Rehabilitation of coach 218 is involving nearly every aspect of the car. This fall, the focus has been returning the floor to its former grandeur. The solid maple floor was badly deteriorated and the decision to completely replace it was made early in the project. The completed floor is now ready to receive its first guests!
New sugar maple flooring was supplied by a regional wholesaler and installation began in late August. (A botanist confirmed that samples of the original flooring were hard or sugar maple.) A layer of roofing felt was applied below the flooring. To help stabilize and strengthen the floor, a 3/8 plywood underlay was installed over the sub floor. This feature was a departure from the original design but was added to improve stability over the bolsters at the car ends.
Each 1×4 was carefully positioned and hand nailed. Then, many hours of sanding ensued to assure a smooth, even and attractive surface. To finish the floor, the Glitza floor finish system consisting of two seal coats and a semigloss topcoat was applied. Funding of this work was made possible with the generous support of the Snoqualmie Tribe and 4Culture.
Spike, That new floor in coach 218 is just beautiful. Great job! Keep up the good work so when we visit the NW and your museum we'll have a lot to see… Take Care, Big Daddy Dave