Engine 557 Restoration Company
Progress Report June 2021

Over the years volunteer members of the 557 Mechanical Department have settled into a routine that brings a rotating crew to the job at hand. Some commit one day a week, others can make it two three or even four days each week in the Engine house. On June 7, 2021 the Monday crew was Gene Augustine, Ron Dudley, Ken Elmore, William Liebbe, Mike McKervey, Lynn Willis and Pat Durand took the photo. The typical Saturday crew on June 18, 2020 consisted of Tom Walker, Dean Sawyer, Jerry Cunnington, Mike McKervey, Jeff DeBroeck and Pat Durand took the photo. We had a regular crew for Thursday, June 24. Jerry Peters, Mike McKervey, Consultant Paul Dalleska, Ron Dudley, Ken Elmore, Terry Douglas, Tom Walker and Pat Durand took the photo again.

William Liebbe formerly of Houston has moved to Alaska to further his career in Aviation. He is also a live Steamer member of Houston Area Live steamers at Zube Park. He demonstrates some proficiency as a videographer and machinist. By joining the 557 Volunteer crew at the age of 22, he just dropped the average age in the building by about 8 years! As usual the dirty jobs go to the new guy, so he is doing the preliminary cleaning on the Super Heater Header connections.

Mathew and Eva Clay Pensacola Florida visited 557 on June 7th

Will Bowen of Fairbanks visited on June 10th

Don Northrop, wife Julie and daughter, live in Anchorage. Grand Dad Butch visiting from Surprise, Arizona joined them on June 17th at the Engine House.

557 Board Member, Scott Hicks with Lynden Transport, brought Artist, J. Craig Thorp to Alaska to research a new corporate art piece featuring Kodiak. They found time to visit here at the 557 shop on June 21. As the creator of Engine 557 Returning, Craig keeps in touch with our progress.

Ron Kilian of Eagle River brought his visiting brother out on June 24th. He also purchased two Engine 557 Returning numbered and signed prints. YES we still have prints for sale at $100.00 priority mail postage paid. Giclee prints are printed on demand for $175.00. Place your orders soon.

On June 26th Cathy Sterling and Grand Daughters, Micah and Peyton came to visit the Locomotive that Grandpa Stewart Sterling helped restore.

Train Classification Flags are displayed in addition to class lights on the front of trains. The Alaska Railroad made the flags in White for Extra trains and Green for First Section if there were following sections of a scheduled train, not a common occurrence on the ARR. Flags were heavily made from 12 gauge steel on a 3/4 inch staff. They are heavy and when not displayed need a storage location. The FLAG box with 4 slots was shop made and hung under the running board on the left side of the locomotive. The original was beyond salvage but made a decent pattern. It became a community project for the volunteers. Brad Leverty parted out all the pieces by drilling out spot welds. Pat Durand rough cut 16 gauge sheet and turned it over to Laverne Buller. In a couple of days Laverne had a new box assembled using button welds instead of spot welds. He made the internal shelves from stainless steel, improving on the hinges and closure hasp. Ron Dudley added the external angle mounting brackets while Gene Augustine completed the 1/2” J hooks that hang the box from the radiator piping under the running board. Mike McKervey saw to the sand blasting and priming with Clova Prime and the final coat of Armour Shield Black.

Spring rigging has all been refurbished to original blue print specifications. While dry fitting we found an additional pin location where the hole in the frame was worn oblong. To keep the paired holes in both frame rails plumb and in the same plane, we borrowed the line boring machine from Central Environmental Inc. heavy equipment shop. The long shaft allowed for one set up to do both holes in the parallel frame rails after we added a third carrier bearing in the middle of the shaft. Tom Walker exerted slight pressure on the turning shaft to provide the last bit of vibration damping force to eliminate the harmonics set up by the cutting tool in the long reach of the shaft. Jeff DeBroeck and Tom got the job done and the holes are ready for case hardened bushings.

While we still have access between the frames the pressure lubrication lines for the main bearings are being secured. A steam heat line passes under the lube lines in the bundle. A light insulation pad is placed on top of the bundle, secured with snap ties and then covered with a wrap of Fiberglass insulation tape. Gene Augustine immersed himself in the job. The tape is secured with stainless tie wire and then the entire sandwich is sealed with a quick drying black equipment enamel. Should be good for another 50 years.

As the 26L brake equipment is installed, the cramped space below the cab is becoming a well organized snake pit. After forming and dry fitting the major pipes, they were all removed for air testing and painting. Old unused brackets and fixtures were then removed by Gene Augustine and Ron Dudley. Ken Elmore will assist Paul Dalleska in doing the final assembly.

557 lost her original tender and draw bar while she was in the scrap line in the 1960’s. The former CR&NW tender and rough cut draw bar that she was sent South with were left in Moses Lake when 557 was shipped back North. The USRA tender we have was originally behind a Lima 0-6-0 USRA switcher #313 which was scrapped. The orphan tender ended up behind Locomotive Crane # 57 at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla. When obtained by 557 there was an ugly knuckle coupler welded in place of the buffer. This is a long introduction to the fact we needed to build an entirely new draw bar to accommodate the tender draw pin design, buffer and chaffing plate now fitted to 557.

With all the changes the original draw bar drawing provided everything but the proper length which we have determined is just over 6 inches longer. We shopped for a 3.5” thick slab of A36 or A572 and Earl Rude at STEELFAB had A572 in stock. He then instructed us on how to build the cutting template. With a deal not to be refused, they had the rough cut draw bar blank ready to pick up in a few days. We will not need to do the final machine work for several months but this was a preemptive purchase in anticipation of steel prices going bonkers.

When 557 arrived in our shop the front engine truck (pony) was totally worn out. It was out of tram because the Radius Bar (we call it the wishbone) had been bent, the flange on the left wheel was badly worn from running on the rail. The hart links had been crudely built up with weld on the top end and not machined when reassembled. The collective wear from the Bissell Post through the pivot point and the three contact points on the traverse link in the front suspension equalization was compared to the drawings. There was 6 inches of material missing. There was no indication that the assembly had been oiled in years and the two oil lines specified from the right hand lubricator had been removed and plugged off. The Babbitt in the right journal bearing had been melted out.

We also found that the frame had been cracked right in front of the cylinder block and the coupler and pilot beam had been bent up 1 5/8 inches. We have reported on this condition and the repairs made in earlier progress reports.

Dick Morris our Secretary/treasure suggests one incident likely to be the cause of all this grief. On May 22, 1948 at MP 552.5 just North of Nenana Station, a gas car and three trailers collided head on with 557 coming South around a curve. You can read the accident reports here.

Dick further comments, “One document says that the pilot was bent and partially straightened at Healy. Another says there was a broken air hose and badly bent pilot. Another said cow catcher bent under. Another says the cost to repair the broken pilot on 557 was $200.”

“This is the only incident I have ever seen reported, that might have caused the damage to the front of the frame. If this was the cause, the amount of damage seems to be understated. Maybe they were trying to minimize the reported damage to the locomotive to protect someone, to avoid additional reports, or just got focused on fixing the pilot damage and didn't notice the bent frame. The damage to the gas car was obvious and couldn't have been hidden, it was destroyed, and the injuries would have been hard to cover up. If the pilot was bent under to the extent that the locomotive actually climbed onto it, that could explain the front frame extension being bent upward.”

73 years later we are in the final act of repairing the damage. The remaining Babbitt in the two bearing brasses was melted out and then they were sand blasted clean. Paul Dalleska lead the crew in pouring the new Babbitt liners in the bearings and the face on the journals for the hub liners. This was a new skill to be learned by the crew.

This may be getting into the weeds for most readers but this is written to document the process we used for the historical record.

Step by step:

• Collect materials and tools needed for a successful Babbitt pour.
• One pound can of TINTITE by United American Metals Corporation, Chicago This is tin and Zinc Chloride for tinning the brass or cast iron surface that you want the Babbitt to adhere to. Read and understand WARNINGS ON THE CAN.
• 5 gallon bucket of Deacon Mold Pack. This is a high temperature damming material used to pack holes and cracks through which the hot Babbitt could escape.
• Sufficient stock of Babbitt material for the job. We have 150 pounds on hand. You can salvage Babbitt from old brasses that might be surplus. Again read and understand the WARNINGS to use only in a well ventilated area. The fumes are toxic. We did the job outside the West door with a steady wind funneling through the building.
• Two Propane tanks FULL. One to feed a grass burner to preheat the brass and the mandrel or mold box. The second to feed the burner under the melt pot.
• The Burner is a four legged cast iron propane camp stove bolted to a 1/4” steel base plate for stability. A few fire bricks around the side help retain heat and redirect wind gusts.
• A melt pot that can take the heat, Our jobs were small enough that a four quart cast iron dutch oven with a lid did a good job. We built a set of tongs to securely fit the iron pot, lift and pour the hot Babbitt.
• Skimming ladle was made from an old slotted spoon with an extended shaft and wood handle. Babbitt is heavy so any trash or impurities will float to the top when melted to be removed with the skimmer.
• A solid foundation plate is needed to clamp the assembly to. We used a piece of 1/2” plate clamped to the fork lift for easy handling. This allows adjustment up for assembly and lowers to the floor for safety and ease of handling during the pour.
• Each job will require custom made tooling to secure the mold box or mandrel pattern to the object that will receive the Babbitt. We used a 12 inch long piece of axle material, cut one side flat to receive clamps. We slotted the two edges and welded in ears to clamp the brass to.
• The gaps between the mandrel, brass and the foundation plate are sealed with paper gasket material against the brass and then set down on a thin layer of Mold Pack. The space between the brass and the mold box is sealed with a 1 inch wide paper gasket folded in half with a bead of Mold Pack inside the fold. The closed side of the fold goes toward the Babbitt space so excess Mold Pack is squeezed out away from the Babbitt.
• The oil holes that extend into the oil gallery in the brass were taped for 1/4” pipe plugs to prevent leaks. These plugs will be removed and the holes drilled out later to provide witness points for milling out the lubrication galleries on the bearing side.
• The clean surface of the bearing must be tinned to bond the Babbitt to the surface. Once heated to the melting point of the The TINTITE it is applied with a small brush and worked over the hot surface until a bright tin surface covers the entire bonding area.
• To prevent Babbitt from sticking to the mandrel or form, give it a coat of “Lamp Black”. Just strike up your acetylene torch with out oxygen and the soot produced is Carbon Black or Lamp Black.
• Now the Hot brass is assembled with the preheated mandrel with Mold Pack/paper gaskets in place and clamped together. Make sure everyone has welding gloves or foundry gloves and keep all the hot stuff close to the ground. With clamping force the excess Mold Pack should extrude to the outside, not into the Babbitt space. The entire assembly is then brought up to 500-600 F pre heat.
• The crucible (melt pot) is lifted with the tongs and the pour is started while watching for leaks. If you find a leak stop the pour and plug it with a thick wad of Mold Pack, then resume.
• Expect the Babbitt to immediately shrink in volume as it cools so be at the ready to top off with extra material into any depressions that appear before the Babbitt cools. Let the package cool naturally.
• The happy class was pleased with the results. Five hours of prep and five minutes to pour. Now we need to match machine them for the new axle bearing fit.

For a window into the time when the federally owned Alaska Railroad was all steam in 1935, you can read this promotion piece from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Promoting tourism has always been a mission of the Alaska Railroad to encourage development along the Rail Belt from Seward too Fairbanks and grow revenue. The tradition continues on the only full service passenger and freight railroad in the United States.

Patrick J. Durand
President 557

 

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