Engine 557 Restoration Company   Progress Report  September 17,  2012

Mr. Gregory P. Malloy, President of the National Railway Historical Society and Barton Jennings, PhD, 2013 National Convention Chairman for the NRHS, visited the 557 Engine House on September 13th. Following a tour, preliminary arrangements were made to conduct  a shop tour on September 22, 2013 as part of the NRHS National Convention to be held in Anchorage and Fairbanks.   Participants will be bussed from Anchorage to the 557 Engine House for a visit with the Mechanical Department Crew as well as 557 Board Members and supporters.    The tour will conclude at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry for lunch and activities there.   The NRHS Convention is an opportunity for Engine 557 Restoration Company to solicit major donors and promote our project on a national stage. Attendance at the conference is expected to be 350 to 500 enthusiastic rail fans.     

RAILROADS ILLUSTRATED, September 2012 issue, features Engine 557 Restoration Company on page 21 under the banner Alaska Steam.

TRAINS MAGAZINE offers a $10,000 preservation grant competition.   Art Chase, Pat Durand and Dave Blazejewski are preparing the grant proposal which is limited to 200 words and five photographs.   Submissions are due by October 31, 2012 and the timing could not be better.  Wish us luck!

One month to the day since taking on the 557 restoration project, the regular volunteer crew has grown to 14 talented people with diverse backgrounds.   Known collectively as the Mechanical Department, they share a love of railroading, steam engines and a willingness to learn, in addition to knowing which end of a wrench does the work.  Individually they bring a wide range of skills to the project.  

Mechanical Department Crew on hand September 15, 2012   Kirk Waldhause, Art Chase, Jeff DeBroeck, Dick Morris, Larry   Erickson,  Gerry  Keffer,  Jerry Cunnington, Roy Foster and Patrick Durand.     All three photos are by Jeff DeBroeck.  

As a result  of this volunteer effort, 557 has been systematically photographed,  disassembled, parts labeled and will be organized in storage as soon as a 48 foot container is landed at the Engine House. The cab was removed on September 15, along with the lubricators, brake stand and associated plumbing.    The crew works in teams to support all these efforts, lead by Jeff DeBroeck and Larry Erickson who both have years of experience with heavy iron.

Art Chase spent the weekend in the firebox, removing the old fire brick,  and then using a rotary wire brush to clean the entire interior surface.   This is preparatory to completing a full grid of  ultrasound measurements.    Once the professional abatement crew has completed their work on the exterior of the boiler, similar measurements will be conducted on the boiler shell.

There are still some backhead components to be removed and some of the valve gear before we turn it over to Central Environmental Services for the abatement process.  The goal is to make their job as easy as possible since they are providing the effort as an in-kind donation to Engine 557 Restoration Company.

The ambient temperature in the building is about 45 degrees and going down with each passing day.  One of our next challenges will be building a machine shop tool crib which will provide some heated space to work on all those appliances that need to be cleaned and reconditioned.    

To join the Mechanical Department Crew,  first make a donation to: The Alaska Community Foundation 557 Fund at 3201 C Street, Suite 110, Anchorage, AK 99503.      Then send an introduction with contact information, listing those skills  and certifications you want to bring to the project.  

Email to:  sewtrain@mtaonline.net 

Snail mail to:
Engine 557 Restoration Company
PO BOX 876360 
Wasilla, Alaska 99654.

To view earlier progress reports and keep current with 557,  check in regularly with our official web page at alaskarails.org