Submitted by Steve Winicker.
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
Friday started off well with no one here but myself which worked out well as I was able to go over the trailing truck remove the old rubber hose lubrication lines and purchase new ones. I was also able to go over the nuts and bolts to see that they were properly applied and double nutted where appropriate (they were not). I also started working on attaching lube lines and routing them to the proper destination. Aaron stopped by and did some work with the backhoe leveling out previously rutted sections that had dried enough to work. Rain being in the forecast I mowed a bit in the afternoon and put a coat of primer on the inside of the trailing truck.
Saturday, I arrived early to disassemble the recently assembled trailing truck. Fortunately, we had run out of some supplies, so the left side had not had keepers welded in. I started taking things apart and was soon joined by Broady and Eric. Austen was not far behind, Bill showed up in the nick of time and we managed to get everything loose and on the floor then put back in the proper order with a bit of fuss trying to get the last link in the suspension pinned into place – all before lunch. Bill worked on cleaning up and blowing out the lube lines with an assist from Austen. I began removing kinked, crushed and broken lubrication tubing and soldered on new pipe and fittings. Not having been trained on soldering copper tube it may leak like a sprinkler, but it looked reasonably well connected to me and a few others. Brandon took some time out of working on the 358 and welded a couple of pipe brackets on the trailing truck. The 358 crew was out all day and into the night welding on battery boxes and other items well beyond the understanding of an old steam mechanic. The battery boxes were completed, and the batteries installed in the boxes. I would tell you that the engine turned over and started but there is still some missing wiring and a few parts needed to make that happen.
Sunday’s crew consisted of Carl and me. We worked on finishing the hard to reach plumbing on the trailing truck then switched to getting UT readings from the 534. Carl finished out the day painting the inside of the trailing truck while I began writing this report of out activities.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
We are planning on putting the trailing truck under the engine on Wednesday this week. I hope to be out on Tuesday afternoon to clear the shop floor for the Fruchey crew to move in and lift the locomotive. Over the weekend we might get the tender on the engine as well as complete the many details of hooking it and the trailing truck up to the engine. If that were not enough fun the shop needs to be cleaned up for the upcoming wedding the week after.
We are planning a hydrostatic test of the engine on July 22 and 23rd if the dates are approved by the FRA. Much work will be needed to prepare for the event as well.
SAFETY SENSE
A level of safety in the workplace where incidents are a rare occurrence does not guarantee future success, however it is generally an indication of a strong safety culture. It’s up to all of us to never let our guard down. Continuous safety maintenance is the backbone of a strong safety culture and a truly safe workplace. Safety maintenance means that all parties wear the required and proper PPE, follow all safety policies and procedures and lookout for fellow members and visitors.
SAFETY IS JOB 1
