WOW ! Thanks for sharing your great work on #4963. I like all that you have done to restore it. At Ace Hardware, they have order forms for die-cast house number plates that have circles & rectangles as options. I have thought about having a few made with my favorite CB&Q steamers' numbers for display on my home walls. Maybe something like that could be done for #4963 as a fundraiser for its restoration ? Thanks again !
Hey Brian,
To my understanding, the Okadee door hinges were made specific to the locomotives they were ordered for, due to the different diameters of locomotive smoke boxes. From what I can tell, this is not the kind of part that spares would just be lying on a shelf. I could be very wrong, and a donor could be found tomorrow with an original set that works perfectly!
I know that this is an extreme back burner project, but I would suggest fabricating two new ones out of steel plate. From the complete examples I have looked at, they are not too complicated to create.
Keep it up, I absolutely love seeing what happens in the steam shop!
-Stuart Harrod
Nordsjælland Veterantog Steam Shop Machinist
Hello Brian The engine sure looks sharp! Its amazing what a coat of paint will do. I remember seeing that engine along with the CB&Q 5632 in the scrape yard in Chicago in 1974, 87th and the Dan Ryan expressway. I got pics of the northern but not of the 4963. Hard work but it sure pays off. Nicely done teamwork!! Roger
Roger, et al I took a lot of videos of the moves of steam locomotives I helped move to IRM (C&O 2707, CB&Q 4963 Santa Fe 2903)I edited them and gave copies to the library. So somewhere in Marengo are VHS tapes of these moves. Ralph
Please ignore my last question i did not see the last paragraph, what i meant is do you have 4963's original whistle because i think it would be cool if you had the whistle to put it on 1630.
Hello all,
As you can see, sometimes it takes a while for me to respond to the blogs! Nigel has so far been the person who puts my blogs up, and as such I do not get notification of new comments.
Thank you all very much for the positive comments on our work. It really helps motivate us.
Stuart, I have thought about having a CAD drawing done to have parts cut in flat steel plate to weld together to make a new hinge. I would like to see that done. It may be a future project to do.
Luke, we do not, unfortunately, have 4963's whistle. We have a spare Burlington five chime that has been rebuilt for Union Pacific 428 to use. We also have the three chime for 637. The three chimes are rarer than the five chimes, and the three chime is what 4963 appears to have last used in service. If anyone has a CB&Q three chime they would be willing to donate or sell to us at a fair price, please let me or Tom Schneider, curator of steam, know about it.
As a side note, our shay has worn a modified CB&Q five chime almost the entire time she was in service at IRM, and will wear it again this year when she returns to service.
And as another side note, we would like to have the proper whistle for Union Pacific 428. If we had it, that would then make the CB&Q five chime available to use on 4963, if needed, or for possible display on hudson 3007. The Union Pacific used, among other whistles, five chimes that were cast by the Union Pacific and also by Star Brass. We would ideally like to have a five chime cast by the Union Pacific for 428. If anyone has one they would be willing to part with, please let Tom Schneider or me know.
Brian,
There are 12 other UP C57 Consolidations around. Why not inquire to the owners of these and see if they mind parting with a whistle. Here most Nebraskans have zero interest in steam preservation short of a few of us sprinkled around the state and some in Omaha at UP. It may also be a good idea to consider inquiring about being donated or purchasing another C57 as a parts source and display piece while 428 is on the road (think 838 and 844). I have seen several of them across the state and most are in sad shape. The ones in Kearney, Fairbury, and Lexington come to mind. They are neglected and where they are have no hope for the future.