Re: PC: N8 Cabooses...

["Christopher R. Hauf" <crhauf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ken,

	Being the new owner, actually the Freight Superintendent of the new
owner(Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum), of your N-5C, I can vouch that
the top of the cupola was also painted yellow as I have been spending many
hours up there fixing roof leaks.

	It seems one of the weakest areas on the roof or at least on our/your
former cabin car is around the train phone brackets.   When the train phone
was taken off, the brackets were simply torched at the bottom leaving the
bottom of the bracket screwed to the roof and these over the years had
begun to deteriorate.  There was a piece of rubber put underneath them, but
that had long since hardened and stopped being effective.

	We plan to replace the train phone, so I have temporarily sealed the holes
with wood blocks & silicone.   

	I did notice the roofing compound (an ever so small amount) along the
joints, and we will be sure to replace it with something in the future to
insure a tight seal.   I only feel like replacing the interior wall panels
once.  ;)

	Anyway, just a little more detail taken from someone who has recently seen
a lot of an N-5C roof.

Until later,
Chris Hauf

http://www.rgvrrm.mus.ny.us/



At 10:51 AM 11/4/98 EST, you wrote:
>As the former owner of an N-5C let me tell you what I found about roofs on
>cabin cars. When the N-5 and N-5c class were built the entire car was painted
>freight car color ,roof included. After some years in service and some wear
>and tear the roof would start leaking as the riveted joints would open
>slightly with the car body flexing and so forth. The PRR's fix was roofing
>compound which was black in color this also combined with the fact that coal
>cinders/smoke/soot would accumulate on the roof made the idea of painting the
>roof black and sealing it with roofing compound the norm. Since the N-8's
were
>built after lessons learned from the earlier N-5/N-5c classes the black roof
>with sealing compound seems to be the standard. I can't remember seeing a
>picture of a N-8 with a car body colored roof with the exception of the
yellow
>cupola/gray cupola pool cars. My N-5c had at one time a yellow cupola but the
>top of the cupola looked like it had always been black. 
>   
>
   
>Ken McCorry
>
>
>