CA&E 316 was built in 1913 with two oval windows about mid car. One side was removed and boarded over during it’s service life. Joe C. has taken on the task of recreating the window opening on the west side where it was removed. An oval stained glass window is being replicated by an outside vendor currently.
Manny has been knocking out many different wood stripping and prepping jobs. The last couple weekends have kept him busy with arm rests.
Look carefully here… April and it’s snowing like crazy. Joe and Jeff had to snap a selfie with the huge snowflakes in the background.
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So on to the roof of 316. A project that we were not going to even start until many other things on this restoration fell into place…. Well things are moving along well with all the other projects, so upstairs we go.
During the final years of the 43 years CA&E 316 was in service for the Chicago Aurora & Elgin interurban electric railroad, layers and layers of roofing tar was slathered on any leak that arose. This was to avoid the expense of reroofing the car.
Many of the leaks emanated from the upper stained glass panels and ventilators. Knowing that in some places there would be 2-3 inches of tar that had to be hand removed from the mahogany and stained glass panels, this task has been a daunting one.
Thee and Jeff worked together to devise a plan to remove some of the panels so they could be serviced on the bench. The rest of the upper window structure that can not be removed will be hand stripped….. ugh
