"Mulehide" Roof Nearly Complete

The caboose crew was hard at it this 8th day of March 2003! Today, work continued inside and out. Outside, preparations began to put the last large piece of "mulehide" (actually 12-ounce canvas) on the roof of the cupola. The white roof edges show where canvas is already placed. Here in a closer view, Kevin points out the edge of previously layed canvas. Once it stretches and shrinks tightly, the canvas will be trimmed. With Phil on the roof and Ed watching on, Kevin lays out the canvas for cutting. The cut is made. The canvas is making its way to the cupola roof... Kevin looks down on the front portion of the roof on which the canvas installation (white portion) is complete. Dr. Marcus sits in the recently installed swivel-back chair up in the cupola. Directly overhead is where the canvas installation is taking place today.

While work on the roof continues, Dr. Marcus is caught in the act of putting down the quarter-round trim along the floor/wall interface inside the caboose. A center line snapped onto the cupola roof will guide the placement of the seam in the center of the canvas piece. With the canvas rolled up and out of the way, Phil applies a layer of latex elastomeric to the roof structure. As Phil applies the latex from the center out, Ed and Kevin follow by unrolling the canvas onto the latex. Almost there on this side! Here they go back to the center again and work the other direction. Once "glued" to the roof with the latex, the canvas gets another layer of latex applied on top. Kevin temporarily trims the canvas just to keep wind flapping to a minimum. The edge won't have its final trim and placement until the canvas shrinks tightly.