The end of November provided one small snow fall here in the valley leaving us with decent travel conditions for Volunteers. The crews have been consistent and Mr. Thomas Walker has joined the crew as a regular member.

As reported last month, Russel Joyce, Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 300, organized a field trip for about 80 Scouts and their parents on October 3, 2016. Photos have arrived with Troop 300 posed in front of the 557 backhead. Hopefully some of these Scouts will catch the bug and be around in 15 years when 557 will be ready for her next FRA mandated inspection.

Engine 557 Restoration Company put out the call for a large shaper to meet needs in the shop. Volunteer Laverne Buller made one call to an old friend.

On Saturday, November 12, 2016 we welcomed Bobby Brown of Brown’s Services when he made a truck delivery of the Cincinnati 16” Heavy Duty shaper. Bobby made this an outright donation of the shaper which is very timely as we will be using it to prepare our bearing brasses and the replacement shoes and wedges for 557. Doug VanWanWingerden is making a new tool holder. Lavern Buller has already made two missing cranks and loaned a vise for small work. Electrician, Ken Elmore, is making up a new wiring package of 5/10 wire for a 30 amp breaker. On a temporary power hook up, after the addition of some new oil, the machine works flawlessly.

Bobby, donated the 16” Cincinnati shaper in the memory of his parents, Bob and Alva Brown who were well known in the historic preservation movement here in Alaska.

All that bearing work may not have been required except for the last assignment performed by 557. During the 1962 flooding of the Tanana River at Nenana, she was sent North on a rescue mission. For the duration of the Nenana flood 557 would meet trains at high ground and then tow them through the flood waters to Diesel Electric locomotives waiting on the other end. With journals and rod bearings under the silt laden water some damage was unavoidable.

With the driving boxes removed after 50 years, our volunteer had to use cold chisels and hammers to remove the mud and packing material from the top oil cellars and then drill out the plugged lubrication chambers delivering oil to the shoes and wedges.

Each Saturday the “younger volunteers” including Dean Sawyer, pick up the big air motors and tackle the job of reaming some of the remaining 480 stay bolt holes that will receive flexible stay installations. Welding all the remaining sleeves in place will set the stage for installing all the stay bolts that have all ready been manufactured and delivered.

Volunteer hours on the fire box and recent cash donations have matched the John H. Emery Railway Heritage Trust $9,000 matching challenge. Those funds will be available to contract some welding on the sleeves if volunteers are not available to keep the schedule.

The last $10,000 grant received from the Matanuska Electric Association Round Up Program has allowed us to order the special bearing brass for the main bearings, side rods and valve motion. The total will be over $12,000 even with our friends at Lynden Transport and Alaska West Express donating the transportation from Tacoma to Anchorage.

Mr. Bert Cottle, Mayor of Wasilla, after reading a recent progress report offered these comments. “Thanks for the update, I am a big fan of the project.  My mother in the 60’s had the mail contract to haul mail from the Wasilla Train Stop to the post office daily for a year, she received $ 100.00 per month.  At one time my dad had a job filling the steam engine up at Old Matanuska with water.  Thanks for the work you all do."

Jerry Cunnington has taken on the task of rebuilding the second mechanical Lubricator. Team effort is often called upon when these components undergo disassembly. A volunteer with three arms has not yet stepped forward.

557 was not equipped with emergency fuel oil shut off because it was originally a coal burning locomotive. Among the 1,400 blue prints assembled by Richard Morris, he found the original drawings for oil conversion of the S-160 locos. Following those plans parts have been fabricated that connect the spring loaded plug valve in the tender with the center line of the cab roof. From there the cable passes through first one pull lanyard, then a pulley in the cab corner to another lanyard and then down a guide pipe to a final steel lanyard hanging from the rear corner on the fireman’s side. All three lanyard handles are painted orange to signify control for flammable materials.

Fuzze Box, bell cord pulley, and data card holders are but a few of the details now added to the cab. The original ceiling was charred directly above the Fuzze box, indicating a mishap with a premature ignition in the rack. There is no intention to replicate that detail.

“Giving Tuesday,” marks the beginning of the third annual Engine 557 fund raiser. Dick Morris has kicked it off with a personal commitment to match up to $5,000 in contributions between now and December 31, 2016.

To have your contributions matched, you can contribute on line here. The PayPal option for credit cards is very convenient.

Donations by checks can be addressed to:
Engine 557 Restoration Company
P.O. Box 875360
Wasilla, Alaska 99687-5360

Your donation is tax deductible so reference: EIN 46-2663256

Donations for flue and tube sponsorships will also be matched, but hurry there are only two flues and 18 tubes left to be sponsored. These make great memorials to railroaders.

Please share this invitation to support the Restoration of 557 with family and friends to make this our most successful year end fund raiser ever.

Photos from the past featuring our favorite locomotive, 557, are always welcome. Her last charter was to Whittier on a sunny day in June of 1959, hosting a charter for the California, Nevada Railway Historical Society. Photo thanks to Stephen Sheldon.

Very best regards,

Patrick J. Durand, President

Back