February 17, 2020 This past week we began making preparations for the piston installation. The cylinders had been honed several years ago and a rust inhibitor was applied. Wednesday and Saturday both cylinders were thoroughly cleaned and sealed off from any contaminants. Saturday we were to attempt the first piston install on the engineer’s side. […]

February 10, 2020 A nice AT&SF Steam Video for your enjoyment. It’s about 17 min. long:Santa Fe How to Operate a Steam Locomotive Since our last steam-up we have been addressing some minor items to do which are listed on the current punch list. The compressors are one of those items. The top cylinder heads […]

January 21, 2020 Well we had a very busy week. Saturday a week ago we filled the tender and locomotive in preparation for another steam-up this past Tuesday. Matt C., COO (Chief Operating Officer NMSL&RHS), arrived on Monday morning for an afternoon meeting with NMDOT representatives. The following morning he served as our official fireman […]

January 3, 2020 Happy New Year to all! We are still installing insulation and jacketing, electrical wiring and components. The forge crew continue pouring parts for the Cumbres & Toltec RR. Unfortunately we have had to spend many volunteer hours fortifying our restoration site putting up more razor wire and removing access points from our […]

December 2, 2019 Despite the nasty weather this week a few hardy souls showed up for work. We closed early Saturday due to cold winds. Last Saturday, while Gail and I were off site, more work was performed on our chemical storage room insulating the walls and ceilings. Elsewhere electricians continued work on cab wiring […]

November 17, 2019 Electrical work continues in the cab as conduit and wiring is being installed for the various instruments and lighting. We are using warm LED lighting to conserve power. The always present insulating and jacketing project moves along as the various panels are customized to fit each space. The boiler water test station […]

November 5, 2019 This past week we went about fixing minor leaks which were noticed during our successful steam-up and safety valve setting. Various valve packing were removed. High pressure rated packing material was procured and is being installed. The upper certified pressure gauge piping was removed and rerouted away from the vent valve. As […]

October 7, 2019 We had a great open house this year as to visitors and contributions. The site was humming all day with early birds waiting at the gate to get an early start. Thanks to all the volunteers who put in a 10 hour day. Kudos also to B&H wholesale popcorn and workers to […]

September 25, 2019 Gail and I are back to work after a couple of weeks of R & R. While we were gone some good progress was made in several areas of work. Thanks to Tom G. for taking over in my absence and for Gail’s replacement it was Janet P. Thank you both! Both […]

August 13, 2019 As most of you know we steamed up the 2926 for the second time Monday a week ago, July 29th. Matt Casford came in from San Antonio, TX to be our official fireman as he is a member of NMSL&RHS. The steam up went according to schedule until the 290# PRV (Pressure […]