I am working from home in WP668 (our backyard caboose) today. WP668 is very
comfortable except when summer’s late afternoon sun hits the roof. John has been
working on restoring the caboose windows for the last week or so. He designed
screened window inserts to let in a cross breeze while keeping out bugs. The original
caboose fittings included wide metal mesh screens to protect windows against rocks
(or vandals?), not bugs. We removed the window trim during painting last year and
have gone back and forth discussing whether to buy new or restore the original
windows we have.
The difficulty is that the windows installed in 1943 have no framework other than
the caboose itself. That is, on five of the windows, the sash holding the glass slides
straight up between the inner and outer wood walls. On the bay window, the two sashes
move horizontally along built-in metal slots. We haven’t found any windows for
sale (standard or semi-custom) anything like what we have. We could go to a custom
historical window manufacturer but that would be a very expensive solution.
Last weekend, John took apart one of the windows to check its condition. It is clear
that the walls of the caboose were painted much more often than the window frames.
However, after much scraping, the wood on the first window is solid and the original
railroad safety glass is intact. So, that window will be reinstalled with new trim and
sill. The rotted original trim and sill are providing the pattern for the replacement
pieces. John said he found over a dozen rusty nails in one piece of trim. Repairs
during active rail service were hasty…
I will post photos when I have more to show…
KatysBlog 