WP 165 Restoration Blog

Updates on the restoration of Western Pacific 0-6-0 number 165 at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Superheater Flue Fundraising Drive


Hello everyone!

I hope you are having a wonderful Spring and are ready for another Summer season. The Steam Team in Portola is happy to announce that we are finally ready for superheater flues to be replaced in the 165's boiler. We are asking our ardent and generous supporters to please consider donating the funds to purchase one or more of the 24 flues that will be needed to make our locomotive steam again.

The purchase and fabrication cost for each flue is estimated at $350.00, which is of course a tax-deductible contribution. You can watch the progress above on this nifty graphic (Thanks Eugene!) as each flue hole is filled in as the contributions arrive. As an added incentive, each donor who gives $350.00 or more will have his or her name inscribed on the donors plaque, to be mounted in the cab area in perpetuity.

We are lucky that Norm Holmes was able to work an excellent deal for the 2" diameter tubes which we now have in storage on site. The 5 1/2" diameter superheater flues represent the last major components necessary to make the boiler steamable again.

Thanks again for all of your past and future support for the WP 165 restoration and all of the volunteer efforts at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum!

Checks in the amount of $350.00, multiples thereof, or any amount, may be made payable to:  FRRS
Please note "165 Flues" on the memo line of your check.

Mail to:

Western Pacific Railroad Museum - 165 Fund
PO Box 608
Portola, CA 96122-0608


Click here to make a donation online.

Thanks again! Have a safe and productive summer season. - JCA

Update 7/17/12: Four more flues donated by James Mason! A big thanks to you James!


Update: Our first flue has been donated by Bob Sims! Thanks for your support Bob! 



Cutaway showing superheater elements and flues.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Spring 2012 Workweek Report

 
Dick Coudin and I arrived Wednesday evening in anticipation of performing our usual two or three hours of cleanup in the Pullman car. To our delight, Rick Gruninger had the place looking much better than I have ever seen it. All that was required was some light touch up, setting up the berths, and running some heat into the car. Thanks to Rick for his efforts to make us feel welcome!

Another winter was behind us, except that no one told Mother Nature. Our first workday, Thursday, April 26th in Portola was confined to mostly indoor activities.

Driving box cleanup day.
Steve, Charlie, Kirk and others formed a “scraping circle” and began the task of cleaning out the oil cellars in the tops of the driving boxes, as well as drilling out the oil ports that had been plugged up for likely most of the 20th century. Handling these heavy and cumbersome iron castings was made easier thanks to Hank Stiles and Dick Coudin, who came up with a handy lifting rig so the boxes may now be moved around using the forklift. Hank and Dick also started the cleanup on the grease cellars for each box, which were equally caked with multiple layers of journal lubricant.
Hank and Dick show off their driving box lifting rig.








Bob Sims has been busy converting our D&RGW wood-bodied boxcar into a tool car for us. He and Charlie spent some time in Reno procuring plywood and security doors for the interior stud walls. When complete the car will look like just another boxcar from the exterior, but inside will be a usable and clean space for the steam crew’s use. Thanks again to Bob for taking on this sizable task!

Our electrician, Duane, with some help from Charlie managed to get the 16” Lodge & Shipley lathe back up and running. Thanks guys for having it working in time for the steam session. Thanks again to the Union Pacific shops in Roseville for donating it to the cause. Severn Edmonds is repairing some of the previously broken handles, as well as making up tooling for mounting an Aloris tool block, which will make things much quicker and easier. Severn should be back in July, hopefully to start turning staybolts.

Thursday night saw the arrival of our friends from the Golden Gate Railroad Museum. During the course of the weekend we were joined by Jeff Boone, Ken Asmus, Nancy Harden,  Deanna Knowles, Bob Bradley, Jim Prettyleaf, Dave Varley, Dave Hensarling, and of course the ever affable Dave Roth.
Dave Roth happily chasing threads.

Friday the 27th, after our morning safety meeting and carbo-load at Sharon’s Diner in historic downtown Portola, we emerged into a gloriously sunny albeit frigid morning. The task of the day was to attempt removal of the throttle dry pipe in the interior of the boiler shell. Prior to doing anything major with a cutting torch, Dave Varley ran the thickness readings which were taken by Dave Roth and Dick Coudin last Fall. Dave determined that given the thicknesses remaining, we were well within our factor of safety for the pressures we would be running at. The drypipe project was abandoned and we moved on.

More clean-up continued on the driving boxes while the patch on the wrapper sheet side was removed for drilling. First the holes for the cab bracket studs were located, which involved holding a heavy chunk of metal up on the side of the boiler while someone else marks hole locations; nothing light when it comes to working on a steam locomotive. The GGRM crew made quick work of clean-up on the pedestal binders as well.

Hank Stiles made up a handy round die holder so he could chase the threads on the flexible staybolts sleeves, followed by an application of thread lubricant to prevent deterioration. He and Dave Roth took turns over the weekend chasing threads and managed to get a large number of them chased.
Dave Varley carefully taking down measurements for the FRA Form 4.
Friday I met with Steve Lee (Union Pacific’s now retired steam program manager) and Dave Varley (GGRM Chief Mechanical Officer) to go over progress made toward generating our FRA Form 4. This document is in essence a huge number of stress calculations which ultimately allow us to determine the maximum allowed working pressure of the boiler. James Cowdery and Nathan “Maverick” Osborn have all but finished taking the thickness readings on every surface of the boiler shell and firebox; thanks to you two for sticking with it. Steve and Dave will perform the calculations based on this data, and quite a bit more information that Dave and his crew took Friday and Saturday.

Longitudinal braces and their pins were measured, inspected, and all of the rivets were hammer tested. None failed. Hammer testing of the stays will come later. Tapping on each rivet should give a resounding “ring” sound. If one is hammered with a “thud” it is most likely broken and would need to be re-set. The stayed surfaces on the backhead were measured as well. Roger Stabler began tapping out staybolt holes in the wrapper sheet in preparation for welding in the patches later this season.

Nancy Harden hammer tests rivets while
Dave Roth and Jeff Boone continue thread clean-up.
Roger Stabler has a job briefing regarding the wrapper patch work. Jim and Jeff listen closely.



Work continued on Saturday until the afternoon began to wind down. A few stories were told, some exaggerated for dramatic effect, some not. Hank and our newest steam team member, Kirk Baer of Portola, assisted me in putting a few more parts away in the second storage car, and after a clean sweep of the shop, we called it a day. Thanks to everyone for coming out, especially our friends from GGRM, who have been incredibly helpful and supportive through their loan of time and tooling. No small thanks also to our major financial donors, including Bob Sims, James Mason, and Roger Stabler, who will be footing the bill for the leaf spring repair! Thanks go to Norman Holmes for providing us with spare parts donated from his personal collection, such as the whistle off the WP 166. And of course another big thanks to Charlie and Steve Habeck for getting things ready for our arrival in the shop.
I look forward to our next session, Thursday, July 19th - Saturday July 21st. With some luck and persistence, we should have the boiler and frame back on its drivers in the Fall. Until we meet again, have a wonderful Spring and Summer season, and be safe. -JCA