Aside from the typical slow down associated with summer, a major medical situation in the family slowed and halted modeling practices for a while. This unfortunate event has prompted the cancellation of a number of scheduled trips, including attending the Narrow Gauge convention in Maine, the upcoming Mid-Atlantic RPM and Mid-East NMRA conventions.
We are working through the “situation” and I hope to be back on the clinic track again next year along with a long stay in Maine for lots of previously scheduled research. The research hasn’t completely stopped, as I have had a bit of “free” time sitting in waiting rooms and the such. Thus far I have been able to mine data from a few years (1882, ’89, ’98, & 1902) of the Bridgton News Archives for on-going and upcoming projects, with several more to go. I have set a schedule for myself to digest a year’s worth of newsprint every two weeks. I wish the search function worked better, but if you happen to take a look at some of the print scans, especially of those in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, you would understand why Mk. 1 eyeballs on every page is a necessity.
Most recently, however, I did receive an artifact from a fellow modeler in attendance at the Narrow Gauge convention in Maine. During a visit to Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad & Co., a piece of B&SR Boxcar 50 was found laying on the ground near the car’s current resting place. Either dislodged by yard handling or contact, the item was noted to have been from the door area. As it measures approximately 12″ long, it very well may have been a piece of the sheathing below the door.
Sample of B&SR Boxcar 50 Sheathing
Regardless of it’s exact origin, it exhibits the rot and neglect of the boxcar’s general appearance, regardless of the attempted preservation though application of gray paint. Even at my last visit in 2014, the paint was severely cracked and flaking.
B&SR Boxcar #50, @ MNGRR, Portland, ME, November 2014
I am in the process of contacting several companies specializing in the analysis of historical paint with the hopes of looking back in time to the paintings of #50, built by M. M. Caswell and others in the B&SR car shop during the spring of 1889. These houses use many tools to mount, cross section, photograph and determine color based upon a few common color coding systems. They are also capable of determining the paint vehicle, pigment constituents and finish (e.g.: matte or gloss). Although it will take some time to complete, I look forward to sharing the results.
Hi Rick nice to see you back . Let’s see what Colors show up on your sample . I dragged 2 sheathing boards from boxcar 67 and been looking at them carefully . I want to build a 7/8 scale 67 from them but my other self says no , the problems of talking to oneself . Mike
Mike,
I’ve been told talking to yourself is OK, but when another voice answers back, that’s not so good.
Should those sheathing boards possess remaining paint, you could consider having them analyzed as well. Let’s see how my interactions with the services turns out first. The good thing is that some of the original “ocher” paint is present in a few areas, which add validity to seeing some in the pics I took back in 2007 as well as that which was commented during rebuild of boxcar 67 going on at the WW&F. There is this gut feeling that some of the ocher was from a later paint job, as it seems to be on more recent layers, but we will see what the analysis shows.
Regards,
Rick.