Work Session Status Week Ending 11/28/2015

December 2, 2015

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and safe travels.

On the site we are still fixing known boiler leaks found during the air test. We have removed many flexible staybolt plugs for reconditioning and checking their seats for proper alignment with their threads.

All of the washout plugs have been removed and their copper seals reconditioned. All of those have been reinstalled.

Various steam pipes are being insulated and a protective coating applied. This type of insulation replaces the original asbestos tape used and is very expensive.

All of the new foot boards have been painted and installation has begun. Pipe supports are also being installed under the foot boards as needed.

One of the compressor governor’s filter housings was broken. Repair materials were obtained, fabricated and then machined as needed.

New lubrication lines are still being fabricated and installed. Many are in difficult places to work.

All welding on the sand dome has been completed. All welds have been ground smooth and ready for paint. With the current temperatures being as low as they are it will require an external heat source to preheat it prior to painting.

Some of the brake shoe heads have had their brake shoe contact points worn away. They are being reconditioned and each shoe custom fit to their head.

The fuel burner has several steam cuts and it is being repaired as needed.

Three more flexible staybolt sleeves had to be removed and replaced due to damaged threads.

The repair parts for the forward corner of the fireman’s side ash pan have been fabricated and await final installation.

Work on the brake stand continues. Access ports have been cut. Existing bolt holes have been cleaned with bolt taps. Panels to cover the access ports have been measured so they can be fabricated.

The 2015 Christmas cards are on their way. Inside you will find the usual membership renewal reminder with various support opportunities. Those memberships are very important as they are a large portion of our operating budget for the coming year. If possible please donate something extra this year to help out with some major expenses upcoming. Indicate on your check or PayPal where you would like the extra to be used.

If you have not visited the SANTA FE 2926 page on Facebook recently, you are in for a treat. Julie T. is our coordinator, and the features, photos and videos show all the action taking place these days. Just go to Facebook then enter SANTA FE 2926, and then enjoy more news!

Here is a word from our Chief Safety Officer, Jon S.:

As we approach the operation of 2926 we will expand the focus of our safety training to include operational safety. To that end the Annual Safety Review for 2016 will be given by Mr. Warren Scholl. Warren is retired from BNSF where he specialized in Safety and Rules training.

The Annual Safety review will take place on Saturday, January 23 and will be held at the Local 412 Plumbers & Pipefitter’s Hall located on the SE corner of Zuni and San Pedro in Albuquerque. The training session will begin promptly at 0900! However, rumor has it that if you arrive at 8:30, coffee and breakfast burritos will be available. There is plenty of parking. Enter the parking lot off of San Pedro south of Zuni.

This is an extremely important training session. If you have any aspirations of becoming part of the operating crew of 2926 you should make every effort to attend this session. In our preliminary talks with the state of New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) we have learned that the successful operation of 2926 will involve multiple players that include the DOT, BNSF, AMTRAK and the Rail Runner. NMDOT has given us a list of things that we must do before taking 2926 out to “stretch” her legs. Included in this is an Operational Safety Plan which will include many new rules, studying and passing an exam and passing a medical qualification to obtain certification (Rules Card). Warren School will be telling us all about it.

This will be the only Annual Review session with Mr. Scholl. The Annual Review session for February will be on a different subject. That makes it doubly important for you to attend the January training session if you want to be part of the operations crew!

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

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