Sometime after the first part of 1942, the C&NW changed the “face” of 1385.  They were required to. The steps from the front bumper beam to the smokebox of the engine were changed to conform with a mandate from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The ICC was the federal board governing, amongst other things, the interstate dealings of the railroads from 1887 to 1996 and what was left of the ICC became the Surface Transportation Board thereafter. The range of the many things under their purview included safety appliances and devices on rail equipment and one of those things was the runboard steps on the front end of locomotives.

This update will be using “runboard” as that is the terminology the C&NW uses throughout their drawings for 1385, although the components are known by numerous other names, including running boards, foot boards, and tread plates. You will note the portion of the drawing below was issued January 12^th, 1942, and elsewhere on a portion of the drawing not shown states “For all R-1 class engines with old boilers.” The 1385 is indeed an R-1 class and has what the C&NW called the old boiler.

A best guess of the reasoning behind this requirement is that it made it so all vertical spaces between steps on the runboard would have a solid plate so a person’s foot could not slip between steps.

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Here is a photo of sister engine C&NW #1402 showing one of the R-1 class step designs before the ICC required modifications.

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Below, we see the old steps propped up into place to be able to check alignment and attachment.

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 On the engineer’s side you can see how warped and cracked the attachment edge of the original step has become.

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A new plate of steel was purchased, sheared, and bent to form the replacement steps.

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Here, we see the new engineer’s side step has been trimmed to fit the bumper beam and is clamped in place, ready to be drilled for the mounting bolts.

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On the fireman’s side the magnetic base drill has already made the holes and the bottom mounting bolts are in place.

The runboards that get attached to the smokebox and connect to the steps discussed in this update will be the next pieces of the puzzle to receive attention.

Donate to the 1385 Restoration Fund

The Chicago & North Western #1385’s restoration relies heavily on donations. We’d love to bring this piece of history back home to Mid-Continent and have it running again. If you like seeing these updates and would like to help bring this project to fruition, please consider donating!

To donate by mail or by phone, visit our Donate Page.

As work progresses on appliances the question comes up on where do we store them?  The best place we can think of is, as seen in other updates, on the engine itself.  This is also true of the air compressors. 

The 3-D chess continues with a careful layout of where on the boiler the holes will be drilled to receive the studs that will hold the compressor bracket. Great care is required so the compressors will end up straight up & down with the bracket mounted to the curved surface of the boiler barrel. 

The perfect fit to the boiler barrel is a testament to both the skill of Continental Mfg. and attention to dimensional detail during the design process. 

Read to the end to see how you can volunteer to help bring 1385 back to operation!

The next fixture to be mounted on the backhead of 1385’s boiler is the firedoor – the fireman’s target.  The Franklin air-operated Butterfly door had been completely rebuilt and was patiently waiting its turn to rejoin the 1385.  Like other appurtenances mounted on the boiler the firedoor will have to utilize a spacer ring to allow for the height of the staybolt heads that stand proud of the boiler surface.  As noted in earlier updates current construction codes require that the head of the staybolt stand above any weld.

The first step in the process is a simple cardboard and paper template is set on the backhead to mark the position of each of the staybolts.  The template for the adapter ring is an outline of the door mounting ring.

After the adapter ring has been cut out of a plate of steel it is set up on the bed of a CNC milling machine and the clearance notches for the staybolt heads are cut so the adapter and the door can lay flat on the boiler. 

The adapter is then positioned and clamped to the backhead so the holes for the mounting studs can be drilled and tapped.

Once the drilling and tapping is finished the rebuilt door is mounted. 

Here is a before and after comparison.

As an added bonus here is a short video clip of the door in action in its new home.

For extra credit here is a comparison of the backhead between the start of 2022 and late 2022. Installation visible included the lubricator, throttle, try-cocks, sight glasses, grates and grate shaker mechanism, and firedoor.

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C&NW #1385 Volunteer Opportunity

Calling All Volunteers:

Who: YOU!
What: Painting Party for parts of the 1385
Where: Middleton, WI
When: Friday & Saturday February 24 & 25, 2023
Why: To help complete the Rebuild and Reconnect with the Engine

It has been far too long since we’ve had a 1385 Volunteer Session at SPEC Machine and we are going to cure that with a painting party! We will be painting many loose parts for the engine such as the ashpan, brackets for the air tanks, bracket for the power reverse, sand dome parts and many others. This is a Friday and Saturday session to allow business owner Steve at least a one day weekend.

We plan to start about 9 AM both days and knock off around 4 – 5 PM whenever a good stopping point is reached.

There will be a big pot ‘o chili for lunch and folks are encouraged to bring along something to share. Potluck is always such fun.

If you can make it one day or both please either sign up on our volunteering form (use button below) or previous volunteers can contact Pete Deets directly. RSVP is required so that enough chili can be cooked up.

Any time given will be thankfully accepted greatly appreciated.

**UPDATE** Due to insurance requirements related to this volunteer session being held at a contractor’s facility, this volunteer session will only be open to members of Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society. To learn more about becoming a member and the perks that come with membership, visit the Join Us page.