Spring 2011 Work Week Report

All photos by Debra Baer unless noted. (Thanks Debra!)

Spring has sprung, an unusually long, wet winter is over, and we are ready to get back to work on the WP 165. Leaving Los Angeles for a few days seldom requires an excuse, but in this case the cabin fever made it imperative. I arrived in Portola on Wednesday, April 27th ready to get something accomplished. Upon arrival we met up with Steve Lee, recently retired from the Union Pacific Steam Department. Steve came out from Cheyenne to help out for the week, and we were very happy to see him on the property. In anticipation for the “big pick” the following Saturday, Rod McClure, Steve Habeck, and Cody Wilson were adjusting the drum brakes in derrick 37, a beastly machine. Built for the WP as a steam derrick, it was converted to internal combustion sometime in the 1970’s. We ordered pizza in, and called it a night.

Thursday morning dawned clear, cold and windy. Breakfast at the Station Café with Charlie Spikes is always a good way to start the day. Charlie, Bill and Duane had spent the previous week getting our parts cleaning tank cleared away and functional so we could start degreasing locomotive parts. A 55 gallon drum of the cleaning solvent only gave us a few inches in the bottom due to the tanks enormous size, more is on order.

The big task facing us on Thursday was getting the pedestal binders ready to come off. This proved to be another colossal task given the amount of crud clogging the holes, damaged studs, etc. Luckily by this time our friends from the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in San Francisco were starting to arrive. Dave Roth, Dave Varley, Jim Prettyleaf, and Severen Edmonds were ready to get dirty, so they were put to work. By Friday Roger Stabler and Dave Wallace also took turns in the pit “persuading” the heavy binders to move, which eventually did. Everything does, in time, bend to our will, some things just not that easily. Bruce Hilliard serenaded us with the needlescaler. Charlie had to run back to Reno to refill the O2 bottles. David Hensarling, president of GGRM, arrived on Friday to check things out, and was put to work reassembling the left side brake cylinder with Jim P. and Nathan Osborn. James Cowdery, "Burr" Wilson and Nathan applied red primer to the first two boiler courses and the dome, which was nice to see, much better than rust colored metal. Doyle McCormack came down from Portland, Oregon to check out his sleeper car, the ”Magnolia Grove”, and visit with Steve Lee. Doyle is a steam veteran and has a lot of good advice for us. Thus started the “Fog of War” period when things were happening so fast that it’s hard to recount everything, so forgive me if I omit any details.

Steve Lee helps to secure a lathe donated by the UPRR for movement into the shop.

The lathe is loaded into the dump truck.

Steve Lee and Doyle McCormack join forces to rig a spreader bar.

The Derrick's master, Rod McClure.

Phil checks the rigging on the Tidewater car prior to a lift.

Friday also saw the Brehm’s up from Phoenix to re-roof the Steam Department’s tool car, the former Denver & Rio Grande boxcar donated to us by the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, CA. The three of them set to removing the mostly rotted T&G and recovering with plywood and rubberized roofing. This is a temporary measure until we can mill up the proper wood roofing, but at least the interior can stay dry for the time being. Thanks to you guys for making the trip and getting the job done!

Friday night dinner at the Roadhouse was enjoyable, at least until the Karaoke started. At that point we were ready to get back to our bunks to rest up for Saturday, which proved to be eventful.

Nathan Osborn and James Cowdery prep and paint the boiler shell.

Jim Prettyleaf, GGRM welder removes a wasted section of the 165 wrapper sheet.

Mike Brehm, of Phoenix, AZ after nailing down the new roof on the tool car-JCA photo.

Dave Roth, GGRM Operations Manager, assumes the "Put down the camera and get back to work" pose.-JCA photo

Saturday morning the derrick crew, guided by rigging foreman Phil Schmierer had the Tidewater Southern bunk car back up on trucks for the first time in a long time. The plan was to pick the 165 off its drivers and place the boiler and chassis in the spot previously occupied the TS car. With the binder nuts loose, and the engine back down on the axles and lubricated with some STP (Doyle’s suggestion) it left the confines of the shop for the first time in several years and was back out in the light of day. The move went slowly due to having to pull it out with a chain, before the switch crew could run around and use the coupler on the front. Finally spotted next to the derrick, Steve Lee and Phil rigged the cables, and derrick operator Rod eased the engine skyward, just a bit. Of course the 165 didn’t give up that easy, as Severen, Dave Varley and Dave Wallace had to beat on a couple of the binders before they finally gave in (the binders, not the Severen, Dave and Dave). Once Phil was confident that the rigging was sound, up went the boiler and frame, and as according to plan, the driver sets stayed on the ground, thankfully. With two taglines and numerous holders-on, the engine spinning around 180 degrees to its resting spot resembled a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloon, albeit an incredibly ungainly one. After some careful negotiation through the air, the chassis and frame were set down on cribbing. Sandblasting can now commence later in the season on the boiler interior, on the drivers, and other parts. Roger Stabler has offered to get quotes on the four leaf springs that need renewal. The plan calls for re-wheeling the locomotive this time next year, barring any “unforeseen” events or disclosures once we get the numerous layers of paint and grime off.

The 165 being lowered onto the cribbing. - Dave Roth photo.

The boiler and chassis set, ready for sandblasting. - JCA photo

Thanks to all for a great deal of time, effort, and professionalism during this process. It is my hope that this is as far as we need to go for disassembly, and we can now begin putting it all back together. Erin Swain has been making good progress on restoring the power reverse cylinder at his home shop in Flagstaff, AZ. This is one example of how things are always happening on the 165 project, little by little. In time lots of littles add up to a whole lot.

Our next work session is coming up July 21st-23rd, 2011. By then we hope to have the sandblasting done, including the cab. Erin is going to lead the project to repair the cancer around the base, and renew the wood headliner. Cleaning of parts continues, thanks to Charlie and his son Eric. Thanks go to Rod McClure especially for all the prep work getting the derrick back into fighting shape. Big thanks also to James Mason, our Treasurer, behind the scenes directing all of the steam funds in the right direction. The amount of work left is staggering, but if we have a few more sessions like this last one, some real progress will be apparent real soon. - JCA

Spring is here!

Greetings! I hope everyone is well rested and ready to get back into steam "mode"!

Our next work session in Portola is less than 2 months away, Thursday, April 28th - Saturday April 30th, so I would like to give everyone advance "warning" of what I hope to accomplish this season. The list this year is ambitious to say the least, but doable. We have an new tentative deadline of April 2014, so we need to kick ourselves into "high gear" to move the project along. Thanks again to everyone who has been putting in the hours and supporting the project either through showing up and getting dirty, financially, or even through moral support. We need to keep up the momentum so I hope to see a lot of you in April. The entire Pullman car is ours to fill up, so come one come all.

I picked up the steel boilerplate for the patches on the roof sheet today. I will get them drilled out and rolled in the next few weeks with any luck. Thanks to Paul Boschan at Redman, our left side brake cylinder is round again, and ready to put back up on the engine. Rod McClure has acquired a 16" Lodge & Shipley lathe that we need to set up, we will have lots of staybolts to thread. Flexible staybolt sockets and caps will be machined soon as well by a CNC shop here in LA.

The list so far:

Lower engine frame back onto drivers.

Move outside to suitable sandblasting location.

Jack/crib and remove drivers. Replace pedestal binders.

Remove areas in wrapper sheet for access- Sandblast boiler interior.

Continue cleaning drivers & frame – hot tank driving boxes.

Sandblast cab and spray primer.

Replace left side brake cylinder and piston. Test.

Continue thickness mapping of firebox / tube sheets / drypipe.

Begin generating FRA Form 4.

Prep tender tanks for removal. Steam clean oil tank interior. Sandblast water cistern inside&out - Primer

Source superheater flues and obtain pricing.

Re-roof tool car. Prep and Primer exterior.

Continue sourcing out replacement or rebuild of appurtenances (generator, injectors, lubricator, etc.)

Source out replacement leaf springs and obtain pricing.

Set up “new” Roseville Lathe in shop.


Again I hope to see many of you in April in Portola. Please contact me with any comments, questions, etc. -JCA

We Welcome a New Member of the WPRM Steam Team!

The Western Pacific Railroad Museum Steam Program welcomes it's newest member, Mr. Stephen A. Lee of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Steve is retired from the Union Pacific Railroad, and brings a great deal of steam experience to our program. Welcome!

Steve at work for his former employer, UPRR, before retirement.

-JCA

WPRM Steam Work Dates for 2011

Dates for steam work sessions at Portola in 2011:

Thursday, April 28th - Saturday April 30th.
Thursday, July 21st - Saturday July 23rd. Note date change
Thursday, September 29th - Saturday October 1st.

Additional dates will be added as necessary. As always please contact the Museum Manager ahead of time if you wish to arrange accomodations in the Pullman.

Have a happy and safe 2011!

-Chris Allan

Fall 2010 Work Week Report

Once again I was happy to leave the greater Los Angeles area and head to chillier climes in the north, where Fall actually takes place. I made yet another journey to Portola for the final steam work session of 2010.

After zigzagging across the state, first to Pine Grove to see about a new gate for our property, then down to Fair Oaks to visit friend and BAERA director Paul Zaborsky, I arrived early evening Wednesday Oct. 20th back at the Portola campus of WPRM.

The ever-dependable Charlie Spikes had the heater going in the Pullman, thanks for that Charlie! I had but to vacuum up the usual detritus on the floor of the sections, and wipe down a few months of dust, grab a sandwich at Subway and collapse in a heap on my bunk.

After breakfast Friday morning with Charlie at the Station Café, we got set up and started in on trying to accomplish something. Hank Stiles showed up and continued with his rebuild of the brake cylinders. He cut new gaskets for the pressure side heads and was able to make the right side function again with grease and new rubber cups provided by a friend of ours. The left side gave us fits, in fact the piston didn’t fit back in, and so the cylinder casting was removed whole and is currently being bored out by Paul Boschan here in the LA area. Seemingly small, the rebuild of the right side cylinder represents the first restored part on the 165, first of many I should hope. We patted ourselves on the back and moved on. Welcome to our newest volunteer, Bruce Hilliard from Sacramento. Bruce was very enthusiastic and made himself useful all three days. Thanks also to Ed Chase for dutifully needlescaling the smokebox exterior for many hours on Thursday.

Thursday night a friendly “contingent” from the Golden Gate Railroad Museum arrived to help out for the rest of the week. These guys have Southern Pacific locomotive 2472 stabled operable at the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, California, and are a real bunch of professionals. Dave Roth, GGRMs Ops Manager was joined by Severn Edmonds, Jim Prettyleaf, and Dave Varley, GGRM's CMO.





Jim, Dave, Dave and Bruce. Taken just after the front tube sheet was fit.



Severn heating up binder nuts in preparation for loosening them.



Hank working on the right side brake cylinder.

By Friday we were at full speed. Bruce and Jim began the process of fitting the new front tubesheet, a laborious process requiring attention be paid. Jim took the lead and had it in by Saturday afternoon. Weld prep and the actual welding still needs to be accomplished but we are well on our way. Dave Roth and Dave Varley took turns continuing the thickness mapping on the firebox wrapper sheet. Having gone through the FRA form 4 process with the 2472, the GGRM crew’s assistance will prove invaluable on the 165 calculations.

Roger Stabler pulled in with a present for the project: a pair of Sharon locomotive couplers donated by him and Dave Magaw, president of the Sierra Northern. The couplers were originally from a locomotive they owned together which they subsequently sold. We can now replace the cracked coupler on the tender, and have a spare in stock should we need it. Thanks again to Roger and Dave!

Roger and Severn began loosening up pedestal binder nuts in preparation for jacking up the locomotive in the Spring and removing the drivers. We decided this was the best course of action for cleaning and inspecting the frame and driver centers for cracks, and it will also be easier to sandblast components when disassembled and on shop trucks.


Dave Roth tackles some thickness mapping using the ultrasonic tester.


Severn and Roger fighting with binder nuts.



Jim Prettyleaf preps the front tube sheet for the new section.



Front tube sheet fitted up. Grinding bevels and welding remains to be done. It's great to finally see it in place!

Saturday was blustery and rainy, we felt lucky to be able to work indoors. Dave Roth took it upon himself to continue the chipping on the frame spreader at the rear of the engine. Charlie and Duane started this last season, and Dave got nearly all the remaining bits and pieces out using Roger’s air hammer. Hank and I both took turns grinding on the rear tube sheet and removing more tube ends, a task which left our forearms sore for days given the weight of Dana’s 9” grinder.

I enjoyed meeting the GGRM guys, and sharing some stories and exaggerations in the evening during cocktail hour. I hope they can come back for more in the Spring. Again my thanks to them and everyone who braved the weather to help out this time!

Luckily I had loaded some boiler plate and the left side brake cylinder in my truck for the trip south. The extra weight in my bed was likely the reason I wasn’t blown off Donner Pass on the way home.

Another season has come to an end, and I would like to thank all of you who have supported the project either through showing up and lending some elbow grease, or have donated monetarily and/or in-kind. Thanks also to those who could only lend their moral support, which is appreciated too. We are progressing at a good clip now, so I would like to keep the momentum up. Please consider a year-end donation in any amount. You may send your check to:

WP 165 Steam Fund, Western Pacific Railroad Museum, PO BOX 608, Portola, CA 96122.

I will try and have our fundraising calendar available online in the next couple weeks. Look for my announcement. Until then have a great Fall season! - JCA

A Boxcar for the Steam Department Arrives

Eventual appearance of boxcar 62962, as an O-scale model from the Mullet River Model Works website.

After two years of fundraising, planning, and even a couple false starts, our 1909-built D&RGW house car 62962 arrived in Portola Tuesday, October 5th, 2010. The move from the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista, California to WPRM Portola took all day, and the carbody was placed back on its trucks Wednesday morning. Thanks to the professionals: Steve, Chris and Rick at Mongomery Contractors the move was made safely and efficiently.

The Sunday prior I was joined by Eugene Vicnair, Chris Kaprielian, Nathan Osborn, James Cowdery, Craig Ferguson, and Friend (sorry I’m not great with names!). Paul Zaborsky with WRM operated the forklift for us. The underbody was stripped of brake gear to get it as low as possible on the flatbed. Items being donated to us by WRM, including the WP's train scheduling stringboard, and parts not necessary for their period restoration of SN caboose 1632 were secured inside the car by Eugene and Chris. Rod McClure's Oakland yard office sign was also included and will be hung in the WPRM Gift Shop after a couple of decades adorning the wall of the shop at Rio Vista.


The crew arrives at Rio Vista Junction to prep the car.


Eugene and Chris securing the contents.

So much was accomplished on Sunday thanks to the great turnout, I was able to take Monday off, and travel with my dad up to Woodland to visit steam team member Roger Stabler. After a quick tour of his railcar, P/V Two Rivers we had a nice BBQ lunch at Ludys downtown. Returning back to the Sierra Northern shop we met up with Dave Magaw, President of the SNRR. He and Roger surprised us with the donation of two Sharon couplers for the 165. These couplers were originally from an 0-4-0 they owned together. Our current tender coupler is badly cracked; we can now replace it and still have a spare. Thanks again to Dave and Roger for their continued support.


James Cowdery before bravely climbing up on the roof to nail down battens.

Tuesday morning Mongomery Contractors arrived promptly at 07:30. They worked fast to jack the carbody off the trucks, and we were loaded and on the road by 11:00. By 16:00 the car was inside the gate at Portola.


Carefully backing the trailer under the carbody on jacks.



D&RGW 62962 back on its wheels in Portola, safe and sound.

The roof on the 62962 is not in the best shape, so the car will spend it’s first winter at Portola in the diesel shop. Come spring we will attend to the roof and put the brake rigging back up. Then we can stabilize the exterior and start moving tools and supplies in.

Thanks to the guys at WRM: David Johnson, Al Stangenberger and Paul Zaborsky for their assistance and patience. Thanks also to FRRS Treasurer James Mason for handling the financials, and to Rod McClure, Steve Habeck, Cody Wilson, Charlie Spikes, and David Epling for the assistance unloading and getting the car put away when it got home to Portola. And last but not least to Nathan Osborn and James Cowdery for their generous donations that made this move possible.

I will update everyone from time to time as we make strides in getting this car back in the “useful” category. - JCA

Summer 2010 Work Weekend Report

Our first day of work for the summer session, Thursday July 29th saw the return of prodigal son Erin Swain, FRRS life member currently residing in Flagstaff, AZ, and myself ready to tackle the nastier tasks we have been putting off. Erin jumped in by getting himself into the firebox and continuing the grind on the rear tube sheet. The seal welds on the tubes at the rear were applied so as to minimize leakage when cold air was inadvertently sucked in due to the fire going out, or inattentive firemen etc. To replace the tubes these welds must be ground flush with the sheet and the small bit of tube end remaining must be driven out. Not the most glamorous job but one that needs to get done despite all the tiny grind burns we are both nursing.

Charlie Chris and Hank work on removing a bolt at the tender buffer.

Hank Stiles removed the rear cab brace sheet with a bit of help from all concerned and placed it out with the cab to hopefully be sandblasted later in the summer. In the process the buffer that bears against the tender front beam can now be tightened up since it was integral with the cab brace. The brake cylinders were also dissassembled. They are both in fine condition and will hopefully be reassembled with new seals in the fall.

Working at removing the cab support plate.


Charlie checks in on Mike and Joseph Brehm during cab wood removal.

After Erin’s turn was done in the firebox he and Charlie (Welcome back Charlie!) spent the lion’s share of the next two days needle-scaling on the valve gear arms and various other castings.

I would like to welcome new members Mike and Joseph Brehm from Phoenix, AZ. (Fun fact: Arizona was well represented this time, even the 165 started its career in Jerome, Arizona). Mike and Joe made their very first trip to Portola this time, and were immediately tasked with removing the cab woodwork in preparation for sandblasting the cab sheet metal. The T&G boards in the headliner and the ancillary wood was carefully removed, numbered and documented prior to storing it in our boxcar for future reference. New material will replace this woodwork, but the old will serve as a pattern for replacement. Thanks to both these guys for their perseverance and seeing the job through.

Erin waits for the power reverse to drain.

By Friday we were in full force and were joined by Nathan Osborn and Mike Mucklin. More needle-gun work was the order of the day and the din was jarring, but progress was made. Mike continued his photo documentation of work on the project. Mikes fine work is featured in this post. More of this work session can be viewed online here.

By Saturday Erin was getting tired of chipping paint and decided to check out the power reverse, which has been overlooked up to this point. We are happy he did because on removing the rear drain plug he got over five gallons of water out of the cylinder. The little drains were of course plugged and we are lucky it didn’t freeze up and crack something expensive to replace. One thing led to another and we decided that a proper rebuild was best done on the bench so it was dropped down and loaded in Erin’s truck to be rebuilt in his home shop. We are confident it will come back to us in better-than-new condition.

Director Parker finally made it in Saturday afternoon. It would have been sooner but the railroad had different plans for him. Matt spent a good couple of hours chipping away inside the boiler shell. Yet another task everyone hates but one that needs doing.

Matt Parker looks very serious.

The power reverse comes off.

Thanks to everyone who came out this time. Each time we literally and figuratively “chip away” at the task, and one day it will lead to steam returning to Portola. Thanks to unsung hero Norm Holmes who made sure we had full welding bottles, and for finalizing the tube sale with the V&T, as well as our new FRRS treasurer James Mason who is helping us figure out the steam department finances. James' efforts will allow us to finally bring our boxcar home from Rio Vista in September.

Our friends in Cheyenne also deserve our gratitude for their continued assistance and advice.

Also, a big thanks to Bob Sims for his continued generosity. Bob donated another $1000.00 to the cause, as well as some vintage WP oil and kero cans that will look great and be quite handy when we get steaming.

The cab and tender signage is just about done as of this writing. We could still use another $500.00 to complete the funding of this sub-project. Sean of Starr Studios in Big Bear City, CA has done an exemplary job of replicating the originals. These should be on display somewhere in the shop area by next spring. Thanks to all of you that have donated to this signage, your generosity will soon be on display for all to see, and will instill a great deal of pride in our WP heritage. A separate blog post outlining the entire process will be up soon, thanks to Sean who has been sending progress photos of the entire job.

One of the new tender signs almost ready.

Have a great summer! See you in the fall.- JCA