With the weather we’ve had over the last 18 months, we were starting think that we’d never be able to complete this project, but we are very happy to announce that the restoration of Powder Van PV 22318 has been completed and is on display at the Cooma Monaro Railway Museum.
These vans were used to transport explosive cargo around the NSW Railway Network, including the transportation of explosive materials to Cooma during original Snowy Hydro project.
The restoration of the Powder Van was completed by our wonderful team of volunteers and included:
🔹 Removal of the previous canvas roof and metal staples (which weren’t original).
🔹 Full replacement of the canvas roof using copper nails and application of Navy Dressing which gives the roof it’s distinct yellow colour.
🔹 Repair and replacement of damaged and rotting exterior timbers.
🔹 Full clean and repaint of the under frame and structure.
🔹 Complete repaint of the exterior body including new numbering and lettering.
Without a dedicated undercover area for storage and restoration of rolling stock, all works had to be completed outside. Due to the severe weather, we’ve experienced over the last 18 months, this resulted in significant delays in completing this project until the last 3 months where we finally got the consistent, dry warm weather needed to complete the project.
The van will now be cared for by our maintenance team until such time that it can be moved into an undercover display.
Our team are now turning their attention to the next restoration project which we will announce very soon. Thank you to everyone who has helped to complete this project and can’t wait to see the next one!
🤷 Did you know? Copper nails were used in the construction of the Powder Van, including the roof canvas, to reduce the risk of sparks being generated that could ignite the contents of the van.
