May 2011 Work Weekend

Despite this blog entry being a month late, we DID have a May 2011 work weekend!

Two major things took place: a) creating a "show and tell" item for the upcoming Board of Directors meeting and b) moving a horizontal boring machine from Anderson Tooling Incorporated of Fairfield, Iowa, to the MCRR shop.

The MCRR's D-9 has been in restoration for several years. With the MCRR's 2-6-0 number 6 being in "kit form" due to the boiler repairs, we felt having an additional locomotive to the 9, 16, and diesel 14 would be prudent. Starting in the summer of 2009, the staff installed a new torque converter housing to resolve a severe leak. The replacement housing task was successfully except for a small O-ring which failed causing a leak at a different spot! Numerous other projects intervened causing the D-9's refurbishment to stagnate. Perhaps 3 locomotives would be sufficient after all?

Fast forward to 2011. With 6 running but having the Shay number 9 in Colorado, the urgency of an additional locomotive has increased and the D-9 has been pulled from the back burner (is that a coal burner or an oil burner?) to "main task" status.

Substantial refurbishment work had been accomplished in early 2009. Besides replacing the torque converter housing, the 2009 effort included repair of the badly rusted areas, removal of most of the paint, sandblasting and painting numerous body panels, and installation of a train brake system.

Over the months since the project started, a major unanswered question was "what color should we paint it?"

Under the rust splotches, the D-9 appeared to be "construction equipment" yellow. Let's paint it yellow.

The D-9 is nearly the twin of the Plymouth diesel switcher, the 14. Let's paint it black and white just like the 14.

As we were grinding the old construction yellow paint off the cab, a green color appeared between the yellow paint and the original primer. "It must have been green when it came from Plymouth Locomotive Works" so let's paint it green.

It was even said, "he who holds the spray gun chooses the topcoat color."

In a combination of several of the above possibilities, the holder of the spray gun and several others decided on green, the color uncovered while grinding the old paint off the body.

Mr. Spray Gun then thought having a completed piece -- in this case, a door -- for the upcoming MCRR board meeting would convince everyone that the right choice had been made. Hmmmmmmm...30 minutes to finish the door's preparation, 30 minutes to prime, 30 minutes to apply the top coat. Yes, I think that's funny too! The imagined 1.5 hour job took closer to 7 hours (surprise) but the results were worth the time spent.

The "ready-to-paint" door was set up for final preparation. It was at this time that the staff noted lots of surface rust, numerous spots of paint had to be removed, the entire back side was untouched, and the window and door latch needed to be masked.














With the outside surface completed, removing the inside surface's paint began. Besides the old paint, there was a large amount of adhesive everywhere which had been used to secure sound deadening materials within the cab.














Scraping the narrow portion surrounding the window.














Everything masked, surfaces sanded and cleaned, the door is hung from the overhead crane for painting.














The first coat was a self-etching primer.














With the door painted green, it was moved close to the D-9's cab where a portion of the hidden green had surfaced. Click on the picture and you can see the little spot on the cab matching the freshly painted door.














The completed door. ("Uhhhh...isn't that John Deere green?" "No.")














The painting was Friday. Saturday's main thrust was preparing the machine shop for a horizontal boring machine donated by Anderson Tooling of Fairfield. By shifting a few machines into different positions, a large area was cleared for the incoming machine.














We used the skid-steer to push the lathe to the south.














Some cutting oil had leaked from the lathe. Using clay oil absorbent, the puddle disappeared.














The horizontal boring machine on Anderson Tooling's flatbed truck
















With the boring machine partially on the floor and on some dollies, the forklift pushed it into position in the machine shop.




























Inches from its final resting spot.

-steam.airman

April 2011 Work Weekend

In February it was too cold and snowy to do anything useful; this time it was too warm and sunny to do too much work. Everyone wanted to be outside enjoying an "above average" day.

The rolling stock was moved around during the morning, primarily to get a flatcar next to the tender of the 1. Why bother? The "plan" is to send the 1 to Colorado for refurbishing at the shops of the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Presuming the MCRR's 3-truck Class C Shay is pulling trains, the same flatbed tractor-trailer that carries the 1 to Colorado will bring their 2-6-2 number 12 to Mount Pleasant.

So, back to the reason for the flatcar next to the 1's tender: hardware removed from the 1's tender is placed on the flatcar. This way, we can move the flatcar somewhere else and get the entire load of removed parts out of the way. Once the space next to the tender is no longer necessary, the flatcar can be brought back.

...and why are we removing hardware? Since we are paying for the 1's restoration, it makes sense that certain elements of the work are done locally to reduce our cost. In addition, we need to start finding all the parts from the 1 and getting them to one place in time for the shipment.

The main thrust of the day's effort was to remove the oversized fuel tank from the tender. Jerry C, Steve R, and Braden G. are standing on the tender plotting what needs to be undone to get the tank off the tender.















With a few people standing on the top of the tender, Brian B. and Roger R. disconnect the fuel lines from the tank while Dan H. watches the progress.




























Brian B loosens a fitting on the fuel line.














This scene is reminiscent of ants crawling around a chunk of food, removing morsels to take back to the nest.














Dylan D. searches for a large combination wrench for those perched on the tender.














Roger R and Braden G discuss the next bolt that needs removal prior to lifting the tank off the tender.




























Most of the tank's attaching points are gone and the tank is almost ready to lift.














Oops...one more pipe to be removed.














The pipe resisted removal! As a vertical piece was loosened, it seemed to get tighter. The problem was traced to not having a union along the pipe's run. Loosening it from one fitting tightened it in another fitting.










































It looks like a cow birthing a calf! The tank is being hoisted out of the tender.




























A close look at the modified tank after its removal from the tender.




























The tank was sitting on a few boards














A view of the tender without that ugly extended tank protruding from the top. Our guess is that during the engine's conversion from coal to oil, it was determined that a flush mount tank wouldn't carry enough fuel to rove very far from the fuel depot. The solution was to add the 15 inch upper portion.

-steam.airman
Photos courtesy Steam.airman and Braden G.

February 2011 Work Weekend

Snow.

No, it didn't snow this weekend but it had been snowing in the previous weeks. The tracks and switches were well covered making moving equipment more work than anyone felt like doing.

The volunteers pursued a few small projects such as renovating some of the engine crew upholstered areas of the 6's cab and sandblasting and painting of a new hand brake wheel assembly for one of the two D&RGW flat cars.

The monthly board meeting reviewed the 9's relocation to the Georgetown Loop RR in Silver Plume, CO, and discussed several big projects for the upcoming months.

...and yes, the shop seems empty. We hope the 9 is comfortable in its Colorado home.

-steam.airman

WSL Shay number 9 arrives at Georgetown Loop

During the last few days of January and first days of February, the Midwest Central Railroad's staff, the Anderson Tooling Company's employees, and the Georgetown Loop Railroad's staff, loaded, transported, and unloaded the MCRR's prize Class "C" three truck narrow gauge Shay locomotive.

Various newspaper articles have appeared in the Mount Pleasant IA (here and here), Burlington IA, and Denver CO newspapers. (You can search those websites for the articles.) The Narrow Gauge Discussion forum has several threads regarding the 9's move to Colorado.

NOTE: The following collection of pictures are from various MCRR and GLRR staff members.

The 9 had been partially disassembled over the early part of January. By late January, all that was left to do was load the 9 onto the trailer and start driving "west."

From the onset, the weather wasn't too cooperative. Many inches of snow and ice had blocked the tracks from the MCRR's shop to the South Station where the trailer was waiting.

MCRR staff clean the rails to prevent the 14 or 9 from derailing.




























The diesel 14 pushes the 9 into the east end of the South Station.




























A special "track" was built to hold the 9 while on the trailer. There was a special ramp built that would extend from the real track onto the trailer. The 14 had quite a challenge in pushing the 9 onto the trailer.




























With the 9 and its tender loaded onto two trailers, the drive to Colorado was about to begin.




























Near Des Moines, the caravan exited I-80. A Des Moines-based MCRR member met the trucks and took a few pictures of them entering and exiting the interstate highway.






































































The trucks are nearing their destination.






































































Unloading the tender.




























Unloading the locomotive.



























































































It looks like the GLRR staff couldn't wait to light a fire in our Shay! Hahahaha -- that is their smokey diesel switch engine, with its stack perfectly in line with our Shay's stack.




























Here a few shots of the scenery which the 9 will be traveling. This beats the snot out of the little trestle at the north east end of McMillan Park!

-steam.airman