Big day for RPO 54. It's no longer on the swamp track in front of 483's tender.
Marshall Smith is the Friend's new Engineer/Fireman. Don Bayer the RPO team leader is the conductor. Marshall's running the new locomotive used by the Friends.
The historically accurate color for the baggage compartment is baby blue. This is the final interior color. The restoration point for RPO 54 is the 1920's. The door partially closed is in the final Pullman green color
Here's another shot of the baggage compartment. Floor still has a covering. The floor is oak.
Here's the mail side. The partition is for the toilet. The hole in the ceiling is for the pot belly stove.
Sure looks like the first piece of the San Juan is about to be coming back on line. For the missing cars on other railroads, the RPO team leader said for appx $200k of materials any of the cars could be duplicated with Friend's volunteer labor including a Durango or Chama parlor car. And from the looks of the RPO, I think he's right
