Reston, VA

Bechtel WaaTeeKaa Railcar Exhibit

Scope/Solutions
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Project Summary

Scope/Solutions

In the 1920s and 30s, Steve Bechtel’s family used a railcar as their home while on location at remote job sites. The railcar was called WaaTeeKaa, a name fashioned by Steve’s mother and wife of Bechtel’s founder from the way their three sons pronounced their names as toddlers. While the original railcar no longer exists, Bechtel obtained a similar Pullman coach in 1988 and created a WaaTeeKaa replica to serve as a company museum outside its San Francisco headquarters. With Bechtel now headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the company is undertaking a project to update WaaTeeKaa and relocate it to Virginia to coincide with its 125th anniversary. Working with A2 Design, SGH is providing structural and building enclosure services for the project.

SGH evaluated the railcar’s enclosure, performed air leakage testing, and recommended improvements, including some related to proposed mechanical conditioning to better protect the exhibits. Highlights of our enclosure design for the railcar and platform include:

Waterproofing coordinated with the overall architectural design
A dedicated air barrier and cladding replacement
Interior insulated storm windows at existing windows to preserve the original appearance, while providing better resistance to air and moisture infiltration
Replacing the railcar’s existing roofing with new cold fluid applied waterproofing
New plaza waterproofing and a perimeter glass railing around the platform

SGH also investigated the railcar’s structure and its performance. We evaluated its ability to withstand applicable loads, performed a safety assessment and suspension testing for the two antique trucks, and designed strengthening and new elements associated with converting the railcar to a permanent museum. Highlights of our structural design include:

Strengthening the railcar to withstand current wind, snow, and occupancy loads
Temporary lifting beams for relocating the railcar from a Baltimore storage facility to its final location in Reston
A new concrete access platform and architecturally exposed steel canopies
Mechanisms for locking the railcar’s height once on the trucks to align with the platform