Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad News

The restoration of ex-Rayonier three-truck Willamette #2 began last November with the removal of the cab and the disassembly of the tender.  Partial disassembly of the tender truck gave us an insight into what we could expect to find in the other two trucks, and an idea of the general mechanical condition of the locomotive as a whole.  Although there was wear and tear on some components, the overall condition of the truck was found to be very good, which hopefully is a good portent of things to come.  Since then, most work on the Willamette has been centered around cleaning the tender frame and truck for painting and re-assembly, removal and storage of various small parts off the locomotive, and some limited boiler work (removal of the superheater elements and assorted fittings).

This past week, work on the Willamette stepped into high gear with the removal of the engine (cylinder assembly) from the boiler.  The engine is mounted to a cast steam header, which is in turn bolted to the side of the firebox.  There are 27 studs through the cast header:  13 across the top and 14 across the bottom.  The top row of holes in the header were cast to size, whereas the bottom row of holes are slotted.  All of the nuts had to be heated up to break them free, or simply sliced off with a cutting torch.  And all of the slots at the bottom of the header were packed with scale and debris, making removal of the engine quite a battle.  At the bottom of the engine Willamette attached the engine to the frame by bolting two parallel 3/4″ thick steel plates behind the crank shaft.  Aside from the numerous bolts in each plate, Rayonier found it necessary to weld the plates to the frame at both ends, and at various spots underneath.  Scott Gordon and Tim Gordon spent several days removing all of the bolts at the bottom of the engine, and the upper row of nuts at the top.  Then Gerry Petitjean spent most of a day removing the lower row of nuts at the steam header while Brian Wise cut and ground out all of the known welds at the bottom mounting plates.  Once all of the that was accomplished, Gerry Petitjean manufactured a lifting rig to attach to the top of the cylinders.

When everything was ready, Bill Highline fired up MRSR’s NW2 #481 and pulled the Willamette outside down to a gravel crossing where Perry Cox was waiting with “Clifford” the big red forklift.  Initially it was thought that the engine would have to be removed using an enormous log stacking machine borrowed from landlord West Fork Timber, but it was soon decided that the forklift was more than adequate for the task.  So with the engine slung from the forklift forks, the fight was on to slide the engine off of those 27 mounting studs.  Before the locomotive was moved outside, steel wedges were driven between the steam header and the boiler to see if the engine would move.  Without too much effort, the engine was wedged out away from the boiler about 1″ before the decision was made to move outside.  Outside, more and thicker wedges of wood and plastic were driven in behind the steam header, inching the engine further and further off the studs.  However, it was soon discovered that the bottom wasn’t going anywhere.  Apparently one or more of the welds hadn’t been cut all the way through, so the cutting torch was called for to remedy the situation.  Then a pair of 20 ton hydraulic jacks were placed behind the engine to force the bottom away from the frame.  That’s when all the other small tack welds under the top plate were discovered as they began popping free.  So with the bottom free to move, the top of the engine was soon off the studs.

The plan was to remove the engine assembly with the log stacker, then use the big forklift to pull the bottom of the engine out so that the engine would lay flat on a small flat car.  But, since the engine was removed with the forklift, it had to be handed over to the stacker first.  Having both pieces of machinery up close to each other gave the appearance of male and female spiders in some sort of mating ritual.  With Brian Wise at the controls of the stacker, Perry Cox in the forklift, and Tom Payne and Gerry Petitjean doing alot of shouting and arm waving the engine assembly was slowly layed flat upon the small flat car that will be its resting place for the duration of its rebuild.

After the engine assembly was laid down, the forklift was used to easily remove the 8-1/2″ cross-compound air compressor from the right side of the locomotive’s frame.  Then it was time to push everything back inside.  The engine assembly on its own car was placed inside one of the MRSR storage buildings with the rest of the locomotive on an adjacent track indoors.

This coming week, Rowdy Pierce will be spending a whole day inside the firebox removing the burner and all of the firebrick so that the firebox pan can be dropped in preparation for removal of the boiler from the frame.

Tom Payne offers encouragement as Brian Wise (with bar) and Gerry Petijean try to get the engine assembly off of the upper mounting studs.  Howard P. Wise photo.

Now Tom Payne is on top of the boiler after taking his turn driving wedges in behind the steam header.  The engine assembly has finally come free of the boiler and is ready to be moved out of the way.  Howard P. Wise photo.

Gerry Petitjean and Brian Wise steady the engine assembly as Perry Cox backs the forklift down the road to make room for the log stacker.  Bill Highline photo.

Like two giant spiders engaged in some sort of mating ritual, “Lurch” the log stacker and “Clifford” the big red forklift do a little dance to pass the engine assembly from right to left.  Howard P. Wise photo.

Tom Payne gets ready to hook up the big red forklift to the bottom of the Willamette’s engine assembly so that it can be laid flat on the small flat car.  Bill Highline photo.

Tom Payne has successfully managed to get the engine assembly lying on the small flat car without throwing anything at either of the equipment operators.  Now the engine can be rolled inside for safe keeping.

Wow, the locomotive really does lean to the left without its engine!  Next up:  remove the boiler.  Brian T. Wise photo.

The return of ex-Rayonier 2-8-2 #70 to operable status keeps getting closer, but this project has not been without its own unique problems.  First and foremost has been the re-certification of the boiler.  The firebox in particular had several large areas replaced due to cracking which was thought to have been the result of the caustic soda used for boiler water treatment by Rayonier.  A sample of the original throat sheet was sent to a laboratory for testing.  The results showed the cracking to have been the result of thermal stress (most likely due to the improper handling of the boiler by previous owners and enhanced by the lack of flexible staybolts), so the spectre of caustic embrittlement seems to have been layed to rest.  Additionally, a local industrial inspection company was brought out to Mineral to perform a thorough non-destructive examination of the boiler firebox and barrel.  Two small defects were located that will need to be repaired.  MRSR has been working with the local FRA inspector and Mr. Linn Moedinger, president of the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania, regarding the proper methods for repairing the defects to ensure that the boiler meets all federal regulations.

Meanwhile, the rebuilding of the locomotive’s running gear is nearing completion.  All of the driving wheel sets that were re-worked have been installed in the frame (the #4 driving wheel set will be dropped and re-worked later).  The trailing truck frame has been repaired and installed, minus the wheel set which is awaiting new journal bearings.  The eccentrics and eccentric straps have been installed on the #3 driving axle (the #70 has Stephenson link valve motion).  Currently, all of the driving box cellars are currently being re-fitted, and the side rods are being re-worked and fitted to the crank pins.  The driving boxes were fitted into the frame openings with temporary shoes and wedges made of oak while the new shoes and wedges are being machined to fit.  This allowed the side rod work to continue, and keep the locomotive mobile.  One of the rear cylinder heads that was badly cracked has been repaired and re-machined.

The #70’s tender has also received a lot of attention lately.  Repairs are being made to the brake system, and the hand brake has been repaired and installed.  Both of the original Baldwin feed water shut off valves have been re-worked and are being installed.  The interior of the water tank will soon be cleaned out and painted.  Once holes have been bored through the tender deck for the oil lines, the oil resevoir will be installed.

The appearance of the #70 took a decided turn for the better a couple of months ago when both sand domes were installed, as well as a new wood deck for the cab, followed by the cab itself (newly manufactured by Brian Flemming using recoverable pieces of the original cab).  Unfortunately, the wood used for the cab deck proved to be inadequate and will be replaced with full-dimension lumber that was donated by local businessman, Jim Kootnay.

Gerry Petitjean (foreground) and Scott Gordon installing the trailing truck’s right side equalizer.

The completed trailing truck frame awaiting new journal bearings.

Tim Gordon pilots “Clifford” the big red forklift during the installation of the new cab.

Howard Wise (foreground) and Gerry Petitjean fitting a re-worked driving box cellar.  Note the polished side rod fitted to the #2 and #3 drivers.

The ex-Rayonier #70 beginning to look like her old self again.

Last summer, MRSR staff and volunteers began the rehabilitation of an ex-Southern Pacific bay window caboose for charter service.  This caboose, built in 1966, had last been used as an office by a Tacoma company.  The interior had been modified and most of the original windows replaced with residential type windows.  Replacement of the non-standard windows with FRA approved glazing was a top priority to bring this car into compliance with federal regulations for public use.  The project began moving forward last fall thanks to a generous grant from the Bob Cheney Foundation.

The interior of the caboose received several replacement ceiling and wall panels to repair water damage from leaks in the roof which were all repaired.  All of the non-standard windows were removed and brand new aluminum framed FRA Part 223 glazing was installed.  The side windows were ordered as single-hung types so that they would open vertically as did the originals.  Once the walls, ceiling and windows were done, new seating was fabricated.  “L” shaped seating was installed in each of the bay windows to accomodate up to six children or four adults, as well as two long bunks for more seating and so that the car could be used for overnight accomodations by volunteers.  Additionally, two swivel-type high-back chairs, donated to MRSR last year, were installed facing out each end window.  Most of the interior work was done by Bill Highline, Tom Payne, Perry Cox, Walker Lane, David Heia, Carl Magnuson, Craig Magnuson, Debbie Weist and Brian Wise.  MRSR thanks these folks, and any others who were involved.

Most recently, an entirely new low-voltage electrical system has been installed to provide interior lighting, and to power the red “stop” lights at each end of the caboose.  The battery box was cleaned out and repaired for the installation of a 12 volt battery.  An exterior 115V AC plug allows the caboose to be plugged into ground power when the car is stationary.  This powers a donated 110VAC/12VDC converter from an RV, which keeps the battery charged.  Many thanks to Howard Wise, who not only donated the converter, but spent his vacation from California to work on this project.

The exterior of the caboose has also received a lot of attention.  The old paint job was sanded down almost single handedly by Tom Payne.  New primer paint was then applied by Howard Wise and Brian Wise.  This past month, the exterior was given two coats of new orange paint with numerals in maroon.  The colors were matched to Milwaukee Road equipment years ago by Karl and Kim Klontz for their caboose restoration project.  It was deciced to paint the MRSR caboose into a pseudo-Milwaukee Road paint scheme in order to have it match the passenger train equipment (which will all be painted in MILW style).  With gloss black platforms and running gear, and white handrails, the caboose really stands out.

There is still work to be done before this project is complete, however.  Some exterior painting has yet to be finished, including the roof and new MILW style heralds on both bay windows (that will have the MRSR name).  On the inside, a restroom has yet to be installed, as well as a wood stove.  In the interim, the caboose is in service, having been chartered for a 70th birthday party on Saturday, October 4th during which the private party enjoyed their own caboose bringing up the tail end of the steam train.

 David Heia and Carl Magnuson installing the new FRA approved windows.

Brian Wise installing one of two donated swivel-type caboose seats.

Howard Wise cleaning out and repairing the battery box as part of the new low-voltage electrical system project.

Howard Wise applying new orange paint to one end of the caboose.

Caboose #1751 brings up the rear of the 10/4/08 2:30pm steam train, full of happy customers enjoying a 70th birthday party inside their chartered private car.

All-

I’ve created an album for photos that I have been taking of work on
the #70 done recently (on the Photos page). Last week, Gerry (with
help) was able to get the blind drivers for the #2 wheel set pressed
onto the new axle he made. It took a couple of tries in the 300 ton
press to get the second wheel quartered properly, but everything
turned out very nicely in the end. Once the crown brasses are bored
out in the driving boxes, the #2 wheel set will be ready for
installation, along with the previously completed #1 wheel set.

We are now moving along briskly with getting the trailing truck re-
assembled, too. Karl Klontz and I set up the bolster casting in the
Lucas horizontal boring mill today to begin boring out the centering
pin hole. The casting had a large piece missing when the locomotive
was disassembled years ago. A replacement piece was welded into
place, but the hole was never trued.

Brian Wise
GM/CMO
MRSR

With help from Bill Highline, Tim Gordon, Scott Gordon, and Daniel
Heath, we were able to pull the Willamette out of the shed once more
and remove the tender frame from the third truck. The frame was then
set behind the shop and flipped upside down. The top of the frame
had already been cleaned and painted with a rust converting primer,
so now the rest of the frame can get the same treatment. We can also
easily remove the rear coupler pocket and draft gear which is
necessary to replace the wood buffer beam.

After shoving the locomotive back inside, we set our sights on
checking out all of the bearings in the third truck. That would give
us a good idea of what we are dealing with concerning the rest of the
running gear. With blocking set up along the right side of the
truck, the line shaft bearing cover plates, wedges and outside
brasses were removed which allowed the line shaft to roll out and
away from the truck. Then the inside brasses were removed to expose
the axle journals. All of the lubricating waste was then removed
from both journal housings.

On the left side of the truck, the journal box cover plates and
thrust bearings were removed, then we figured out we needed to block
the equalizer bar over the two journal boxes, then jack up the entire
side frame, which allowed both journal brasses to be pulled, then
both journal boxes were removed from the side frame.

At this point it appears that all four axle journals and crown
brasses are in good shape. The crown brasses are quite the piece of
hand machine work to behold. Each crown brass has a convex top
surface. On top of the crown brass sits another brass bearing plate
with a convex bottom and flat top. This design allows the end of the
axle to swivel inside the journal box like a ball and socket joint.
The curved surfaces of the plates were hand scrapped (as evidenced by
the marks left in the surfaces) and must have required many, many
hours of labor to produce.

Unfortunately the line shaft bearings aren’t in quite as good shape
as the crown brasses. There is scoring and some evidence of
overheating in each piece. And the lateral thrust of the line shaft
was not adjusted properly which resulted in some cracking at the ends
of the bearings. They will all need some work.

The structure of the third truck is in very good shape, with no
obvious breaks, cracks or badly bent pieces, but it needs a very
thorough cleaning to reveal any hidden problems, and prepare it for
painting. This is hand scraping and needle scaler work, and there is
plenty to keep a couple volunteers busy for some time.

I also need a very dedicated volunteer to take on the job of cleaning
out the inside of the water tank. This is going to be a filthy,
nasty, uncomfortable job that requires someone of small stature to
wiggle in past the many baffles inside the tank. The only redeeming
quality to this job is that it will be WARM in there! There is a ton
of scale and rust to be scrapped up and hauled out of the tank. Then
the interior surfaces need to be wire brushed. I’ve located one
small spot where I need to make a welded repair, then the entire
inside of the tank needs to be painted with a rust converting primer,
followed by a coat of swimming pool paint (yes, that’s right). Do I
have a taker??

Don’t be shy! There’s plenty of of work for everyone!

Brian Wise
GM/CMO
Mt. Rainier Scenic RR

Ok, so the weather wasn’t the greatest on Saturday the 12th, but it
didn’t pour rain down on us (mostly drizzle) and aside from a couple
of false starts we did manage to make a big dent in the Wilamette
project. All in all it was a good day.

After firing up our NW2 #481, then crunching out the injectors to
figure out which ones have gone bad (hence all of the blue smoke!),
we pulled the Wilamette outside and down the lead to the gravel road
crossing where we had Warren Capps in the West Fork log loader
positioned for the “big” lifts. Pat Schwab manned the small
forklift, and Perry Cox operated “Clifford” the big red forklift for
handling the smaller parts. We started out by removing the running
boards on the right side of the boiler. Then tried to remove the
steam delivery pipe from the smokebox to the cylinders. It didn’t
want to cooperate, so we moved on. The delivery pipe will get
further coaxing before it is removed at a later date. Next we hooked
up the log loader to the water tank and pulled it off the tender
frame. Tim Gordon, manning the NW2, moved the Wilamette out of the
way so that the tank could be handed off to the big red forklift for
storage behind the shop. After that we tackled the cab.

I had already figured out that someone at Rayonier decided it best to
weld anything and everything when a bolt would have sufficed. The
cab had been welded down to the deck along both sides, to the angle
brackets on the boiler, and in some other hidden locations that
became apparent when we tried to lift the cab off the frame. So with
everyone standing out in the light rain, the cutting torch was
brought out from the shop so yet another weld could be scarfed off.
Finally the cab was lifted off the locomotive and set down on a four-
wheel speeder trailer so that it could be stored on-rail inside the
Quonset hut. Lastly, we removed the air reservoir before shoving the
locomotive back inside.

Once inside the Wilamette was descended upon by a number of persons
to remove yet more parts. Piping to the air reservoir, and
everything at the rear end of the tender was removed. Then several
people began cleaning the top of the tender frame in preparation for
painting.

One of the things that we have to do to the tender is remove the
draft gear and coupler pocket in order to remove the remains of the
wood buffer beam behind it. In order to do that, we determined we
will have to turn the frame upside down. So just as soon as the top
of the frame is cleaned and painted, we will remove it from the third
truck and set the frame upside down on blocks behind the shop where
the rest of the frame will get cleaned and painted, and a new buffer
beam will be installed. First though, I have to determine exactly
what kind of wood the old beam is, so that two new ones can be milled
from the same species.

For all their hard work on Saturday, I’d like to thank the following
volunteers: Warren Capps, Daniel Heath, Andrew Temoshek, Tim Gordon,
Scott Gordon, Pat Schwab, Ron Theod, Dean Barbour (and their friend
who’s name escapes me), and Brian Bundridge and his girlfriend Daniel
(I hope I spelled it right!) who helped with several projects during
the day. I hope I didn’t forget anyone. I also want to extend a
big ‘thank you’ to the parents of Scott and Tim Gordon for taking it
upon themselves to prepare all of the food at lunch time, and
cleaning up our mess afterwards!

I’ll let everyone know when the next Workparty Day is very soon.

Until then, there is a ton of needle scaling, scraping and otherwise
dirty work to be done on the exposed portions of the Wilamette’s
frame and oil tank, so why not come on up to Mineral and dig in?

Hope to see you soon,
Brian Wise
GM/CMO
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

I find it difficult to believe that another year has passed by
already, but here we are at the door step of a New Year. I hope that
everyone had a very merry Christmas.

Having only been with MRSR for slightly less than 2 years now, I don’t
have much for comparison, but I believe that our Snowball Express
trains this month could be considered a success. We managed to make a
number of improvements over last year’s operations, not the least of
which was heat in all of the coaches! With the exception of the
MORTON which has a furnace permanently installed in one of the
ex-restrooms, the other three coaches in the train utilized rented
tent heaters. This required that each car have it’s own generator,
and it was with the generators that we had the most difficulty. There
were several days we ran where the air temperature was below freezing,
which played havoc with the exposed carburetors from time to time.
There always seemed to be one that wanted to shut down at the most
inopportune time, but the train and ground crews always managed to get
things back in shape in short order.

I don’t have any final figures at this time, but I can tell you that
we hauled a considerable number of passengers in four weekends. The
first weekend was a little shy on riders, but the next weekend saw us
having to add a third coach, and then a fourth coach for the third and
fourth weekends. For those last two weekends, each train (7 trips
total) was at or over 200 people each. That’s fantastic for us, but
it also showed us where we desperately need to make improvements if we
hope to handle that many people on a daily basis next year.

We used our unfinished Concession Car in the Santa trains to provide
food, beverage and gift item sales, which I think really helped to
make the 3-hour trips hospitable. I believe this car is going to give
MRSR’s operation the shot in the arm that it desperately needs to draw
in more riders. We absolutely have to have this project completed
before next season begins. Right now the car is back indoors to keep
it out of the weather for more exterior work, but there is plenty of
interior work that needs willing volunteers, too.

And speaking of next season, it seems that we will continue to
originate our trains out of the Mineral yard for awhile. To the best
of my knowledge, the money is in place for Tacoma Rail to effect the
necessary repairs to the Nisqually River bridge, but just when that
project will be completed is anybody’s guess at this point. We can
only keep our fingers crossed that the project can be expedited in
some fashion to allow our return to Elbe before the end of the 2008
season. I will certainly keep everyone posted on this as I learn more.

On a slightly different note, at a recent WFIM board meeting, I was
selected to participate on a committee to create a 5-year plan for
MRSR. I can only say that it’s about time. I was involved in the
creation of a master plan for the Pacific Locomotive Association
before I moved to Kentucky, and that plan has been a guiding document
for the PLA ever since. It serves well to keep everyone focused on
specific goals for the organization, and really comes in handy when
asking for large sums of money from the government. I am really
looking forward to getting our 5-year plan in place. To that end, we
will be taking a hard look at how MRSR will operate trains this coming
year, and how our projects will be prioritized.

As I mentioned earlier, the Concessions Car needs to be completed for
the 2008 season, but there are other high-profile projects that need
to be done before May as well. We need to work on our public image,
and the #1 item on the list is the appearance of our passenger cars;
specifically the open car and coaches 901, 902 and CLOPEN. The train
we run next season needs to have a fresh, clean look. For the most
part, this means a new coat of paint. There are interior repair items
to be addressed in all of the cars, plus a number of exterior ones as
well (mostly in the vestibule areas), before the cars can get a new
coat of paint. What are they going to look like, you ask? Well, they
are going to look like the Concessions Car when it’s done: 1940’s
Milwaukee Road orange and maroon. I believe MRSR needs a fresh look,
and what better way than to honor the history of the railroad we run
on. When done, the train will be eye-catching to say the least. And
equipped with all new rubber-tube style diaphragms (yes, they have
been manufactured and are awaiting shipment) the cars will be much
safer as well. To get the cars ready, we need to get the exterior
work on the Concession Car complete asap so that it doesn’t have to be
inside anymore. Then we can bring one coach in at a time for repairs,
sanding and paint. I don’t have to tell you that this means A LOT of
elbow grease is needed!

In addition to new paint on the cars, I fully intend to repaint the
#17 as well. While I personally enjoy the “backwoods lived-in” look
that the #17 currently exhibits (historically accurate grunge?), a
nice shiny steam locomotive sells better to the public. With a couple
good helping hands to clean and sand down the locomotive, I can have
the #17 looking sharp in less than a week. But, we need to wait until
the weather warms up just a bit.

Right now it seems that most everything that needs to be done at
Mineral is weather dependent. Scott and Tim Gordon have been helping
me to get the cab of the Willamette ready to be removed, as well as
other parts of the locomotive. I would like very much to target
Saturday, January 12th as a Work Party Day for the initial disassembly
of the #2, but I will need to watch the weather forecast before I etch
that in stone. Some rain will be ok, but if we’re going to get hit
hard with rain or snow, I’ll postpone. Removing big heavy items from
a steam locomotive is dangerous enough work in dry weather. We don’t
need to push our luck. I’ll probably know for sure after the 1st of
the month. In the meantime, there’s more clean-up work to be done at
the south end of the Quonset Hut to prepare for storing Willamette
parts (more big heavy things to get moved out of the way, and metal
shelving to be erected).

Well I could go on and on and on, but then I’d have nothing more to
write about later on, so I’ll conclude this episode of the Twilight
Zone with an announcement. Some of you who have been up to Mineral
have heard the news, but most have not I’m sure. Mr. Steve Sadtler
reluctantly decided to resign his position as GM effective November
30th last. For several months, Steve has been dealing with the
failing health of his father, and the untimely passing of a close
friend. All of the stress have had a negative impact on his own
health, and so it became increasingly clear to Steve that a change was
necessary. He very much wanted to be involved in the Snowball Express
trains, but it just wasn’t to be. Steve and his family are planning
to return to the east coast to be closer to his family.

I consider Steve to be a good friend, and I have enjoyed working with
him very much. I wish Steve, Tracy and their family all the best in
the years to come.

A Happy New Year to all-
Brian T. Wise
General Manager/CMO
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

Good Evening everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that MRSR came through the recent
storms in good shape, with nothing more than a number of downed trees
over the tracks along the line to Morton. There was one fairly large
slide near the track just west of the Murray switch, which brought
down at least one very large tree, but the mud didn’t make it to the
track. Water from Roundtop Creek flowed over the track in a couple
of spots as well, but did no damage. Tacoma Rail’s track inspector
went over the line last Monday and took care of clearing the downed
trees and made sure the track was ok for us to use. Our Snowball
Express trains will run as scheduled.

While it is very fortunate that we did not suffer any signifcant
damage at MRSR, others have not been so lucky and it is to them that
we offer our hopes and prayers for a fast and complete recovery.

—–

If you’ve been up to Mineral lately, you’ve no doubt noticed that the
Climax #10 is still in the shop. I assure you it is going back
together! The front end has been completely re-assembled, and the
boiler sealed up tight in preparation for a hydro. We still have a
number of staybolts to install, but thanks to Craig Cootsona and
Scott Gordon, we are much closer to completing that job.

Once the #10 is out of the shop, we will be bringing the #17 in for a
quickie re-profiling of the trailing truck wheels. That will finish
off the running gear work required before next season. I am still
hoping to shoot some fresh black paint on her before May, 2008, too.

I wanted to begin disassembling the Willamette last month, but all of
the work that was required to get the equipment ready for the
Snowball Express trains really sapped our work force. The end
results sure were worth it, though! If you haven’t seen the NEW
RELIANCE lately, you’re really missing something. This car was
totally stripped inside, then through the hard work of some dedicated
people under the direction of Brittany, the car was transformed into
Santa’s home away from home, complete with wood burning fireplace,
stockings hanging from the mantel, lighted Christmas trees, and
plenty of wrapped packages about the car. Carpet on the floor, and
red and white window coverings really dress up the car and make it
comfortable. While the NR was being renovated, a recently donated
propane fired force-air furnace was installed in one of the stripped
out restrooms in the MORTON. This unit really cranks out the heat
and gets the car very comfortable in no time. Similar heaters will
eventually be installed in the other ex-Canadian coaches.

Although the car isn’t complete yet, we’ve pressed our new
Concessions Car into service on the Snowball Express trains.
Brittany set up a mini gift shop in the car, and Kay from Dino’s
Espresso in Elbe set up a table for selling Nathan’s hot dogs and
coffee. We also offer complimentary hot chocolate, and other treats
for sale. Decorated inside for the holiday, and kept warm with a
propane fired tent heater, the car has been well patronized by our
passengers.

So back to the Willamette: weather permitting, we will begin work on
the engine in ernest during January. A couple days of decent weather
are all that will be needed to allow us to get the major components
of the locomotive taken apart. Once apart, the frame and trucks will
go inside the Quonset hut building for continued work. Volunteers
will certainly be needed at that point to clean, inspect and paint
the frame and trucks (and help make any repairs that are needed).
The boiler will be outside the shop on stands where alot of work by
MRSR personnel will be performed to prepare it for non-destructive
testing and repairs (both by contract). The cab and cylinder
assembly will both be on four-wheeled trailers (on the tracks) so
they can be rolled into one of the buildings for safe-keeping, then
rolled into the shop to be worked on. We have a deadline of July,
2009 to finish the Willamette project, so once underway, it should be
expected to proceed at a rapid pace.

In the meantime, work on the #70 continues to move forward.
Machinist Gerry Petitjean has been dedicating most of his time in the
shop to the #70 project. He has completed the machining of a new
axle for the #2 drivers, and is almost finished machining the driving
boxes to the correct tolerances. We hope to press the drivers onto
the new axle next week (again, weather permitting), then both the #1
and #2 wheelsets can go back under the locomotive. The next step
will be to re-assemble the trailing truck and get it installed. Then
all of the equalizing system can go back on the frame. Alot of work
has already been done to the equalizing system, so it will go back
together very quickly.

Well that’s all I’ve got for this evening. Stay warm and safe
everyone.

Brian Wise
CMO

Hello one and all;

It has been quite some time since I last posted anything to this
message board. Frankly, last time I did I received word that some of
the information was showing up on other message boards, taken out of
context and misquoted. I would hope that that sort of thing doesn’t
occur again, as I would really like to just let our volunteers know
what’s going on and where help is needed without worrying about
damage control on other sites.

As you know, there is never any shortage of work around the shop.
There are any number of items that need to be taken care of in order
to keep the trains running, or to continue with ongoing projects.

We’ve been running the 17 pretty regularly and it’s been doing very
well. All of the work that was done to the locomotive’s equalizing
system, front truck and #4 driving wheelset this past winter has paid
off handsomely with a smoother ride and better adhesion over last
year’s situation. Some running-repairs still need to be made each
week to keep up with the usual wear and tear, but for the most part
the 17 has been very reliable. I’m hoping to get a new coat of paint
on the old gal before next season begins, but that’s weather
permitting. Before it’s time for our Xmas trains, however, we will
need to get the 17 into the shop one more time to drop the trailing
truck wheelset for tire re-profiling and thrust bearing work. But
first, we have to get the Climax out of the shop.

Yes, the Climax has been in the shop since June. When the FRA
inspector showed up for the locomotive’s 5-year inspection, several
items were noted for correction, mostly staybolt work. Progress on
this project has been hampered by the need to make progress on other
higher priority projects. Suffice it to say, however, it would be
nice to get this work completed and get the locomotive out of the
shop.

Regarding the higher priority projects I mentioned, those would be
the rehabilition of the SP bay-window caboose for charter/extra-fare
use, and the reconstruction of ex-CN baggage car #8085 into our new
concessions car. Both of these projects are aimed at making our
operation better overall by providing the public with on-train
services that we don’t offer now. The concessions car, which will be
operated with the regular train, will provide our riders with three
spacious restrooms (one of which will be wheelchair accessible), gift
shop sales, and limited food/drink sales. Having all of those things
on-board will greatly enhance our excursion experience.

The caboose project has been slowly moving forward. Interior ceiling
and wall paneling has been replaced or installed as necessary, metal
flashing has been installed at the base of all walls, and all
surfaces are being prepared for painting. Outside, the roof, sides
and ends have been prepared for painting, with some metal work still
to be done (filling in old screw holes, a couple small roof patches,
etc.). All new aluminum windows with FRA Part 223 glazing have been
ordered for the end and side windows (except the bays, which already
meet FRA standards). The side windows will open vertically, just
like they originally did. Unfortunately, the war in Iraq has been a
serious drain on the U.S. glass supply, so it will be some time
before we receive our windows. In the meantime, there is still alot
of surface prep work to be done inside before it can be painted, plus
fabricating and installing interior furnishings, so more help would
be greatly appreciated. One of the interior items to be done is the
fabrication and installation of a new upper cabinet (like in a
kitchen) at one end of the car where plates, cups, etc. can be
stored. This will be directly over a buffet table which is in place
but needs to be secured to the walls. Two bunks and several bench
type seats are yet to be fabricated from steel angles, so there is
welding/fabricating work to be done for someone with those kinds of
skills. Tom Payne (no, not that one) has been heading up this
project, so I can put you in touch with him if you are interested in
helping.

There has been quite a surge in progress on the concessions car since
we finished installing a whole new floor. In just a few days, all
three restrooms were framed in and the electrical services for
lights, fans and heaters were installed. The focus lately has been
on replacing rotted metal on the outside of the car (small areas near
the bottoms of doors, and at both ends), and preparing the roof and
sides for primer paint. Our immediate goal is to have this car
available for use in our Halloween Party trains on the last weekend
of this month. The car doesn’t have to be completed, just usable.
That means the exterior of the car has to be weathertight (and with a
coat of primer), and enough work has be done on the interior of the
car to make it safe for occupation. Anyone who can operate a sander
(belt, orbitable, or otherwise) is welcome to come out and get dirty
with the rest of us. If you can operate a wire feed welder, I can
put you to work welding in new side panel pieces. For those with
carpentry skills, there is a lot of wall paneling to go in (materials
to be obtained soon). If you are interested in plumbing work, there
will be a lot of that going on as soon as the new waste and water
tanks arrive from the fabricator. For the time being though, the
more people I can get working on the outside of this car, the better
our chances of having it ready for Halloween, and the quicker it will
be ready for next season.

Now, to let the proverbial cat of the bag, I am planning to begin the
Willamette project this winter. As you may (or may not) know,
WFIM/MRSR was awarded a sizeable grant from the State of Washington
for the restoration of the Willamette to operable condition. There
is no predetermined start date for the project, but the project must
be completed by the end of June, 2009. So, in order to meet that
dead line, and taking into consideration our current situation, I
need to get the ball rolling next month. However, before any serious
work begins on the Willamette, there are a few things that need to be
done, and that means I need people to come out and get some small
projects knocked out.

One such project is the installation of an oil-fired heater above the
machine shop area. Improving the working conditions inside the shop
before the seriously cold winter weather sets in is high on my list
of honey-dos. We have the heater, fuel tank, and most of the
necessary components to put the system together, with the exception
of a fuel pump for the tank. The heater needs to be hung from the
roof of the machine shop, flue installed and fitted through the roof,
fuel line run to the fuel tank, etc., etc. I really need someone
familiar with this type of installation to spear head this project to
completion, and the sooner the better. Please get in touch with me
if you are interested.

If getting dirty in the shop really isn’t your thing, but you would
really like to get involved in some way, consider helping with our
Halloween operations. We are going to need a number of volunteers to
help get the interiors of the passenger cars decorated to the hilt
for Halloween (and that work can begin as soon as possible). We’re
going to run trains from the yard to a pumpkin patch at Mineral Lake
during daylight hours on Sat. and Sun. (10/28 and 10/29) for the
kiddies, and from the yard to Divide after sunset for the adults on
Fri. and Sat. (10/27 and 10/28). In addition to decorating the cars,
volunteers will be needed on board the Divide trains, in costume, to
enhance the experience. Anyone interested in helping with the
Halloween trains can get in touch with me, Steve, or give Nancy a
call in the office.

Well it’s getting late and I have to get up early again for another
day of work at Mineral, so I’ll close by once again asking that
anyone interested in helping out with any of the projects I’ve
discussed, please send me an e-mail and let me know how you’d like to
get involved.

Thanks!

Brian Wise
OM/CMO