Diesel Department

This weekend was spent mostly cleaning up the shop while we had the opportunity. Over the past few months, and quite often during the last several weeks, the electric car guys have been using the track 22 bay to prep, prime and paint the 2000 series rapid transit cars. That has severely limited the times we can do other work with their priming and painting and the requirement for respirators while they're doing that sort of work. Anyway, we were able to move about a dozen pallets of stored material from the isles of the shop. The 20 EMD 645 power assemblies from the Dresden Nuclear plant, several pallets of electrical contactors and parts, the original air compressor from 803, and a couple pallets for miscellaneous parts were moved into one of the two storage units assigned to the diesel department in the new storage building. Jim West began sorting parts on three other pallets, stacking many cummins engine parts into a crate.

We'll continue with this sort of work over the next weekend or two, as well as move a few locomotives around after the 2000's are moved out. The 9908 will be coming into the shop to continue the rotted steel replacement around the cab sides and get the nose door changed out for the one we traded at Spencer last year. The 411 will come in to have its cab restoration and painting completed. We're always looking for new volunteers, please contact Me, Roger B, or Eric Z if you want to help out in the diesel shop.

Below is the most recent version of the line up for Diesel Days on Sunday, July 20th, 2014! We are also planning on running the UP 1848 and BN 5383 on the first trip of the coach train, and just 5383 on the second trip. And then other random power throughout the remainder of the day on that train.

USA 8537

CBQ 9255

CBQ 504

CE 15

SP 1518

MILW 118C

MILW 760

MILW 37A, BN 9908

GBW 2407, MT 200

WC 7525

CNW 1689

CNW 6847

CNW 4160, IT 1605

CNW 411, Coach train

BN 1, BN 2 (DIC)

BN 3, bilevels

BN 5383

NP 14

UP 1848

CBQ 9911A Nebraska Zephyr

Below is the most recent version of the line up for Diesel Days on Saturday, July 19th, 2014! Come visit IRM for one spectacular event!

USA 8537

MILW 760

CE 15

CBQ 9255

CNW 4160, IT 1605

MILW 118C

BN 1, BN 2, Coach train

CNW 6847

WC 7525

NP 14

CNW 1689

BN 9908, MILW 37A

SP 1518

CNW 411

CBQ 504

GBW 2407, MT 200

UP 1848

BN 3, bilevels

BN 5383

CBQ 9911A, Nebraska Zephyr

This years Diesel Days brings three new locomotives to the event (Union Pacific 1848, Chicago & North Western 1689, and Wisconsin & Southern 102) as well as five E-units, seven operating 4-stroke locomotives, and a total of 24 running locomotives in the Parade of Power!

We'll kick off each day at 10:30am with normal operations, the coach train pulled by BN1 and BN2; the Nebraska Zephyr pulled by CBQ 9911A; and the CNW bilevels pulled by BN3. Later in the day we may have a few freight train run-bys. We will change the power on the coach train after the parade. The locomotives used for the operations schedule is very much in flux at the moment.

The Parade of Power will begin around 1:00pm-1:30pm each day and will include the equipment listed below. The exact lineup is still to be determined.



Equipment is as follows (subject to mechanical condition):

United States Army 8537 (45Ton)
Commonwealth Edison 15 (SW1)
Burlington Northern 5383 (U30C)
Burlington Northern 1 (F9A), 2 (F9B)
Burlington Northern 3 (E9Am) CNW Bilevels
Burlington Northern 9908 (E9Am)
Wisconsin & Southern 102 (E9B)
Milwaukee Road 37A (E9A)
Milwaukee Road 760 (H10-44)
Milwaukee Road 118C (F7A)
Nekoosa Paper 14 (S1)
Minnesota Transfer 200 (RS3)
Green Bay Western 2407 (RSD15)
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 (SD24)
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9255 (SW7)
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A (E5A) Nebraska Zephyr
Illinois Terminal 1605 (GP7)
Southern Pacific 1518 (SD7)
Union Pacific 1848 (B40-8)
Wisconsin Central 7525 (SD45)
Chicago & North Western 6847 (SD40-2)
Chicago & North Western 4160 (GP7R)
Chicago & North Western 411 (F7A)
Chicago & North Western 1689 (RSD5)

We'll keep the usual disclaimer of All equipment and schedules subject to change without notice.

A night photo session is not scheduled this year.

On Friday, November 23rd, Brian Swan and I made it out to the shop for part of the day. The main task was to further the vestibule end of the combine that the wednesday special projects group was unable to finish. This end is the last of the welding and fabricating to be done before the carbody can be painted.

We focused on needle chipping and cleaning up the frame and accessories under the vestibule platform, and under the door threshold. The diaphragm had been cut off this end long before it came to IRM, and the parts that were left in were rusting and heaving up the deck. The parts in the center were removed and stored, and the plan was to clean everything up, prime and paint it all on the inside and then replace the deck and other sheet metal that is rusted through.

Brian started to prep the corner by torching out the rusted sections and cleaning up the cuts for new steel. We started digging through all the sheets of steel we have in stock, trying to find the right sheet to use, which happened to be some leftovers that were originally used on CB&Q 504. Brian started cutting the stock to shape and prepped and primed what will be the insides. Meanwhile I continued priming everything in the frame and all the remaining springs and parts within the frame.

The next step will be to weld the deck back on and start working on the side sheets on both sides of the vestibule steps. We are still looking for some additional welders, and anyone that would like to help in the shop for that matter. If you are interested, please contact me. thanks, Jamie.

Saturday was a short day due to the monthly board meeting. Afterwards, Dan, Rod and I switched track 104 to clear it so a few cars could be moved out of track 4 in Barn 10. This was done so the B&G department can store the Santa Fe sign in a safe place indoors. It will be stored there until such time as there is funding and a location to restore and display the sign properly.

For Sunday, the morning started with Jim and myself helping out Will and Jen to finish the tear down of the Terror cars on the west wye. The bridge that allows people to walk between the baggage car side door and the box car door had to be disassembled and the modules stacked in the box car. Between the walls and the deck, they are pretty large pieces that take a few people to move. Once that was completed, me, Jim and Kyle moved to the days planned activity of moving the ComEd 15 (EMD SW1) over the electric car department pit on track 41 to work on the #1 gear box.

Earlier in the year, CE 15 was taken out of service due to some derailment damage to the #1 gear box and a broken pin on the brake rigging. The brake rigging pin was replaced to allow the unit to make two passes for the Diesel Days Parade of Power back in July. The bottom of the gear box was bent and split open from a failed weld on a side sheet to the bottom. We were planning on removing it for repairs to be made, but found a way to do the job in place. We welded a large eye bolt to the center of the pan under where the gear was and used a bar and hydraulic jack to force and bend the bottom of the pan close to its original position and welded the seam that was cracked open. A few packs of gear lube was added and the loco was moved back to yard 2 to be prelubed and started.

We then switched a few more cars around, using CE 15. The last four Terror cars on the west wye were put away on the turntable leads and there were three flat cars in yard 13 that were in the way of ballasting track 134, so they were moved to the yard 13 lead. The loco was put away and we retired to dinner at a reasonable time for once.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!