IRM Steam Team

Shop Update 6/12/10

Many things were accomplished in the steam department on Saturday.

Tami and Jim finished painting the frame of the 1630.   Tami also finished painting the bottom of the firebox.  Jim also touched up the boxes containing the brasses for the 1630.

Nigel and Jim straightened one of the pins that hold the grease boxes in place.  Trevor and Sean cleaned the grease boxes and primed them. They also worked on cleaning and priming break hangers.  Nigel also began to cut rectangle shaped blocks of grease for the grease boxes.

Dennis put on the drive boxes and welded square plates to them as retainers.  He also welded the front rib, which holds the smoke box door on, back onto the Shay so that the bottom patch for the smoke box can be fitted and later riveted into place.  The plate being used for the patch still needs to be cut to the correct shape and welded onto the locomotive.

Bob and Bruce made a great deal of progress on the water softner.  Bob later needed chipped and cleaned up rods for the 1630’s ashpan.

Terry & Stu began to clean junk off the track that runs through the shop so we can move the locomotives.  Stu also rounded off the edges of the grease groves on the brasses.

One of the spring equalizers was put back onto the 1630.

The next step is to fit the boxes onto the axle of the rear driving wheels of the 1630.  This needs to be done so that we don’t have any “surprises” while putting the wheels back on the locomotive.  It appears that putting the wheels on the 1630 will take place in a few weeks.

Shop Update 6/5/10

We had a smaller crew out on Saturday, but things still got done.

Bob and Bruce worked in the boxcar to re-pipe the water softner.  When they stopped, most of the work still had to be done.

Brian, Bob, Tami, and Jim painted the frame of the 1630.  Some addtional painting still has to be done, but it is approaching the point of reinstalling the equalizer beams.  Once this is done, the locomotive should be pulled over the pit so that the rear driving wheels can be put on the locomotive.

Nigel’s son, Mike, and his girlfriend, painted the boxes for the 1630.  Some additional painting will still need to be done.

Dennis did not come out, so no welding was done on the Shay.

Glenn continued his work to rebuild the engine for the Bay City Crane. 

Nigel, Ralph, Vince, and Ed took the cover off the drop pit to see how it was.  Everything was in good condition and appears to be ready for use

Shop Update 4/24/10

Turn out was light in the shop today.  Jerry and Lenny came to the shop.  Lenny did some touch up welding on the tube sheet patch.

Jeff and Jim opened the east door of the boxcar that houses the pump that is used for the steam lead.  After removing the boxes of wood and putting them on pallets, with the help of Buildings & Grounds Department the new water pump was put into the car.  This was done by Bill, Bob, and Ralph.

Tammy continued the endless job of painting the brackets that will hold the 428’s jacket on its boiler.  She also filed the shoes and wedges removing any burs.

Ralph, Jeff, and Jim fit the shoes and wedges onto the frame of the 1630.  The shoes went on without a problem, but Ralph and Jim ground the frame so that the wedges fit snug but could slide over the frame.

Bob, Bill, and Ralph drilled rivet holes into the metal rib for the smoke box of the Shay.  Some additional work still needs to be done on the rib.

Rick contiuned his work of smoothing out the areas that were patched on the 1630’s tender. 

Glen and his grandson continued their work on rebuilding the engine of the crane truck by honing cylinders.

Shop Update 3/23/10:

Frisco 1630: The last of the machining work is being completed on this locomotive’s running gear overhaul. The crown brasses of both boxes have been machines to their final diameter and grease groves are being cut into them with a die grinder by Stu. Brian and I put one of the driving boxes on the Bullard Turret Lathe to allow for the final machining work on the hub liners and facing of the crown brass. This is the last task before re-installing them on the axle and putting it all back under the locomotive.

Bill and Tom are working on machining the shoes and wedges and they too are getting very close to the final dimensions. Grease groves remain to be cut into them, and a special machine too has been acquired to complete this task on the Bridgeport Milling Machine. There are a few other small tasks to complete on the driving boxes, shoes, and wedges but hopefully within the next couple weeks all of them will be completed. This would allow us to begin placing the rear axle back under the locomotive in time for operation this summer.

Jason worked on drilling out some of the last remaining stay bolts in the firebox and once this is complete, a hydrostatic boiler test will be preformed to double check the quality of the boiler. This is required as part of the annual maintenance of the engine and will be preformed twice annually: Once for the department to check if there are any problems to fix prior to the test being preformed again under supervision of the FRA inspector.

Dennis and Rick have been working on the tender patch work to return this tender to service. Dennis has completed all the welding on the various patches and holes and Rick has been working with an angle grinder and body filler to make the weld work seamless. The body work will be completed and then Brian will paint the bottom portion of the tender sides to complete the maintenance work on the tank.

All this work will be inspected by the FRA and pending approval of the running gear work and a successful hydrostatic boiler test the locomotive will be returned to service. We are hoping to return it to service this season, but there are still many unknown variables that may prevent this from occurring.

Stop by the shop and keep checking back for updates on this project and the operation of steam at IRM.

All Photos Matthew Dowd

Shop Update: 2/27/10

The last two weekends saw work done on a number of the locomotives.  Last week, Lenny and Jerry visited the shop so, that Lenny could weld the patch into the front tube sheet of the Shay.  Lenny is a certified boiler welder.  Riveting also has been done to the patch.  Nigel, Bob M., Ralph, Collen and Trevor continued riveting the sheet yesterday.

Last week Stu and Jim began the process of cutting grease channels into the boxes for the 1630.  This work was also continued yesterday.  Dennis came out and grinded down his welding on the tender of the 1630.  For those who are unaware, a section about fifteen feet long, on the engineer’s side had been cutout because it was leaking.  Dennis continued to weld the patches.

Bob G. worked on marking sections of the drive shaft of the Shay last week.  At some point in the future, the shaft will be taken apart so that its front truck can be removed to have new springs put in it.  The front of the Shay will be lifted to remove the truck.  A department has been fabricated a beam to do this.

Bill continued the process of milling down the wedges for the 1630.  It would appear that this job is in its final stages.

Shop Update: 1/2/10

The number of members who came out was low because of the holidays. 

Rick and Nigel continued their work on the Shay.  The Shay is being readied for Lenny, a certified boiler welder, to come out and tack in the patch for the front tube sheet.  Once this has been done, the plan is to rivet the patch to the boiler before Lenny permanently welds it into place.  To do the riveting, a brace for bucking has already been installed. 

Bill and Ralph continued the work on machining parts for the 1630.

Shop Update: 12/26/09

Due to the weather, the few members who did show up at the steam shop left early.

Shop Update 11/21/09

Significant progress was made today to ready Union Pacific 428 for a hydro test and inspection by a FRA inspector in the coming weeks. Just about every leak has been corrected short of some minor issues with the dome cover fittings and water glasses. Rick, Stu, and Bob worked to address some small issues prior to the test and Bill, Brian, Nigel, and myself conducted the test with Tom’s supervision.

Stu, Bob and Rick working on the steam dome.

Checking for leaks and watching the gauge.

Work continues on 428’s tender with the painting of the coal bunker and bulkhead and final assembly beginning on all the necessary components to outfit the tender for service. Gary and Cameron took brackets off the cab to facilitate riveting in the near future. Tammy worked all day cleaning up the hardware for installing the lagging on 428’s boiler.

The Shay also received attention from Colin, Dennis and Nigel. The riveting gun bracket was installed and tested to prove concept and test clearances. This bracket will hold the rivet gun in place to make it easier to rivet the new tube sheet patch in place.

Our machinists were active today working on driving boxes, shoes and wedges for the Decapod. Eric, Bill, and Tom machined wedges while Bruce continued machining the crown brass on the final driving box. Brian and I finished ultrasonic testing of the siphon in 1630’s firebox and Jason worked to drill out the few remaining stay bolts prior to inspection.

Last week we installed the signs Brian had painted more than 3 years ago on the Brownhoist Crane. This crane, along with its idler flat, serves a dual purpose for the steam department acting both as a heavy lifting tool and as a shop switcher. The signs were hand painted and are copies of the originals which had been damaged. Work was also done to straighten the mounting brackets they sit on. This required some heat and a little persuasion to allow for a proper fit.

Brand new signs with their creator standing next to them.

Another view showing both the signs and recently installed lights.

There were also many other small ongoing projects happening simultaneously in the shop including fixing a sandblaster, the rebuilding of the motor from the Bay City Crane, and many others. At the end of the day we were treated to a slide show featuring some never before seen images of UP 428 donated to the department by a generous rail fan. Contributions like these are in-valuable to the restoration of any engine as they provide crutial details and insight into the locomotive’s use and configuration.

Shop Update 11/07/09

Shop Update 11/07:

Despite the lack of updates in the last couple months, much has been happening in the Steam Shop. Frisco 1630, the Shay and UP 428 have all been receiving attention along with many other items in the shop.

The Decapod: 1630 has been the primary focus of the department and required work is nearing completion to allow for operation next year. Bruce has been machining the inside diameter of the crown brass for the second driving box along with the excess crown brass stock off the first one to final dimensions. Grease groves remain to be cut in the boxes and this will be done in the near future.

One of the drving boxes nearing completion

Bill, Ralph, and Tom have been using both shapers to machine the new shoes and wedges to the required specifications. These too are nearing completion and should allow us to begin re-assembling the locomotive within the coming months.

Bill mans one of the two shapers being used to mill the shoes and wedges.

After months of welding and grinding by Dennis the tender is now almost water tight with only one remaining leak to patch up. Once this last leak is patched, work can begin on prepping the tender for paint. The prep work will be completed this winter, but final paint work may have to wait until the weather warms up in spring to allow us to paint again. Our resident artist Brian has been busy tracing the numbers and formulating a plan for painting 1630’s tender.

Brian painting a pattern from the McCabe Flanger

The final firebox work is being completed after the entire fire surface was rebuilt and renewed. A new heel will be installed on the butterfly door casting and the new ash pan doors will be installed after the fifth driving axle has been put back in place. Ultrasonic testing of the arch tubes were completed by Jim, Brian and myself and testing of the siphon will be completed next week.

Ultrasounding of the Arch tubes being done by your friendly steam department blogger himself!

UP 428: The water was emptied after the steam test and the leaking water glass fittings and check valves have been removed for repair. Once these issues have been addressed, another hydrostatic boiler test may occur this year to satisfy the FRA inspector prior to beginning the process of installing insulation and lagging.

Bob, Nigel and I worked last weekend to separate the two halves of the cross compound air pump from 428 to allow for honing of the inner walls of the cylinders by an outside contractor. The components were placed on pallets and will be shipped out for work in the coming months.

The Shay: Nigel, Colin, Rick and others have been picking away at the #5’s firebox and smoke box and progress has been made on both fronts. We are working with the FRA inspector and the licensed welder who will weld the tube sheet patch in place to insure compliance with all rules and regulations as this is a major project necessary to the restoration of this engine. Our welding guru Dennis has been hard at work and has donated time, materials, and tools to construct a bucking jig for the required riveting of the smoke box and tube sheet. The never ending process of deciphering the mess of stay bolts in the firebox continues without any end in sight. With every day progress is made thanks to the hard work being done by this crew to ensure that this engine will operate again some day at IRM.

Along with all these ongoing projects, the Bay City crane, Brownhoist crane, and the Koring crane all received maintenance work this weekend. Ralph, Nigel, Rick, and others oiled cables, exercised machinery and installed lighting on these various lifting tools necessary to the department and to the future operation of steam at IRM.

A rare night shot taken from the cab of the Brownhoist showing the newly installed lighting.

And of course Jim filled the pop machine and Tammy cleaned up some of the mess left outside the shop by patrons of the haunted train events of the past weeks. It’s these little things that so many volunteers do without any recognition that contribute to the success of our department and the people involved within it.

Thanks for reading and feel free to stop by the shop to see for yourself the progress being made on these projects and countless others by the IRM Steam Team.

Matt

Shop Update: 8/29/09 428 Steam Test

Coal smoke fills the air as Union Pacific 428 comes alive for the first time in over 50 years.

Ralph throws the first lumps of coal into the firebox to build the test fire.

The fire is started!

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the blowing of the whistle. Its tone leaves something to be desired, but it was nice to hear the “voice” of a locomotive that had been silenced over 50 years ago.

The steam gauge.

Jason watches as the safety valve lifts for the first time.

Ralph and Jason oversaw the test with help from Jim, Nigel, Tom, Vince, and Matt.

Ralph blows the whistle as Jason reaches for the injector to put some water into the boiler

Thanks to the B&G department for helping with the test by providing a Bobcat tractor to act as a coal bunker and for loading of the coal onto the deck of the locomotive.

Not to be overlooked was the work done by Bruce, Stu, Tammy, and Jim on 1630 bearing boxes. The wear plate for the second box was filed and fitted in place on the box so final installation can begin next week. The other driving box is nearing completion but needs final machining to cut down the excess crown brass stock and to cut grease grooves This project along with work on the Shay was going on simultaneously with the steam test

The success of this initial test was moderate, at best, but was a large accomplishment for the department. After more than 25 years of work, it was proven that the locomotive’s boiler is sound and is capable of producing steam. In the coming weeks the problems we found will be addressed and another test may occur before the end of the season if weather permits. Feel free to stop by the shop and check out the progress of this project as well as the other going on in the shop as well.

Matt
All photos by Matthew Dowd