Engine 557 Restoration Company
Progress Report August 2018

Right on schedule the monsoon rains arrived in August in the form of a typhoon breaking down as it moved from Japan across the North Pacific. We had about 8 sunny days in August.

The engine truck on 557 had a rough life. The Alaska Railroad built a flanger attached to the front of the truck frame that loaded about 500 lbs. to the modified inside dolphins. Accumulated wear and accidents bent the assembly so it was going down the track at an angle causing irregular wear patterns.

With original drawings we set out to return all the components to spec and reassemble the engine truck frame with some new bushings and pins to replace missing material. Some assemblies only revealed problems when reduced to individual components such as the Heart Links. In the distant past some very crude welding was done to replace worn base metal at the pivot point where the Heart links lifted off the pins. No attempt was made to machine these to fit the pins and as a result the case hardened pin failed where in contact with the hard welded surface.

Thanks to Dan Lucas at GreatLand Welding and Machine these deficiencies have been corrected with cleaned up welds of 7018 to replace base material that was then machined to drawing specs. New pins are also being made from 4140. That is all in-kind donated work. Let us all say thanks to GreatLand Welding and Machine.

As built, s-160s had a single valve at the top and another at the bottom of a manifold that held two sight gauges. That is being corrected so there will be two complete sight glass assemblies when Jerry Peters and Tom Walker are finished. They are collecting and rebuilding sight glass parts. Doug VanWingerden has made two new valve stems (each had a different thread pitch). Laverne Buller made cleaning passes on several valve seats.

Among our many visitors this month was Richard Hellman and his family. Richard is a retired electrical engineer from the GE Jet Division. He shared his impressions of 557. “Just a quick note to thank you for your considerable time, expertise and patience answering of all our questions. This is a great project and if I lived here I would be volunteering. Please put me on your mailing list for updates. I plan to be here for the maiden run.” Dick Hellman

Fred Meyer Kroger stores contributed $88.17 to Engine 557 thanks to the 22 house holds that signed up with the Community Rewards Program in support of Engine 557 Restoration Company. They provided this update information. We have recently upgraded our Community Rewards system, and as a result, your Non-Profit Organization (NPO) has a new account number. (FM166) Please reference the new number when contacting us for assistance. We recommend communicating this new number to your members, and updating any marketing materials with this change. While the previous number will continue to be associated with your organization, it will not be visible to your members when enrolling. New members can enroll by searching for either the new number (FM166) or the name of your organization. (Engine 557 Restoration Company)

Our friends at Independent Lift Truck of Alaska provided a replacement for the little Cat forklift we have been using for the last 5 years.  This is a newer Cat model GC25 with the same capabilities and much more ground clearance with newer tires and new brakes.  

The crew at Help Line Towing provided the service hauling the old unit to Anchorage and bringing the new one out to Wasilla.

The 1981 Ford F 600 truck has new radial tires and the split rims on the front end have been replaced.  The older bias ply Nylon duals on the rear have good tread and have been given a good bill of health by Dave Snyder of Diversified Tire.   Dave donated the materials and labor to have this done in his shop August 4, 2018. A big thank you to another active in-kind supporter, Diversified Tire where the rubber hits the road.

We are offering this pipe threading machine for sale to the friends of 557 before it goes out to the general market.  Hope it finds a good home. Rigid 852 power pipe threader for sale.  Will do 2.5 inch to 4 inch NPT with tooling included.  Extra dies and an extra die head assembly.  Reamer and pipe cutter installed.  Has electric pump for lubrication from tank sump.   Clean and fully operational with foot switch on120 AC.  This unit is just too large for our needs in the engine house.   Asking $2,250.00, located in Wasilla.  We can deliver in Anchorage.  Call at 907 350 4340 for Pat Durand

The Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad in Fairbanks are keeping #1 in steam. They plan several special operations this fall including a steam up on September 3rd for the Labor Day Picnic at Pioneer Village (“Alaska Land” for us old timers.) See her in steam right here.

Robert Franzen our Professional Engineer from Steam Services of America is bringing a boiler maker with him and plans to be here to work with our crew October 3 through14. Goal is to secure the standard staybolts already installed in the side sheets and back head. Then we can install the rigid radial stays in the crown sheet. Robert is providing the Form 4 on the 557 boiler. He also consults on other aspects of the restoration.

The project is moving ahead on several simultaneous project paths. New wheels, axles and bearings for the tender, rebuild of the engine truck, obtaining new axle, wheels and brasses for the engine truck. Moving ahead on the staybolt installation, making tooling for proof of concept in Babbitt application to the driver brasses.

We thank our in-kind donors who are as persistent as our volunteers. That makes the difference between the possible and the impossible.

Fund raising continues and you can always help out by sending a generous check to:
Mail and make payment to:
Engine 557 Restoration Company
PO BOX 875360
Wasilla, Alaska 99687-5360

Patrick J. Durand, for the crew at Engine 557 and our friends.

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