Reconstruction Begins

White River Lumber #001

Reconstruction Begins

The first step in rebuilding the caboose was to build a new center sill. We have access to a company that tears down old buildings to reclaim the framing timbers. Much of this reclaimed wood is superior to new wood and is already seasoned. It also contains holes, nails and sometimes paint. These had a few large bolt holes which were plugged. These three beams are 10" x 10" beams resawn from 12" x12"s. The outer two are 24' long and the inner is 16'. The remains of the original center sill was used to guide us through the creation of the new one. The new sill was also built upside down to facilitate the installation of the couplers and bolsters.

These three beams, after some work, will become the center sill. They will be cut, notched, drilled and chisled before they are done.

Some of the larger splits in the wood have been filled. That done, the first notches have been cut into the ends of the two long beams.

A one inch deep by ten foot long section of wood needs to be removed. Saw cuts have been made every inch or two to make removal easier.

The excess wood has been chisled away.

Smoothing and leveling the chisled areas has been completed. An I-beam will cover this area, so a perfectly smooth surface is not needed.

Reconstruction Begins-Page 2