Recently awarded a John Emery Grant for restoration work on our Mt. Baxter Pullman car, work is proceeding to repair the steel columns between the windows that were rusted out as well as rusted side panels. Sandblasting and painting will complete the exterior work when finished.
Rusted out portions of the steel window columns have been cut out and replaced with formed steel pieces that have been welded in place. New windows are being made to replace some that have extensive wood rot.
Weld repairs continue on the rusted-out window columns on the historic passenger car. The repairs are nearing completion on the second side after which the mahogany windows will be re-installed. The car will then be sand-blasted and repainted. Current repairs are being performed with funds received from the John H. Emery Rail Heritage Grant received in 2021.
The rusted columns have all been replaced with new formed steel sections. New formed steel facing strips are in stock and soon to be welded to the columns on the window frames.
Midwest Railway Preservation Society is proud to announce that we have been awarded a $10,000 grant from The Frohring Foundation to be used for restoration of our Pullman sleeper, CTVX 1, Mt. Baxter. Those funds added to previous grants received from the John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust and the National Railway Historical Society will enable us to complete the project. The current focus is to complete weld repairs on the body and then re-install the wooden windows before sand-blasting and applying the finish paint.
All of the window columns have been structurally repaired and interior re-assembly of the window frames is about to begin. The decorative facing strips will be welded on once the windows have been installed and it has been verified that all windows open and close easily. Some additional weld repair was deemed necessary in the vestibule and those repairs are just about completed. We are currently searching for a local glass company that may be able to replace a few decorative leaded glass panes that were broken on a couple of our Pullmans.
Structural repairs to the window columns of the car are nearing completion as the rusted columns have all been replaced and the formed facing strips are being welded on. A few other areas were found in the vestibule that needed repair and those have been completed. When the remaining window facing strips are finished the wooden windows will be reinstalled and the car will be prepped for sand blasting and painting.
