Saturday, February 21, 2015

February, 2015, Yellow Caboose Update - II

During the week, the paint preparation work on the yellow caboose was finished.

The shop team applied the primer and top coat. They also fogged the shop for mosquitoes.












-Photos courtesy Walt O.

February, 2015 Work Weekend

Two major work areas:
  • Preparing the yellow caboose (modeled after a Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad caboose) for painting.
  • Removing rust and painting baffles in No. 12's tender.

The caboose had been painted long ago but the paint retained its shine. The entire surface needed to be roughed up for the new paint to adhere. Complicating the task was the tongue and groove siding. Most of the surface was attacked with a dual action sander but there was a mountain of hand work to get between the slats.

John K. runs the DA sander.






Roger R. does the hand work between the siding boards.



The 12's tender with the new ventilation fan on top. We had been using the window fan to move air around but it wasn't sufficient to deal with the needle descaler and the proposed epoxy paint.




The lower baffles had been descaled; the upper baffle had been epoxied long ago and was still in fair condition. The vertical yellow pipe is attached to the ventilation fan The white mass towards the front of the tank is Elliot H. applying the epoxy paint.





Emerging from the tender.





A view from outside looking into the tender.




A view from the inside looking out.



-steam.airman
-Photos courtesy Matt W.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

February, 2015, Yellow Caboose Update - I

The shop team has been making mountains of progress on the preventative maintenance on our Yellow Caboose (there is probably a better, more affectionate name than "Yellow Caboose" but if there is, I am not remembering it!).

Both trucks were removed and disassembled. See the January, 2015 Work Weekend, blog entry for more details on this phase of work.

After the wheel and truck frames were sandblasted by Evan P., Matt C. painted everything he could get in front of his spray gun.








A finished axle.



After sandblasting but before the final color application.




-steam.airman 
-Photos courtesy MC

Sunday, February 8, 2015

January, 2015, Locomotive No. 2 Update

Locomotive No. 2 has not been forgotten!

Over the past months, the MCRR team has made two "giant leaps" in the restoration of this fine narrow gauge locomotive: (1) sending the drivers to Colorado to get their new axles and (2) moving the chassis back into the shop.

To prepare the wheels for their visit to Colorado, the shop staff removed the tires from the wheels. There are more pictures in the October, 2014, blog entry.

The flame ring is expanding the old tire for its removal from the wheel.




The axle/wheel set on the stand after tire removal. Sections of an old conveyor belt were placed around the wheels and banded in place for shipment.



The three axles with the wheels covered ready for shipment.



The axle sets are placed on a trailer for their transport to Colorado.




Those familiar with the shop will recognize this portion east of the pit track. For years, a large lathe occupied this spot. The lathe was sent to a Colorado railroad that will be doing the axle work for the MCRR.



No. 2's chassis is lifted off the flat car and moved into position east of the pit track.





-steam.airman
-pictures courtesy MC