The Latest from the Strasburg Rail Road Shops

[Anonymous]

Our Car Shop has just completed the initial restoration of our newest car, the coach Warren F. Benner.

Named after the Rail Road’s long time treasurer and one of 23 charter Vice Presidents named in the Rail Road’s rebirth in 1958, the Warren F. Benner was built in 1912 for the Western Maryland as Parlor/Smoker #814 by Barney and Smith of Dayton, Ohio. The car’s Western Maryland heritage is recognized in the road name painted on the letter board.

The Strasburg Rail Road traded WM steel coach #835 to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in exchange for the #814 in 1997, and the car has been the focus of a comprehensive restoration since July of 2001, and over 13,000 man hours have been put into the effort.

The car will be unique at the Strasburg Rail Road in that it will be the only passenger car in regular service without truss rods, being built with a heavy fish-belly underframe. Though very little of the original woodwork was salvageable, the interior and exterior appearance follows the original layout as closely as possible. The interior features inlaid, quarter sawn oak, while the exterior is built of western red cedar and Honduran mahogany.

Please note that when the photos were taken, the light fixtures and vestibule doors were still to be fitted. This will be rectified directly.

The Warren F. Benner will be on the train starting (perhaps) this Thursday, just in time for our Thomas Event.

http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/mechshop_overview.aspx

[morseman]

welcome to the forum

hope we willbe seeing more updates about Strassburg Ry from you.

[Anonymous]

When you say the interior follows the original as closely as possible, do you mean only the woodwork? Or is the interior arranged as a parlor/smoker?

Larry