Paint for a caboose?

3548 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Jerry McColgan, Dec 20, 2008

Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · Dec 18, 2008

Some things take awhile to happen. This was one of those things.

I started this topic 3 years ago and the subject died because I was unsuccessful in getting the school district to sell me their old MoPac caboose.

http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=34658

Times change. I just got home from a School Board meeting where my bid to buy this caboose was approved (it was a public auction but it turned out that I was the only bidder). This is the same caboose that I was trying to buy 3 years ago but is now in much worse condition. All the windows are broken out and the paint is really in bad need of being redone.

That brings me to the subject of this topic...

Is there a special type of paint that I should use since it will be painting on previously painted surfaces with metal under the paint? Some of the paint is chipping and I don't want to end up having to paint it twice because I used the wrong sort of paint. Of course I have no idea what sort of paint was used before either by the railroad or by the school.

Any ideas or suggestions? Naturally I need to keep the cost as low as possible but I still want to get it done right.

For that matter does anyone know how to describe the color Missouri Pacific used on their cabooses?

Thanks,

Jerry

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Michael Tollett

· #2 · Dec 19, 2008

Jerry,

If you get with the Missouri Pacific Historical Society, http://mopac.org/ , they would probably be able to tell you what paints were used on the original caboose, and may even be able to point you towards placards, dimensional data, interior furniture and items;

Who knows they might even want to kick in and help with some of the funding to refurbish an original Mopac caboose. It surely wouldn't hurt to get in touch with them and query them about it.

michael

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 19, 2008

Hi Michael,

Thank you for the suggestions. We will look into them.

Regards,

Jerry

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Robert

· #4 · Dec 19, 2008

I would think that's going to be a rather significant bash to gauge down to 45mm. Looking forward to seeing some progress photos as you restore it.

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 19, 2008

Posted By Robert on 12/19/2008 5:28 AM
I would think that's going to be a rather significant bash to gauge down to 45mm. Looking forward to seeing some progress photos as you restore it.

Hi Robert,

It is going to take some time and a lot of work to get the caboose restored.

Last year it looked like this

Unfortunately the caboose part of our railroad history is being lost. Many of the thousands of cabooses that were sold or donated by the railroads are now being neglected, vandalized and destroyed. At least the Cabot School District was willing to give up their caboose so that it can be preserved (by us) rather than to let it continue to be vandalized and eventually worth nothing more than scrap metal.

Regards,

Jerry

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San Juan

· #6 · Dec 19, 2008

Neat caboose

If a lot of paint is chipping, you may have to sand blast the caboose to get a surface that would take a new layer of paint the best. It would ensure the best finish and long life but could be fairly costly I'd imagine.

I'm also not sure about paint, but you'll likely have to use some commercial grade paint/auto paint/etc... Spray cans probably won't work for something so large.

Overall your caboose looks to be in pretty good shape. At least it has trucks and what appears to be most if not all other essential components. You might even be able to get her road worthy again

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 19, 2008

They have made some modifications that would make running it on a railroad very difficult without extensive reworking. As an example the knuckle couplers are missing the pin or it is welded and the coupler shafts are welded so they cannot move from side to side.

I've about decided I will have t resort to sand blasting as I have identified at least 4 distinctly different coats of paint. Even when I thought I was down to the final coat part of it peeled off revealing another coat. Some of the paint is quite heavy, thick, strong and partially pulls off like it was glued on. Getting to the bare metal is going to be a chore.

The dozer guy will (hopefully) be here Monday and the mover will check on him to see that the groundwork is done the way he wants it. The caboose may be moved as early as next week or as late as next month.

The electrical is almost ready to be connected to the caboose but then there will be water and septic lines to run - and then all the interior electrical and plumbing fixtures etc. etc. etc. I'm not sure just what I have got myself into.

Regards,

Jerry

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Tom Leaton

· #8 · Dec 19, 2008

I'd contact the Illinois Railway Museum. (They have a lot of experience with repainting steel rolling stock.)

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 20, 2008

Posted By Tom Leaton on 12/19/2008 6:04 PM
I'd contact the Illinois Railway Museum. (They have a lot of experience with repainting steel rolling stock.)

That's a good idea. I had thought of trying to get in to see the people at the UP facility in North Little Rock as they must do a lot of repainting of locomotives etc.

Thanks,

Jerry

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aceinspp

· #10 · Dec 20, 2008

I'm sure Jerry if your that close to the old Mopac in Little rock that some folks can tell you what it is painted with. I recall back when I was on the RR it was almost like a rubber type base paint and as you mentioned could peel off small pieces. Looks like one heck of a project. My wife boss has a old wood caboose at his farm and wants to find a set of trucks for it. Ha he even would like to find and engine and build some track to run. Has 450 acres so its workable. The only down side is I'd end up laying the track. Later RJD

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audi84

· #11 · Dec 20, 2008

Jerry

You can contact Pete at the Cotton Belt Museuum in Pine Bluff, they have painted a couple of cabeese, and several diesel locos...just a thought !!

Noel Thomas

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Michael Tollett

· #12 · Dec 20, 2008

Jerry,

You should check with the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, see about getting that UP caboose out of town...thugs and vandals have messed it up two...then you'd have a bookend pair!!

michael

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 20, 2008

Posted By Michael Tollett on 12/19/2008 8:30 PM
Jerry,

You should check with the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, see about getting that UP caboose out of town...thugs and vandals have messed it up two...then you'd have a bookend pair!!

michael

Hi Michael,

I met with the Jacksonville Mayor a couple of months ago to try to buy that caboose but he intends to restore it and is unwilling to consider giving or selling it away. I also had been trying to buy the Ward caboose but they too were uninterested in selling theirs. If I recall correctly Jacksonville had paid $6,000 just to paint this caboose not long ago. Now the damage is so severe I don't know that I would want to tackle rebuilding it unless they virtually gave it to me. The cost of moving it here would just about equal what it would be worth to me.

The Jacksonville caboose is a perfect example of what happens when a city is given a caboose (part of our American history) and fails to make a minimal effort at protecting it.

I used photos of the Jacksonville caboose (including the ones above) to help convince the Cabot School Board that they needed to sell their caboose before it suffered the fate of the Jacksonville caboose.

Regards,

Jerry

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Jerry McColgan

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 20, 2008

It is apparent that the restoration of this caboose is going to involve a lot more than paint so I am moving this discussion to a new topic at:

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/5/view/topic/postid/68305/Default.aspx

Jerry

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