<P>we have converted former sealed window coaches into open window coaches. We are finding the water is getting traped between the two walls and rusting thru. How have others of you overcome this?<br>




lundquist@sdrm.org

<P>If you have replaced an Adlake-style sash with school-bus windows, there is probably not much you can do to keep water out of the car sides. These square sash have numerous joints that can leak water onto the windowsills. They aren't really designed to be used this way and can't be sealed up. I have seen designs that preserve the original Adlake sash frames, and insert new extruded window frames in the "E" shaped rubber gasket that used to hold the original sealed double panes. These can be made perfectly tight. I don't recall who produced or used these, but someone in the Railroad Passenger Car Alliance may know.<p>Water in the car sides may be coming from many other places than the window sash. The rubber gaskets between the sash and the car sides are the usual source, and no one should be relying on original gaskets as of this late date. New rubber gaskets are available from Power Parts or similar suppliers for $600 to $1,000 per car. Some windows had inefficient clamping of the sash against the gaskets that must be installed with great care.<p>Faulty caulking at belt rails or the roof shoulder is another likely source. Even downward-facing joints will admit a lot of water upward through capillary action, especially if drip rails are missing.<p>Aarne Frobom<br>Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc.<br>Owosso, Michigan<br>




froboma@mdot.state.mi.us