It was decided that when replacing the damaged end beam on Sumpter Valley Railway coach number 20, every effort should be made to replicate the original design as much as possible. During an initial restoration in the 1990s when replacement end beams were installed, they did not follow any specific design and bore little semblance to what would have originally been used on the coach. For the current replacement, historic images of the coach in service were used to create a set of scale drawings as no blueprints for this car are known to exist.
This is the best end on shot of coach 20 in service. It was taken near Dixie in 1910 when the morning passenger train hit some soft track and rolled on its side.
Working with a few known dimensions, Taylor Rush was able to create a basic set of measurements from the above photograph for the replacement beam.
Working with the new dimensions, Eric Wunz went to work creating the new beam out of oak.
There is still some finish work to be done before the end beam can be morticed and attached to the coach.
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