I guess I am puzzled by the use of gold leaf through the depression and
through the war. Yes it looks nice but wasnt it expensive? CPR wasnt known
to squander money. What I am wondering is whether the gold leaf was
permanent. In other words was the gold leaf applied once when the car was
new and then required
I believe the amount of gold being used would actually be very little. I
remember reading that it takes less than an ounce of gold to cover a
football field sized area. If that's true then the cost is very small but
gold leaf is also recyclable. Scrap it off, melt it down and make more gold
leaf.
maintenance occasionally or did it require reapplication every time the car
was repainted. I recall being told passenger cars were repainted on a three
year cycle
According to CPR documents such as the Facts and Figures books, passenger
cars were inspected once a year in the west and every six months in the
eastern division for maintenance needs. The minimum work done at that time
is the car is washed out and the exterior scuffed down and clear coat
applied to make the car shinny again. So the lettering was left alone at
this time. Cars were repainted only when necessary and could last up to of
9 years before major repainting work was done.
Jeff Pinchbeck
