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Galveston Railroad Museum
123 Rosenberg Galveston, TX 77550
E-Mail: galvrrmuseum@sbcglobal.net
Johnson Space Center helps restore Museum Artifacts, pg. 16
FYI Bulletin Board
http://woodmeister.org/galveston.aspx
Michael Ward works to save one of the many model trains from the Museum.
Brandon, the young man that assisted Michael
Michael and Brandon
work to save the model trains
work to save the model trains
Waiting to be cleaned
Morris Gould delivering artifacts to the Johnson Space Center
To help preserve the relics of Texas’ train history, Johnson Space Center donated space and use of its equipment to museum volunteers trying to save what is left.
“I was told that JSC stepped up and offered help to this effort. I was more than happy to open up the lab in Building 10,” said Michael Meadows, facility manager/technical assistant in the Engineering and Science Contract Group.
Meadows has provided volunteers with everything they will need to complete their task, including shop air, sink, stainless-steel tables, rolls of cloth, drip rack, lights, magnifying lights and all safety equipment necessary. “(The train volunteers) have been very nice and fun visitors to work with in Building 10. As the facility manager, I am very happy with the effort and progress to bring back the trains,” Meadows said.
“I was told that JSC stepped up and offered help to this effort. I was more than happy to open up the lab in Building 10,” said Michael Meadows, facility manager/technical assistant in the Engineering and Science Contract Group.
Meadows has provided volunteers with everything they will need to complete their task, including shop air, sink, stainless-steel tables, rolls of cloth, drip rack, lights, magnifying lights and all safety equipment necessary. “(The train volunteers) have been very nice and fun visitors to work with in Building 10. As the facility manager, I am very happy with the effort and progress to bring back the trains,” Meadows said.
The same vacuum chamber used to test the Apollo capsule is now drying out the paper documents the museum housed. After a careful disinfecting process, “many of the documents are salvageable,” said Michael Ward, a train enthusiast and museum volunteer temporarily working at JSC.
“It’s a wonderful project,” Ward said. “The majority of these trains are collectors’ items worth $500 to $3,000, and some are irreplaceable.”
Ward is personally taking on the challenge of cleaning the model trains and buildings once on display at the museum. Inside the lab, Ward is uses Pine Sol, dish soap and an alcohol bath to clean the models. He then washes them with distilled water before drying them with compressed air.
“It’s a wonderful project,” Ward said. “The majority of these trains are collectors’ items worth $500 to $3,000, and some are irreplaceable.”
Ward is personally taking on the challenge of cleaning the model trains and buildings once on display at the museum. Inside the lab, Ward is uses Pine Sol, dish soap and an alcohol bath to clean the models. He then washes them with distilled water before drying them with compressed air.
“I would have done this out of my back yard if I had to. It would have been tearful to see these go to the bulldozer,” Ward said.
There are about 18 large boxes full of model trains and miniature train-set buildings at JSC, and Ward hopes to be done restoring them by mid November.
“Mike Meadows has set me up for success,” Ward said. “These trains have been a fixture at the museum for many years.”
There are about 18 large boxes full of model trains and miniature train-set buildings at JSC, and Ward hopes to be done restoring them by mid November.
“Mike Meadows has set me up for success,” Ward said. “These trains have been a fixture at the museum for many years.”
The following article is taken in part from "JSC Features" by Heather Nicholson at
