Mid-July 2015 C&NW 1385 Update

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

Although updates have been a bit sparse of late, activity on the Chicago & North Western #1385 has continued forging ahead. The work completed in the last few months is not the kind that make great headlines, yet all of it is equally important toward achieving an operational 1385. Without further delay, here is the latest:

  • The driving boxes, shoes, wedges and hub liners are all now complete, save any modifications needed for grease or oil lubrication and any adjustments found necessary at final assembly of installing the drivers into the frame.
  • The footplate has been fitted, holes reamed, and tapered bolts installed to hold it place.
  • The locomotive’s spring rigging has been fully rebuilt. It is being installed onto the frame and will be stored in place unless it proves to be in the way of other work.
  • Most recently, work has begun on the machining and renewal of the connecting rods and bushings.

Other tasks coming up in the near future (In no particular order) include:

  • Rebuilding of the front truck.  The wheels on the front truck are currently being assessed as to whether they can simply be re-profiled and still offer adequate service life, or whether replacement is necessary.
  • Renewal and machining of the valve cages.
  • Cleaning/polishing of the finished rods.
  • Boring of the cylinders.
  • Cleaning and test fitting of the valve gear to determine wear and repairs needed.

The 1385’s new boiler is nearing the end of the engineering review phase and is expected to enter the build phase within the next several months. The boiler will be discussed further in a future post.

Photos provided by Brian Allen. View full album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/7777754@N08/sets/72157655692852722

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Brasses, Bolts, and More

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

To start this post is some photographs and videos taken earlier this year but never posted until now. These document some of the work that was performed at Hercules Precision, LLC in Baraboo on C&NW 1385’s crown brasses and driving boxes.

A driving box is a box-shaped casting which is fitted to slide vertically in the pedestals of the locomotive frame. The driving boxes hold a brass that rests on the journal of the driving axle. The weight of the boiler, locomotive frame, and the cylinders rests upon the driving boxes, with the exception of the weight that is carried by the 1385’s leading truck.

Inspections revealed one crown brass out of the six required replacement. The remaining five had a good amount of service life remaining.

Photos and video courtesy Donald Blausey, Hercules Precision, LLC.

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In more recent photos, taken June 17, 2015 at SPEC Machine, the finished driving boxes can be seen being installed into the frame pedestals. Additional photos show holes continuing to be reamed for the many custom tapered bolts being created and installed as the frame and it’s components are reassembled.

Also of note in the photos is the new footplate that has been installed. The original was found to have a significant crack (see March 30, 2014 post). The drawbar, which connects to the tender and thereby the rest of the train, is attached to the footplate. Given the heavy stresses these parts are placed under, it was determined that for safety reasons, it was best to replace the footplate entirely rather than attempt repair of the original casting.

Photos courtesy Brian Allen.

 

Summer 2015 Road Closure

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Due to the ongoing construction of a US Highway 12 bypass around Baraboo, State Highway 136 in West Baraboo is closed while an interchange is constructed. The closure is expected last until mid-September 2015.

Highway 136 is normally the most frequently used route to reach Mid‑Continent Railway Museum from the east, including visitors coming from Wisconsin Dells, Baraboo, Madison and beyond. During this construction period, the official detour will take drivers via Highway 33 toward Reedsburg, to Highway 136, through the village of Rock Springs, and finally onto County I to reach North Freedom and Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

As an alternative, detouring via County Highway W and County Highway PF offers a shorter and faster way to reach North Freedom (7 to 15 miles shorter depending on starting point). Regardless of route used, please allow extra travel time when planning your visit to accomodate the extra distances.

Click on the map below for a larger version of detour route map or download the PDF version.

Highway 136 Detour Map for Baraboo Bypass Project

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Reaching Mid‑Continent from Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton Using Alternate Route

  • From Interstate 90/94 Exit #92 (next to Kalahari Resort & Great Wolf Lodge), follow US Highway 12 eastbound for 8 miles to County Highway W
  • Turn right on County Highway W, follow for 5.7 miles
  • At T-intersection, turn right on County Highway PF, follow for 1 mile.
  • At the 4-way stop sign in downtown North Freedom, turn left on W. Walnut St.
  • Follow W. Walnut St./Museum Rd. for 0.4 mile to Mid‑Continent Railway Museum.

Reaching Mid‑Continent from Middleton/Madison West Side Using Alternate Route

  • Follow US Highway 12 westbound to West Baraboo
  • Immediately after passing Walmart (on left), turn left on County Highway W
  • Follow County Highway W for 5.7 miles
  • At T-intersection, turn right on County Highway PF, follow for 1 mile
  • At the 4-way stop sign in downtown North Freedom, turn left on W. Walnut St.
  • Follow W. Walnut St./Museum Rd. for 0.4 mile to Mid‑Continent Railway Museum

Notice to GPS Users

If using a GPS device for navigation, be aware that some devices give the wrong location for Mid‑Continent Railway Museum, incorrectly showing the museum several miles southwest of North Freedom. Mid‑Continent is actually located just outside the city limit, 0.4 mile due west of 4-way stop sign in downtown North Freedom. The exact location is shown in the Google Map below.

April 4 Volunteer Opportunity for 1385

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The semi trailer containing various C&NW #1385 parts loaded during the March 21 volunteer session has now been moved to SPEC Machine where restoration and repair work is taking place.

Volunteers are needed once again to help unload the parts from the trailer at SPEC Machine. The unloading “party” is planned for Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at SPEC. Please join and lend a hand if you can.

SPEC Machine
7175 Riles Road
Middleton, WI 53562

—UPDATE—

A small team of volunteers came out to complete the task on Saturday morning. In addition to lending a hand, Fred and Kathy Vergenz snapped some photos of the unloading as well as scenes around the SPEC Machine shop.

 

Parts Loaded and Ready for Transport

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

On Saturday, March 21, volunteers answered the call seeking help with loading various stored parts of the Chicago & North Western #1385 steam locomotive in anticipation of delivering them to SPEC Machine in Middleton where work is taking place to bring the locomotive back into operation.

From 1385 Task Force member Pete Deets:

“Another great day! I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to everybody who lent a hand: Brian, Mike, Mike, Richard, Kyle, Fred, Kathy, Steve & Moore Space. We had such fun getting a load on the trailer we will be planning an unloading party as well. The date has not yet been set but will be within a month. We were even able to put in some time taking measurements from the old boiler to try to clear up some of the differences between the drawings and the actual vessel. Thanks again to all because your time is truly appreciated and valuable to the Museum.”

An announcement of the next volunteer opportunity to help with unloading the trailer will be made here and on our Facebook page when the time and date is known.

All photos courtesy Fred and Kathy Vergenz.