Lehigh Valley Railroad Caboose 95100: Fundraising Phase II: Spring 2012
Thanks to the generous and enthusiastic support of many private donors, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum was able to act quickly and purchase Lehigh Valley caboose 95100, thanks to cooperation from the scrap yard in Manchester from where it was rescued. In a matter of two weeks, we were able to raise $12,000 to cover the purchase of the car as well as the cost of cranes and trucking to the museum.
The caboose was trucked to our museum on October 22, 2011, and immediately our volunteers set to work to make the car safe for movement over rail up to our restoration shop. An initial investigation of the caboose’s brake system revealed that water had gotten into the pipes, so the brake cylinder was disassembled, cleaned, and repacked. A new crossover hose was also fabricated, which allows the brake pipe to move independently of the air brake equipment. After new valves were swapped in, the air brakes were once again functional by the end of November!
On January 15, 2012, LV 95100 was safely moved up to our restoration shop, the first movement on its own wheels since it was trucked to Manchester in 2005. In February, our volunteers set to work needle scaling the exterior body to remove rust and loose paint in preparation for making any repairs to the steel. Inside, we removed the obsolete oil-burning stove and fuel tank. The oil tank will be inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled, along with a replacement stove we already have on hand. By mid-February we had removed the ice chests from inside the car so that we could make repairs to the rot that was caused by condensation build-up over the years.
At the beginning of March, work had shifted to the interior as we begin to strip paint from all of the walls and fixtures to check for signs of rot and make any needed repairs.
The April 2012 issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine hit the stands, featuring a short article by our vice president Joe Nugent about how we acquired the caboose, and all of the twists and turns that we encountered along the way. We made a visit to our friends at Central New York Chapter NRHS, where they graciously donated to us many parts that we can use to restore our caboose, including a sink, cup dispenser, paper towel dispenser, wind visors, window guards, grab irons, and more.
As we approach the beginning of April, we must raise $2000 to continue the next phase of work on the caboose. This includes purchasing lumber to construct the missing interior fixtures and doors, as well as continuing with paint stripping both inside and out. It is our goal to have the caboose ready for sandblasting and exterior primer by the end of this spring. We have volunteers standing by ready to construct and install the missing interior fixtures, which includes storage benches and new exterior doors. Several volunteers have stepped up to help with needle scaling and paint stripping. But we cannot move forward until we have cash in hand.
The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum would appreciate your help in funding this next phase of restoration. It is our goal to restore this caboose to its 1970s appearance as it operated on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. It will become part of our operating fleet, where our visitors will be able to enjoy riding in this caboose as they travel from one end of our museum railroad to the other.
Donations to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. You can make your donation to the LV 95100 project online via PayPal at http://rgvrrm.org/support (make sure you put “LV 95100” in the comments or notes area) or you can mail your check to R&GVRRM, P.O. Box 23326, Rochester, NY 14692-3326. Please make sure to put “LV 95100” in the memo area of your check. Thank you for your support!
See also:
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2012/03/help ... ehigh.html
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