Sunday, February 23. 2020Rotary Update
I am excited to provide an update on one of the major ongoing projects in the steam department, the restoration of Union Pacific Rotary Snowplow 900075. This fall, project leader Jeff Calendine and steam department volunteers separated the tender from the rotary snowplow and prepared it for painting. The tender then went to the diesel shop, where Jamie Kolanowski and other diesel department volunteers worked their magic, yielding the flawless paint job seen here.
Although this is a major step forward on this project, Jeff informs me that funds are still needed to replace the windows and moldings removed when the plow was retired and to renew the hoses that connect the rotary snowplow to its tender. And, of course, donations are needed to ensure that this project has indoor track space so that this amazing restoration will remain in excellent condition decades into the future. Donations to this project can be made at https://www.irm.org/donations/rotary-snow-plow/. Tuesday, December 10. 2019Happy Holiday RailwayOne of the great things about IRM is the way we pull together to make the magic happen. Several weeks ago was the first weekend of the Happy Holiday Railway, a heart-warming event that our museum has hosted for many years. Before the event, several steam department volunteers were busy decorating the museum's grounds and a number of volunteers from the Electric Car Department and Diesel Department were hard at work preparing the trainset. A number of steam department volunteers also descended on the depot to fill it with holiday cheer.
First, we went to our favorite green-roofed home improvement store,
where we quickly became overwhelmed by the available choices (and
repeatedly lost members of our party in a maze of pre-decorated
artificial trees).
We hope that we will see you at this year's Happy Holiday Railway event!
Friday, November 1. 2019Steam Department End-of-season MaintenanceGreetings all, Apologies for the delay in posting. I just started a new job and haven’t had much time to write. Fortunately, the steam department is full of people who like talking about trains and volunteering to do things. Accordingly, I am pleased to provide you with an update on the end-of-season maintenance process that was graciously written by Conn McCarthy.-Chris — The operating season may be over, but the work continues as the Steam Department prepares the locomotives for the winter storage and maintenance season. Here is a brief look at what’s involved in putting a steam locomotive to bed for the winter. The process starts by removing any leftover coal from the tenders. Usually we plan the last day’s coal load to minimize the amount that must be removed. This year due to an unplanned schedule change we ended up with a full load of coal, 9 tons, all of which had to be shoveled out by hand. The water is then drained from both the locomotive and tender and the water lines between the two are disconnected. The firebox gets attention next. The arch brick is removed and stored. The metal grates that support the burning bed of coal get clogged up with ash and cinders which must be chipped out by hand. Using a broom, built up soot is cleaned from the sides and top of the firebox. The tubes and flues are flushed out with water to remove accumulated soot. Turning attention to the front of the locomotive, the smokebox door is opened, and the netting removed to allow access to the smokebox. The inside of the smokebox, front tube sheet and superheaters are thoroughly washed out and inspected. Blake and Carina remove the netting from 1630’s front end. The netting catches live cinders, preventing them from being blown out the stack. Washing the front tube sheet and superheaters requires a slender volunteer. Those legs belong to Tim K. Here we also have a nice view of the inside of the smokebox including the table plate, diaphragm, exhaust stand, blower nozzles, petticoat pipe, and netting. Volunteer Logan S. takes his turn washing the superheaters. This is one of the least pleasant jobs to do, but Logan and Tim are both new volunteers who are excited to help out in any way they can. We certainly appreciate their enthusiasm. After everything is washed out the boiler is filled with compressed air and the locomotive is run back and forth along the steam leads several times to dry everything out. After that all of the air and steam powered accessories are run individually on compressed air to remove any remaining moisture. All the valves are then left open to completely dry everything out. Volunteers Eric W. and Conn M. hook up the air lines we use to pressurize the locomotive. Two lines are used, one connected to the boiler and another to the main reservoir for the brakes. Next is the boiler wash. Federal regulations require the interior of the boiler to be washed out every 31 operating days. Washout ports sealed with threaded plugs are strategically placed to allow the interior to be cleaned out with water. Working from top to bottom and front to back sludge and scale are flushed from the boiler. The location of some of the washout plugs makes getting to them challenging. Here Conn gets cozy with Shay 5’s front truck as he works to remove a washout plug in the bottom of the boiler. Volunteer Andrew O. gets an impromptu shower as he flushes out one of the washout ports underneath 1630’s boiler. Washing the throat sheet. Water can also be seen coming out of the third course belly washout opening. After the inside is clean, it’s time to wash the outside. A clean locomotive is a happy locomotive! After the exterior is washed the frame and running gear is steam cleaned to remove accumulated grease and grime. Volunteer Brett G. discovers what’s really at the end of a rainbow, a steam locomotive! Brett came to visit us from his own steam shop in Wisconsin, where he is working on restoring a S-100 tank engine. We hope that he will visit again soon! Now the locomotives are ready to be moved into the steam shop. Over the winter the steam crew will be busy putting in many hours completing the annual inspection of both locomotives and making sure they are in top condition for next year’s operating season. This year the steam crew got called upon to perform a task that isn’t part of the usual winterizing process. A visiting family heard meowing noises coming from one of the locomotives on display in barn 9. It was discovered that a baby kitten was trapped inside the frame of the GG-1. A quick rescue mission was dispatched and the kitten was successfully rescued. -Note from Chris: the Kitten was taken home by a steam department volunteer and is reportedly in excellent health. Many of you have been asking about the status of the inspection pit. Work is progressing, track is going in, and I hope to have a much more detailed update for you in the next few weeks. And, as always, if you like steam locomotives but are watching from afar, I would encourage you to come volunteer with us. As Tim and Logan show, you don’t need prior experience, just enthusiasm. We also have a number of projects, such as research and exhibit design, that can be performed remotely. Thanks for reading! |
Blog AdministrationCategory TreeCalendar
QuicksearchSyndicate This Blog |
Powered by s9y.
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 [...]