The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is restoring an ALCo S-2 locomotive. We are looking for a supplier of the two part rubber gasket which holds in the glass for the windows. I understand that there are two types used on each locomotive - one for the fixed windows and one for the sliding windows. Anyone have any leads where we can acquired gasket material so we can replace the missing glass?

Jim@psrm.org

www.dynamicmetalsllc.com

Owners of J.T. Nelson - suppliers of FRA spec glazing

Back in the day, there was a railroad supply outfit called 'Power Parts' who used to supply all types of weatherstrip for rr applications. Not sure what happened to them...

You might also want to check out a company called 'Restoration Specialties.' While they are in the automotive line, they may some items that can be applied to rr work.

http://www.restorationspecialties.com/



Dave

Jim:

Try Logan Corp. They carry some of the material, including window gaskets, formally available from the late, great Power Parts Company.

http://www.logancorp.com/

I will check all these leads out.

Thanks.

I am looking for replacement glass for an ALCO S1. I do know about JT Nelson. Buying new may be more costly than any used that may be around.

Thanks,

Dale Grice

Has anyone found a supplier for the Alco window moldings lately?

Hello Rick, at Midwest Railway we have new window seal material in rolls that works in the passenger car windows and there is more unidentified rubber seal material in some of our storage cars. And in the Alco parts that we have there is a complete spare stationary window for an RS3. I will look around today and see if I can determine if any of the material that we have will work on the RS3 window and maybe that might work on the S2 as well. Do you have a small sample of the material that you need?

On the older Alcos there was a squared C shape that went into the window frame, then the glass is put in place and then a somewhat flat piece is inserted to hold the glass in place. I have not looked closely at the RS-3 to see if those windows are similar or not, but I am betting they are different. I have samples of the old rubber shapes.

For some of those "C" or "U" type gaskets, there is a bath tub (sliding shower door) gasket material that will work with some frames. It will hold 1/4" thick glass generally. You may be able to get it for different thickness glass. Some of this has an extra sealing edge to keep water out of the frame. So if the window and gasket is then held in by a thin steel plate, it may not work that well. We've used this in aluminum coach frames with success. I have purchased it from a local glass dealer.

I haven't done anything with loco gaskets, but Central Sales and Service in Waverly, TN (931-296-1940) has the Power Parts catalog. Bought Adlake coach gaskets from them last fall and they were very reasonable and great to work with. This after someone had told me CSS was out of business, but they very much aren't.