The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-09
How a Santa Fe Passenger
Coach is Painted.
It is a Long and Tedious
Process.
MUCH CARE is TAKEN.
A Dozen Coats of Best Materials
Applied.
Interesting Items Of a General
and Local Nature.

Very few people know or realize the
amount of work which is done to a San
ia F'e railway coach at the Topeka
shops from the time it is run in
to the paint shop until it comes out
finished. The painting of a railway
coach is tedious and long drawn out
job. Coat after coat of the very best
of paint is put on by skilled workmen,
until the coach is palatiaI in appear
ance
In the first place the wood which is
put into a railway coach is of selected
stock and is thoroughly dried, so as to
do away with the shrinkage as much as
possible. Before the coach leaves the
carpenter shop the carpenters complete
their work on it, which includes aside
from the building of the coach, the
careful planning down and smoothing or
the surface.
In this condition the coach is run in
to the paint shop. Here the painter
begins his work by carefully going over
the coach and removing all spots and
traces of dirt and grease, which may
have accumulated on the wood or iron.
The coach is then ready for the first
coat of paint
The first coat is the printing coat,
and after applying it is allowed to dry
at least p hours and more if time will
allow. Then follows the second coat of
printing, which is permitted to dry from
4S to ~ hours. When this coat is dry
the painter goes over the coach and
puttyS up and fills all the nail holes
and other depressions which may have
been left in the surface. This done the
painter then puts on from 2 to coats of
filler" comonly known to the painter
as rough stuff" Each coat is allowed
to dry about "A hours.
The work which has now been done
brings the coach up to the point where
the surface is nicely covered but is not
in condition for the remaining coats.
It must be smoothed down again. This
smoothing is done by block pumice
stone or sand paper, according to the
fancy of the painter, and under this
operation the surface of the coach is
made free from all imperfections, which
would interfere with the putting on of
the paint which is to be the permanent
color of the coach.
When the surface is in proper condi-
ton for the final coats of paint, the color
which the coach is to be is selected, and
two coats of this flat color is put on, "A
hours being allowed for each coat to
dry. This really completes the paint
ing of the car, so far as color is con-
cerned, but there is much work yet to
be done. The coach has to be lettered
and finally vanished. These operations
take considerable time.
The lettering and ornamenting of the
coaches, which is generally done with
gold, silver or aluminium leaf, is put
on when the color coats are perfectly
dry. Some roads do not use the leaf,
paints, but these paints do not give such
a rich effect to the coach. In former
years all the roads used the gold leaf
for most of their ornamental work and
frequently scenes of landscapes and
other views were painted on the outside
of the coaches, descriptive of the terri
tory through which the road passed.
This ornamenting of the coaches was
a very pretty custom and even at the
present time is in use on many of the
eastern roads but of late years many of
the roads and especially the western
roads have given up this kind of dec
Grating and do not place any ornament
tations on the outside of the coaches,
aside from possibly the name of car,
or road and the number of the car. This
fancy work has been done away with
principally on account of an attempt
at economy, and some few roads carry
it to an extent that they use common
paint for the lettering
After the coach is properly 1ettered
and allowed to dry properly, then three
coats of the very best wearing body
varnish is put on, at an interval of
about 48 to so hours between each coat.
These coats of varnish complete the
painting of the exterior of the coach.
and by counting up the number of
hours consumed in the painting and in
drying, it will foot up to about 500
hours time required to properly paint
a coach, or representing 81 days. OF
course this time can be reduced if there
is rush for the work to be done.
This completes the exterior of the
coach, and it may be said that the in
terror of the coach is being painted
while the work is being done of the ex-
terror, and in this way both inside and
out are finished at the same time.
The first thing to be done to the in
terror of the coach is to smooth up the
surface. This work has been done by
the carpenters before being sent over
to the paint shop. Likewise there are
no seats or fixings in the interior of the
coach, these being put in after the
painting is finished.
AS a rule, the interior of a coach is
finished in some standard wood, such as
walnut, oak and mahogany. To match
which ever wood is used, a coat of filler
paint is applied to the wood, and after
being allowed to thoroughly dry, is
covered with a coat or two of shellac.
This having dried, it is very lightly
smoothed off with very fine sand paper.
Then follows a coat of hard drying rub
bling varnish, which when thoroughly
dry is rubbed down with pulverized
pumice stone and water. This operation
removes all Jumps and particles which
may have accumulated in the paint.
After the surface has been thoroughly
rinsed off with clean water and dried,
another coat of rubbing varnish is APP
piled and when dry is rubbed down with
pulveriZed pumice stone and finish
ing oil, which gives to the surface
a dead gloss. The panels are polished
by rubbing down with rotten stone and
finishing oil which gives to them a
very high polish. The head Innings on
ceilings of the coach are generally
brought out by paints of different colors
and are highly decorated. After dec
GRATED and allowed to dry two or more
coats of the rubbing varnish are applied
and being dry, is rubbed down with
pulverized pumice stone and finishing
oil, which gives them that dead gloss.
ALREADY IN NEW HARNESS.