Flatcar Restoration: Feb 25th Activities

Dustin's son lent a hand with the assembly of some of the stringers.

A view over one of the end beams before the stringer was shoved into place. The knuckle had been fastened onto the frame long before the wood arrived. This picture shows the upper knuckle housing assembly in place against the end beam.

Volunteers C.W., Griffin and Dustin contemplating how to use a battery powered drill.

Lifting a stringer into position with the overhead crane.

The end beam is lifted into place and pushed close to the tenons.

The stringers' twists prevent the end beam from slipping into place. In these pictures, volunteers Elliot H., Griffin W., and Jesse V. discuss the next move.

Volunteer C.W. wonders what the others are agonizing over. "Just push the %$#@ thing into place!"

Here is the end beam after being "persuaded" into place by the volunteer staff. The chains were wrapped around the trucks and were used to pull the end beam into place. There was enough twist in each stringer that kept the end beam from slipping on.

The following pictures show C.W. drilling pilot holes in the end beam which reach through the stringer's tenons. After drilling the pilot hole,a steel pin is drive which "permanently" locks the end beam and stringers into one unit.

During the February 12th weekend (see the "D&RGW #6216 truck and frame work" posting) the flat car work proceeded slowly in repairing, fabricating, fitting, and painting of all the metal parts.

Several members came in during the week of February 23 through the 29th to get the flat car "ready for the road." Well, "ready" is somewhat of a goal -- who knows how far we will get!


"C.W." is mortising the end beams to accept the tenons on the stringers.

The finished end beam. Count 'em: that is 12 mortises on EACH end beam.

Jesse V. is checking the fit of a queen post being fastened to the needle beam.

Griffin W. is cutting an end beam to size.

Dustin finishes the cut; Griffin's circular saw didn't quite make it all the way through the beam.

Jesse V. using a router to cut the ledge along the inner edge of the end beam. One of the deck boards will rest on the ledge.

Griffin W. drilling bolt holes on a stringer.

Griffin, Dustin, and Jesse inspecting an end beam before installation.

D&RGW #6216 truck and frame work

The weekend of Feb. 2 & 3rd saw continued work on the restoration of flat car 6216 at the MCRR shops. The frame was sandblasted and the trucks were tore down cleaned repaired and reasembled. The weekend ended with a coat of primer for everything.

Griffen W. and Dustin B. brave the cold weather to sandblast the steel frame of the car.

While in the shop the trucks are worked on. In the picture the B end truck is disassembled.

Here the B end truck is back together and good for many more miles. The wheels out of the A end are in front.

Some journal boxes required repair. The one in back is finished the one in front waits to be welded. Overall the trucks were found to be in very good condition, mostly just requiring cleaning and new wood backs.