FMW Solutions recently built a brand-new cab for Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis steam locomotive No. 576.
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The original had so badly deteriorated that http://www.nashvillesteam.org, which has a railroad on which to operate the locomotive in the Middle Tennessee region, ordered a replica, guaranteeing a long service life for the space where the engine crew spends most of their time.
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To build the cab from scratch, FMW Solutions first recreated the structure using AutoCAD. From the AutoCAD model, the team ordered steel panels laser cut to shape, with laser-cut rivet holes, rolled the cab roof plates, and riveted it together with the old-fashioned way earlier this year.
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The original cab, a centerpiece for many thousands of visitors while the engine was on display, will be repurposed as a museum-quality educational display piece.
Andrew L. Reynolds
Project Coordinator
FMW Solutions