Work Session Status Week Ending 10/10/2015

October 14, 2015

This week began as most of them with removing wasted and broken stud bolts both on the boiler and those on the mud ring supporting the firebox pan.

Work resumed test-fitting the new footboards and checking the bolt alignments.

We also began to reassemble the sand dome. The bottom half was lifted and set on supports to a perfect elevation for ease of welding this upper half to the bottom. Fitting the upper to the lower began Saturday.

Mr. Wolf F. was on site Saturday to recheck, via ultrasound, the areas on the boiler which were identified previously as being deficient in regards to the metal thickness and all these areas were repaired and passed subsequent inspections. Two areas were overlooked during repairs which were then remedied and rechecked with ultrasound on Saturday.

The ongoing work of flushing and reinstalling lube oil piping continued. Compressor and governor tubing also progressed.

The mock-up of the brake stand is still being fine tuned. A steel transition plate for it was designed, laid out and hand cut with a torch.

Dick D. was in town this week from IN. He spent time in the machine shop fabricating ends for the 5/16″ lube oil tubing. He also was sent back to IN with several homework jobs. The most important being the elusive light assembly for the double sided Ashton boiler pressure gauge. Jim V. was able to procure this part as a loner from Coby E., curator for the Museum of Transportation, in St. Louis, MO. Dick will use it as a template to fabricate one for the 2926.

As we have been installing the trailing truck brake shoes we have encountered a reoccurring problem; they don’t fit perfectly into the backing feet. Whether it was due to metal shrinkage or what we’re not sure. The problem is being rectified by carefully removing the excess metal and rough casting from the back of the shoe. A time consuming job but one that must be done.

For all who are wondering about our winter hours, we will be starting that time effective Nov. 1st. So that means the first work session to start at 9:00AM is Wed. Nov 4th. The first General Membership Meeting on Nov. 14th will start at 8:30AM and will continue that way with those meetings until the time changes again. We will try to work later in the day, but for visitors it should probably be 3:00 PM closure time.

Hope to see everyone at the site this week, and as usual . . .

Keep on Steamin’,
Rick Kirby, CMO
NMSL&RHS