Jim and Jane Iskiyan, of Tucson Arizona, visited 557 with their daughter and granddaughter back in July. They own J&J Embroidery in Tucson. September 1, Jane arrived back in the 557 engine house with an arm load of personalized 557 hats for the regulars and some for our resale stock. All as a donation! If in the Tucson area, you make sure and say thanks with a visit to J&J Embroidery.

We have a continuing need for welders with the certification and skills to work on the exterior of the firebox installing sleeves for the flexible stay bolts. On September 3, Mr. Roy Page hopped a ride out from Anchorage with regular Jerry Peters. After a little orientation and consult with CMO Jeff DeBroeck, Roy went right to work welding the Sleeves that had been prepositioned on the back head. His work meet our expectations and he plans to return to the task. We only have another 426 sleeves to be welded in place.

Mr. Frank Caito, the Quality Control Manager for Alaska Frontier Constructors (AFC) has joined the volunteer crew assisting with welding in the firebox. Great to have an “inspector” on board with the crew.

Jerry Peters refurbished the Graham White double acting sander valve. The handle will control air to deliver sand from the dome either to the front driver or the rear drivers. The valve also has a feature to clear the sander pipe before air enters the trap to lift new sand into the pipe. There was no wear but the rubber gaskets had deteriorated. These were replaced with new age silicon gaskets made in house and should work for years. Just one more appliance added to the brake control stand.

Residents from the Palmer Veterans and Pioneers Home in Palmer make regular visits to the 557 Engine House. Roy Hooper is always looking for fund raising opportunities like “Veggies for 557” and delivered another $463.00 donation during their last visit. Chuck Griffin and Roy Hooper did an awesome job selling produce from the vegetable garden they planted last spring. Thank Roy and the residents of the Veterans and Pioneer home for all their efforts in support of the community and our elders. 

From time to time the name Volker Lange has appeared in these reports. Volker advertises the 557 project in Liepzig, Germany with our logo and sign in the back window of his Volkswagen. He participates in our funding drives as well. Volker brought a rail fan friend, Gunther Scholz, to Alaska for a ten day train chasing vacation and we had the pleasure of hosting them here in the engine house. They rode all the rails of the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Fairbanks and took a few thousand photos. During a side trip to Whittier, Gunther and Volker were treated to a tour of the AML ferry terminal and yards. We very much enjoyed their visit as an excuse to squire them around to favorite railroad history and photo spots culminating in a guided tour of the Alaska Railroad Shops under direction of Ed Hills. The weather was fantastic for their visit and they commented more than once, “Alaska is so clean and green.”

The Alaska Railroad invited 557 to participate with them in the Transportation Fair at Raven Hall on the Alaska State Fair Grounds September 22, 2016. Our exhibit generated a lot of interest once the four hour event was underway. Several of our “Extra 557 Returning” limited edition prints were sold along with hats, pins and superheater flue sections.

Shannon Cartwright, illustrator and author of Ol’ 556 has just completed the third printing of this great story of Alaska’s Mighty Steam Engine. She has included 4 pages featuring “The Return of 557” as a Bonus in this latest offering. Shannon has signed a stock of these just in time for the holidays and we offer them at $12.00 ea. plus $7.00 for Air Priority postage and handling. We can include a second copy for $12.00 in the same mailer at no additional shipping cost. You can order and pay on line here.

Quantity

One copy $19.00 USD Two copies $31.00 USD

Or send your check and mailing address to:

Engine 557 Restoration Company
P.O. Box 875360
Wasilla, Alaska 99687-5360

One more piece of equipment has been donated to the Engine 557 Restoration Company which will be very handy in future track maintenance projects. A John Deere 310E 4X4 is equipped with hy-rail gear, extend a hoe, 3 way bucket and a tie handler attachment.

Forward progress is controlled by available funding. Our grant writing team is prospecting new potential funding sources. If you are fortunate enough to work for a company that offers a matching plan for employee contributions, please consider a dedicated donation to The Engine 557 Restoration Company. Our EIN 46-2663256 verifies our status as an Alaska 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation.

Patrick J. Durand, President

Back