By: Don Meyer, Manager
Take a walk along the gravel road that separates the Coach Shed from the main line and you will reach the turn that takes you across the track between the Engine House and the Car Shop. There on Engine House lead number one, just outside the building, you will find the boiler for the Saginaw Timber Company No. 2 steam locomotive.
Its surprise appearance last week came after years of work by the principal owner, Skip Lichter, contractor Gary Bensman, employees at Milwaukee Boiler for any certified welding and scores of volunteer helpers made up mostly of Mid-Continent members. The boiler successfully passed its hydro test on June 29th, endured a few more tweaks and then was loaded up by Mike McCutchin and his crew, who has gained a lot of experience moving Mid-Continent equipment on and off the property since the days of the flood.
You will see that the boiler is sitting up on cribbing made of railroad ties, thanks to the help of our one-man section crew, Dave Lee. The location was chosen as the best place possible, given current conditions, for Skip and others to have access to shop tools and supplies while they start the long task of re-assembly of the several components held in storage since the boiler was dismantled seemingly eons ago.
Unfortunately the view of this location by our second web cam is obscured by the Engine House itself. And while I am not sure about the technology involved, it seems to me to be a good time to invest in a third camera in order to give our many on-line guests the chance to watch any work taking place from the comfort of their easy chair or office.
I’ll simply use this opportunity to drop a hint to our web master, Pat Weeden, to see if he will literally rise to the occasion and climb the ladder to the eave of the Coach Shed and place a third camera there for the benefit of all concerned. Mid-Continent’s finances are sound enough to foot the bill for the purchase of this added luxury and addition to our increased security efforts.
While the physical presence of the boiler provides all steam enthusiasts with visible evidence of progress in our steam program, work is quietly taking place on the summer issue of The Railway Gazette, which will tell the story of what remains to be done on the locomotive’s running gear and tender. Text and photos of this exclusive report is the work of Scott Lindsay, president of Steam Operations Corporation.
As most of you know Scott’s services were contracted for by Mid-Continent to help us resolve any disputes about how best to do the tasks needed to complete this long sought-after project. The magazine’s layout is nearly complete and I anticipate we can have it back from the printer’s and in the mail to you by early August while the summer issue designation is still applicable. I think you will find the content most insightful and worth our investment.
Scott also informed me late last week that his report on the boiler and running gear of the Western Coal & Coke No. 1 is nearly finished. Our goal is to make it the featured article in the fall issue of the Gazette, due out in September, as a means to keep our members and donors fully informed about the work needed to advance that project forward. Then the challenge before the museum’s leadership will be to convert that report into a viable budget in time to support our year-end fund raising for the steam program.
Another hint to Pat: it’s time to update our web pages devoted to the restoration of our steamer fleet. Scott’s reports should provide us with ample information to do just that for a much broader audience than our Gazette readers. And you don’t have to go to great heights in order to achieve this one.
