Add this to the list of references:

http://canteenbooks.com/Building_Lincol ... al_Car.htm

Mr. Trostel wrote a comprehensive book on the Lincoln Funeral Train, which is also featured on the website. Note that the plans he apparently used in one of the photos were from an article in Model Railroader featuring Wayne Weslowski's model. I believe those drawings were based on the ones he created from research to build his model.

A friend who lives in Springfield, Mo., a fellow who is very interested in 19th century railroading, told me just a week or so back that he recalled visiting Smallin's Cave as a youngster of 10. He remembered being told the car was a Civil War relic, even though he had noticed a a casting mark on the trucks,"SLSF 19XX." He also related the following, which he was told by another Springfield fan:

"I knew a fellow who was from between Rogersville and Ozark (Near Smallin's Cave) and he was laughing about that car. He did a little farming and odd jobs. We had been talking about me being a railfan and that's where the conversation had led. He said he and a couple of other fellows had been hired as carpenters and had actually "built" the car, at least the body. Then the money ran out and whoever had hired them couldn't pay anymore. According to him, the car wasn't ever finished. He's long since passed away."

Well, that's not possible and have anything that looks close to original if you're talking about the 238 standards. Otherwise, with minimal exception, most of the construction will not apply FRA standards except for wheels, brakes, and safety appliances.

It does bring up an interesting point, though. Locomotive reproductions are simple enough as the steam regs don't generally have anything wildly new and out of whack with respect to locomotive construction techniques, but what about replica period cars? Using an original frame, hardware, and other parts/pieces like the Strasburg has done in building their fleet qualifies as a renovation/restoration, but what about outright replicas? Have we encountered this in the industry yet? Can't think of anything off the top of my head, save maybe the reproduction Edwards car or two that have been built.

I have a copy of this book I bought years ago when it was originally published- a nice compilation of information on the car:
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Lincolns-railroad-car-publications/dp/B0006QL0KM

Wayne Wesolowski also had a small book published "The Lincoln train Is Coming" which had a number of pictures of his models.