Interior restoration of our vintage Pullman passenger car Nickel Plate 90 is underway. Initial funding is courtesy of the recently awarded grant from the John H. Emery Heritage trust. Work includes replacement of the window shades, some seat repairs, replacement of damaged curved ceiling panels and putting the rest room back into working order. Check out the car restoration updates for our progress.
Past restoration projects include our own Nickle Plate passenger cars 62 and 90, Mt. Baxter and more recently NYC RR Business Car Number 4, America and cars for private owners as well. Currently we are working on windows and rusted window columns on Mt. Baxter with funds received through John Emery grants received last year and this year. The B&O passenger car in the top photo was sold and refurbished for use as an office. It can be seen in Hartville near the train station.
NKP 62 suffered some broken windows and exterior paint damage while it was on location in Mississippi last year for the filming of the ABC Network mini-series “Women of the Movement”. Volunteers have been working to replace the broken windows and also replace a few rotted window frames.
Replacement window frames and sills, made from mahogany, have been assembled to the glass panes, primed and painted and await installation into NKP 62.
“America” is returning to Cleveland in September after riding the rails throughout the United States for the past year on excursion service to an individual who used the car as his office on wheels while seeing the country. Maintenance and repairs will soon be underway to ready the car for possible excursion service in early 2023.
Volunteers were busy doing the preliminary work on our Pullman passenger car Nickel Plate 90 by removing window shades and seats along with removing the original commode from the rest room. Window shades are being staged for replacement and seats were removed for access to the curved ceiling panels and peeled paint beneath the windows. A few seats need upholstery work and all seats need a deep cleaning. The car returned to Midwest after five years away on excursion service and hopes are to turn it around by the end of summer.
Work is moving forward both inside and out on our vintage Pullman passenger car Nickel Plate 90. Putting the rest room back in working order, new holding tanks are being installed beneath the car while a new water tank is readied for installation above the ceiling. Curved roof panels have been primed and painted to replace the damaged ones that have been removed and fiberglass insulation has been purchased for installation above the panels to replace the original horsehair insulation. Volunteers have dis-assembled the window shades and are busy cleaning and polishing the components. New shades are being made for re-assembly onto the rollers.
Window shades have been assembled and reinstalled on one side of the car. Bathroom plumbing and electrical conduit is well underway along with repairs to the floor structure under the bathroom and utility room on the underside of the car. The old water tanks have been removed from the ceiling and new tanks are on site awaiting installation. Steel framework above the windows, insulation and curved ceiling panels have been remounted and the truck assemblies have been inspected, cleaned and repainted.
Volunteers continue work inside and out to complete this restoration. Replacement of the curved ceiling panels on the opposite side of the car is well underway and plumbing for the new waste holding tanks is almost completed. Floor repair in the vestibules is completed and window shade assembly will begin as the ceiling work nears completion. Seat frames are soon to be brought back from storage to receive a thorough cleaning followed by a deep cleaning of seat cushions before re-installation. Completion is targeted for the Spring excursion season.
The current restoration is nearing completion with replacement of all of the curved ceiling panels and installation of new window shades. Plumbing and wiring for the new bathroom fixtures is close to being finished and after a thorough interior cleaning is performed, the seat frames will be re-installed along with the seat cushions.
