Trades students at the College of New Caledonia have taken on a major project to restore four antique pieces of equipment for the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum.

The machinery, made between 1918 and 1923, include a belt-driven drill press, shaper, small drill press and a milling machine that were likely used by railway companies, said Anne Scott in the CNC communications department.

"Each piece will take about two years to complete, with the college providing specialized equipment, many parts and thousands of hours of labour at no cost to the museum."

Reinhard Wildauer, a millwright instructor who initiated the project with the museum, said there has been a long relationship between the two.
"For example, the college provided expertise last year during the museum's reconditioning of a steam locomotive boiler, and also created a flange for one of its steam engines."

"This project is a win-win for everyone. It's an interesting project for the students with a real-life application, and for the museum, the cost is cut dramatically," said Wildauer. The public also wins by being able to enjoy these transportation heritage pieces when they are on display, he added.
Millwright instructor Walter Sorokovsky said the pieces "are machines that were once used to make machines. They're very simple compared to today's equipment and they have a lot of historical interest."
Although millwright students are doing most of the work, the welding and machining students will also be involved as the pieces are completely disassembled and components repaired or remade.

Then they'll be reassembled, tested and painted with every step documented in logbooks.
When completed, the machinery will be as close as possible to full working condition and will look like new with colours that are "historically accurate," said Wildauer.

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