Rock Island #2541 Interior restoration

Volunteers started with removing the seats and began removing wall panels in preparation for removing the windows.

All of the seat cushions were removed from the seat frames. The seat frames would be entirely rebuilt and repainted.

The floor was in poor condition. Volunteers demolished the existing floor in sections in preparation for building a new floor.

Once the floor was demolished, a new steel floor pan was installed, and then new wood stringers and insulation were added before the new floor was installed.

The new floor has been installed. Museum volunteers have also installed a new electric heating system, and are installing new insulation and re-installing the windows.

Volunteers began installing new ceiling panels.

Ceiling panels continue above re-installed windows.

Faux wood paneling is painted onto the metal wall panels.

Once painting the faux wood paneling was complete, volunteers began to install the ceiling panels. Our creative volunteers created a jig to make installing the panels easier and more efficient.

The jig worked very well installing the panels. Volunteers are seen here fitting up one of the first new panels.

Seat cushions have been removed, seat frames disassembled, and the frames are staged for sandblasting before painting.

After sandblasting, the seat frames were painted. Here they are laid out in the car shop before reassembly begins.

Back inside the car, all the new panels have been installed and repainted and the car awaits installation of the seats and grab bars.

The restoration is almost complete! Volunteers have installed lighting, seat frames, and grab bars and will install seat cushions shortly.

The restoration is complete! The car is now ready for many more years of service on the museum’s railroad for our guests to enjoy.

The restoration was complete in advance of Polar Express and museum volunteers have begun installing decorations.

Rock Island Railroad coach #2541 is a staple of the museum’s operational fleet and runs during much of the year. When the museum elected to not run passenger trains in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it provided an opportunity for museum volunteers to perform a needed restoration of its interior. Restoration work included rebuilding seat frames as needed, converting the car’s heating system from steam heat to electric heat, rewiring the entire car, replacing about 1/2 of the car’s glazing, and installing new window shades. Volunteers also installed new lower wall panels, ceiling panels and repainted the interior, including faux wood paneling to match how the car appeared when it was built in 1925. The as-built Flex-o-lith floor was removed as it was failing in several places due to corrosion of the steel pan that supported it. It was replaced with a new floor that was constructed per the original manufacturer’s blueprints, with the exception of using two layers of marine-grade plywood for the top working surface, rather than the steel pan and Flex-o-lith that is no longer available. The plywood was then topped with a sheet flooring that closely resembles the original poured floor.