I remember threads here, especially from Strasburg, on best practices to protect equipment stored outside for years. I did a search of RYPN and the only matching thread was this one

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32037&p=163378&hilit=cacoon#p163378

Please comment if you know other threads, and please feel free to add new information on best practices for outdoor long term storage of rolling stock.

This was I think was an experiment at MC to slow down the deterioration of outdoor storage. I have no idea if the condensation damage slowed down or was allowed to escape. This car was privately owned for many years and eventually came to be MC property some time ago. So how it worked out I can not say? Was probably a life save for this car?

Interesting as I looked this car up on MC web page I scrolled down the wooden car collection. The cars recently restored or older restorations is astounding to me. MC now has almost all the wooden cars under a roof in either display building or car shop. As I speak 4 passenger cars are under restoration, 3 wooden and one steel business car. I have often wondered if all three wooden cars are going to debut finished at the same time? All three wooden cars have had major work done to them and to me appear to be on the downward slope to full recovery. Through all the ups and downs at MC the car shop/restoration dept has been plugging away showing the rest of the museum what can be done within the organization with leadership and membership pulling in the same direction. Truely a class act dept.

https://www.midcontinent.org/equipment- ... hpeming-1/

The same pole barn material was used in a few other places keeping a rebuilt cab for WC&C#1 out of the weather as well as wooden pilot for the LS&I #22, ancient passenger car trucks. Not ideal as a building but at the time we did not have buildings to store equipment and parts. A lot of improvements in the last 5 years or so. When I see the improvements to the track, all existing buildings, passenger fleet and new storage buildings it is absolutely wonderful to see. Still no steam but can only hope someday it too shall return. Regards, John.

Not to be a snotty brat about this, but:

Something George Drury cautioned me about back in the mid-1980s:

If the search term isn't entered absolutely correctly, you will come up empty every time, and you can't count on the searcher to catch on to the fact that it's not spelled "Wimlington."

Try searching for "cocoon," the proper spelling.