Steam Department

It was a very successful weekend in the steam shop.  Although strictly not many of us were “in the steam shop” for very long on Saturday!.

Dennis and his son Keith, assisted by Jerry, Rick and others as required, occupied the shop to do the long awaited spray painting of #1630.  The rest of us kept well away while this was going on.

The results are impressive.  It took a little while to set up and test the new sprayer and the epoxy medium. 

Early stages

However, once this was done, progress was remarkable rapid. 

Rapid progress on the boiler

By mid-afternoon everything was done.  All the loose parts, tanks, dome cover and the banding strips were done.  We are spraying only the back of the tender.

Nearing the end

She really looks good.  A great job by Dennis and Keith.

Unfortunately it is very clear that a plain shiny black locomotive does not photograph nearly as well in an enclosed shop as does one with all sorts of different colored patches!. 

What a transformation

On Sunday, Jim and a small team removed all the masking so she is now looking much more like a finished locomotive.

Now we wait to confirm how long it will take for the epoxy medium to get thoroughly hard so that we can fit the plugs and valves into the top of the boiler to do the hydro test.

The rest of the team concentrated on getting a supply of water and proving the pool heater ready for the hydro test.  The water car was switched to the front of barn #9 and filled using a very long run of pipe.  (It cannot be located to the steam lead as the switch is being repaired and that area of track is out of service).  However, this worked well and by afternoon the water car was full and back in front of the shop ready for use.

A temporary arrangement was set up to run water from the car thru the heater and back to the car to test the heater.  Clearly Jerry did a great job last year!.  The heater has traditionally been a bear to start up after the Winter.  This time we simply started the water flow, switched it on and 30 seconds later it fired up and ran smoothly.

So we are all ready to put water into the boiler and heat it up for the testing as soon as we are confident that the paint is hard enough to allow us to access the boiler and make the connections.

We can now begin a whole lot of activities needed to refit all the small items removed to allow painting and make her ready for operation.  It will be a busy couple of weeks!.

Nigel

Another short blog this week and some nervousness!.

Despite significant progress this weekend, the key activity of spraying #1630 was not undertaken.  This means that the timetable for planned first steaming on the 17^th May is now tight.

The painter identified a number of areas where  the preparation was not sufficient and there was furious activity on Saturday to ensure that all the additional rubbing down, screwing down of sheet metal and masking made us ready to paint next weekend. This was done and we now wait with great anticipation for next Saturday!.

Aside from the preparation for spray painting, good progress was made in other areas:

The steel work for the spark arrestor was fitted into the smokebox.  It now fits and the welding to the smokebox sides can now be carried out.  The sheet metal may need to come out one more time for final adjustment but we are on the final leg.  There was much muttering and cursing about the weight of the new steel that has to be hauled around and carefully positioned in the enclosed space of the smokebox.  It is a LOT heavier than the old steel work …….. which was 50% corroded away in many places!!.

Christian and Jason did most of the steel fitting.  Christian is actually taking a break in this shot.  The main work requires crawling up behind the new sheet metal to fit bolts into the assembly from high up and behind the platework.

No one said it would be easy

Stu, Ed and a team successfully recommissioned the water supply.  This is critical as we must move forward to hydro test as quickly as we can once the paint is applied.

Jim rubbed down the bell mount and headlight on Saturday then painted them on Sunday.

The connectors were successfully removed from the ends of the old (and seriously corroded) steam supply pipe to the air pump.  This was a job with considerable concerns as the connector at one end is a very old and unusual type.  Separating it, so that it can be repaired and reused on the new pipe that has been professionally formed to the correct series of bends, is essential.  There was a significant exposure had this connector been damaged during removal.  However, Tom and Dennis, with careful use of the “blue wrench”, separated it without damage.  This will actually allow it to be considerably improved as long standing damage can now be corrected by building up and turning the connector in the lathe.

So. Good progress in several key areas.  However, the road to operation will not be open until the spraying is complete.  Then one helluva lot of jobs will need to be carried out quickly.  My fingers are crossed!.

On a different note – Time to start making plans for this year’s Steam Department Benefit at Sanfilippo.  This year's benefit event will take place on Sunday, June 29.  There will be door prizes, as well as a 50/50 raffle during the benefit event.  Time to tour the magnificent Sanfilippo collection, a concert on the Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ, and a silent film accompanied live will once again be a part of the benefit event.  New this year will be a special raffle for a CAB RIDE ON 1630!  This will be the only chances to ride in the cab of the restored steam engine! 

Tickets (same price as last year, $69.99 per person) are now on sale and can be obtained by going to www.irm.org or by calling the Illinois Railway Museum at (815) 923-4391.

We thank you for your past support in attending a previous benefit event at the Sanfilippo Estate, and look forward to seeing you again this year!

Nigel