In the1943 edition of News Week, Baldwin Locomotive Works ran a full page add with a letter addressed to Baldwin Men and Women abroad and at home. You may need to zoom in to read the message, but it speaks for itself. In the bottom right corner is a sketch of a war ready S-160. By the time Baldwin, Lima and Alco were done with the contract for the US Army Transportation Corp they had produced 2120 S-160 steam locomotives. 557 represents this, the largest class of steam locomotives ever built in North America. She is a true G. I. Veteran.

Steam Services of America sent us a 4200 pound box of stay bolts, superheater components, and boiler taps. Inventory of the stay bolt taps and packaging the several hundred parts for short term storage took three days.

Volunteer machinists, Laverne Buller machined these flexible stay bolt sockets (sleeves) while Doug VanWingerden produced the caps. These are replacements for some of the original flexible stay bolts across the front of the crown sheet.

While rebuilding electrical components like the tender back up light, we can now test them using a new shore power pack built by Ken Elmore. 120 V AC provides both 32 volt DC and AC. When the boiler is cold and the Pyle National Turbine is not working, this power supply will support the locomotive electrical system.

Ken is preparing the head light case for a coat of white bright paint on the interior. A total overhaul was completed before this unit was installed on the back of the tender. A little quirk that would go undetected unless you needed to replace one of the brass screws holding the reflector and lens in place. They are 1/4”-24 treads per inch. Not standards such as 1/4-20 or 1/4-28.

New floor boards for the 557cab are 1.5 inch thick clear laminated white oak from Mark Stearns at Alaska Wood Moulding Company. David Lucas our cabinet maker is fitting the floor boards and making clearance holes for all the penetrations required for the brake stand piping and the firing stand controls. The steam injector controls for water and overflow come up right next to the seat locations through the cab floor. The recessed bolt heads will be buried in black epoxy, sanded flush with the white oak that will then be clear sealed.

Under that new floor this snakes nest of plumbing is one of the challenges that retired ARR Master Mechanic, Jerry Peters is dealing with. On the air bench, Jerry has just restored one of the two dirt collectors (filters) in line between the air reservoirs and brake stand.

Continuing progress is being made on restoration of appliances. This disassembled Starter Valve went through the cleaning and inspection process before receiving paint and assembly into the complete starter valve. So what is a starter valve? A lever from inside the cab connects to this quick acting valve. A single pull on the lever opens a full 2 1/2” flow of steam down to the non lifting injector for optimum operation of the injector. The top of the starter valve on each side is connected to globe valves on each end of the auxiliary steam manifold. During operation these manifold valves are normally open so the starter valves are always charged and ready to do their job.

Ron Dudley has formed the pilot brace mount for the smoke box end of the new pilot braces. The braces will be secured at the front of the frame with fabrications made from these components.

Charles Dillard, Alaska Railroad Mechanical Inspector, volunteered his time on Saturday, July 30th to inspect the three couplers we have reserved for use with 557. All passed the gauge tests and were deemed serviceable for use on the Alaska Railroad.

Jerry Cunnington crawled into tight quarters inside the shop truck supporting the tender. Working with Lynn and Ken they were installing the special motion dampeners designed to relieve vibration and stress points where the water discharge valves are attached to the bottom of the tender tank. We recognized this as a potential stress failure point when we did the original sand blasting of the tank and found stress cracks around the mounting boss. We took the precaution of welding up the cracks and then adding a larger mounting boss on the inside of the tank to distribute the load.

Ron Dudley is here needle scaling the rear sheet of the fire pan in preparation for sand blasting. Lynn Willis worked on the front sheet of the fire pan, removing traces of furnace cement before needle scaling. The original grates were removed in 1954 during conversion to oil. This was a quick welding job, in place, and we had to cut it into sections to remove it even after the rear driver set had been removed. We intend to install the new fire pan in bolt up sections so it can be removed without dropping the drivers.

Retired Alaska railroaders, Bill Church and Clifford Darnell, dropped by for update tours on different days and had very favorable comments on the work being accomplished by our volunteers. ARR employees and retirees are always welcome at the engine house. Just give us a call in advance at 907 350 4340.

Visitors of note this month included Mr. Rex Close from Glacier View, Ben Herman of Palmer, and Bob Cole from the Western Florida Railroad Museum in Milton Florida. Bob became a visiting volunteer. He worked with Ron and Mike on loading out our old sand blast media. Certainly a dirty job. We appreciate hearing about other projects supporting railroad preservation around the country. You can visit Bob’s home road at WFRM.org.

Caleb Moffitt and a crew from Central Environmental Incorporated, came by to collect and dispose of our old sand blast media. When sand blasting we tent the work and the ground so that the blast media can be collected and recycled. Thanks to CEI for their support once again.

On August 18, 2016 we will be completing four years on what we now expect to be a 6 year project. We work in the engine house 4 days a week, and our Mechanical Crew of about 22 people continue to amaze me with their commitment. A typical Thursday crew is Jerry Peters, Ken Morton, Ken Elmore, Ron Dudley, Lynn Willis and myself, Pat Durand. Mike McKervey was taking the picture. Some folks make it two or three days a week, some give us one day a week, and others do work in their home shops. There is a free lunch on Saturday!

Our grant writing team of Dick Morris and Maria Keffer has achieved another success. The John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust of Paola, Kansas will assist in the restoration of 557 with a grant in the amount of $9,000. This follows a $10,000 contribution by the Trust last year.

The grant is to partially fund stay installation and running gear repairs and represents about one fourth of the funds needed to complete these two items. The grant requires a match of newly raised funds, volunteer labor, and/or in-kind donations of goods related to the purpose of the grant. Since the beginning of the July 1, 2016, matching period, we have already accrued $1,033 in donations that can be used for the match and 67 hours of volunteer machinist time that's worth (at Emery's allowable rate of $15.00 per hour) another $1005. Funds will not be released until we can document that we have fully met the matching requirement.

The Trust has also allowed us to reach a major milestone in the finances of the 557 restoration. We have now raised 75% of the $1.2 million budgeted for 557's overhaul and restoration. Thank you to the Trust and to our many other financial supporters.

If you have not made a personal financial contribution to Engine 557 Restoration Company for 2016, please consider doing so now.  We hope to have the John H. Emery Rail Herritage Trust grant released quickly. your contribution will help to reach that goal.

A photo bonus this month depicts Alaska Railroad Locomotive 557 shortly after retirement with a cooold boiler in storage.

Patrick J. Durand, President

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Make all donations to: Engine 557 Restoration Company at the above address.
An Alaskan 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation, EIN 46-2663256

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