RUSH, N.Y. -- More than 40 trains have made a permanent stop at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. While they all undergo some type of restoration, there's one project that steamrolls them all.

"It really didn't look that bad when we brought it in," Rand Warner, former museum manager turned volunteer. "You couldn't see all the rust."

Dating back to 1916, Rochester Subway Car 60 has a century's worth of rust and rot.

"We've taken off all the roof panels which looked like Swiss cheese," Warner said. "The south end of the car there, actually we have to replicate because it pretty much failed over the many years of storage."

However, there's much more to the sole surviving subway car than meets the eye.

"Well, I guess you would call it a labor of love," Warner said.

It’s love that dates back to 1956 when the subway was decommissioned and Car 60 was donated by the Rochester Transit Corporation.  

"What we're working to do because it's such an important piece to local history, is we want to do cosmetic renovation so people can enjoy it once again," Otto Vondrak, a Trustee at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum said.

With the first phase of the rehab project complete volunteers are now asking for the public's help. They need upwards of $10,000 to get the second phase on track.

"We're hoping to partner with local contractors who might be able to offer their services at a reduce cost, or we're also seeking grant opportunities because so much of this work is in the tens of thousands because it's such specialized work," Vondrak explained.

With new metal installed to repair the roof, now it’s time to fix another major support system.

"Everything from the floor down has to be all taken off, taken apart, refurbished and everything," Warner said.

With nothing but time on their hands and love for a piece of the past, it's full steam ahead.

"We'll replicate it and get it back together with clever people, wood and metal," Warner smiled.

Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is self-funded and all volunteer.