Last weekend (May 20th) the Mid-Continent Railway Museum (MCRM) hosted a special Open House for the donors of the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic (DSS&A) sleeping car “DULUTH”. The event was held to acknowledge the donors for their generosity in helping to move the car to MCRM and to provide the donors with a tour of the sleeping car. Guests attending the event included family members that are descendants of the original car owner. In addition, the most recent owners of the car and the donors of the car to MCRM traveled from Williamsburg, Va. to attend the event. The program was held inside the museum’s Great Northern coach (#3261; Barney & Smith 1906) and it was presented by members of the Mid-Continent Restoration Department. The program included the 115 year history of the DULUTH and appreciation awards were presented to the descendant of the original owners and the donors of the car. Following the program the guests had the opportunity to view and photograph the interior of the DULUTH.

The Barney & Smith built car (April 1902) features fine woodwork, marquetry, plush upholstery, stained glass, and brass furnishings that were common for the day and are preserved 115 years after the car was built. In its current un-restored state, the DULUTH is one of the most complete and intact wooden sleeping cars in existence from the turn-of-the-century, when rail travel and sleeping cars were common. Wooden sleeping cars from this era are extremely rare with very few complete examples preserved at across the United States. The DULUTH joins Mid-Continent’s Duluth South Shore & Atlantic (DSS&A) collection which consists of two freight cars, two cabooses, and two passenger cars, including first class coach (#701) that operated in the same consist with the DULUTH over 85 years ago.

A fundraising campaign in 2016 paid for transporting the “DULUTH” and for acquiring and restoring a pair of historically accurate six-wheel trucks. After hauling the car body 325 miles to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum the car body was once again reunited with the rails, for the first time in over 81 years, when it was placed on a pair of six-wheel trucks in September 2016. Since its arrival, Mid-Continent has applied the missing draft gear and steps in order to be able to move the car around on the Museum’s property.

The next phase of work is to reinstall the brake system under the car. A detailed scope of work, tasks, and the restoration schedule are presently in the process of being developed to fully restore this sleeping car. To kick off the next phase of restoration tasks a $75,000 fundraising effort is underway to allow major material acquisition and some labor cost during the next three years.

Additional information on the DULUTH and the fund drive can be found on the Mid-Continent’s website:

http://www.midcontinent.org/equipment-r ... ic-duluth/

Bill Buhrmaster
MCRM
Restoration Dept.

Bill,
The varnish looks so good inside the car. Do you know if the family kept it heated in the winter?

Did they go ice fishing?

Ted Miles, Old wood car fan

An interesting question, I grew up in the Midwest and have seen the rapid deterioration inside of houses when they stop being heated, often when the elderly residents pass away and no one wants it. Even if it is sealed up from the outside and rain and snow never get in, the materials used inside, such as laminated wood furniture, paint, even flooring can't take the cold and within a short time it is ruined. But wouldn't passenger cars be built with the expectation that they would sit unheated from time to time, and so would they be built using exterior grade materials?.

The overall condition of the DULUTH is a result of the fact that the car was owned and maintained by a single family (two generations) for close to 80 years. The family worked tirelessly to maintain the car and keep water out of it. The roof was replaced with a rolled asphalt roof and recoated on a periodic frequency. And the owners even had plate glass storm windows made to prevent snow and rain from deteriorating the windows and window sills.

As a car body the car was never set up to to be heated or cooled. The car was basically exposed to ambient conditions year round. The car was about two feet off the ground, allowing good air circulation around the car. The deterioration was also lessened thanks to the cool dry air in the area (next to the shores of Lake Superior).

The varnished (actually shellac) surfaces shown in the interior photo (above) was very likely refinished by the car owners at some point. The balance of the car is more typical of what you would expect of an old varnished surface.

Bill Buhrmaster
MCRM
Restoration Dept.