Engine 557 Restoration Company
Progress Report July 2019

 

The value of local contacts and community outreach paid off for 557 on July 1, 2019.

I had to purchase eight 55 gallon drums to hold all the rail joiners, tie plates, joint bars, spikes and bolts from track being moved for a highway project. The self guarded point switch and about 700 feet of 75 pound rail was donated by Jeff Casey of R&S Railworks out of North Pole, Alaska. When I went back with the barrels they had every thing stacked. Nearly all the switch ties can be relayed. He had about 150 ties stacked and offered them to me for for sale. I offered him $500.00 and he countered with, I'll donate them to you instead. Jeff says they are about 70/30 relays and landscape ties that we can sell. We also got the tall switch stand.

Tim Sullivan at the Alaska Railroad had arranged the donation of the switch which was part of the Palmer Branch.

Andy Bickford, Spenard Building Supply Palmer Manager, was the life saver who allowed me to bring this deal together. In the process of removing the switch, Casey had cleared a section of the Spenard yard that was not in use. Andy has agreed to store the switch, ties and track parts right there for us. This saved all of us the cost of moving this stuff and finding space for it.

Hopefully when it is needed we will be able to drag the switch right down the right-of-way to a new location on the airport stub track.

Last months report on obtaining replacement springs from Owen Springs questioned how after crossing the Atlantic on the Quebec Express. How did the shipment cross North America to Seattle? The answer came from:
Kevin Robinson
Restoration, mechanical
Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum
(Ex-CPR conductor)
“Good morning,
Just read your most recent 557 restoration report. Impressive work as always!!! The report mentioned the journey that your driver springs took from the UK. The Quebec Express container ship belongs to Hapag Loyd and docks in Montreal, Quebec. The container with your shipment would then have been transloaded and handled by the Port of Montreal railway. Canadian Pacific train 113 brought it West to Delta or Vanterm container terminals.

Sort of neat that 2 if not 3 contemporary railways played a role in the restoration of 557!! I wish you continued success in your restoration work!”
Kevin Robinson

What others say about 557:
More status report fan mail. Posted on RYPN by John Risley.
“Another very well done and informative progress report. Really enjoyed the video from Owen Springs. Cobbling spring sets back together using springs from used sets is common repair. Hopefully the new springs correct all the wear and tear. Keep up the great work. Regards, John.”

From our friend Volker Lange in Leipzig, Germany, “Patrick, I am on the home page of the 557 daily. It's huge, what you do!!!”

Reg Mitchell of Virginia says, “I have read the status reports and agree they are the most detailed in the steam loco restoration “industry”. Since it looks like cash flow is a problem with the contract men on site, I will send my usual year end contribution now. I turn 77 this Monday and hope to live long enough to see 557 run. Keep up the good work!.” Reg included a $1,000 donation.

We have a seat reserved for Reginald!

July visitors to 557 in Wasilla, Alaska

Mark McDonald retired nuclear electrical engineer from Ohio.

Hanspeter Landenberger, retired steam locomotive engineer, owner operator of dampfbahn-katzensee live steam miniature in Zurich, Switzerland.

I had a good visit with this family from Moses Lake Washington but they got away without signing the guest book.

Engine 557 was pulled out of the Engine house on July 6, 2019 using our Case 721 loader. The support timbers are mounted on inverted tie plates setting on top of the rail providing a steel to steel skid. Used oil on the rail head eases the load. Jeff DeBroeck and Jerry Cunnington headed up the volunteer crew in a long day preparing and completing the safe move.

Other volunteers then proceeded with the sand blasting and painting under threat of rain on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of the following week. On Saturday July 13, Jeff and Jerry were back to finish up the sand blasting and painting supported by Dean Sawyer, Tom Walker, Mike Mckervey and Jerry Peters. By 7 p.m., the end of a 12 hour day for some of the crew, 557 was tucked back inside the Engine house with a new coat of Thermalox 225 high temp paint on the exterior.

July 20, 2019 the Tanana Valley Railroad celebrated the 120th Birthday of Porter Locomotive (builders number 1972) along with the recreation of the gold spike ceremony of 114 years ago. The entire history of #1 and the railroad can be found here.

Long time friend Dan Gullickson and I flew to Fairbanks for the event. Many moons ago Dan invited me to breakfast with the Fairbanks Kiwanis club and on the way advised I was the guest speaker. The subject: Why Fairbanks folk needed to restore the long neglected Engine #1, then rotting in a park display.

Dan was the man who motivated the community and 10 years later No. 1 was in steam. Where have the 29 years gone in the meantime? My comments to the organizers sum it up.

“Congratulations to all of you celebrating Engine #1 on her birthday! You did a fantastic job of recreating the gold spike ceremony. It was my pleasure meeting Judge Wickersham, Falcon Joslyn (and his granddaughter) as well as E.T. Barnett and wife. The forceful presentation by the Judge, in the delivery of 1904, was spot on.

As to Porter #1, she is in good hands and operating beautifully in experienced hands. Observing James and Mo at the throttle was a validation of all the effort that has gone into outfitting the locomotive and then learning her operating characteristics.

Looking forward into the cab, the crew maintained the boiler pressure right next to what would have opened the safety valves. On your challenging grades and regular stops that takes skills that are more art than science. Only twice during the day did I hear the safety lift and both times it was by design, as a test.

Lots of hands were at work in the background making the days festivities come together. Gary Farnham on the fire train speeder followed every trip. The costume contest was a hoot. I even got in on serving cake (that's where the girls were) as four large cakes went to feed all the celebrants.

You exceeded all our expectations with a grand celebration!

Another birthday is upon us as Engine 557 is turning 75 years old. Come celebrate at a Birthday Party Open House Sunday, September 8, 2019 at the Engine House in Wasilla. From 1 to 4 p.m. we will have Birthday Cake, light refreshments and snacks. The company store will be open with, books, hats, pins, patches, and fine art prints of Engine 557 Returning. Come and meet the 557 volunteers and some of our many sponsors and in-kind donors.

Like living book ends, Engine No.1 was the first and Engine 557 was the last steamer in active service on the Alaska Railroad.

Robert Franzen of Steam Services of America returned with Bob Gold to finish installation of the corners of the firebox and provide some training for the crew from July 16 to 26.

After a lot of prep work with the crew Bob Gold was on the air hammer to finish one of the corner hot rivets on the inside a two man crew supports the bucking bar. After several days of heavy work Robert celebrated with smiles all around, when the last flexi stay bolt was hammered in the corner.

Bob continued his labors, first chipping and then caulking (corking?) the mud ring rivets. He also caulked the inner sheets to the mud ring.

Tom Walker, Mike McKervey, Jerry Peters enjoyed progress made under direction of Robert Franzen, while lapping and adjusting working surfaces and caps on starter valves, check valves and injectors.

The original 3” Coale safety valves had been cleaned and new springs came as a donation from a sister s-160 restoration in England. After a little machine work and lapping both the muffled and straight valve are ready for service. As always we are looking for spares. If you, by chance, know where there are some 3” Coales in storage, we are in the market for spares.

Our tradition of providing lunch on Saturdays and when Contractors are in house continued.  On Thursday we had the "Last Lunch" of Tomato Bisque soup, green salad, fresh bread, bread and butter pickles and Paul Dalleska's home made cheese cake.  YUM. Around the table are: Paul Dalleska, Robert Franzen, Ken Elmore, Bob Gold, Ron Dudley, Jerry Cunnington, Mike McKervey, Tom Walker, Pat Durand and Jerry Peters.

Anchorage Roofing Company has been replacing the roof including about half of the tongue and groove decking over the past three weeks. Fortunately when they got to our half of the building the decking was in much better condition but for the West overhang.

We had only one rain day, “The Flood of ’19” resulted in a flooded floor. Gordon and his crew called me and were already on the scene with brooms and squeegees dewatering the floor when I arrived about 7:15. By noon we were dried out and back to normal but for the plastic sheeting that Grandson, Liam helped put over all the tooling and parts. While a little inconvenient, the floor got mopped and we found stuff that had long been forgotten.

Meanwhile just out our door the business of railroading is in full summer bloom. In the morning all the traffic is North bound after 8:00 a.m. By noon the direction of travel is South with over 14 trains during the day. Some are short consists like the Holland America McKinley Explorer. Some have MAC70 locomotives on both ends for push/pull common on the Cruise Trains. Some are just fleeing the storm. Every train is unique and our 557 crew tries to greet the passengers with a wave.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday evening October 8th. 557 will host an evening fund raiser at the Palmer Moose lodge starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $100.00 and there are only 100 being sold. Door prizes valued at several thousands of dollars have been donated. Trips to Fairbanks and Seward on the Alaska Railroad. All expense paid overnight at Chena Hot Springs Resort and dinner with owner Bernie Karl. A real Hamilton Railroad Watch, and many other prizes will be drawn. Meet 557 volunteers and sponsors.

The program will introduce the First Family of Alaska Railroading, John and Clara Vancleve as they arrived in Skagway, Alaska in 1898. Their family collection of photographs documents the founding of Skagway, Seward and Cordova as railroad towns. Exploring these photos, drilling down for the details, zooming in reveals the struggles and triumph of these pioneers.

A desert auction during intermission will be conducted by Gary Feaster. So have an early dinner, come to the show for desert!

Tickets are available with a call to 350 4340
Or e-mail to sewtrain557@gmail.com
All proceeds go directly to restoring Engine 557.
Make checks to Engine 557 Restoration Co.
P.O Box 875360
Wasilla, Alaska 99687-5360

Patrick J. Durand, President

 

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