Back to Work on the Caboose!

 

Once again, Bob Behal has stolen into town with no fanfare to go to work on an HPG project (that's Bob, pictured above).  This time it's the caboose, and Bob is all about getting as far as he can with stabilization and restoration before winter sets in.  On Saturday, Bob was joined by Bill Warner, Don Somers and Kenny Cada, who pried boards loose, dug out nails and pulled off roof sections.  What they found beneath the red paint was plenty of rot, and according to Don Somers, the cupola has been a major contributor by directing water down into the roof and side walls.  Bob painstakingly cut out a beam to replace a major support beam on the side, but much of the work seems to be analysis and strategy.  Once Kenny Cada was done getting her hands dirty, she took a turn welcoming Michael"Bug" Deakin to the depot.  "Bug"is from Petaluma, California, and is part of a non-profit called Heritage Salvage. He chanced to find the depot, bought some items from the Company Store, and hailed the HPG for its part in salvaging not only a building, but a heritage of short line railroading.