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Sunday, April 22. 2012Steam Department Update 4-21-2012A successful day at the steam shop. We now expect the ultrasonic testing to be done weekend of May 5th so yesterday was an opportunity to progress other activities in preparation. 1630 saw the light of day for the first time in nearly a year when we pulled her out to remove the throttle valve and allow cleaning of both the locomotive and the shop area where she has been sitting.
Eric and his father made good progress in testing the tell tale holes in the firebox stays. The engineer's side is now largely complete. By midday Jeff had the BrownHoist de-winterized and running and we were ready to shunt 1630 out of the shop.
Once outside we worked on the removal of the throttle body, which will be lapped to ensure a good seal when reassembled. This is an awkward piece that sits in the dome.
However, with some help removing cotter pins from inside the boiler, it was removed and taken to the shop. It has apparently been removed and refitted in the past with all the tubes in place. I have a lot of respect for the guys who achieved that !!.
It was good to see 1630 in steam again !!.
Seriously though, it was an opportunity to do some steam cleaning and the locomotive now looks a good deal better and easier to inspect.
The opportunity was also taken to clear the area around and under the locomotive, that had accumulated the most amazing collection of insulation debris and other muck as well as odd items that had fallen while working.
By end of day she was back in the shop and ready for ultrasonic testing. In other areas, Paul and the lads made good progress on needle chipping and wire brushing the Shay truck. Glenn over came a problem, that has developed in recent weeks, of the fork lift battery failing to hold a charge. Far from the suspected defective battery he found that a loose terminal and blown fuse in the line from the alternator meant the battery had not been connected to the charging system at all for the last few weeks!!. Next weekend will probably be quiet as many of us need to attend the rules exam. Nigel Sunday, April 22. 2012Wood Shop Update - April 21, 2012This will be another shorter report. It seems my hands were full and no opportunity to take more pics. The benefit is that I can get this posted sooner.  Another Window We started the day working on one of the last two windows that has yet to see any attention for the Sand Springs 68. Victor Humphreys is test fitting the pieces for this long narrow sash for the clerestory.  ROCKY I moved on to giving some lettering attention to our recently painted hopper, Great Northern 70104. The railroad herald is fairly elaborate, at least for me to paint by hand. We applied the black circle last Wednesday for the center of the logo. Here, I am positioning a mylar pattern for the artwork, while comparing it to an official GN company drawing of the herald. "ROCKY" is the accepted name for the goat which became in effect a mascot for the GN.  Half a Goat I took a break to climb back down from the scaffold, and snapped this image of the goat in progress. It is all on now, but will need another coat of white.  By the Numbers Tim Peters was creating new numbered glass sash for Chicago Rapid Transit 1797. The glass has been etched by sandblasting on the interior surface and placed into the new sash. Then, computer generated artwork masks are placed on the inside. Here, Tim is applying several coats of black paint to the inside. When complete, the numeral masks are peeled off to reveal whitish numbers from the frosted glass in a black field, when viewed form the exterior of the car.  The Hole Job Lorne Tweed was clearing the old threaded holes to mount more interior panels and trim on Cleveland Transit System 4223, and running a tap through them as needed. Eric Lorenz was installing sets of window tracks on the north side of the car and he has exhumed four pedestals from storage. These will be restored, then mounted to the roof inside the cowl area to hold the trolley pole base. And, as usual, a whole lot of other work. Victor Humphreys cut some wood lining to be reinstalled in our B&O boxcar, and several of the 'boys' participated in safety and rule review meetings for the operators. |
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Comments
Fri, 03-29-2024 21:26
We're slackers and spend more time working on the equipment in the shop than keeping all you readers updated. We'll work on it, but I'm sure updates [...]
Thu, 03-14-2024 08:02
What happened to the Department Blog? It's been over 2 years and I still regularly check for updates, but nothing comes...
Mon, 12-27-2021 16:28
Happy New Year to all the Departments at the Illinois railway Museum! Thanks for all the good work you do in railroad preservation. Ted Miles, [...]
Wed, 10-13-2021 13:33
Was the CB&Q 1309 every transported to IRM?I’ve been reading old issues of Rail&Wire and the car was mentioned several times.
Mon, 06-07-2021 22:40
I was wondering if in the model layout display what scale would you guys be using and would you be displaying model train history as well? Just [...]
Wed, 06-02-2021 17:27
Nice to see 428's cab back on. Looking forward to when it is operable!
Tue, 06-01-2021 16:47
I hope the work will continue on the UP #428. Now that they are the museum's connection to the national railroad network; she would be very [...]
Sat, 04-17-2021 23:07
What is the status of 126, the Milwaukee Buffet car that is in S. Dakota? Any guess on when or if it will get to IRM?
Wed, 04-14-2021 21:09
Perhaps it is time to scrap the remains of the c, B & Q 7128 to make room for the Villa Real. Ted miles, IRM member
Wed, 04-14-2021 15:26
Hi IRM my name is Jason and I was wonder If you guys would be willing to save a CN Dash8-40cm they are currently being retired by CN and being [...]
Fri, 04-09-2021 19:56
Bear in mind that the Nebraska Zephyr is an articulated train set, so cars cannot be inserted at will. Although cars and/or a second engine could be [...]
Wed, 03-31-2021 11:37
I believe Silver Pony is currently on the back burner, and has been put into storage in one of the barns. The car needs a lot of work done to it's [...]