Category Archives: Car Shop

Follow the restorations in Mid-Continent’s award-winning Car Shop.

EJ&S #2 2021 Year-End Restoration Update

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

Update by Peter Becker

We had a productive year working on the East Jordan & Southern No. 2 in 2021.

Exterior Work

The year started out with Owen making a new lettering stencil for the car so he will be ready to letter the car when the time is right.

East Jordan & Southern #2 stencil.

A lot of time was spent cleaning up the trucks and truss rods.  They were then primed and painted.  We ran out of warm weather so there is some painting left to be done.  Also under the car, the north end draft gear was put back together with new spring followers, the plates that transfer force from the draw bar to the car body.

EJ&S #2 truck and truss rod.
Un-rusted new spring followers mounted in draft gear.

All four platform steps are now functional.  This required everything from a complete rebuilt for the southeast step to straightening the metal side of the northeast step to simply replacing the treads of the southwest step.

Straightened and repainted northeast steps.

The platform deck boards were replaced also.  The work required the removal of the door thresholds and some repair around them.  On the south end this also required repair of the rotten platform sill.

New platform deck boards.

Repair work on the sound deafening ceiling, the boards attached to the underside of the car body frame, was started.  The deafening ceiling was partially removed in the past to facilitate repair work so it is now piece work to fit replacement boards in.

Under-car deafening ceiling.

Other exterior work included fastening the lower roof drip rail in place, repairing the south end canopy, straightening the north platform hand rail and installing a hand brake shaft and wheel on the south end platform.  An additional post for the south end hand rail was also found and installed.  The following two photos show the south platform with the roof drip rail, the new wood on the canopy corners and the installed brake wheel and hand rail post.

EJ&S #2 southeast corner.
EJ&S #2 south end.

Interior Work

The project last winter was to clean the clerestory windows and mount them in new sash that was built some time ago.  There are 30 windows and 28 are now done.  Two stained glass panes are missing which is delaying completion of the final 2 windows.  There are 2 patterns of glass which are shown here in new sash.

One of two clerestory window patterns.
One of two clerestory window patterns.

Most of the interior work this year was stripping paint and removal of the headliner sheet metal. The next two pictures show the current state of the interior.  The plan is to repaint the baggage section in the reddish color and the passenger section will be stained and varnished.

Wood revealed after stripping paint.
In this picture, you can see the truss plank cap and the lower wainscot board were installed.

Finally, the original examination of the car interior found evidence that the partition between the baggage section and the passenger section was 6 windows from the north end of the car.  In the process of stripping paint we realized the partition was originally next to the baggage door.  Since we plan to use the original partition location, additional coach seats are needed.  We ordered 5 mores sets of cast iron seat parts and they finally arrived just after Christmas.

Peter Becker holds up new cast iron seat parts which arrived at the end of 2021.

All this work was accomplished by Dave M., Owen H., Jeff H., Jim B., Bill B., Dave W., Tom B., Richard P. and I am sure a few others that I am sorry to miss. Thanks for the help.

2022 Restoration Department Work Session Dates Announced

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

Mid-Continent’s Restoration Department has released its 2022 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 Restoration Manager, send us a message using the below form or call the museum office at 608-522-4261.

Session Number2022 Work Session Dates
1February 19-20
2March 11-12-13 Rescheduled to March 17-18-19 due to weather
3March 25-26-27
4April 8-9-10-11
5April 22-23-24
6May 14-15-16
7June 3-4-5
8June 24-25-26
9July 8-9-10
10July 23-24-25
11August 5-6-7
12August 20-21-22
13September 9-10-11
14September 24-25
15September 30-October 1-2
16October 14-15-16
17October 28-29-30
18November 11-12-13
19December 2-3-4

Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic DULUTH Sleeping Car Restoration 2021 Progress Report

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

Very good progress was made on the DULUTH project in 2021 thanks to a great crew of volunteers, contractors and hired help. The primary focus was to work on restoring the 10-section sleeping compartment but a lot of other areas and parts of the car were also worked on during the year. The most noticeable progress on the car has to be the interior woodwork that has been stripped of its 120 year old varnish and shellac. What has reappeared is beautiful mahogany and marquetry throughout the car. Another significant milestone for 2021 was the upper sleeping berths and lower berth seat ends, as they were completed and delivered to the museum. This included six replicated upper berths and four restored (original) upper berths. The berths are absolutely beautiful and we look forward to the day when they are reinstalled in the car. Underneath the car significant progress was made the air and hand brakes. As of the end of the year we now have functioning air brakes and the hand brake system is 95% complete.

Photos and additional information on the progress made on the DULUTH Project during 2021 follows.

Berths

View of the sleeping compartment showing the woodwork that has been stripped during 2021
  • Completed the construction and finishing (staining/varnishing) of the (6) new upper berths
  • Completed the construction and finishing (staining/varnishing) (6) new lower berth seat ends
  • Applied final finish (stain/varnish) to the (4) original upper berths
  • Delivered all of the completed berths, seat ends, seat cushion frames to the museum
  • One of the original upper berths after being restored and following fresh coats of stain and varnish.
  • Another of the original upper berths after being restored and following fresh coats of stain and varnish.
  • A crate containing (5) of the upper completed berths being loaded in Michigan.
  • A crate containing (5) of the upper completed berths being unloaded at Mid-Continent.
  • (3) of the (6) new lower berth seat ends getting ready to be loaded and shipped to MCRM

Interior

  • All of the old finish (shellac) has been removed from the existing woodwork in the sleeping compartment, men’s smoking room and the women’s toilet room. This work was performed by hired help due to the extensive scope of this work and the large number of work hours required.
  • All of the clerestory windows were removed from the car. New windows are being made as the railroad revised the design of these windows and eliminated the original stained glass.
  • Sent out 100+ pieces of interior trim and wood parts to be chemically stripped
  • (12) sets of new seat cushion frames were made. Each set includes a head rest, seat back and seat bottom
  • (12) sets of seat cushion support frames and seat back top rails were made
  • (12) pairs of seat cushion support blocks were made and finished
  • Test fit the revised berth partition overlay piece (prototype)
  • Material was purchased for reproducing the headliners in the car
  • Interior woodwork in the process of being stripped inside the DULUTH.
  • Interior woodwork in the process of being stripped inside the DULUTH.
A portion of the end door after being stripped.
  • Mirror frame in the process of being replicated. Original frame (top) and replicated marquetry for a new frame (bottom).
  • New bottom seat cushion supports.
  • Test fitting the berth partition trim piece in the sleeping compartment with the aid of a laser frames and the seat cushion frames.
  • Taking delivery of the replicated oval window.

Men’s Smoking Room

  • Volunteers have further developed the drawings for the missing Smoking Room and Men’s Toilet walls
  • Removed the deteriorated headlining panel along the east wall.
  • Ordered a replacement wall panel (for above the three windows) that had significant water damage
  • The east wall of the smoking room showing the headliner and upper wall panel removed.
  • The west wall of the car across from the smoking room showing the stripping in process.

Exterior

  • Continued to remove the roof material (rolled asphalt and tar) off of the car. The roof is presently approximately 75% stripped and the majority of the wood on the roof deck appears to be in very good condition
  • (9) new oval window frames (mahogany) were made
  • (25) new outer window frames (mahogany) were made
  • 160 feet of new poplar window sills have been made for the car at an area technical college
  • We have started to remove some of the deteriorated wood siding and trim from the car
  • New replica oval window frames.
  • New lower sash window frames.
  • The cross-section of the original window sill.
  • Making the new window sills at an area Technical College.
  • View of the lower roofing being removed.
  • The upper roof deck after the roofing material has been removed.

Air and Hand Brakes

  • Completed the fabrication and installation of all of the air brake cylinder levers and rods
  • Tested the functionality of the air brakes
  • Finalized the hand brake system design
  • Completed the installation of all of the hand brake levers, rods , supports and guides under the car
  • Remaining work on the hand brakes involves installing the hand brake levers (handles), stems and support bracket in each vestibule
  • Two of the new brake cylinder levers that were made. The steel levers are 1 inch thick and 36 inches long.
  • The bottom side of the Duluth showing the air cylinder with the new levers, rods and hangers installed.
  • Volunteers installing some of the hand brake brackets.
  • View of the air brakes being tested on the DULUTH.

Parts and Hardware

  • Cleaned, restored and delivered over 400 pieces of berth and sleeping compartment hardware
  • Presently 95% of the berth and sleeping compartment hardware has been obtained, reconditioned and restored
  • Cleaned and restored the hardware and rollers for the (25) window shades
  • Secured a Baker heater for the car. The original one had been previously removed from the car
  • Restored Berth Pulley mechanism.
  • Restored and polished window shade hardware.
  • Boxes containing over (400) pieces of restored berth hardware.
  • Baker Car Heater acquired for use in the DULUTH. Awaiting restoration.

Planning

  • Updated the list of the sleeping compartment work tasks and sequence of activities
  • Obtained a proposal for reproducing additional wood parts for the car
  • Updated the three year restoration plan
  • Developing 2022+ grant requests

Fundraising

  • A total of $35,185.12 was donated (plus $1,000 pledge) to the DULUTH Project during Nov. 1, 2020-Oct. 31, 2021 fiscal year.
  • The DULUTH Sleeping Car “Matching Your Funds Drive” campaign kicked off in 2Q 2021 and met its goal in the 4Q of 2021 by raising a total of $30,000
  • The “Giving Tuesday Fundraising Challenge” held on November 30, 2021 raised a total of $2,200 

Financial

  • A total of $41,851.79 was expended on the project during the Nov. 1, 2020-Oct. 31, 2021 fiscal year. This is a combination of labor, contractor and material costs.
  • In 2021 Volunteers logged (418) man hours of time on the DULUTH project.

Report by
William Buhrmaster
MCRM Restoration Department
January 8, 2022

This report is also available as a PDF.

2021-DULUTH-Progress-ReportDownload

Giving Tuesday Matching Funds Available for DULUTH

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

A donor has made a pledge for this Giving Tuesday (Nov. 30, 2021) to match up to $1,100 of donations received today for the DSS&A DULUTH sleeping car restoration. Show your support for the DULUTH project by helping Mid-Continent take advantage of this generous match offer and make a donation today! All donations are tax-deductible.

Donations can be made through our Facebook page for maximum giving effect – meaning Facebook does not charge Mid-Continent any transaction fees for donations received through their platform.

Don’t have Facebook? You can also donate to the DULUTH project via PayPal (accepts all major credit/debit cards).

Donate

Note: Donations made via PayPal are not reflected on the Facebook donation progress meter.

The DULUTH Sleeping Car “Matching Your Funds Drive”

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

Your help is needed to keep the DULUTH sleeping car project moving ahead as part of the multi-year restoration plan. To keep the project on schedule, Mid-Continent Railway Museum is announcing a matching fund drive with a goal of raising $30,000 for the project by the end of 2021.

Click on image to view the Fund Drive Flyer

What This Fund Drive is For

The purpose of this fund drive is to raise needed funds for several key areas of the car’s restoration, including:

  • restoring the sleeping compartment woodwork and components
  • restoring the interior ceilings and headliners 
  • restoring/recreating the stained glass windows
  • purchase new poplar siding and trim for the exterior
  • purchase green plush fabric for the seats 

Double Your Gift!

A select group of individuals has generously pledged to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $15,000 to help us reach our goal of $30,000! Now we need your help to take full advantage of the matching offer and to have the necessary funding for restoration work through 2022.    

To offer more flexibility and options for donors to take advantage of this matching offer, payment can be deferred until June of 2022 provided a pledge is made by the end of 2021.

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Update: GOAL ACHIEVED!

Thank you to our donors for helping us achieve our $15,000 goal. YOU are the reason these restorations happen and our organization cannot thank you enough.

While donations above the $15,000 mark won’t be matched dollar-per-dollar they still make a big impact- so feel free to continue to earmark donations for DULUTH. More work and more donations will be needed to bring the DULUTH car all the way to completion.

Please stay tuned to our social media, website and email list for updates on the restoration progress of this turn of the century sleeping car.

How to Donate

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

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 Matching Fund Drive” on the check memo line so we can properly process your donation.

You can donate instantly using any major credit or debit card or by PayPal.

DONATE ONLINE

Track Our Progress

We need your help to reach $15,000 in donations for the DULUTH so that we can collect the match and raise the full $30,000 for the project. This page will be updated on a regular basis to show our progress toward that goal.

Current Progress

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$15,000Current progress thermometer$15,060Current progress thermometer100%

Donations & Pledges Received

$15,060

as of Nov. 4, 2021 at 11:53 AM

Total Impact

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$30,000Total impact$30,060Total impact100%

Total Impact So Far

$30,060

as of Nov. 4, 2021 at 11:53 PM