Restoration, Preservation and Repair

For Immediate Release
November 25, 1998

Duluth, Georgia--Winter restoration projects will focus on the two locomotives, two private cars, one 10-6 sleeper, and one sleeper/lounge which will exhibited in Building One at the museum. Meanwhile the 28,618 square foot building itself will undergo a major rehabilitation as track is installed, electrical systems are refurbished, the office and public restrooms are renovated, and the exterior metal walls and roof are repaired and repainted.

Both Southern Railway E8 #6901 and Savannah & Atlanta 4-6-2 #750 will undergo cosmetic work, including the sandblasting and repainting of some surface areas. Interior and exterior lighting will be made operational.

The E8 will be displayed with the Southern Railway 10-6 Sleeper #2019 "Tugalo River" and the Atlantic Coast Line Business Car #307. The light pacific will be displayed with the Atlantic Coast Line Sleeper/Lounge "Washington Club" and the 1911 Pullman Private Car "Superb."

Interior repainting will be completed in the observation lounge and sun room of the "Club," followed by the re-installation of refurbished fans, lights and other fixtures. The "Superb," which carried President Harding's casket in his 1923 funeral train, requires interior touch-up paint to undo all the scuffs and marks that typically occur in a popular exhibit. The roofs of both the "Club" and the "Superb require repainting to undo damage caused by weathering and the residue from a nearby concrete plant at the former museum site.

Both the "Tugalo River" and business car (named "Georgia on My Mind" ever since it ran on the former New Georgia Railroad) require window replacement, the tightening of fixtures, and the usual spring cleaning.

Lights in the "Superb," Tugalo River," and "Georgia on My Mind" are already operational. Temporary lights will be strategically placed throughout the "Club" prior to the car's rewiring in the next several years.

Recent work includes the re-lettering and repainting of three wood cars: Southern Railway Caboose #2156, Central of Georgia Caboose #92, and Seaboard Airline Maintenance of Way Bunk Car #F70413.

Upcoming work includes the interior renovation of the Clinchfield Railroad Tavern/Lounge #112 (museum gift shop); heating and cooling for Southern Railway RPO #153 and Southern Railway Baggage Car #451 (museum library cars); the fabrication of new water tanks for Georgia Power 0-6-0T #97, the 1943 Porter which helped with switching operations during the move of the museum's rolling stock to the new site on September 26 and 27, 1998.

Work delayed because of the move and scheduled to resume late in 1999 includes the interior restoration of the Southern Railway Sleeper #2442 "Thomas Ruffin" and the repainting and re-lettering of Hartwell Railroad #5 (GE, 44 ton, 1941) into its original New York, Ontario & Western Railroad #104 livery.

The museum's operational locomotives will undergo much-needed repair and maintenance during the winter. In addition to Georgia Power #97 and Hartwell 5, these include Southern Railway SW7 #8202 (previously numbered 1100), Hartwell Railroad #2 (GE, 44 ton, 1950), and Southern Railway GP30 #2594.