9 months of misery at an end
As some of you may remember, I took a job as a painter at a local rail builder.
For nine months I was trapped doing body work and gelcoat on fiberglass roomettes for the Amtrak sleeper cars.
These are little rolling hotel rooms, with seats that fold down into a bunk, another pull down bunk, a sink for freshening up, etc.
Now, mind you, these rooms are only as big as a twin bed, made to accommodate two passengers for longer trips.
And it was my....pleasure...to take care of cracks, doubles holes, snowmanned holes, bust outs, and then spray, sand, and polish the gelcoat on them.
The last one rolled out the door last week to he assembled before it goes in the car.
In nine months, I counted 60 of them - five rail cars worth - done by me with little help. (The kid they hired to help was a butcher and most of my time was spent redoing what he did. He "helped" on two sets.)
With those coming to a close, I'm the only painter left in rework. They shipped my supervisor, my lead, and two other painters to the paint shop, but refused to move me. (I would have went, but the president of supply refused to let me go.) I *have* volunteered to help with exterior car, which the paint shop manager and lead jumped on.
I'm teaching three other guys from the ground up, including working with fiberglass, body work, and gelcoat, and, eventually, I'll bring at least two of them online as painters.
It's been a good, if somewhat back breaking and frustrating job. And now, I'm essentially the plant's official gelcoat and body man trainer and my own supervisor.
Enjoy some pics
As some of you may remember, I took a job as a painter at a local rail builder.
For nine months I was trapped doing body work and gelcoat on fiberglass roomettes for the Amtrak sleeper cars.
These are little rolling hotel rooms, with seats that fold down into a bunk, another pull down bunk, a sink for freshening up, etc.
Now, mind you, these rooms are only as big as a twin bed, made to accommodate two passengers for longer trips.
And it was my....pleasure...to take care of cracks, doubles holes, snowmanned holes, bust outs, and then spray, sand, and polish the gelcoat on them.
The last one rolled out the door last week to he assembled before it goes in the car.
In nine months, I counted 60 of them - five rail cars worth - done by me with little help. (The kid they hired to help was a butcher and most of my time was spent redoing what he did. He "helped" on two sets.)
With those coming to a close, I'm the only painter left in rework. They shipped my supervisor, my lead, and two other painters to the paint shop, but refused to move me. (I would have went, but the president of supply refused to let me go.) I *have* volunteered to help with exterior car, which the paint shop manager and lead jumped on.
I'm teaching three other guys from the ground up, including working with fiberglass, body work, and gelcoat, and, eventually, I'll bring at least two of them online as painters.
It's been a good, if somewhat back breaking and frustrating job. And now, I'm essentially the plant's official gelcoat and body man trainer and my own supervisor.
Enjoy some pics
