Stucco was one way the Burlington (and I imagine other roads) “upgraded” the appearance of old frame depots. Maybe adding a base of brick to the wainscot level and tacking wire mesh over the rest of the board and batten or drop siding with a nice fresh layer of stucco. I can’t think of this being done to anything except passenger depots in places that didn’t rate a nice new brick edifice.
Roundhouses and engine houses were made of brick or concrete for fireproofing reasons....something about sparks and dry wood don’t mix. Frame buildings often had brick dry stacked between the studs to reduce the wood exposure.
Charlie Vlk
