Engine 557 Restoration Company
Progress Report August 2019

 

The month of August 2019 continued hot in the 70’s and occasionally warmer with no measurable rain for the month. Major fires both North near Willow and South on the Kenai Peninsula resulted in very poor air quality here in the Valley and Anchorage area. On many days the surrounding mountains were obscured. Some trains North were cancelled when the fires dropped trees on the right-of-way. At the same time heavy rains in the interior resulted in a slide in Nenana Canyon shutting down all through trains to and from Fairbanks for several days. All this happened right at the height of the passenger tour season on the Alaska Railroad.

557 volunteers continued progress. Greatland Welding and Machine has been a major in-kind sponsor from the very fist day of the restoration project. Gary Feaster took on a job that we have avoided until the right skills came forward. Early on we discovered cracks in the frame at the most difficult location, next to the wedges in front of the cylinder block. With Gary’s direction we drilled material from each side of the crack to remove as much material as possible before he used a carbon air arc to complete the preparation.

Gary started the process on the left frame rail with preheat and welding in the confined area. After each pass with 7018 rod, a needle scaler was used to relieve the weld in the process. About 5 hours resulted in the finish weld.

Subsequently the weld was ground flat to avoid leaving a stress riser at the edge of the weld. This area will be subject to regular inspection in the future. Gary estimates that it is 80 to 90 percent of original strength. Prior to the welding we had already installed new pilot braces that were not part of the original s-160 design. The net result is engineered to be stronger than the original design.

On the right side the ear on the cylinder mount had a crack that was ground out. This area was easier to access and the weld will be left in this finished state. On completion of the job as a volunteer, Gary turned and said, “We need a new understanding on how Greatland Welding works with 557. Until you are in steam we will provide all your welding supplies and gases at no charge.” There are no words adequate to express our appreciation.

557 by the numbers requires a cheat sheet. The USATC rectangular builders plate carries number 3523. The round Baldwin plate is 70480 issued when completed. With in the building process she was #809 as noted on the wall as a reminder when the crew is reviewing drawings which changed during the construction of 2120 locomotives to the S-160 design.

Jeff DeBroeck has been working on suspension rigging. After welding up wear on this walking beam it is being milled flat and dressed to receive a new bushing.

Jeff also found the Radius Bar Crosstie for the engine truck was bent and proceeded to use a 35 ton hydraulic ram borrowed from Central Environmental Inc. shop to put it back in place. Now we are making new fitted fasteners for it.

Running boards and other hardware which need to be in place before the lagging and jacket can be applied, are being installed. Rivets holding the T frame edge on the running boards had been removed so the rust growing between the seams could be removed. They were assembled with bolts for storage. Now that they are back on the locomotive we are installing new 1/2 inch rivets. Paul Dalleska brought in his C frame air riveter to do the job. Tom Walker and Paul suspended the tool from our overhead scaffold for an initial test.

After trying one rivet cold, a test was done by heating a rivet. This provided the result we wanted and the remaining rivets were heated in our forge. Terry Douglas and Paul are installing the throttle lever and packing gland on the back head. Prior to making the installation we needed to create a Throttle Gland Lapping Mandrel with a 2” radius which was used to lap the mating surface. This tool was made by Dan Lucas at Great Land Machine. Our expanding inventory of custom tools are all painted yellow and labeled for future use.

The engine truck has unique wheels and axle for use with friction bearings. The wheels were worn unevenly as a result of the damage done to the Bissle truck assembly which bent several components. We determined that there was enough material that the axle set could be machined and reused but first we wanted to do non-destructive testing of the components. Alaska Industrial X-ray provided the service to do ultra sound testing of the ALCO axle. It passed with no defects found. The wheels were then subjected to magnetic particle testing which showed “Surface Indications”. This was not definitive because of the rough machined surface. As the machine process moves forward any actual problem should become apparent. Roteq Alaska has been contracted to recondition the axle wheel set to our specification and procedure.

Our volunteers have a variety of interests and British sports cars seem to be one of them. Here is Tom Walker and his award winning 1987 Morgan parked next to my beater 20 year old GMC truck.

James Barton (at the right in the photo) from the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado was in Alaska with his wife, her sister and brother in law and managed to catch me for a late evening tour in the engine house on August 4th. We encourage interchange between preservation organizations and welcome such visits even on short notice. James followed up with a nice donation.

Several weeks in advance Kristie Scribner contacted me about the possibility of a visit on August 31, 2019. She said it was going to be a surprise for visiting family members. Seven Scribners arrived and her husband, Jay (on the right in the photo) was joined by his three sons on an extended tour. This is a technically minded group and they asked all the right questions. Jay joined me in front of the International Headquarters of the Engine 557 Restoration Company for a rare photo with the President. We had a good time and Kristie was very appreciative.

The Annual Meeting of the 557 Board of Directors was held August 31 at 11:00 a.m. in the Marketing Conference Room at the Alaska Railroad Crop. Headquarters in Anchorage. Full minutes of the meeting are available on request. Primary topics of discussion were potential operation sites as related to PTC, and engaging donors so a schedule for completion of the project can be maintained. As a non-profit we can only commit contract work when the cash is in hand.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday evening October 8th. 557 will host an evening FUNdraiser 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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