Passenger car restoration

[Joe Kanocz]

This is a pic of the new area for historic passenger car restoration in Antonito. In case anyone's not aware, Commissioner Dan Love is doing some excellent work getting all the historic passenger cars operating.

What caught my attention was how nice something like this would be in Chama on the Friend’s acreage.

[Jason Rose]

Thanks, Joe.

I had no idea that was being built. Not sure how I missed that.

[Rich Murray]

Yes, we need another one (or two) at the Chama end !
Joe, Where in Antonito is it being set up? can you give us any other information?

[Steve Forney]

The Historic Car Barn is being built next to "Fort Knox." Here are a couple shots from October 3, 2014.
(Click on the photos to eliminate scroll bars.)

Hist Car Barn 1.jpg (174.92 KiB) Viewed 8303 times

Hist Car Barn 2.jpg (158.98 KiB) Viewed 8303 times

Roll up doors!

[Rich Murray]

Thank you Steve. It'll look like a WWII quonset hut set up at an English airfield when it's finished. Not pretty but effective.

[Joe Kanocz]

The containers make great storage and side walls . Looks like an aaffordable solution.

If we had something like this on the Friend’s Chama property, we could have off season work.

Anyone have 4 containers they want to donate lol!

[Rich Murray]

Joe, I checked out the builders web site, they supply the containers.
I'm not sure how the Friends property lies, if it is the "historic view lines" these won't be acceptable. Maybe a 100 year lease of some land at the tail of the wye ?

[Joe Kanocz]

The Friend’s acreage is south of the yard, east side but above the wye.

Dunno about view lines. However it's within Chama village. There are existing quonset type buildings within the village limits.

A bit of paint, roof and the new building in Antonito will look ok.

[Steve Forney]

I believe the new Antonito structure will have a fabric cover. There was mention of such from Dan Love last spring. I photographed a pallet with a big hunk of white material which I assume to be the cover.

Hist Car Barn 3.jpg (163.55 KiB) Viewed 8153 times

In Chama, the tail of the wye presumably would be out of the view areas identified by SHPO. Rumors have been floating about eventually having something built in the area of the wye extension for servicing the daily passenger train. I would expect any building in Chama to have a substantial roof.

[Joe Kanocz]

The Friend's have some private acreage which adjoins the rail yard but isn't part of it.

A fabric roof in Chama might be a wee bit of a problem

[John Cole]

While I would prefer a metal building such as a supersize version of what we have in Antonito, I believe the 'pup tent' version of what is being assembled here was standing with the 0503 caboose inside during the big winter of 08/09 (when Chama had the NM National guard helping clear the roads of snow) did just fine.

The swamp version of the fabric tent held up while Marvin and the crew were shoveling snow off the depot and engine houses to prevent their roofs from collapsing under the weight.

There isn't much security in fabric as even if you put doors on the structure as it would only take a pocket knife to cut a slice to gain entry. Kind of like a convertible top car, (my neighbor's insurance man told him to "put valuables in the trunk, and leave the doors unlocked" to prevent someone from cutting the roof).

One of the nice things of working in the Antonito CRF is at the end of the day Mon through Thursday afternoon, you can leave parts and tools on the floor and only need to close the door ready to go the next morning. Saves LOTS of time!

[Steve Forney]

I took two more photo updates today -

Hist Car Barn 3.jpg (165.81 KiB) Viewed 7651 times

Hist Car Barn 4.jpg (161.41 KiB) Viewed 7651 times

The cover is not yet attached to the frame; no idea how it will be done.
I asked Dan if the structure will be heated - "I sure hope so!"