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Friday, February 28. 20142612 forward developments.... Feb 19 and 22Wednesday, February 19th was relatively warm day and the following Saturday was cold. We had the propane heaters on both days to keep Gary and I warm and comfy. In spite of the cold weather, we were productive inside. Gary and I continued our planning for the 3 panel installation by drilling each steel panel with forty-five holes and then test fitting each panel into position. It does not sound like much but the planning and fitting is very important for the eventually out come. You want to plot the holes in the correct space and drill them only once. What's the old saying...measure twice...cut once. That's what we did. Gary and I must have moved those panels back and forth about 4 or 5 times before we decided to drill the holes. We are finally at the point of fitting, installing and tapping some one hundred 1/4-20 slotted round head screws back into the frame. Its a time consuming job and there was talk about an easier way but restoring an artifact does take time.  Gary painting window sill frame It was warm enough to paint Look no coat  Heres the second of four test fits.  Picture of me holding the panels in place I think this might make it  In place with C-clamps holding the 3 panels in place  Mark Hoffman and Kevin Brown stopped by to view our progress. The two conductors were wondering if the coach will be ready for this service this year? In the middle is Gary Sherman. He gave them a positive, YES.  This view is of Gary scraping off old paint on the ceiling.
 Heres Jane helping us with the ceiling
 Remember the painted frames in my basement, three weeks ago?  Now the pictures of all 16 frames with installed glass ready for installation into 2612 Believe it or not... 15 days till Spring!! In order to met our goal I would like to ask for a couple of new volunteers to assist us in our efforts. You can call at the museum and leave a message for me in the office or just show up on any Wednesday or Saturday. We generally have a good time and when you travel home at night you feel certain that you helped accomplished something. Hope to see you in back of barn 3 Thanks Roger Kramer Tuesday, February 25. 2014February 22nd, A Beautiful Sunny (but cold) DayShelly Vanderschaegen helped Kevin Kriebs get things ready to continue to prime the vesibule between the two Exhibit cars. Then Kevin began priming. Ray Mormann and Mark Gellman changed out a 250 volt plug on the Loch Sloy so they had power at 9 am.  Kevin Kriebs applying primer in the vestibule between the Exhibit Cars 2/22/14  Vestibule door primed by Kevin on 2/22/14 Jon Habegger and Mark started working on the barrier to go in front of the Union Station sign in the first Exhibit Car. We don't want anyone to touch the original sign as that would likely cause damage to the artifact or to people.  Jon Habegger and Mark Gellman testing barrier ideas  Mark cutting wood for the barrier in the 1st Exhibit Car  Jon and Mark fabricating a barrier to protect an artifact  Jon captured this shot of the barrier progress Before lunch Kevin primed one side of the vestibule closet door. Right before the end of the day's work, Shelly primed the other side of the door.  Kevin priming the vestibule closet door After lunch Ray and Michael Baksic worked on the kitchen floor area in the Birmingham. There is a bit of a step which needs to be fabricated in stainless steel and they were measuring carefully to get it right. Shelly was working with Goof Off taking stickers off of plexiglass and cleaning the 2nd Exhibit Car baseboards.  Shelly Vanderschaegen cleaning Plexiglas with Goof Off Michael McCraren was working again in the Pacific Peak on Saturday, February 21st. Mark Hoffman worked in the Passenger Car Department on Sunday. Jon Habegger took two outdoor pictures of Yard 5 to share. Blue skies and snow to spare. Yard 5 shot from Jon Habegger on 2/22/14  Jon also captured the RDC in Yard 5 A big thank you to Kevin Brown who brought cookies and soda pop for the snack bar in the Birmingham and who has provided such things in the past. Donations of soda and packaged goodies, chips, candies, etc., are always appreciated. The Department also wants to thank all contributors who have made generous donations to the Passenger Car Department. We can't do it all without your help!!  Thanks for all your help! Blog updates contributed by Pauline Trabert with lots of help from Shelly Vanderschaegen.  The nimble fingers of Pauline Trabert Sunday, February 23. 2014Steam Department Update 02-22-2014
Welcome back to the IRM Steam Department skating rink. A few days of thaw during the week were a mixed blessing. The snow mountains are a little reduced but not much of the water went away. So it has now formed thick ice. Blacktop roads around the site could be ploughed effectively and so dried out. But the unmade roads around the shop now have an inch or more of solid ice. Pauline’s passenger car shop blog has some great pictures of the conditions around the site.
There was a good turnout and most people sensibly kept to the shop once they had carefully slithered their way in. Quite a lot of cleaning and painting had been done during the week and it was generally decided that we would have a “dust free” day so a lot of people concentrated on applying primer or topcoat to the lower regions of 1630. Since we have no separate painting area or dust extraction we have to focus on cleaning and then paint all areas we have cleaned before making any dust anywhere in the shop.
With so many people involved it was difficult to keep track of the progress. Indeed this is an interim update as I left early to go to the Soiree and I will wait to see what happened after I left.
The major focus was on the frames, both inside and out. The confined space just behind the cylinders is probably the worst part.
Brian put in a lot of time in this area. The trick, that he achieved pretty effectively, is to clamber into the space from the rear, carefully paint all around yourself and leave an exit so that you can clamber out without damaging your work.
Further back, just ahead of the firebox, there is rather more space. Jerry is hard at work on the inside of the frames on the fireman’s side. This gives a good indication of how fast things are moving. The inside of the springs on the engineer’s side are now primed while the outside of the springs on the fireman’s side are already in topcoat.
Brian, Phil and I refitted the ends of the valve chambers that had been removed for measurement of valve rings for potential replacement in 2015.
Later in the day, the ends and cover sheets were all fully fitted and the painters had already come by and primed the areas around them.
Jim was back at work on Sunday and sent me this picture. The cylinder ends and all the section behind the pilot is now finished.
Jim was in early Saturday working on the engineer’s side. Later in the day, the engineer’s side wheels, frames and motion are well in the way to completion
The fireman’s side is progressing well with much in topcoat and priming well under way. The lubricator now looks really nice. That was a lot of work. A significant exercise now is quality control, i.e. looking at it from all angles and spotting any gaps. There are so many projections, crevices and angles that this is no small exercise.
Dennis worked with Jane on welding, particularly areas of the coal bunker that showed small leaks.
Jane degreased and pressure washed underneath the boiler of the Shay.
Stu, Bob and Mike worked with Rod on the planer. When I left the hydraulics would move the table in one direction but were showing remarkable reluctance to push it back the other way. Much analysis was continuing of old manuals and drawings to investigate possible reasons for this.
So a very productive day. Nigel Saturday, February 22. 2014February 16th - Another Fun and Snowy Day at IRMThe day started as Curater Michael Baksic epoxied the vestibule closet door in the 2nd Exhibit Car. Previously Shelly had epoxied and sanded half of the door. Shelly took all the photos today except those attributed to others.  Mike Baksic applying epoxy to the vestibule closet door While the vestibule closet door dried, Kevin Kriebs began priming the vestibule between Exhibit Cars 1 and 2.  Kevin Kriebs applying primer to ceiling in the vestibule between the Exhibit Cars  Kevin applying primer to walls in the vestibule Jon Habegger helped Shelly Vanderschaegen put picture frames together while Mark Gellman and Michael Baksic sanded the vestibule closet door after it was dry.  Mike and Mark Gellman sanding the vestibule closet door Later Michael, Ray Mormann and Mark went through the Birmingham diner fixing tables that had missing screws, needed to be tightened, etc. They brought a table top to Shelly to epoxy the edges and Michael also applied epoxy to a table top.  Mike applies epoxy to a Birmingham table while Jon Habegger looks on Lunch in the Birmingham was almost back to normal with humor and many smiling faces.  Lunch in the Birminham with Jon, Michael McCraren, Mark, Kevin, Ray Mormann, and Mike Baksic Michael McCraren continued his work in the Pacific Peak. He reports that he is getting close to priming. Michael took some photos of the snowfall that day and you can see the mounds of previous snow that had piled up. Mark Gellman also captured a snow picture to post.  Taken 2/16/14 from the steam lead looking at the door leading into Barn 9 from Mike McCraren  Looking south towards barns 7 and 8 on 2/16/14 from Mike McCraren  Looking east on 2/16/14 towards Electric Park from Mike McCraren  Looking north toward the station with a 10 ft pile of snow by Barn 3 on 2/16/14 from Mike McCraren  Snow pile at museum entrance 2/16/14 from Mark Gellman After lunch Kevin was priming the vestibule again but discovered that condensation had formed a layer of ice so that was the end of the work day.  After lunch Kevin was priming the vestibule again  Kevin encountered a winter priming problem  Condensation formed ice inside the vestibule Thursday, February 20. 2014Steam Department Update 02-15-2014
The report this weekend is entirely second hand as I have been on vacation in Mexico. Thanks to Jim, Phil and Collin for detailed input. The common theme seems to be that, with Nigel out of the way, there was a good turnout and they were able to get a lot done.
As ever, the primary focus is on 1630 and getting everything in top shape for the season:
Jerry spent most of Saturday scraping grease off the frame on the fireman's side of the engine.
Jane put more of the frame in primer. She also painted the portion of the frame that was already put in primer by Jeff.
Trevor crawled under the boiler and cleaned the interior of the frame.
Jim painted one of the two remaining wheels on the engineer's side and the two back wheels on the fireman's side of the engine.
Jane and Jim also put the last wheel on the engineer's side in primer.
On Sunday, Jerry and Jim gave the fireman’s side frames and wheels a final power wash to get ready for full priming on that side. As part of this they tested the painting of the wheels on the engineer’s side. We had some doubts as the paint used is really old but seemed to apply and adhere very well. It also passed this test with no sign of any flaking under high pressure washing.
Intensive work started on the smoke box where we need to fit a thicker gasket on the front ring and Dennis has to fit the spark arrestor assembly into the box.
Removing the appurtenances from the front of 1630 was challenging due to the weight associated with the bell and smoke box door & ring. Typically, we would prefer to use either the large CAT forklift or, preferably, the boom truck to effect such moves, however, that equipment is currently inaccessible due to the accumulation of snow around the property. We therefore made the most of the small shop forklift, which Ralph maneuvered around. Rick, Eric & his Dad rigged the bell and Ralph lowered it down.
Phil & Paul worked on the new smoke box baffling and hardware. This had been assembled in the fabrication area and then had to be disassembled, brought up front to the locomotive, and reassembled. During this time Eric & Collin worked on burning out the netting channels and Paul finished up by grinding to smooth the smoke box interior. Dennis will now be able to plan the replacement of the mounting hardware.
In the evening
Dennis worked on the weld repairs to the cab sides and roof interior.
On the Shay:
Ralph, with help from Jason, removed several brake rigging pieces to allow for access to stay bolts on the throat sheet.
Despite the appearance he is not cutting the rigging but heating a rusted nut to allow its removal. This is a common technique that usually allows even very old and rusted nuts to be removed without sheering the bolt or stud.
After this work the firebox front is clear for work on the stays.
On #428:
Dennis worked on the welding of the boxes and pedestal braces. Work progresses on all of them at once as the most effective method is to weld one until it gets too hot then move on the next. By the time the 4th is too hot you can move back to the 1st.
On Sunday Tom, Cameron, and Philip all worked on machining various parts including the brake rigging.
In other areas:
Jerry and Bob about the planer tried longer bolts in the pump block and this seems to have overcome the problem of the gasket blowing. There are still minor leaks but, unfortunately the table still does not show any sign of moving under pressure. It is hoped that we have found an outside expert who may have some experience of this type of machine and is willing to come by and advise.
Hopefully this coming weekend we can do as well as this with me around, otherwise I will really start to wonder!.
Nigel
Tuesday, February 11. 2014February 8th - A Cold and Snowy Day... But ProductiveThe day started with Mike Baksic and Shelly Vanderschaegen working on the vestibule closet door from 2nd Exhibit Car. First Mike planed off the edge of the previous week's oops, then they took and fitted the door handle faceplate and drilled the holes. Shelly put wax paper down and Mike put the faceplate on it and then screwed the faceplace in place. Then they turned over the door and Shelly whipped up some epoxy and filled in the holes and now it will cure until next weekend in the 1st Exhibit Car which is a bit warmer. Meanwhile, Mark Gellman was showing Ray what had been done in the 2nd Exhibit Car. Jon Habegger was taking pictures.  Mike Baksic and Shelly Vanderschaegen planing the door edge for the 2nd Exhibit Car  Mike lining up the door handle faceplate  Shelly filling in holes on the vestibule closet door  Jon Habegger on hand to help out and take photos Next the group went into the Loch Sloy. Mark, Ray Mormann, and Mike are going from room to room putting in missing screws, putting doors back on track and checking that the lights are working, checking the metal work to be sure everything is in place and so forth.  Ray Mormann repairing a sliding door track in the Loch Sloy  Mike adjusting a berth in the Loch Sloy  Mike and Ray adjusting a door latch in the Loch Sloy  Mike and Ray working on sliding door access panel  Mike replacing screws in Loch Sloy compartment  Mark Gellman explaining door mechanics to Jon Habegger Michael McCraren continued his patient work in Bedroom F of the Pacific Peak. (All images below are from Bedroom F.) He joined the rest of the gang for a chilly lunch in the Birmingham, as did Buzz Morisette.  Left side of the hallway leading into Bedroom F - this shot shows every color the room was painted  Right side of the hallway and the wall by the divider  Wall by the divider showing some stainless steel |
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Comments
Fri, 08-18-2017 00:52
Hi John T, We would love to have a copy of your Ohio crane information. Please contact Mark Secco concerning anything about rail bound cranes. Thank [...]
Fri, 08-11-2017 00:05
Randy, The 543 was never in that paint scheme. It'll likely be restored to the zebra stripe scheme whenever it does get restored. Jamie
Thu, 08-10-2017 17:46
If you ever get the money to repaint this engine, I would hope you would repaint it to have the big letters Santa Fe instead of the small print. [...]
Thu, 08-10-2017 10:38
I would like to know if these MR #649 and #542 were part of FEVR excursion in Nebraska? Awesome to have them to be part of IRM collection!
Sat, 08-05-2017 23:30
They need to restore Milwaukee road 33 and 37c along with the 3 Milwaukee road f units hey have
Wed, 08-02-2017 20:01
It was supposed to be restored and sat behind the NS Altoona shops for the better part of two years, waiting for that to happen. We finally had it [...]
Tue, 08-01-2017 02:42
those 2 Milw cars would actually look good behind one of the Milw F7's or the E9's.
Sat, 07-29-2017 22:02
I just donated to the Save the 800 campaign. Should the campaign fail, I would like my donation re-directed to ATSF FP45 #92 please. Please tell the [...]
Sat, 07-29-2017 13:14
I see Conrail 4601 has finally arrived. I suspect a cosmetic restoration and getting donations to put it in a barn are in order?
Sat, 07-29-2017 01:51
It was restored at Altoona before coming to Union from the Essex, CT area. BTW, is or was it going to be restored as a Virginian engine? or kept as a [...]
Fri, 07-28-2017 11:54
It appears to be the E33 that IRM aqquired a year or two ago.
Thu, 07-27-2017 14:06
What is the 4601 locomotive parked in front of the diesel shop?