Work Session Status Week Ending 06/22/2013

June 24, 2013

The work began early this week as five volunteers journeyed to Pueblo, CO on Sunday morning. The mission was to procure two boiler mounted cab supports and several parts which made up the tender to locomotive buffer. These were some of the items stolen last year.

Bob D. and Dave V. began work on the buffer dropping a draw bar pin. The Pueblo group provided a diesel locomotive to slightly separate the tender from the locomotive which enabled them to extract the buffer parts.

Later they joined George D., John M. and me as we removed the cab brackets. Those parts proved to be very stubborn. Each nut required heat from a rosebud to remove them. The inner cab support was removed Tuesday morning. We then headed home stopping in Wagon Mound to visit our friend Mr. Schmidt. He had informed us that he had several items we might be able to use. After a tour of his shops we left there with a dynamo and two air/steam operated water pumps.

Wednesday the normal gang off-loaded the tools and equipment we used in Pueblo. The procured parts and the Wagon Mound treasures were also unloaded. The crew immediately began removing crud from the parts and one of the pumps.

Other continuing projects include cab wood painting, flexible staybolt plug removal and reconditioning the threads in the sleeves.

Various parts and equipment supports are being painted. The hot water boiler feed pump supply piping project has begun. Much of it was wasted away and is being replaced. The first piece from the heater and the square flanged piece connecting to the pump will be reused.

The heat will be on this week down at the site. As they are calling for 100° temps on Wednesday at the airport it will most likely be over 100° at the site. It’s possibly a day for working through lunch then going home. When we go to lunch and get back to the site it’s much hotter than when we left and not much to do but put away tools and go home. We seem to get much more done when it’s hot by working through that cool time then leaving for the day. We’ll see what happens.

Hope to see you at the site this week, and as always . . .
Keep on Steamin’,
Rick Kirby, CMO
NMSL&RHS