Submitted by Steve Winicker.
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
Progress was made this week on getting the 765 ready for inspection and repairing the list of issues that were found over the summer. Jeremy Lung spent Friday afternoon blowing soot and debris from the flues. Followed by Jeff Rayner and others cleaning out the smokebox accumulation of cinders from the smoke box. We did receive the oil reports for the driver and engine truck bearings. All was fine for the engine truck and the #1 driver axle but there was some elevated wear substances found in the #2,3,and 4 driver oil and a change of oil was recommended. Jeff drained and refilled the oil sumps on #2 and topped off the engine truck and #1 sumps. On Sunday afternoon Sarah, Rob and myself drained and refilled the #3 and 4 axle bearing boxes. No other issues were noted other than the elevated wear minerals in the oil that was drained out. Dave Green and I put together the rail washer valve on the side of the firebox. I am waiting for some pipe fittings to finish that project. Another accomplishment was the removal of the broken off stud in the firebox door. As was expected this took much longer than one would have hoped but was ultimately successful. A new stud is being worked on.
Other projects that received attention include the removal of the old floor in the new head end power car Dave and Jerrad are working on as well as the receipt of the new floor steel. Rich Brinkley made some progress fastening the roof walk on the boxcar.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Next on the 765 includes checking to make sure safety wires were installed on the plugs removed to replace the axle bearing oil. The stoker screw needs to be cleaned out and preparations for disconnecting the engine and tender need to get started so we can remove the drawbars and inspect them. If more parts show up for the blower valve reach rod and or the firebox door we will work on those as well.
SAFETY SENSE
There have been reported incidents in industry and elsewhere of individuals consuming hazardous chemical liquids because they had been transferred into water bottles or other similar containers. In many cases the chemical was a clear, water like, liquid and thus mistakenly taken for water or a soft drink.
Significant harm, up to and including death, can be the outcome of accidentally ingesting a hazardous liquid chemical. A trip to the Emergency Room can be the outcome in less serve cases.
The preventative action is not to use water bottles or other similar containers such a coffee cups, pop bottles or mugs to hold any liquid chemicals even for a short period of time. One must not assume that just because a liquid is in an open bottle that the liquid is what the label indicates it is.
