were your own, take care of them, and the next person will have them to use as well.

[Bill Reidy]

This is a common experience among our volunteer crews, including those in public train service.  By its immediate nature, several this past year or two or three have worked on the importance to have public train tools (flags and other train safety items) organized and ready.  Ben Richards has done a terrific job taking this on, along with Ed Lecuyer and Jason Lamontagne.  I'm sure I am missing others in this effort; my apologies for not directly thanking them.

I do think most all do their best to keep tools organized, but there's always room for improvement.  I know I've failed at times at this effort.

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

Back in the early 60s or late 50s Bob & Ray had a ad(?)
for a car company where there was a long bungie cord afixed to the
car so it pulled it back when it was time for service.

That is how I remember it - your perception may vary.

That is what is needed for the tools. {^¿^}

[Benjamin Richards]

Treat tools like they were your own.

Agree with the sentiment. The snag is that some people do treat their own tools by just leaving them around. I'm guilty of it myself. But what is sufficient for me in my personal garage isn't necessarily sufficient for a community space. There needs to be a higher standard, explicitly stated.

[Mike Fox]

There is. Shop rules have been drawn up. But it still happens.

Not sure where these go but I know where they are.

[Wayne Laepple]

Locks. We need locks on the tool boxes.

I knew this would happen. It has happened at every museum I've ever worked at.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I'm surprised that this hasn't been made a separate topic.

Jeff S.

[Bill Reidy]

A couple of photos from yesterday, Saturday, December 4th...

A view of the sheathed boxcar on the left in shop bay 3, next to coach No. 9 in shop bay 2.


Marcel Levesque (center) discussing the boxcar's design with Jay Wiley (left) and Zack Wiley (right, foreground).

[Mike Fox]

I caught Marcel cleaning up the north half of the interior.





Patterns nave been made for the wooden ladder sides that attch to the car.

[Mike Fox]

The only picture I took today. This is Ed and Marcel taking a break from stripping paint off old boards.

[Eric Larsen]

Looks good guys.

[Bob Holmes]

At last, a picture of the windows on #56 as originally built for B&SR.  Query, were they just openings, or was there glass behind the shutters?

[Mike Fox]

Just openings. More for air I imagine while the critters were inside..

[Bill Reidy]

Marcel Levesque was busy removing roof sheathing from the car on July 16th.  Nearly all the sheathing will be reused, but Marcel will take the opportunity to apply epoxy where needed to repair/strengthen the ends of the sheathing, as well as the interior roof framing.  He will also add truss rods in sections of the roof framing that don't currently have rods to help stiffen up the frame.  The boards are varying widths and have dried out over the years leaving gaps between the boards.  Marcel will close the gaps when the boards are reinstalled, and will swap boards around to avoid nailing back into the same frame holes from where he just pulled the nails. 



Once the roof sheathing repairs are completed, the car will get a metal roof, using the same technique Eric Schade and others developed for coach No. 9.

Marcel expects spot priming of knots on the wall sheathing will begin shortly.

[Mike Fox]