Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
STEAM is rising from the D&R #9 once again!!!. Yes…you read that correctly, steam was seen coming from the #9 during a second volunteer session July 24-25, but this time the steam was produced by J&W Services LLC. Using high-pressure water at temperatures around 250 degrees, the tender and locomotive were thoroughly washed and degreased.
Many thanks to Fletcher Reiman, Jerry Huntington, Steve Pahl, and Frank Fisher for helping to prep the engine on Saturday by wrapping steam lines, removing air hoses, and re-applying grease/oil where necessary. The next volunteer session dates are To Be Determined, as we coordinate with vendor for sandblasting and painting.
Update provided by Jason Reiman.
Prep Work
Preparing the D&R #9 for pressure washing.
Pre-pressure washing prep work to protect some parts of the locomotive.
Pressure Washing
Equipment for the day’s pressure washing.
Pressure washing the D&R #9 with steam.
The crew from J&W Services pressure wash the D&R #9 with steam.
The Results
Tender trucks after steam pressure wash
Some bare metal exposed on D&R #9’s tender tank after receiving steam pressure wash.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Work continues at a steady pace on Mid-Continent’s Chicago & North Western No. 1385 steam locomotive. SPEC Machine’s Steve Roudebush took some time out of his day on August 24, 2016 to show off the latest progress on the locomotive’s rebuild for this report.
The change most instantly noticeable upon walking into the shop was the shiny, like-new front truck sitting in the center of the shop floor. Like-new may not be a fully appropriate term, as considerable portions of the front truck are new. One wheel set had a goodly amount of life left in it and merely required machining to bring it into proper profile. The second wheelset had been worn quite thin and needed to be replaced with a brand new wheelset forged in Pennsylvania for the 1385. Binders, spring hangers and truck equalizers were also created new to replace heavily worn originals.
C&NW 1385 completed front truck
C&NW 1385 completed front truck
Manufacturer’s sticker on new wheel for C&NW 1385 front truck.
Additional work on the front truck included pouring Babbitt, lining the pedestals with bronze, and polishing pins and bushings. The front truck is fully complete and ready to be rolled under the locomotive, which is anticipated to happen sometime in September.
Detail of bearing on one of C&NW 1385’s front truck wheels.
C&NW 1385 running gear in the SPEC Machine shop.
Above where the front truck will be rolled under, the pistons have been fully bored and the valve cages nearly completed. One of the valve cages that was found to have cracks is being replaced with a new one. The new valve cage is anticipated to be machined on SPEC’s CNC machine in the coming weeks. Work has also begun on the crosshead guides and valve gearing. After those tasks are complete, brake rigging and appliances will be next on the task list.
Refurbishment of the 1385’s crossheads and crosshead guides has begun.
The cylinder has been bored and reassembly is underway.
The two major components missing from the 1385 as it sits in the SPEC Machine shop is the cab and the boiler. To see the cab, we took a short drive to the shop of Loren Imhoff. Imhoff has graciously donated all his time spent working on the cab. Inside was a nearly complete cab. Already quite sharp looking with a bright green interior and a black exterior, another coat of paint will be added inside and out. The ceiling vent, which had proven to be a challenge due to limited available drawings, was complete and functioning. A few items remained to be completed: the ceiling needs a few boards painted and installed yet, the windows need a few hardware items remade to replace lost or broken originals, the seatboxes are not yet constructed, but all is expected to be completed by October and the cab brought to SPEC Machine so it can be made ready to mount to the frame and the roof weatherproofing material applied.
C&NW 1385 cab nearing completion.
Cab ceiling and roof hatch.
Steve Roudebush leans out the engineer’s window of C&NW 1385’s nearly complete cab.
C&NW 1385 cab drawings.
The other major component on which the 1385 Task Force has focused a great deal of attention on lately is the boiler. It has taken longer for the boiler to reach construction phase than was originally anticipated, but this was one area of the locomotive rebuild that was not to be rushed in any way. As the single most expensive component of the project, there is no room for error. Finally satisfied that the boiler design is ready for production, the 1385 Task Force has now begun gathering quotes for manufacturing of the new boiler. Once a vendor is selected and the order signed, production is expected to occur fairly quickly.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
A quick update on the Chicago & North Western #1385. Earlier this week, one of the front truck wheelsets was being turned on a lathe. Work on these wheels is being carried out by Harvey Diversified Trades. (Pictures via Harvey Diversified Trades LLC Facebook page). The job prompted the Harvey Diversified Trades Facebook page to write “I used to think this lathe was big until we put a locomotive axle and wheels on it.”
“Finished up the week machining on the front wheels for the 1385 steam locomotive for Mid-Continent Railroad Museum. Certainly kept the machine firmly on the floor….they are heavy.” — Harvey Diversified Trades Facebook
C&NW 1385 pilot wheels on lathe.
C&NW 1385 pilot wheels on lathe.
C&NW 1385 pilot wheels on lathe.
Two of the four 28″ lead truck wheels (pictured) are being retained and machined to specification, while the other two wheels were worn enough to necessitate replacement with brand new wheels. The new wheels were produced at a forge in Pennsylvania and delivered to Milwaukee, WI to be pressed onto the axle by NRE Wheel Works.
Both wheelsets will return to SPEC Machine in Middleton, WI where they will be united with the front truck assembly which has been undergoing repair work there.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Jeff Bloohm, President of Mid-Continent, has shared a brief overview of the Chicago & North Western No. 1385’s status.
Here is an update as to where the 1385 is towards completion:
Frame work including driving boxes save fitting the boiler mounts and furnace bearers, brake cylinders and valve gear pivot points is finished.
Work on the drivers is finished. Work on the rods save the wristpins into the crossheads is finished. The cylinders are finished. One valve cage is finished, the other about 40% done. Work on the drive wheel suspension is finished. The cab is 75% finished.
Work is now concentrating on the front truck and that is about 60% finished. The axles have been inspected and journals polished. The bad set of wheels has been pressed off and the new wheels are being machined. The wheels on the other axle are also being turned. The boiler design is within weeks of being ready for 3rd party review.
Work yet to be done:
Final teardown, cleaning, inspection and repair plan for the valve gear, pistons, valves, and brake rigging. All appliances still require inspection and repair planning. The superheater header, ash pan, and stack require close inspection and repair planning. The fountainhead and all valves need inspection/repair/replacement.
After delivery of the boiler, the jacketing will need repair/refitting/rework.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
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.
