Memorial Day "Extended Work Weekend"

Bad weather for the last couple months kept us from sandblasting the frame of the second car, number 6206. During this extended Memorial Day weekend (23-26 May), enough good weather prevailed and the sandblasting was finally completed on Friday. The original plan to paint the frame on Saturday was thwarted due to rain lasting all morning. The wet steel formed surface rust within several seconds causing the frame to need a quick second sandblasting! What a bother.

The next few pictures illustrate the "waltz of the frame." It was decided that the flat car needed flipping end to end, altering the mating with 6216. By flipping this car, the hand brakes are at opposing ends rather than at the front of each car. (Note to readers: our railroad does not have a wye or turntable; flipping a car is an interesting task.)

Flipping 6206 was a bit easier since it barely consisted of a frame. With the trucks off and the wood still in the shop, the skid steer and forklift were able to turn the frame around.

Step 1: The skid steer picks up the south side of the frame and moves it to the west.
Step 2: Along with the fork lift, two machines have the frame almost east-west.
Step 3: Almost done.
Step 4. Now parallel with the tracks, the frame has been reversed.
MCRR volunteers Paul K. and Brian Y. roll the north truck back under the frame.You can see the car's identification markings on the truck's frame.
With so much residual sand on and next to the rails, the south truck was reluctant to move into place. It took four staff members to complete the task.
See an action shot of the truck installation at youtube.

Trucks in place and forklifts/skidsteers out of the way, Griffin W. prepares the airless paint sprayer for the primer coat
Dustin B. mixes the red primer before setting the paint sprayer's pickup tube in the can
On Monday, with the primer dry the staff started the fitting of the center stringers onto the frame. The cutting of the tenons had been done two months ago, but painting the stringers wasn't completed until a few days ago.

Numerous holes and notches were drilled into the two boards in preparation for their fastening to the frame.
To keep the car as original as possible, most of the old hardware was cleaned and reworked to be usable. Here staff member Brian B. chases the threads on one of hundreds of square nuts
Griffin W. cuts a few mortises into the needle beam. (The MCRR's Vulcan Iron works switcher, affectionately known as "Little Squirt" is seen in the background. To be fair, it did have some mechanical attention this weekend.)
"Project Manager" Jesse V. rests while everyone else did the work. (Hahahaha...just kidding!)
"Shop Supervisor" Mike E. inspects Brian's thread chasing of an old carriage bolt.
With the east center stringer's bolts in place, the west center stringer is fit onto its frame and the bolts are started.
Orangehat B. models his double header face protection.

Flatcar #6216 in service

D&RGW #6206

With the restoration of flat car 6216 nearly finished and only some lettering to finish up volunteers turned their attention to sister car 6206. The weekend of March 22 saw the removal of all the wood from the car.

Although this car was more complete and the the wood appeared to be in better shape, it turned out the wood was much more rotten. It also had many sighns of splicing and repairs from the Rio Grande days.

The end of the work. Bolts still need to be removed then the car will be sandblasted and painted.

D&RGW flat car mostly done!

D&RGW flat car #6216 comes out of the shop for it's first trip around the track.

Arriving at the North Depot, we stop to inspect journals

Departing the North Depot to return to the shop for final touch-up work.

All that remains to be done is to finish lettering the car. Thanks to all who helped make this project a success!

Next we start restoring sister car #6206.

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.