We have two ex-SP subs on our railroad that had the roofs covered with EPDM membranes many years ago. I do not recommend this procedure except as a last resort (which may have been the case with our cars). Rubber membranes work best when there are very, very few penetrations to deal with (YV 330 is a good example). Passenger cars typically have a myriad of roof vents, brackets for conduit runs, etc. to deal with, which is why the manufacturers generally used a roofing asphalt type substance that was easily mopped on, over and around everything.

We have re-covered the roofs on two lightweight cars using a roofing product called "RoofMate." It's a thick, elastomeric paint that is marketed for steel roofs. We removed all of the old roofing materials down to the metal, sealed every hole and around every penetration, rust converted areas that were not bright metal, then painted everything with a good metal primer. The roof was then given two coats of RoofMate applied with paint rollers and brushes. After two years, the first car's roof is doing very well. We expect to apply a new coat on each roof every 2-3 years. The product comes in 5-gal. buckets for about $100 per bucket, and is available in different colors, too. We used approx. 7 gallons to apply two coats to an 80 foot roof. RoofMate can be found on the web at www.unitedcoatings.com.

Good luck with your project.

Brian Wise
GM/CMO
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
www.mrsr.com