June 6 Workday Highlights
Another great turnout, with 26 volunteers showing up on Saturday, June 6 for another SPRS workday. The track crew laid the first set of rail on Track 16 – the Engine crew continued work on the boiler tubes – the docents were guiding our many guests – and the whole team pitched in on a long list of “side tasks”.
Track Crew
The day started with the track crew continuing Track 16 coming off the turntable. Test areas were dug along the route to locate ties in order to follow the original track 16 as closely as possible. The first set of ties were retrieved and laid out and the first 2 rails were spiked in.
Gary Roper, new volunteers Justin and Ian Evans, and Roadmaster Alex Hois were a small but mighty crew for long stretches of the day.
Roadmaster Alex Hois points out a historic tie on the Track 16 run. Several more were found before the trail went cold in an area that may have been bulldozed. We also found ties from Tracks 4 and 5 in the parking area.
Left: The volunteer coordinator on the tractor dragged the rail over backwards, so the team had to spin it in a tight area. Clockwise from bottom - Jon Dierksheide, Jimmy Scoville, Paul Marizza, Jacoby Van Winkle, Bob Schoppe, and Justin Evans on the spin. Right: This is some of our donated rail – it is not always going to be straight (it was after spiking)
Justin and Ian Evans, Alex Hois, and Bob Schoppe on the spiking shift
This is a good time to mention all the work that has been going on with the air compressor in the picture above background. Bob Schoppe and Dan Silbaugh have been troubleshooting, and ordering and installing new parts, sometimes on weekdays. Others, like Tim Clay, have been performing some of the installations. We believe we are one step away from having the compressor in better shape than in years (or maybe ever, during our stewardship)
Engine Crew
On Saturday, work continued on cutting, polishing, loading, expanding, and beading the boiler tubes. This project has been a little “herky-jerky” with the compressor being up and down. The air tools provide a much quicker and less labor intensive method for several of the steps. The good news is that as the time has stretched on, more and more volunteers are familiar with, and contributing to, the process. One of the goals of the SPRS is the education of our members. I would dare say that in the the last 6 weeks the Engine Team and several other volunteers have banked a wealth of knowledge on boiler tubes and their place in a working steam locomotive. It will be awesome watching Kate #4 roll down the tracks knowing how many of us have contributed. But I digress.
I do not believe that we have showed this exact view yet – Jacoby Van Winkle ready to expand on the rear tube sheet – the firebox end (Photo Rob V.)
Engine Team members Jon Dierksheide, Dan Silbaugh, Mike Sharp, Bob Peterson, and Tim Clay prepare to load tubes. Mike Antolin is in the firebox side to receive, saying “whats going on out there, I’m waiting”
Other activities campus wide on Saturday included:
Remainder of lumber in Roundhouse loaded onto Band flat car for transport to lumber car off parking lot (using Plymouth)
Work on larger Volunteer space that will also conain the Operations desk and schedule board.
Prep of P-car (Rider car)
Available rail inventory (thank you Mark Arbucci)
Continued clean up of wood pile.
Tours
Left: Rob Van Winkle and Jimmy Scoville coaching some interested visitors on the finer points of KMR #4. Rob, Amanda Berreth, and Michael Bottlemy with guests outside.
Michael Bottlemy and Paul Marizza take a youngster on the “funnest ride of his life”
Machine Shop
A year ago, our machine shop was barely coming alive. On Saturday, Jim Vanore machined the locomotive compressor bracket studs. The Boiler tap standard is 3/4” per foot taper, 12 threads per inch. By the end of the day both of the compressor stud tapered threads were completed. All that is left is to put in the straight cut 7/8-9 threads and they can be put in the boiler in preparation for the hydrostatic test. How far we have come!
Jim Vanore machining the compressor bracket studs
