Engine 557 Restoration Company
Progress Report June 2024

June continued work on 557 at a frantic pace, working toward the first fire test. Previously reworked sub assemblies are getting final installation. Volunteers responded as the parking lot witnessed.

Summer in Alaska arrives fast and glorious as Bill Hess captures it from his drone. The 557 Engine House is just to the left of the main line curve and the stub switch is just under the highway overpass. There are currently 5 North bound scheduled passenger trains and charters before noon, and five South bound in the after noon. These are punctuated by freights, gravel trains, ballast trains, work trains and more unscheduled passenger movements.

Alaska Railroad crews continued rehabilitation of the Section house spur at MP 158.5 by adding a switch and new track to connect the 557 Engine House lead. Nearly all this work is done with an excavator with a thumb on the bucket. They grip a piece of rail in the thumb to do the leveling and spread the fill.

On June 3, a two man crew set sub grade and positioned the switch, moved track panels and placed ballast.

June 6th final grade was set.

June 8th track panels were placed and 557 engine house lead was connected.

By June 12 the rails were all connected and the first lift of ballast had been applied. We applied our derail to protect our work area. The Alaska Railroad will eventually install a two way switch stand derail.

Paul Dalleska and Terry Douglas string lined the curve into our lead at 19 degrees. The 557 can negotiate 25 degree curves so all is well.

Another milestone has been reached. 557 is no longer stranded in the engine house thanks to the Alaska Railroad.

Some items become excess of our need at 557. We have upgraded to a 26s brake stand. The old number 6ET and associated hardware needed to find a new home. Strasburg Railroad purchased the package and our crew built a crate to protect it in shipment. Niles Canyon purchased friction Bearing brasses in an earlier transaction to move serviceable surplus items to a new home. We had converted our tender to Timken bearings.

Engine 557 at the Whittier Depot in June of 1959 for the California / Nevada NRHS charter. This is a scene we would like to replicate in the future. Unfortunately the iconic depot was lost in the 1964 earthquake. We could only hope for a cloudless day with no wind, a rare occurrence in Whittier. Taking 557 through the 2.5 mile combined rail and highway tunnel through Maynard Mountain will take some planning.

Visitors and what others say:

Three generations of the Posey family came out with grand dad Jim Posey to visit 557. All are rail fans and Jim is a personal friend of some 50 years sharing the live steam hobby. He literally put the wheels under our portable welder.

NRHS National Convention was held in Alaska in 2013. Reg Mitchell was introduced to Engine 557 and has been a regular annual contributor since. Reg sent us a note, “Read the May 557 progress report. Congratulations on the FRA hydro test with “no exceptions!” I usually send my 557 donation in December but figure the $1,000 might be more useful now to help put 557 back together and prepare for the steam tests.”

Tom Sharratt of Westby, Wisconsin “Keep the good news coming.”

July TRAINS magazine makes mention of Engine 557 and our May hydro test in Preservation Briefs on page 45.

Steven Harrod comments, “I really enjoy your posts and they keep the 557 project on my mind all the time, even though I live on the other side of the planet.”

George White and David Hobart have been financial supporters of 557. June 13th they took the one hour tour and observed 8 volunteers, commenting, “Everyone is working through out the shop on individual projects. Thank the volunteers for all they do breathing life into our rail history.”

June 14th Jake and Lucas Paulk visited from Kenai. I soon discovered that 11 year old Lucas, is a full blown ferraequineologist. He impressed me with in-depth knowledge of 557 and steam locomotives in general. Lucas had a lot of great questions and wants to pursue railroading and steam locomotive operations specifically. By the time he is 18, 557 should be well established and looking for crew men. He and his dad left a very nice donation for 557.

Lucas followed up with this note, “Thanks, Pat, for showing me around. So I want to say that that place was AWESOME. …… I can’t wait to hear that big brass whistle. I rate this place 5 out of 5 stars.”

Kevin and Tim Grady visited June 20th. Tim lives locally and his brother is retired and living in Seattle. Kevin has a long relationship with tourism in Alaska as he worked summers at Denali Park when he was in college. He knows Randy Thompson and Matt Abbey from those days. Rides trains whenever he can and is a 557 supporter in line to take a ride!

Our in-kind business donors are really partners in the 557 Restoration. Most have been with us since 2012.

When it came time to roll a piece of copper rod into a new steam dome cover gasket we turned to Gary Feaster at Greatland Welding. Gary could not do the job but referred us to “Delbert” at the Butte. Delbert Henry has helped us out before. When the rod arrived from Metal Supermarkets in Anchorage, it was delivered to Hylite Fabrication and Delbert had the job done in about 15 minutes. So it goes in Alaskan small business, we all share pride in each other's success and all deserve a big pat on the back!

Off site at his private wood shop in Birchwood, David Lucas is rebuilding a hand car to be used in 557 promotions. Metal parts were cleaned and painted and then Dave started the assembly using White Oak and stainless steel hardware. The wood subframe is ready to accept decking.

Meanwhile in the shop projects are moving forward focusing on the first fire test. Jeff Loffert is flat on his back in the smoke box, pressing up with a drill motor driving a steel mandrel faced with lapping compound into each of the 60 ports in the Super Heater header. He first made the jig to keep the mandrel centered and vertical in the hole which has a 45° taper.

Jeff also tackled the job of machining clean surfaces on the crosshead guide supports. It took two set ups to do the entire length even with the swivel head extended full length.

The steam delivery Branch Pipes from the Super Heater Header to the Cylinder Block require a steam tight fit. This finish on the biscuits mates with a 45° angle surface in the pipes. Of course the upper and lower biscuits are 1/2” difference in their I.D. requiring two fixtures. Starting with drops from a railroad axle they moved to the Lodge and Shipley where Jerry Cunnington and Terry Douglas did the machine work creating these fixtures. 1/8” PIPE plugs expand the fixture to hold the biscuits.

These creative volunteers went to work installing the Large Radius Tool first centering the tool reference to center line of the head stock. The fixture, biscuits and radius tool come together on the lathe. This home built tool has done several clean up jobs for 557.

Work continues on banding the superheater assemblies, Jeff DeBroeck welds the band ends together without welding them to the tube. Tom Walker and Ken Morton have been doing the prep work on the assemblies.

We need to bring this issue to a close but we just concluded a grassroots fundraiser initiated by Brice Douglas, ARRC Conductor, and 557 volunteer. The event generated some $17,000 for 557.

The dust has settled and before the midnight sun sets we want to thank all who participated for making the very first AuRoRa party under the midnight sun successful and enjoyable for all. I will wrap up with a Special AuRoRa issue of our 557 Status Report as soon as we can gather comments and photos from our guests.

The next three paragraphs provide the flavor of what can be expected in the special issue as the wrap up of a full 16 hour day. It all started off when ARRC President and CEO, Bill O’Leary came aboard at 6:30 a.m. to welcome our guests from 8 states and England to ride the AuRoRa.

The AuRoRa Car provided a private party space for 30 dedicated Engine 557 supporters on board June 21, 2024 for a trip to Seward Alaska and back on the longest day of the year. We were on board the AuRoRa Summer Solstice Under the Midnight Sun, that departed Anchorage at 6 am, and arrived in Seward about 11:30 am. Our 557 private shuttle was provided by Casey Durand who was on call to get our guests around Seward and off on local tours.

The train departed Seward at 6 pm North to Anchorage 112 miles away over the most spectacular scenery on the railroad. We got wildlife moving in the evening sun, first a cow moose, then a black bear and on the Turnagain cliffs countless Ovis dalli, Dall sheep, to complete the trifecta. Swans, Sandhill cranes and other avians along the shore entertained the guests. At 10:15 the AuRoRa passed under what is left of Gorilla rock. Trivia; AuRoRa is the last observation car purpose built in North America.

Did I mention it was a beautiful cloudless day in the 70° range? Casey Durand took these two images of the 557 group on the Anchorage platform in the midnight sun, under the still cloudless sky at 11 pm. We had a fabulous day! Thanks to the Alaska Railroad and all the volunteers and specifically our guests who made it all possible.

See you along the tracks.

Be safe and stay well clear of all train movements.

Patrick Durand
President Engine 557 Restoration Company

 

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