When I visited Strasburg last October I noted some really good reroofing work on the wooden passenger cars. The only person I could find to talk to said he thought the material used was a type of rubber but said nobody was there on that day who would know for sure.
Would anyone have information they would be prepared to share on this product and its source please?
Thanks in advance.

Eric:

Standard neoprene rubber roofing from your local roofing, spouting, siding guy. The stuff is bullet-proof, so to speak. I have taken shears and made a cut in it and then tried to tear the cut wider, to no avail. We let the roofing contractor apply it. They're spooled up for it and it spares us the mess.

Ok, If they are using the fiberglass reinforced rubber roofing membrane for the car roofs, then where can you find the correct fabric and coating paint. Also what is the industry name for both products?

Rich C.

To all but those who would shinny up there, it looks like gray-painted deck canvas, especially after it weathers. For museum restorations, we use standard deck canvas, wetted out with whatever paint is called for in the specs.

Deck canvas in different grades is available from marine suppliers, although it is less used nowadays than Dynel cloth wetted out with epoxy.

We used to use deck canvas on our cars, and suffered accordingly.

What's the lifespan of deck canvas in the open, like at Strasburg? What's the lifespan of the neoprene subsitute?

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Hello Kelly. Could you give us more details about the EPDM product?

Specifically, how was it applied to the roof, with mechanical fastenings (ie nails, screws, etc) or was it glued down?

What kind of sub-surface (ie wood or steel) did the EPDM go on top of?

Did it require the application of a base coat before you could put down the EPDM?

What was the cost per square foot - materials, labour, total cost - in applying this material?

How readily available is the product and did you or your contractor have to go far afield to get the product?

I've seen a rubberized type of material used on flat-roof office and commercial buildings and the product seems to be a Firestone rubber which you can see more of on this website.
http://www.firestonebpco.com/roofing/epdm/rubbergard.aspx

Would this be the same type of product?

We've used rolled roofing in the past trying to keep water out of passenger cars and cabooses with good success. However, it doesn't resemble the real McCoy. Given the advances in building materials technology, something like EPDM could present a nice departure from how things were done in the past.

Do you have any photos of the materials being applied? How about a detailed article on the product, how the roofs were repaired and you past experience with the product?

I realize it's a tall order but it sounds as if you've hit on a really good way to renew roofs that are durable and that resemble the original materials. This is the kind of stuff that we are definitely interested in.

Under the subject, "Protecting a busy boss," probably not, but I can give you some of the information.



Glued, and then mechanically fastened at the edges in the traditional manner.



Wood, specifically, plywood.



I don't think so, but that depends what the glue requires.



This stuff is readily available in the NE USA, since it is widely used on the row homes in NE cities.



Probably, but I would ask your local roofing contractor.



In short, our past experience has been positive. It really is a good product.

FWIW I have been using seamless rubber roofing applied by roofing contractors for about 15 years on non museum quality outdoor restoration projects. It costs more than roll or canvas, but lasts a lot longer, and if a vandal shoots a hole in the roof it is very easily spot patched. I think (memory not entirely reliable) that Charlotte Trolley car 85 was the first i did with this stuff. I had some concerns about just gluing the edges, but it has served for a lot of years without a problem. I think we also used a little aluminum strip along the bottom edge to finish it off. Having dealt with metal, roll, canvas and fiberglass I can really recommend it as well worth the additional cost, since you won't have to spend a lot more time and money repairing and replacing it as often as the other options.

dave

The stuff Kelly refers to (Sure-Seal EPDM Membrane .060) is listed on the following manufacturers' website:

http://www.carlisle-ccw.com/products/pr ... .asp?pid=7