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Johnstown #311 Restoration


Johnstown 311 roof work underway December 23, 2003: Two days before Christmas, temperatures in the 50's inspired volunteers to start work on the roof of Johnstown 311. The car, built in 1922, was the first acquired by our museum, and its roof has been in need of work for some time. During the first half of 2004, damaged roof boards will be repaired, new canvas will be installed, and roofwalks and wiring will be replaced. Stay tuned for the progress! December, 2003
Johnstown 311 may need a toupée January 4, 2004 The roof of Johnstown 311 looks awfully naked four days into the new year. Volunteers have removed all old canvas, wiring, roofwalks, pole bases, and ventilators. The woodworking staff is making a plan of attack to repair damaged wood, but the condition of the wood is far better than expected. Some of the participants show off the "new look" of 311 after the first 40 man-hours of work. January, 2004
Johnstown 311 becomes 'less screwed' January 3, 2004 Work has begun in earnest on removing the old canvas roof from Johnstown 311, the car that was first to join our collection. The roof was leaking rather badly... A volunteer battles one of dozens of big rusty screws holding roofwalk boards onto 311, as his supervisor observes progress (and holds the spare screwdriver). January, 2004
A volunteer uses a heatgun to strip badly-peeling paint from the interior ceiling of car #311. While 311 is in the shop, other projects may be woven around the roof repairs. For example, if volunteers are available, we would like to strip and repaint the interior ceiling, which would make a huge improvement in the appearance. We estimate about 25 man-hours to strip the ceiling. That sure is a nice heatgun. I have one just like...? Hey, wait a minute, that's my heatgun! January, 2004
Johnstown #311 Project Expands February 28, 2004 Few trolley restoration projects are as simple as initially thought, and re-roofing the first trolley car of our collection is no exception. After removal of the old roof (see below), discussion began on whether to also replace the badly deteriorated letterboards below the edges of the roof. The canvas roof would have to be removed again if letterboard repairs were done in the future. A 'exploratory team' of volunteers investigated the difficulty of replacing the letterboard and repairing rusted window posts, and decided to proceed with the additional repairs. Car-card holders, light strips, and one section of letterboard (behind volunteer) are already out of the way as work begins on the 'enhanced' project. February, 2004
What's eating #311? The answer is simple: 82 years of rust! The riveted joints originally used on the letterboard were abandoned years ago, replaced by not-so-neatly-welded lap joints. In many cases, rivets which were supposed to hold the letterboard to the car no longer existed. A sample of #311's letterboard, seen from the inside, shows the damage inflicted on steel by mere water and oxygen. February, 2004
A Second Open Car at Rockhill? March 14, 2004 No, it's just Johnstown #311, minus a bunch of parts on one side. Both upper and lower window sashes have been removed, along with the letterboards under the edge of the roof. Thanks to a bunch of our dedicated and hardworking volunteers, enormous progress has been made in just a few weeks. This project has reached another significant milestone: the first side to come apart is now officially going back together. Window post repairs are complete, riveting supplies and tools are on the way, and new steel letterboard is being fabricated. In the next few weeks, brand new wooden upper sashes should be complete, and the letterboard will be installed. Check back to see the progress! March, 2004
A volunteer uses a plasma cutter to banish corroded steel from upright posts between the windows of Johnstown #311. New steel is then being MIG welded in its place to repair the posts. March, 2004
A level of activity we'd like every weekend March 6, 2004 The warm weather has certainly brought out the volunteers, who must be eager to escape from cabin fever! The shop was a whirlwind of activity, and a long list of tasks received attention. We'll mention a few highlights we caught on camera... In the front of the shop, volunteers constructed temporary protective panels to protect the beautiful cherry-wood seats of Johnstown #311 from sparks and dirt created by those dirty, destructive metalworkers who claim to be 'repairing' steelwork on the window posts and letterboard. March, 2004
Meanwhile, a dedicated family team began five days of enthusiastic volunteerism at the museum. Here they are removing many layers of peeling paint and old finish from interior woodwork of Johnstown #311. While not all of the interior will be refinished, parts removed for letterboard and window post repairs will be repaired and refinished. March, 2004
Letterboard replacement underway April 24, 2004 If you've been following the saga of Johnstown #311, you know we've been waiting for new steel letterboard to go above the windows and below the roof. Miller Welding of State College completed the fabrication very nicely, and the finicky task of installing it is underway. While we were waiting for the letterboard, we expanded the project just a bit more, rewiring interior lighting with new Exane transit-grade wire. A volunteer checks the fit between a shiny new section of letterboard and a new wooden window sash built by one of our woodworkers. April, 2004
Johnstown 311 woodwork continues May 1, 2004 You may recall from earlier reports that Johnstown 311's upper sash--the upper half of the windows--is being replaced along with all the other work being done to the car. Our woodworking volunteers have been repairing many parts and fabricating others from scratch. We've also had to expand the woodworking portion of the project a bit, as badly split wood was discovered on one end of the car... Volunteers cut cherry planks from our wood inventory to get stock for new upper sashes. May, 2004

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