January-February 2023

 The dismantling of 163 continued in early 2023 followed by cleanup of the worksite.  Repair of the framing continued with grafting of new wood replacing the damaged lower ends.

Larry is manning the shopvac to get rid of as much dust and dirt as possible.  Note the pipes the floor in the lower left of the photo from the old steam heating system.

Some of the old siding and flooring.

The old sliding side doors.  Craig will use these as patterns for new ones.

The new end pieces were attached using half-lap joints that were glued and screwed together.

This is a view of the outer sill on the south side at the door after some cleanup was done.  There is not much left of it.

This is a view of the north side of the car.  The outer sill is damaged and will be replaced, but the damage is not as severe.

This is the west end of the car on the south side after cleanup.  The end sill will be replaced.

This is the northwest corner showing the framing. The steel bracket attached to the end sill supports two tie rods, one vertical and one angled.

This is a view of the outside of the upper part of one of the walls showing the attachments of the tie rods.

Chimney opening for the original coal stove.

View of the interior of the car after floor removal and cleanup.

Craig and John removing one of the grab bars.

Glenn and John removing old steam pipes.

November-December 2022

 During the last two months of 2022 the crew continued to dismantle the car, removing siding, flooring and some interior paneling.  The shelter cover was received and installed just in time for the coldest weather.

Craig is poised with his crowbar to remove siding.

John has a good start.

Another John, moving right along.

Most of the framing on this side seems to be in decent shape.  A closer look at the lower ends, however, shows deterioration of the wood at the junctions with the outer sill.

The shelter cover has been received and installation was started with placement of the west end cover.

Self tapping screws were installed to secure the cover in place.

Longitudinal braces were installed and fastened to the arch pieces.

Craig has started to splice in new lower segments to the deteriorated framing on the south side of the car.

The end pieces to the shelter have been installed and the crew is preparing to raise the main cover over the arch framing.

Looks like they were successful!  That can be tricky especially if there is wind.

The flooring is being removed.  Much of the interior floor framing appears to be usable.

Another view of the floor.  The planks in the center were kept for access through the car.

This is the southwest corner after removal of siding.

Another view of SW corner.  There is not much left of the outer sill where the side framing repairs have been done.  The end sill will need replacing as well.

This photo is from the end of December 2022 when the remainder of the flooring was removed.

After some cleanup it looks good.  Looking east from the west end.  Note that more of the lower parts of the angle framing on the south wall have been replaced.

 

October 2022 - Site prep and dismantling

 

The steps used during the refurbishing of 470 were recycled for 163 to provide access to the interior of the baggage car.

They are level Glenn says!

One of the first things done was to remove the sheet metal that was placed along the side of the car to protect it from damage from baggage carts.  However moisture collected behind it and contributed to the rotting of the wood.  Dean is pictured here.

Craig and Mike removing sheet metal.

The wood above is weathered but under the metal there is considerable rot.

Bill removed the rusty fasteners from the metal sheets.

Some of the rot was very extensive.  The outer sill is supported by the angle iron and will be replaced.

This photo is from the center baggage door looking to the west on the south side of the car.  The sheet metal has been removed.  Some of the hardware looks to be reusable but the door frame protector is rusted through.

The old roofing and window frames were removed.

The rotted siding was cut away to allow access to the framing.

This is the appearance of the car at the end of October last year (2022).

Reconstructing the shelter

 The shelter had to be removed in order for 470 to be removed by a crane and 163 put in place.  The shelter framing was set aside for the transfer and now will be replaced and covered with a new cover.

A "cherry picker" was used to move the framing arches from where they were stored on site to the base posts that were left in place.

Ron and, I believe, John are helping to guide the arches into place.

The last arch being secured.

The cross bracing was installed.

Dean is securing a fastener.

Ready for the cover.

NEW PROJECT - BAGGAGE CAR 163

 In June of last year (2022) baggage car 163 was moved from the Antonito CRF to the Trolley Museum in Colorado Springs.  The outer sills all around were badly decomposed to the point where moving risked damaging the car severely.  A steel cradle was constructed and installed to support the car during the moving process.

This photo shows 163 in Antonito prior to moving.  The siding and outer sill are covered with sheet metal at the bottom apparently to protect the wood from baggage carts.  Part of the sill can be seen in the doorway and is in very poor condition.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

Close up view of the outer sill at the doorway.

This photo shows a cradle being placed under the car for support during transport.

The doorways were covered with plywood.

The entire car was covered with a large tarp.

A crane placed the car on a flat bed truck for transport.

Unloading the car the next day at the COS worksite at the Trolley Museum.  

We are next to the old Rock Island roundhouse as guests of the Museum.  There is a pit under the car which allows access to the underside of the car (hard hat recommended).