Submitted by Steve Winicker.
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
Friday Carl and I worked on getting UT data for #1. Spent most of the day until our brain became numb. I finished the day in the never-ending task of trying to keep the grass down. Carson did some work on the SD9 battery boxes.
Saturday, we managed to round up some more burning material. Daniel and George stopped at the shop to deliver the pins made for the trailing truck spring rigging. I carted them over to Precision Heat Treating to be case hardened. The pedestal liners and pins are supposed to be back next weekend. Some work was advanced on the SD9 by Carson and WD.
Sunday saw some additional sprucing up of the entrance by Jenna. D.J. was out to install the lower outside beam on the caboose. After some struggle it went into place and another major section of that project has been completed. Carl and I finished off the UT test on # 1’s boiler barrel above the running board.
Held out until Monday to see if any other news and progress was made. Turns out activity was minimal. I got one side of the drawbars magnafluxed – No issues, mowed a bit more yard and burned a bit more scrap wood. Aaron was out to spray the right of way for weeds. I believe I will see if I can get up the gumption to mow my own grass.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
June 7th 8th and 9th have been scheduled to put the trailing truck back together.
We will need some skilled help along with general labor to get this done and ready to install under the engine. This is a critical time sensitive operation so if you can spare some time to help please come on out. It appears the parts needed will be in house by next weekend.
It does not appear it is about to stop raining but there still are projects we can do to clean up the shop and grounds. We will probably need to stage some equipment and material for the following weekend as well.
SAFETY SENSE
May is National Electrical Safety Month. Electrical hazards on the job can be avoided by following approved guidelines.
Skilled employees, trained and familiar with electrical safety procedures, should make sure they understand and follow all safety precautions. Those not trained to recognize and avoid electrical hazards, or not under the supervision of those qualified in electrical safety procedures, should avoid contact with electrical equipment and systems.
Understand the construction and operation of the electrical equipment and the hazards involved.
Identify all possible energy sources that could pose on-the-job hazards.
Know safety requirements and follow them.
Select the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Remember, PPE must always be worn .
Complete a detailed job plan and communicate it to all coworkers.
Before working on or around electrical systems or equipment, identify and disconnect all effected load circuits Remember, in some cases, turning power off may cause other hazards. Such hazards and additional guidance should be addressed in your work plan.
Use lock-out/tag-out (Red Danger Tags) procedures.
Make sure your test equipment is working, both before and after you use it.
Verify that the equipment or system has been de-energized by testing. It is good work practice to follow this step regardless of the voltage rating of the system. People have lost their life through electrocution when the voltage test step was not performed.
If at any time the job becomes more hazardous than anticipated, stop and revise the plans.
Above all, NEVER, NEVER assume that the equipment or system is de-energized. Remember to always TEST BEFORE YOU TOUCH!!!
SAFETY IS JOB 1
SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS
