Fletch and his crew will be working on the #9 this Saturday, May 20. We are planning to start at 10am. The weather is looking nice. Fletch says, “If you wanna be cool, come join us.” Lol.
This is an opportunity to help cosmetically restore the Dardanelle & Russellville #9, Mid-Continent’s oldest locomotive (1884). The locomotive is located next to Mid-Continent’s Car Shop Building. To learn more about becoming a volunteer with this project, contact the museum office or stop by during the work session.
April 22, 2023; We had our first volunteer session on the D&R #9 last week, for the 2023 season. My apologies that a notice was not put out for our first get together, but life got busy on me, and I didn’t get it submitted in time. I will try to stay on top of it for future events. That is also the reason I am getting this update out so late.
We had a successful and safe session along with “somewhat cooperative” weather. That included sun, wind, cold, some light rain, and of course snow flurries at times. We had about 7 volunteers our first weekend, which was a great turn out. We also welcomed our first new volunteer in a long time, and I want to thank Tyler for all his help Saturday. We hope he continues to join us on future sessions with the #9. And a big thank you to the usual volunteers for returning for yet another year; Steve Pahl, Mike Laabs, Frank Fisher, Jay Slinde, and of course our lead volunteer, Fletcher. I hope I didn’t miss anyone.
After a long winter, we uncovered the Locomotive (although mother nature had mostly uncovered it for us by this time). She was looking really good and dry, and ready for this upcoming year. We also got a crew on the front of the locomotive, removed the Dyno, and checked it into storage for future preservation. The tender was looking good as well, and was right where we left it. One of the biggest tasks we accomplished this weekend was planning and coordination. This tends to be a main tasker of ours at the beginning of the year, and for good reason. We also met with Chris Burdick to discuss big events such as the stenciling of the Tender, and the next goal for painting on the Locomotive. All very exciting topics, that we hope will soon become a reality.
It is looking like Saturday May 20 will be our next volunteer session on the #9. I will put out another announcement to confirm as we approach that date. Again, thanks for everyone’s help this last weekend. – Jason & Fletcher Reiman.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Come join Fletch and his crew this weekend at North Freedom for a volunteer session on the Dardanelle & Russellville #9. We will be doing some small house cleaning items, and then wrapping her up for winter hibernation. The current start time is 10 am, and as usual, we will meet at the south end of Mid-Continent’s Car Shop.
This weekend is also Fletcher’s 11th birthday. So if you see him around the museum, please wish him a happy birthday.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Although there was no official volunteer session for the #9 in August, Fletcher and I made up for our absence last month with a run to Westfield, WI.
It was there, at the DW Sawmill that we picked up some beautiful white oak timbers that will eventually be used to rebuild the #9’s pilot, and the running boards that once flanked her boiler.
We thought this was going to be a cakewalk, but we learned otherwise as we ran into many small obstacles. Nothing horrible, just the standard rain, traffic, time, poor directions, unplanned fuel stops, and the shocking reminder that the Amish do not take credit (lol). But Fletch and I rolled with the punches and delivered the timbers to the museum late on Saturday. Many thanks to Jeff Huttenburg for sticking around at the end of his long day to help us out. After our long day we had to get home, but we took a couple of minutes to run over to Coach Shed #1 and set our eyes for the first time on that tender, with her fresh, new, and beautiful coat of paint. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop on down to check it out, and keep your eyes out for our next volunteer session.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
July 30 – August 2, 2022; I have no idea who Wayne Dyer is, but he once said “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” And if you look at the #9 now, this could not be more true. For four days (Saturday, July 30 to Tuesday, August 2) our hard-working crew transformed the coal tender of the D&R #9 to something that is almost unrecognizable to us younger folk. But, I have to imagine for those that knew the #9 in its younger years, it will bring back great memories of its heyday.
The work began on Saturday by dragging the tender out of Coach Shed #1. Once the journal boxes were prepped to keep sand out, the rest of the day was spent blasting the old paint off. The blasting continued for over 5 hours until the heat became too uncomfortable, and the tender was shoved back into the coach shed to prevent dew from accumulating on the bare metal.
Sunday saw the completion of sandblasting operations, and once complete, the tender was blown off and shoved back in the coach shed where she was wiped down with a solvent to clean off any impurities.
Monday saw the first primer and base go on the tender. The boys worked hard together in a symphony of moving ladders, running supplies, and keeping the paint flowing. They also worked late, and by 7 pm, they had applied 2 coats of base on almost 80% of the tender, but the intense heat prevented them from completing it. For a 3rd night, the tender was put away in the coach shed.
Tuesday was the final day of work, and the boys started early to beat the heat. The tender was rolled out once again, and the last coat of base was applied to the west side of the tender. With all base coats complete, the crew switched over to the application of a clear coat and had that done in 2 hours. Once complete, the tender was once again shoved back into the Coach Shed, roped off, and all tools and equipment were picked up. The crew tied up at 5 pm for the last time on this job.
With the wrap-up on Tuesday evening, the D&R #9 tender has its first coat of fresh/new paint in what we believe to be over 30 years. And it looks great. With a total of 38 working hours from start to finish, I want to send a heartfelt thank you to the following members for their time and hard work that made this part of our restoration such a huge success: Mike Laabs, Jeff Haertlein, Frank Fisher, John “JT” Titus, his friend Andrew Cervenka, Jay Slinde, Richard Colby, Ed Ripp, Kevin Pickar, Elena Burdick (16 years old), and everyone else that was there to help. A special thanks to Chris Burdick for his time, services, equipment, skill, and materials that were the foundation for getting this job done. And special thanks to Steve Pahl for leading the way on the ground. None of this would have been possible without all these amazing volunteers. With that, we will keep charging forward with this restoration. Thanks for following along, and we are looking forward to our next step.
Jason Reiman, D&R #9 Project Lead
“Before” photo taken in 2021. Jason Reiman photo.
First primer coat begins being applied after sandblasting. August 1, 2022.
Chris Burdick (right) gets ready to begin painting the tender’s fireman side while Steve Pahl, Sr. (center) and Jeff Haertlein (left) mix paint inside Coach Shed #1.Chris Burdick applies primer to the D&R #9 tender. August 1, 2022.D&R #9 tender had two coats of primer applied. August 1, 2022.Chris Burdick begins painting the D&R #9 tender in the first coat of black. August 1, 2022.Chris Burdick begins painting the D&R #9 tender in the first coat of black. August 1, 2022.D&R #9 tender. August 2, 2022. Steve Pahl, Sr. photo.D&R #9 tender. August 2, 2022. Steve Pahl, Sr. photo.Chris Burdick applies clear coat to the D&R #9 tender repainting. August 2, 2022.
Chris Burdick applies clear coat to the D&R #9 tender. August 2, 2022.
