Car barn #2 at the Western Railway Museum is used for long-term storage of cars awaiting restoration.

Recently one of our volunteers accidentally discovered an infestation of dry-wood termites in Peninsular Railway 61, a wooden interurban trailer car undergoing restoration. He pressed against a wooden panel which looked good but was almost hollow because of termite damage.

We hired an exterminator, who found three more infested cars. All four cars were individually "tented" and fumigated in place in the car barn.

Dry-wood termites nest in the infested wood rather than in the ground, so we have no idea how the infestations got started.

Museums should be aware of such pests. It doesn't matter if the cars are stored in a barn or in individual "cocoons."

When termites have matured, they are released from the nest (in ground or in wood, which ever species is present) and fly into the air to mate. Then they find a "home" where ever is suitable for their species. Your infestation came from a nest somewhere in the area nearby, Finding the home base is difficult until the mating release is done when the weather conditions are ideal.

Harry Nicholls

Since drywood termites do not nest in the ground, they could also have been brought to WRM as "passengers" nesting in the wood of a car body. Several cars in our collection spent many years in non-railroad use as sewing rooms, vacation cabins, etc., before we acquired them. One of these cars could have been the source of the initial infestation.