August, 2013 Work Weekend

With just a few weeks before the 2013 Old Threshers' Reunion, the staff was busy during the August work weekend.

Before getting into the details of the MCRR volunteers, here is an update to the concrete work at the South Station.

Most of the excavating, grading, and concrete work is complete. The next few pictures are views looking east from the west end, looking at the one of the pedestrian entryways, and looking west from the east side.

If you look real close at the pictures, the rails can barely be seen. They are still there! Passengers and train staff will appreciate the concrete walk to board the train. The updated drainage system will solve the puddle formed when locomotive firemen don't notice the injector has stopped feeding water to the boiler and is instead feeding water to the platform.

As part of the 2013 Federal Railway Administration certification for No. 12, Dave O. checks the calibration of the various pressure gauges on our testing apparatus. Every gauge was within a few points of being "spot on."

After completing the ultrasound measuring of the dry pipe's walls, the steam dome lid was ready for installation. Dave O. heats the copper ring gasket that makes the tight seal between the boiler and the lid.

The washers for the lid's studs get wire brushed before reuse.

Kendell O. operates the overhead crane to lift the steam dome lid from the floor to the top of the boiler and set in place over the studs.

The MCRR's machinists fabricated a new burner for No. 12. Braden G. gets it ready for installation by assembling the pieces

Kendell O. hunts through the parts room for bolts, nuts, and lock washers.

Braden G. checks the alignment of the burner's pieces.

While mechanical work was happening in the shop, the train crew members were cleaning the coaches and cabooses at the North Station.

Pictured here are Grant A., Dylan D., Ben B., John W., Elsie B., Ian B., and Ryan J. Several other members participated but were not nearby when this picture was taken.

Lisa F. takes a short rest after cleaning the caboose.

Members wandering aimlessly under the water tower.

Elsie B., and Ben B. are sweeping the dust and dirt from under the seats while Ryan J. cleans the windows.

Organizer and lead conductor Dylan D. wonders what John W. is trying to accomplish.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Brian B. prepares stencils for some new signs debuting around the railroad in the next few weeks.

Rex F, Braden G., and Ryan F. fabricate No. 12's burner support bracket.

John W. and Rex F. discuss the weekend's activities. Perhaps there will be a blog update to include the water tower clean-out pictures. John W., Kendell O., and Rex F. removed all the loose material in the water tower.

(Editor's note: my wish came true! The following two photos courtesy John W.)

John W. holding a shovel full of rusty bits after sweeping the floor.

John W. climbs out of the man-lift and into the water tower's entryway leading to the tank. 

It is speculated that Wayne P. was doing something useful here. Some of his assignments were to clean up metal parts for welding; perhaps this is what is happening here.

We removed No. 12's refractory brick at the close of the 2012 operations. After modifying the floor of the firebox, Roger R. and Elliot H. begin the process of installing the new firebrick.

For those thinking Elliot H. never does anything, he was caught here sawing a refractory brick to size for Roger R. Roger spent the better part of 3 days inside the firebox!

The bright spot between the bricks is the new burner.

Sawing bricks is a sloppy job. Rex F. scrapes the coagulated masonry dust out of the tub-saw's tub.

-steam.airman

Concrete work at the South Station's platform.

Several MCRR board meetings ago, the board authorized the upgrading of the South Station's platform. (Why? The gravel surface made it difficult for many of our visitors to pass by, board, and/or disembark from the train. In addition, the drainage was less than ideal causing a mess when the rains came or the snow melted.)

The work has begun (and is nearing completion!) Here are a few pictures showing what is being done.

A view looking east from the west side of the South Station.

A view looking southeast from the middle of the South Station's platform.

The new platform will have built in "gutters." The forms are on the pallet in front of the tracked skid steer.

Looking west from the middle of the platform, the some of the forms are in place and the crew is continuing their preparation work.

The new platform will be ADA compliant. Notice the how the ramp slopes out from the doors.

The first round of concrete being poured.

-steam.airman

July, 2013 Work Weekend

We shifted the July work weekend ahead 7 days due to the Independence Day holiday. It was expected that more MCRR members would be on the grounds between July 4th and July 7th than there would be on the official work weekend of July 13th-14th.

The main order of business was finishing the tie replacement project started in June. The new ties had been installed and the area cleaned up but the new ballast was never inserted under the ties.

Kendall O, Rex F, Roger R, Paul K, and John G move ballast from the skid steer to the ties. After the ballast is dumped under the rails, pneumatic tampers are used to jamb the material under the ties.

(Editor's note: Maybe it is just my computer's display but the fabric on John G's overalls -- sometimes called "Hickory Stripe Denim" -- sure looks odd in this picture!)

With the ballast under the new ties, the next task was lifting the rails approaching the "saw mill crossing." The area is rather soft and is a low spot along the tracks causing large amounts of water to collect for even the smallest rains.

The track crew installed jacks every few feet and lifted the ties out of the muck. As can be seen in these pictures, the jacks pressed down into the soft dirt rather than lifting the rails. Eventually the ground released its hold on the tracks allowing us to install new ballast.

Our tracks along the east fence also needed some work. Once the other two track projects were completed, we replaced 9 ties along the fence, evenly distributed from the east park entrance crossing to the southeast curve.

Last January, we removed the burner from No. 6 to use as a "pattern" for No. 12's new burner. Nathan V. re installs No. 6's burner.

Rex F. and Ryan F. reassemble No. 12's single stage air compressor. Its parts were in several different places and it was thought wise to get everything back into one place.

A tiny bit work was completed on No. 12. The past few blog entries reported the installation of the cross compound air compressor. One of the last few things to complete on this project is the installation of the running board patch panels surrounding the compressor.

Jeremy L. grinds some dross off the rear patch panel.

While the track gang was working on the layout, several members were assessing the needs of the "new" DRGW boxcar 3007. Freed from the track project and now able to assist with the boxcar, Rex F. and Brian B. purchase new boards at Mt Pleasant Lumber Company.

DRGW boxcar 3007 was on the main shop's center track, pushed fairly far back making it really hard to work on. Using the Vulcan gasoline switcher, the boxcar was moved onto the pit track.

With the boxcar in its new location, the crew started rust removal and painting of numerous steel parts.

Paul K. uses the wire wheel on a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder to remove rust from a step.

Brian B. treats a steel bracket with rust inhibitor.

-steam.airman