It's time to announce another "coming soon" from the Roanoke Chapter, NRHS yard. The 518609, a Norfolk & Western C-31 class caboose, built 12/1969 and owned by a chapter member, reached a major milestone this weekend. Over the past two weeks the exterior has been sanded and then painted and lettered in the as-delivered N&W "Pevler Blue".

The 518609 prior to restoration:

After some metal repair last year, the body was media blasted to bare metal and then primed with 2-part urethane epoxy. After sanding the primer, the finish paint started with white over the whole carbody and then yellow in the areas where lettering appears. After that, vinyl stencils were applied for the heralds and lettering and the ends and body stripe were masked. The finish blue (also 2-part urethane) was applied over the past week and the stencils and masking were removed today.

East end of the car with finish paint:

West end of the car with finish paint:

The roof and platforms still need to be painted but it was good to see visible progress at the end of the day today. Windows will be installed in the next few weeks to get the car closed up for the winter. Next spring, the interior work will begin. When it's complete, the 518609 will be loaned to the Chapter for use during our operating events at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

More photos of the work on the 518609 can be seen on the Chapter's facebook page (no account required): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 749&type=1

absolute madfab job, that paint should be rock solid.

Congratulations on a FANTASTIC paint job! I belong to a group that is planning on purchasing and restoring our second N&W caboose. I would like to find out more about the process and materials that was inovolved with the restoration of 518609.

I was intrigued by your stencil work, the type of paint, and the steps you describe in layering the paint.

Is there someone I could talk to by phone or email?

MANY THANKS!
Ken Wilson
Warrenton, VA

beautiful work!

Yeah, no, I don't think the Pevler Blue is quite right. Maybe if it was in the shop under a black light. Do you have a drift card for it? Perhaps 10 gallons of Floquil "Grime"?

Just kidding......

Looks awesome. Always nice to see a caboose that isn't red, just for a little variety! Now what you need is a coach that color.

Out of curiousity what brand of paint did you use? I know we've used the PPG product and more recently the Industrial Imron.

ETA

O&A: You can either send me a private message or I can put you in touch with the owner of the 518609 (he's been known to post here on occasion). If I don't know the answers to your questions, I can get in touch with someone who does.


et: We've been using PPG "Pitthane" (2-part urethane epoxy) on all of our projects for the past few years. We've found that it stays colorfast and deals well with expansion and shifting in the metal surface.

I appreciate the comments on our caboose restoration.

I am the owner and person behind the funding and drive to restore the "blue caboose" and what many consider a forgotten era of N&W history. Oddly enough I really think all cabooses would look best red, HA no really kidding aside I do like red cabooses but felt we had enough of them in our area already represented and felt accurately restoring one of N&W's Blue cabooses was needed. Presently we are working to restore/rebuild the exterior of this caboose as close as possible to it's as delivered appearance and it would be a nice addition to our ranks here in Roanoke. I've PM those already interested in more details on our efforts and the processes that we have taken so fare. The reason I mention "Our" efforts is that while I'm paying for the restoration and leading the charge, with out the historical guidance, physical help and motivation from those I volunteer with every weekend at the Roanoke Chapter NRHS and our friends at the N&W Historical Society and Virginia Museum of Transportation this project would and could be much more difficult.

My goal is to produce an outwardly correct caboose accurate for photo's and display that I look to take "some" liberties" with inside to make it more functional for use both by the Roanoke Chapter NRHS and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Our groups already have a number of accurately restored cabooses covering most of the eras displaying both inside and out side accuracy so another factory example of an N&W C-31 was not necessary. I plan to continue to update the progress of our restoration and welcome any feedback good or bad as both motivation and guidance.

It was a tough call to decide to paint the caboose blue when I do like the red ones so much, though felt it was good to take one for the team in some respects to add some variety to the local collection and provide and example of a lesser restored time of the Norfolk & Westerns history.

I challenge others to think about how many times the "cool" or "most popular" paint scheme was applied to equipment because it's the crowd favorite, for example a red caboose, and instead provide and example of the era less seen or the era of history that many choose to not visit. How many pieces of equipment are being restored in the "B" paint scheme out there? Good or bad it's all our history.

Well said Mr. Pullman! I continue to hope someone will back date a Southern bay window cab and go with the boxcar red (brown) and eight windows -- not my favorite, but as you say somebody should take one for the team.

ETA