Restoration Report
by Ted Kornweibel, Supt. of Restoration
The Restoration Department, part of the Museum Services division, has been very productive in the last quarter of 2003. Its efforts have blended with other departments as well, so there's a lot of credit to spread around. The major Museum event was Postal Heritage Day, about which others will write.
The entire center portion of the Visitors Center now has fresh concrete. Many thanks to Don Getz, Wally Barber, Rich Warner, Ken Hansen, and of course, all those who donated the cash to fund this project. (The late Bill Neidrich donated more than half the cost) Rich Warner also spread ballast, donated by Joel Cloud, all over and around tracks 5 and 6, so it looks much better, and we will have much less dust, Our display building really looks like a museum now. Visitors are impressed.
The major focus of restoration has been continuing work on the Jim Crow car. Much labor has been invested in sanding and filling the siding on the car's south side (i.e., facing the center of the Visitors Center). I've had some great help in the sanding department from Joe Shelley and Bob Schussler. We have the entire side almost completely prepped, and we're doing a really fine job, so that, when painted, it will be a very eye-catching car. Frank Stites did some custom milling in his home shop for the car, so we can replace some of the very rotted-out trim pieces. And nearly all of the window blanks have been repaired.
Speaking of painting, we've had two painters on the job the past few weeks. Audrey Shelley, Joe's daughter, is a sixth-grader who proved a fast learner with a brush, painting all the Jim Crow car's window blanks. A huge task was accomplished by Sandy Schussler, who took two Saturdays to put two coats of paint on the massive wood stairs to be used for visitor entry into the horse-express car. And another young lady also gave us valuable assistance: Sabrina Lundquist (Jim's daughter) "sorted" hundreds of letters into the RPO car's letter cases (pigeon holes).
We're getting more and more information and photos on the Jim Crow car, thanks to the diligent research of Museum rolling-stock historian Bill Schneider.
Here's an update on the Jim Crow car's missing Janney coupler knuckle and uncoupling linkage; Roger Garrert, who lives in Cerritos, has been taking our wood pattern to various foundries in the Los Angeles area, hoping to find one which can cast the knuckle for us. Let's hope Roger gets lucky. In the meantime Harold Whalen is fabricating, in his home shop, replica uncoupling linkage for the west end platform of the car.
We're keeping up with expenses on the Jim Crow car restoration, by selling RPO inaugural cachets to walking-tour visitors who enjoy seeing our rolling stock in the Visitors Center. There are 10 different cachets (envelopes), and they go for $3 each, two for $5, and 5 for $10. If you'd like some, send a check and large stamped self-addressed envelope to Ted Kornweibel, 6334 Lake Decatur Ave., San Diego 92119. E-mail or call me kornweib@mail.sdsu.edu; 619) 461-0098 if you want to know the options available.
Everything gets dirty at Campo. So it was time to wash some of the equipment in the Visitors Center. I washed the FGEX reefer, and it looks it's old beautiful self again. Bob Schussler tackled the much bigger job of washing the RPO car; all I had to do was dry one side. It shines again, as beautifully as it did when we first painted it.
Finally, the Restoration Department is assisting Museum Services in getting the horse-express car ready for displays. Dick Ruppert, Rich Borstadt and I have mapped out the necessary repairs before the public can safely go into the car. Lane Stanton Vance Hardwood Lumber Company, in El Cajon, donated hundreds of dollars worth of plywood for filling in the gaps in the car's floor. In addition, that company generously donated many hundreds of dollars worth of hardwood for repairs to the Jim Crow car. All in all we saved at least a thousand bucks because of these donations.
ATSF RPO Car Honored
Our Santa Fe Railway Post Office car restoration effort, which has been the subject of several REPORT articles and the August Quarterly membership meeting, was granted the 2003 Equipment Award by The Tourist Railway Association Inc. TRAIN is comprised of museums and tourist railways across the country. This annual award recognizes the most superior restoration effort in the country each year. It is with a great deal of pride that we accept this award from TRAIN. The Museum also again thanks Ted and everyone who volunteered time, treasure or both for this super project that took more than ten years to accomplish.
10
BACK HOME EXCURSIONS GALLERY FAQ HISTORY STORIES SOUNDS LINKS