Narrow gauge wooden box needs help ASAP!

[Ed Lecuyer]

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Narrow gauge wooden box needs help ASAP! has been converted from the pre-July 2008 WW&F Discussion Forum.
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ETSRRCo wrote:

HELP! I need information and leads. Ex East Tennessee & Western North Carolina box car at the Pine Creek Railroad is in danger of slipping out of out finger tips. the car is in very bad shape and if something isn't done soon it will be to late. Why bring this up here you ask? This car is about in the same shape as the 309 was. The car needs side sills. The car is about 33ft long making for about 30ft long side sills. Where would we be able to find timbers of that length. Also I know that side sills were replaced on the 103 at the WW&F. My question to you all is how did you do it and can you please explain it and possible send photos. The fate of the car is depending on it.
-Eric Botlon

_________________
Eric Bolton
East Tigard & Southern Railroad Co 1889-1958

James Patten replied:

There's a lumber company that Zack uses, probably in or near Rockland, that has a saw mill which cut the timbers to our specifications.  But as I recall, the lumber didn't come from Maine, it came from somewhere to the west.
You need to determine the dimensions of the lumber you need and start asking around.  If worse comes to worse and nobody will quote you for lumber that size, ask about two pieces that are 2/3 as long, so that you can take the timbers and splice them together.  We did that for a couple of 309's inner sills - not sure I'd want to do it on outer sills.

Mike Fox replied:

If I recall correctly, it was Doug fir that we used for 126. If you could find a saw mill that will do dimension lumber with the capability to cut things that long, you would be headed down the right track.
Mike

Stephen Hussar replied:

James, do you recall the cost of those stringers for 126? Seems like I remember the price being so reasonable (at the time) that consideration was given to buying enough to build another car...

James Patten replied:

I may be able to find the cost in my director's meeting minutes (which are at home).  Without benefit of such notes, I think the timbers may have been around $1300, but that is off the top of my head.

Josh Botting replied:

Eric,
I would recomend a smaller yard.  There are many really small yards in maine that do coustom sawing.  Also I would check some one like NC Hunt, kind of a big small yard, but they saw their own wood.

James Patten replied:

Board minutes from November 04 meeting say stringers of the length we needed for 103 cost $400-500 each.  Or we could have made some home-made stringers out of several 2x8s put together for $175.
For the moment I can't find my 2005 notes so I don't know if there were later quotes, or when we bought the stringers.  I do recall it was wintery when they arrived, so perhaps it was in 2005.

Keith Taylor replied:

Eric,
N.C. Hunt, here in my hometown of Jefferson can make anything you want. However, shipping would add greatly to your cost. I don't know if he is still in business, but Urban Lohnes in Farmingdale, NJ made and milled the new end sills and many other parts for the Newfoundland Rwy. coach at Allaire....I'm sure he could make up sills for you.
Keith

Phil Raynes replied:

Eric, et al.,
Point of information: in 2000, several interested ET&WNC fans attempted to have the boxcar returned to the ET&WNC area for restoration and protected storage.  After permission, transportation, and a crane had been arranged, the Pine Creek powers-that-be called 24 hours before the crew were to leave and cancelled the operation for no apparent reason, wasting money spent on the project.  Since then we have replaced a couple of side sills and end sills on the ex-D&RG boxcars (now open cars) at Doe River Gorge, so we could have done the same with the Pine Creek car.
We would love to have it back where it came from so we could take proper care of it.  Suggestions are welcome.

JR May replied:

Phil:
I nearly jumped out of my chair when I read your posting.  I am sorry to take say this in a public forum but feel Pine Creek is getting a bad wrap here.  I was chairman of the Board of Trustees for the NJMT in 2000 and was the one who suggested that the Tweetsy boxcar might be better off back home.  The issue was that the Tweetsy group had to send a crew to do the work of cleaning it out, stabilizing it, and moving it.  We did not have the crew to take that on.  There was never a formal agreement and it never went beyond the discussion phase.  The car is land locked behind other equipment that can not be moved.  It would have to be jacked, not lifted, slid sideways, and then a truck slid under it.  There is no room for a crane in that area.
Phil, not sure what you heard, but please let me know if you heard differently.   As chairman, I was the guy in the discussions.
As to the car itself, the other side is in much better shape as it has been protected from the weather  for most of its life at Pine Creek.
J.R. May
Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, NJMT

elecuyer replied:

Hi all,
Let's try not to air out other groups dirty laundry on this discussion forum. Instead, lets focus on how we can help preserve our heritage here and now.
Thanks,
-Ed Lecuyer
Asst. Moderator

JR May replied:

Ed:
Agreed.  Phil and I have had some private emails and I think the situation is clear now.  Bottom line is that this is a nice car.  The fact that it is still in one piece is a testament to the builders and materials used.  Its certainly restorable, but requires , along with some major timbers, replacement of missing truss rods and will need proper trucks.  It is currently on log car trucks.  Nice to see someone taking an interest ion it.
J.R.

[Ted Miles]

Folks,
          Back in 2009, the East Carolina and West Tennessee #434 box car was mentioned here. Now in reading the South East Narrow Gauge and Short Line Museum web site; I found that the car was indeed moved from New Jersey to Shelby, North Carolina and restored. It is one of sevral narrow gauge freight cars, and a standard gauge locomotive at the museum. The web site covers the re-building of the cars.

It looks like they took lessions from the work that the WW&F Shop does.

Ted Miles, WW&F Member

[John McNamara]

See http://www.tarheelpress.com/etbox/index.html

In a word, "Wow!"

-John M