Car Information
Our last clues about the construction come from the car itself as we rebuild it. Our pictures and notes are recording the construction sequence, materials used, machines utilized, and workmanship. Following are some examples of our findings.
Let us begin with the basic structure. The car is built primarily of wood. Yellow Pine is used for the wall posts. This is a departure from the more common practice of using Ash for these parts. The woods used are mentioned in the trade journals and William Voss's book. However, what we see on the cars does not always agree with the written material. We must therefore record our findings for historical purposes.
Why did Barney and Smith use Yellow Pine for these parts? Studying the trade journals from this era, we see a desire for industry to be self-sufficient. We also see that the Barney and Smith Car Company had relations with an Atlanta, Georgia lumber baron named George Gress.5 This relationship culminated in Barney and Smith Car Company acquiring the mill, forest lands, and lumber railroad in 1905. These forest lands were in Georgia where large stands of Yellow Pine were located.
Our last clues about the construction come from the car itself as we rebuild it. Our pictures and notes are recording the construction sequence, materials used, machines utilized, and workmanship. Following are some examples of our findings.
Let us begin with the basic structure. The car is built primarily of wood. Yellow Pine is used for the wall posts. This is a departure from the more common practice of using Ash for these parts. The woods used are mentioned in the trade journals and William Voss's book. However, what we see on the cars does not always agree with the written material. We must therefore record our findings for historical purposes.
Why did Barney and Smith use Yellow Pine for these parts? Studying the trade journals from this era, we see a desire for industry to be self-sufficient. We also see that the Barney and Smith Car Company had relations with an Atlanta, Georgia lumber baron named George Gress.5 This relationship culminated in Barney and Smith Car Company acquiring the mill, forest lands, and lumber railroad in 1905. These forest lands were in Georgia where large stands of Yellow Pine were located.
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The side framing of the Milwaukee Lake Shore and Western #63 as we found it. Note the lack of blocking and other details found in the Pullman car. |
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One of the triangular "glue blocks" used to support the siding on the car in lieu of solid blocking. The Pullman display car also used similar blocks (as seen in the photo on the opposite page). Main photo by Glenn Guerra; inset photo by Paul Swanson.
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