1146 Restoration Log - 2008

January

I had a great time at the 2008 RPCA convention. I'll write more, but first, news of three regulations I've recently become aware of.

First, cars with fluorescent lighting are affected by the Federal Ballast Energy Law (public law 100-357) of 1988, part of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Amendments (NAECA '88), and the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT '92.) This means the original ballasts and T12 bulbs are typically no longer manufactured. Compatible T10 bulbs, or T12's with altered chemistry, are listed as being able to use the existing ballast. Another alternative is replacing both ballast and bulb with T8 equipment.

Second, I've been hearing about a new Federal EPA rule, to take effect in 2011, which many automotive hobbyists feared would end sale of automotive finishes to anyone not owning a $100,000 paint booth. The final rule appeared in the January 9, 2008 Federal Register. It is now part of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 63. This rule does apply to railroad rolling stock, but there are several exemptions for the hobbyist.

Third, at the RPCA conference, Harold Weisinger of Amtrak announced that, in the absence of any current standards for propane fuel supplies on passenger cars, effective April 1st (?) Amtrak will no longer accept cars with propane equipment, unless that equipment is deactivated.

One treat, while at the RPCA convention, was being allowed to take pictures of Great Northern 1116, one of two GN International coaches owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Like 1146, 1116 was built by ACF in 1950 for the Seattle-Vancouver Internationals, and it has examples of many of the small hardware items 1146 is missing.

	1116's men's lounge has the same style of mirror light.
	1116's bulkhead walls had the same kind of etched-stainless artwork as 1146. The artwork is gone, but the "frames" remain.
	1116 still has venetian blinds, which 1146 started out with. (Coach and Dining only - the hallway always had roll-up blinds.)
	1116 exhibits the sort of escutcheon plate 1146 had on its electric locker and water cooler doors. Push a pencil into the hole to unlatch.
	1116 also has the correct style of window handrail, similar to what protected 1146's hallway windows.
	1116's correct restroom door latch. (Outside.)
	1116's correct restroom door latch. (Inside.)
	1116 models the restroom door closer.
	Based on 1116, I'm guessing 1146's restroom door hinges should be unpainted. Amtrak painted them.
	I'll also guess that 1116 still has original restroom signage. (Based on screw holes in 1146's restroom doors.)
	Correct end door bumpers/hold-opens.
	Correct end door handle races.
	1116 still has its original wrecking tools - notice the car number stamped in the handles.

I also enjoyed the vendor room. Several vendors I've done business with before were there, and a couple new ones as well. I got to meet Mr. Stauffer, of Stauffer Diesel Co. (Stadco generators.)

	Queen City Rail Cars, L.L.C. is selling Marmoleum flooring.
	Henry Chupp, of Chuppville Carving, had cutting boards available. Seeing an opportunity, I engaged him to create a built-in cutting board for 1146's kitchen. (Missing.)

The last Sunday in January was unbelievably warm. I opened the garage door and spent the afternoon doing parts work.

	One project was filling all the little dings and dents in the men's room door. (Still stripping the women's.) For sanding, I've found a Porter-Cable profile sander with vacuum attachment which gets into corners nicely.
	Another was turning 1/2" sheets of Medium-Density Overlay (MDO) into imitation restroom corners. Admittedly a waste of time, my purpose is three-fold: Experiment with MDO as a wall material (as was done in the restoration of NYC "Hickory Creek"), keep restroom parts together so they don't get lost, and pre-assemble the plumbing.
	I also tried a stainless cleaner on a lavatory surround. The product is Stainless Clean, from Walter, which I found at Mississippi Welders Supply. It can be used in food plants, but read the MSDS.
	This is cool: A Great Northern placemat I found on e-bay. It's colorful enough, I could see getting reproductions made for a dining service.

February

I just updated the Parts Wanted page, taking advantage of the 1116 pictures and other recent finds. Please visit and, if you have anything that will help restore 1146, drop me a line!

I've also added a Seminars page, which has the slides from the seminars we presented at the 2008 RPCA conference. It joins the Tech Pubs page, which has the technical publications scans which were on the CD we handed out. All of this information is presented as a service to others who are restoring and maintaining this neat old equipment. I don't profit in any way, and the equipment and publications are no longer available from the manufacturers.

Puttying dents in restroom doors and cleaning lavatory surrounds continues. I've decided the solvent-based putty has two problems: It shrinks as it dries, making numerous coats necessary, and it stinks. I'm told that lightweight polyester putty - a variation on Bondo - doesn't suffer the shrinkage problem so the job is done more quickly.

Henry Chupp came through on the carving board for the kitchen. I sent him copies of the ACF drawings and photos of the mounting brackets - with a tape measure stretched out - and he sent this excellent custom Maple carving board. I installed it with brass wood screws, and here you see the results. Henry is a railfan, so we both enjoyed this project.

Collision post engineering progresses. From time to time my engineer has a question, which I try to get answered in a timely fashion. (Editorial - he probably doesn't think I'm very quick.)

	If you wonder why I'm not getting much done on 1146, here's the answer. Over 50 hours on MTM's GN 1213 in February alone. We're having to replace much of the sheet metal around the BR vestibule steps. I think I went a little nuts with the simulated rivets...
	1213 and 1146 were both built by ACF for the GN, one year apart. Structurally they are almost identical. That's handy for me, as any problem solved on 1213 applies to 1146 as well. Lucky for MTM that 1213 is in much better shape - there were still large areas of primer in the areas I painted black (POR-15,) and check out that collision post!

March

Engineering is complete for the collision post repair, and a copy of the drawings and existing material analysis has been sent to Harold Weisinger at Amtrak. It will take me a little while to digest and understand the next step.

I found another correct Kitchen ceiling light lens on eBay.

GN 1213's imminent paint job has had me studying paints. Many happy hours were spent reading about DuPont's Duco, DuLux, and Imron products. The chemistry is fascinating. (Did you know Duco - the oldest - is a chemical cousin to gun powder?) I compared PPG and DuPont automotive finishes, DuPont's industrial Imron 333M - which I have used to touch up locomotives after repairs, and ultra-low VOC water-borne finishes. I concluded that DuPont's Imron 3.5 HG (formerly 333M) would give a very durable high-gloss finish at a competitive price. Admittedly, my prior experience with 333M and some bad experiences with cheap urethane enamels have created a bias. Happily, DuPont has eliminated lead and chromates from the formula. I opted against a basecoat/clearcoat system, because with the square footage of a passenger car, time constraints, and a naturally dusty environment, the chances of making the clearcoat stick seemed low.

Once the finish paint was chosen, using the recommended primer is natural. I selected DuPont's Corlar 2.1 ST epoxy primer, in stock color "Clay Tan". Epoxy primers work well for sealing bare metal surfaces, and "Clay Tan" was closest to the Gold and Gray pin stripe colors, which will be applied first. On DuPont's recommendation, it will be thinned 10% to 20% to avoid an orange-peel texture.

Google searches:

• DuPont Imron 3.5 HG
• DuPont Corlar 2.1 ST

Tan-colored 3M automotive seam sealant 08300 will be used to caulk all exterior seams (namely around rooftop vents) before spraying the primer.

In the past, MTM has used 3M Scotchlite Gold (580-64) and White (680-10) for the pin stripes and lettering. Shelf life is two years (or it will peel) so any stock on hand is useless. A fellow volunteer and retired 3M employee has tried to locate a source, but apparently it is out of production? Update: A local sign/graphics company can still get it, so I suspect 580 is replaced by 680.

Our upper-midwest DuPont sales rep., Mr. Thomas R. Kluver, has been absolutely wonderful. Armed with only four DuLux paint codes from 1951, he had people at corporate cross the colors to the current Imron 3.5 HG base. Then he had paint chips made, and supplied tech specs and material safety data sheets.

Primer:

Finish colors:

I must point out: Observe all safety precautions - especially using an approved respirator and eye protection with side shields - when applying any railroad finish.

	This "Empire Builder" painting diagram is from MTM's collection. I took the DuLux paint codes in effect at the time 1213 was built, and asked DuPont for current Imron equivalents.
	The DuPont Imron 3.5 HG paint chips, taped to the side of GN 1213 to judge the effect. The grey looked way too dark at first, but a close look at early color photos shows a distinct grey cast to the "white" pinstripe, while later photos are definitely white Scotchlite.

April

Lettering GN 1213 was done using removal vinyl stencils, cut by a sign maker and supplied on transfer paper to maintain proper alignment and letter spacing. The font is Ben Coifman's "Empire Builder Font 1.2". The capital letters in the standard font compared best to GN lettering blueprints. Letter spacing is equal to the letter height, although the "P", "T" and "L" have negative space which requires a closer spacing to look right. This kerning (tweaking the letter spacing) was done by hand with GN "In Color" books for reference. Word spacing is three times letter height. I was startled to notice the GN changed the letter spacing at some point. There were wide- and narrow-spaced versions applied. I used the wide spacing on 1213. The "L" had to be changed - in car names it has a rounded corner, but in "EMPIRE BUILDER" it has a square corner.

It is also interesting that there is no standard height for the pin stripes. The best rule of thumb I've found is to put gold stripes two inches above and below the window cutouts. Adjust everything above and below to fit. Lettering is always centered vertically between stripes. In the 1951 Empire Builder, the ACF and Pullman cars have different window heights! The Pullman car's windows are installed about 3/4" higher on the car.

For my own future reference, here's what worked, and mistakes to avoid:

	Make necessary repairs first. If not sandblasting, wash old paint job then scuff with 2nn- to 3nn-grit in a dual-action sander. A DA sander with a vacume attachment and a HEPA filter in a shop vac work great. Bondo for a smooth surface. MTM's body man prefers to start with waterproof fiberglass-reinforced over welds and holes, lightweight bondo, and lightweight polyester putty.
	Use an automotive seam sealant to caulk around all rooftop vents, burn-throughs from other people's welds, and generally any place water might enter. Do not use any Silicone-containing products prior to painting!
	Sandblasting dust sticks to the metal - especially horizontal surfaces. Compressed air will remove some, but it really needs to be hand-wiped. Also clean crevices thoroughly with compressed air, or the paint sprayer will do it. 3M blue and green painter's tape both work well. Green is better where paint must not leak under the tape edge, while less-tacky blue is better if it will be there for a while, or there are concerns about the prior paint job lifting off with the tape. Any kind of paper makes good masking. If window gaskets are bad, or there are rust problems underneath, loosen the window and pull the gasket. Remember to tape around the window on the inside to prevent spray-through! My HVLP gun came with a 1.3 tip - too small for the rather viscous Corlar primer. Next time I'll try at least a 1.6. Don't dry after washing with a household mop. Use a tack cloth (non-woven rags) to remove lint instead of painting over it. When painting a large vertical range, a step ladder works great. Good lighting and high-contrast paint colors help one achieve proper coverage. Hide wet-to-dry paint "joins" along natural body lines or in narrow areas whenever possible.
	Regulations prohibit paint on couplers. Use old bolts to keep paint out of safety-appliance bolt hole threads. To avoid paint runs in complicated areas, first spray into the corners and crevices, wait a few minutes, then spray the surrounding flat surfaces. I like the 3M PPS system, which replaces the gun's open-top paint tank with a bladder, allowing it to be used in any position.
	I applied colors from lightest to darkest for best coverage. Striping and lettering locations were marked with a "story stick" - which assumes either the top or bottom edge is straight - and a pencil. 2" green tape is actually metric and closer to 1 7/8". I've found the best way to get straight tape stripes is (1) tension!, (2) sight along the tape edge, (3) use the story-stick, and (4) always peel up a third to a half of what was just laid down. Green tape will accept and remember a curve. The lettering was computer cut vinyl 3M Scotchcal Marking Film, with a release adhesive. Work edges with a squeegee to seal.
	Allow Imron to dry for two nights before masking over the top of it. If masking paper adheres to tacky Imron, let it dry a night or two then wash with water. Allow 80 to 160 working hours to paint a car. Welding, caulking, bondo and old paint prep add more. Wear a respirator good for organic vapors. Consider the respirator "used up" after 40 hours in free, moving air. Isocyanates have no taste or smell. Any high-gloss paint should be scuffed with 2nn- to 3nn-grit before painting over the top. MTM's body man recommends 3M 37447 red Scotch-Brite and 37448 grey for scuffing - will not tear tape or stencil edges. I should have use a primer closer in color to the gold, because I saw the gold through the orange unless I really laid it on thick. To get a thick coat without runs, lay down a thin coat, wait a few minutes, then lay down a thicker coat. Overlap each gun stroke by 50% to avoid tiger striping. If the gun cost a lot, always clean thoroughly after use. Cover hair and all clothing. I went through five "bunny suits", and badly stained one pair of canvas sneakers and several pairs of socks.
	With an assistant mixing paint and feeding me a steady supply of cups, and an old scissors lift, I was able to paint the roof and letterboards in one 12-hour day. There is a "wet" to "sorta dry" line down the middle of the roof, where few will see it. Always work from top to bottom, to keep the air hose out of the wet paint. I did three roof panels at a time, taking care to reach over to do a couple vertical strokes on the letterboard every so often. That kept a fresh "wet" line on the letterboard, with no unsightly dry joints. The "full wet" and "overspray" textures of the gold paint underneath are visible, suggesting I went to fast and did not put the green on thick enough. This picture was taken on a Wednesday, and the car had to travel the following Monday, so I was really hustling! There was not room for my lift of both sides of 1213, hence this spin on the turntable.
	The masking and stencils were removed (carefully) after the last Imron had set up over night. Then it was allowed to harden for another night. Fingernails work best when tape edges tear - and I'll use some WD40 later to remove stray tape adhesive. There were a couple heart-stopping moments at the ends when lifting the tape revealed twelve-year-old primer. Be able to mix small cups of Imron to fix mistakes with an artist's paintbrush. That's me on the ladder - photo by Ralph Back.
	Sunday the head honcho induldged my request to pose 1213 for pictures. I invided friends, and a reader of this journal was also there. (My appologies if I was a bit distracted.) Here 1213's new paint job rolls into the light of day for the first time.
	I like this detail shot.
	This is the best "builder's photo" I got. The sharp-eyed may notice the generator is our for repairs.

I had a little time for "token" work on 1146:

	The kitchen now has a matched set of ceiling light lenses - I even have spares! Thanks to Ben Ringnalda.
	I used a magic marker to visualize the collision post repair specified by my engineer. The center mark is where the old and new post sections join. The outer marks are the extent of the splice plates, which will cover both sides of the web and the insides of the flanges. The location is entirely above the shear plate and handbrake, but there will be some bolt holes drilled.