Car Shop Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Mid-Continent Railway Museum

“DULUTH” SLEEPING CAR: $10,000 Matching Fund Drive

Posted on May 1, 2024 by RebeccaAugust 3, 2024

*A recent view of the DULUTH sleeper car showing the car after the lower siding was removed.*

Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s Duluth South Shore & Atlantic sleeping car “DULUTH” is the oldest and most complete standard gauge sleeping car in the country. This wooden sleeping car was built in 1902 and for over thirty years it provided overnight sleeping accommodations for passengers riding the rails across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The DULUTH only survived as it was repurposed into a camp along the shores of Lake Superior prior to being acquired and moved by Mid-Continent in 2016. Today, after several years of restoration work and thanks to many volunteers and donors the DULUTH sleeping car is coming back together.

The DULUTH is a rare time capsule demonstrating what long-distance rail travel was like over a century ago. The DULUTH sleeping car includes a private stateroom, the men’s smoking room, women’s toilet and a 10-section sleeping compartment, that featured upper and lower berths. Once restored visitors will be able to see and experience the DULUTH sleeper and take in the fine mahogany woodwork, marquetry, stained glass and plush upholstery.

*Recent restoration progress in the sleeping compartment of the DULUTH.*

To help with the restoring this national treasure Mid-Continent is challenging its members, donors and supporters to raise $10,000 to go towards the ongoing restoration work on the DULUTH sleeping car. With this challenge, every dollar donated to this fund drive will be matched dollar-for-dollar, by an anonymous donor, up to $10,000. Together this will raise $20,000 for the DULUTH restoration fund.

Funds from this fund drive will be used for several key areas of the car’s restoration, including:

Repairing and restoring the water damaged ceiling panels.
Installing and painting the ceiling canvas.
Replicating the (4) interior doors that are presently missing inside the car.
Sourcing wood for making and installing new exterior car siding and trim.

Your donation to the DULUTH 2024 Matching Fund Drive the will help complete the above projects and restore the DULUTH sleeping car.

Make Your Donation Today

Making your donation to the DULUTH project and getting it matched is easy and takes only a few minutes.

Donate by Check

Donations by check can be made out to Mid-Continent Railway Museum and mailed to:

Mid-Continent Railway Museum

P.O. Box 358

North Freedom, WI 53951

Be sure to write “DULUTH 2024 Matching Fund Drive” on the check memo line so we can properly process your donation.

Donate by Phone

To donate by phone, please call Mid-Continent’s office at 608-522-4261.

Donate by Credit Card or PayPal

You can donate instantly using any major credit or debit card or by PayPal via the button below.

Donate Here!

Fundraising Update

Thanks to our amazing donors, the matching fund goal has been met! However, this project is not finished, and continued donations are appreciated and needed to bring the overall DULUTH restoration project to completion. Use the “Donate Here” button above to make a donation today.

The matching grant fundraiser began on 5/1/2024 and was fully matched by donors on 7/30/2024.

Individual Donations ($10,000) & Matching Grant ($10,000)

*Work in progress with a crew of volunteers in the sleeping compartment of the DULUTH.*

Read About Progress Here!

Restoration Department Update

Posted on April 16, 2024 by RebeccaApril 16, 2024

The MCRM Restoration Department recently completed a three-day volunteer work session that was held on April 10th-12th. We had a good size crew given that it was held during the week. The volunteers that helped out for this session were Jack, Jerry F, Jerry M., Dean, Karl, Bob R., Richard P., Pete, Larry S., Owen, Tom B., Steve and Bill B. Thanks to this crew we got a lot of work performed and completed.

Following is a brief summary of the progress made during the session:

LS&I #64:

Work continued on cutting and fitting new wood for the exterior of the car. Karl trimmed up the new center window stops and installed them on the car. Bob R. primed all of the new battens for the windows. Jack and Jerry were working on cutting, fitting and installing new windowsills. Two windowsills remain to be cut and fit. They also installed one set of the new battens for the arched windows and sash. During the next session, work will continue on the windowsills and installing more of the window battens.

C&IM #90:

Jerry and Dean continued to install trim pieces and mahogany plywood in the north stateroom. The woodwork in the clerestory area is complete as well as the north and south walls in the north stateroom. Once additional mahogany plywood is purchased the east and west wall will be worked on. In the south stateroom, Steve roughed in the new wiring for the lighting and outlets for the room.

EJ&S #2:

Work continued in the passenger section of the car. Larry S. sanded the recently varnished woodwork while Owen worked on painting pieces of the clerestory trim (two colors). Owen and Bob teamed up to apply two coats of varnish on pieces of walnut trim during the session. Pete and Larry worked on cutting and planning pieces of poplar that will be used for making the seat back frames for the car. Plans call for moving the EJ&S #2 to the north end of the car shop so the car can be accessed easier for painting the exterior of the car. This move is scheduled to take place on April 20th.

DULUTH:

Karl and Bill B worked in the DULUTH smoking room. They cut new headliner panels for the east and west sides as the old pieces were water damaged. Karl also started to remove the remnants of the partition that was embedded in the west wall where the swinging door was mounted.

C&NW #1099:

Richard continued working on restoring and rebuilding the underframe of the narrow gauge combine. His work this year includes installing two new side sills, two new end body beams, two new body bolsters, one new intermediate sill and an all-new subfloor. During the session Richard and Larry S. worked on squaring up the frame in preparation to securing the flooring and side walls to the frame.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Bob installed the new springs on the National vestibule traps on the north end of the Badger #2 Fish car. The springs are part of a system that help lift the traps up, when opening, as well as prevents the traps from free falling when closing.

Larry T. is continuing to strip the old finish off the woodwork inside the GN A-22 “Hill” car. Larry is presently working in the state room and has also been working in the garage end of the car. He has been making good progress and he has been uncovering some beautiful mahogany along the way.

*Newly installed spring on the Fish car trap*.

*Work progressing inside the garage end of the A-22 “Hill” car*.

Upcoming work sessions include one on April 26, 27 and May 3, 4 and 5. The May 3-5 session is in conjunction with the “Spring Fling” event on May 4th. We’d really like to have a good turnout for the Spring Fling weekend as we have a number of projects that we need help with. You can register for the Spring Fling here: https://form.jotform.com/240655916920157

If you would like to help out in our restoration department, please reach out to the Mid-Continent office at 608-522-4261 or email inquiries@midcontinent.org.

2024 Restoration Department Work Session Dates Announced

Posted on February 11, 2024 by RebeccaFebruary 22, 2024

Mid-Continent’s Restoration Department has released its 2024 work session schedule. These work sessions are a great way to get involved at Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

Our doors are open to anyone willing to give us a hand and help us with the restoration work. Give us a hand for a day or several days throughout the summer. Every bit of help makes a difference and is appreciated. We have a wide range of needs (i.e. painting, cleaning, stripping, wood work, roofing, refinishing, upholstery, metal work, and more) and everyone can be a help.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out! To be placed in contact with Bill Buhrmaster, MCRM’s Restoration Manager, send call the museum office at 608-522-4261.

Session #	Dates
	February TBD (Set by emails)
	March TBD (Set by emails)
1	March 2-3
2	April 10-11-12
3	April 26-27
4	May 3-4-5 Spring Fling (Museum-wide Volunteering Day): May 4
5	May 17-18-19
6	June 8-9-10
7	June 26-27-28-29-30 2024 All Hands on Deck
8	July 13-14-15
9	July 26-27-28
10	August 10-11-12
11	August 23-24-25
12	September 13-14-15
13	September 27-28-29-30 Vintage Rail Car Tours: September 28-29
14	October 11-12-13 Autumn Color Weekends: October 5-6 & October 12-13
15	October 25-26-27
16	November 15-16-17
17	November 29-30 & December 1 Santa Express: November 30 – December 1 & December 7-8

2023 DULUTH Progress Report

Posted on December 20, 2023 by RebeccaJanuary 2, 2024

Catch up on all the restoration progress on Duluth South Shore & Atlantic sleeping car DULUTH by reading the 2023 Progress Report.

Download the PDF

To help Mid-Continent restore the DULUTH to its former glory, please consider making a donation to the DSS&A Sleeper DULUTH Fund. Donating is tax-deductible and easy to do. You can make your donation via mail or donate online using the Donate button.

Donate

Be sure to write in “DSS&A Sleeper DULUTH Fund” on the printable donation form or check memo line if sending a donation by mail. Credit/debit card donations can also be accepted via phone at 608-522-4261 or 800-930-1385 by speaking to our staff during administrative office hours Monday-Friday.

Restoration Progress in 2022 and 2023 for EJ&S No. 2

Posted on October 16, 2023 by RebeccaOctober 17, 2023

Written by Peter Becker

This update is a summary of the work that has been completed in 2022 and 2023. Much work has been done and the end of this restoration project is now in sight.

Interior work

Paint and varnish stripping is completed. This labor intensive work required using heat to soften up to 4 layers of paint so it could be scraped off. Additional scraping and sanding got down to clean wood. The baggage section was painted a dark red color to match the original paint. The color does leave the section dark looking with light only from one window and the small windows in the baggage doors.

In the passenger section walls were stripped and the walnut trim was reattached. After filling many screw and nail holes and finish sanding the walls were stained. A small section has been varnished to get an idea of the finished coloring of the walls. The clerestory area was also stripped and painted white and the clerestory window were installed.

In other perhaps less noticed work the old and damaged Panasote ceiling was removed in preparation for the new ceiling. The original ceiling/head liner was painted canvas tacked to roof ribs. We do not know the color or pattern of the original as we only have scraps of the fabric from around the edges but we hope the new ceiling will be in the style of the original. Significant time was also spent repairing missing and rotten floor boards.

Reproduction of the seats is the last major project for the interior. We have the cast iron seat parts which have now been painted and the wood seat frame parts are made and varnished. The bottom and back cushions still need to be made and upholstered.

Exterior Work

Installation of the sound deafening ceiling attached to the underside of the car body was completed and the truss rods and brake parts were painted but the major exterior project was the roof work. This work include replacing damaged structural parts, patching vent holes and replacing small portions of the roof deck. Wood drip edge made many years ago was finally installed. Prior to installation of the canvas roof covering, the roof deck was sanded and painted while keeping an eye out for any protruding nails or screws. Canvas was stretched over the roof and tacked along the edges with thousands of tacks. The canvas was saturated with a special formula canvas paint to make it impermeable to water. The drip edge and other exposed wood was painted the green color that will be used on the rest of the car body. Finally, new screens were installed to complete the roof.

A special thanks to any volunteers that have helped with the project in the last 2 years. Including (in no particular order) David M, David P, Larry S, Steve P, Jay S, Karl S, Jeff H, Nancy K, Owen H, Mike M, Tom B, Gregg W., Jane, Richard P, James B. Grant H. and probably someone I have forgotten.

All photos are by Peter Becker unless otherwise noted.