Submitted by Steve Winicker
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
Perhaps this should be listed as the last two weeks of activity as I forgot to put out the report last week. Mostly over the last two weeks we have worked diligently to finish needle scaling the inside of the tender. There is at last light at the end of that tunnel, with only a few isolated areas yet to get at and some sweeping up of the debris. Sarah and Jim have been doing most of this work and have put in a lot of exceedingly good if tedious work. Sarah has treated most of the under the coal bunker plates with Ospho to stabilize the remaining rust. The next step will be final cleaning and painting of the cleaned areas in the tank. Paint is on order and should be in stock next week. John Jaress cleaned up the intermediate check valve for the injector and I did some lapping. On close inspection we decided there was too much wear on the hinge for the unit and it was not closing squarely on the seat and make closing more reliable. John is working on taking out some of the slop which should keep it fully in line with the seat. Jeremy spent some quality time in the firebox cleaning off loose carbon to make the upcoming stay bolt driving a bit more comfortable. Brody climbed into the firebox on Saturday and proclaimed Jeremy’s work to be a quality job. Further evaluations will be forthcoming. Since there was no carbon to clean Brody spent additional time fastening down the dry pipe blanking plates. The job is almost done with a bolt or two needing some additional torqueing and one needing a nut yet to be applied.
In other work George Butzin worked on the large new compressor, reinstalling the operating program. This time the save button was pressed before cutting off the power. Once the power was back on, the compressor was tested, and worked as hoped. I ran it most of the afternoon on Saturday and all appears to be doing what it is supposed to do.
The Wabash caboose cupola framing was completed at long last. Rich W is working on the end rafters. Once those are installed the siding and roof can be put on making the car look complete, though there are many trim projects and windows yet to install.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Next week we will be working on finishing scaling and cleaning the inside of the tender tank. There are a few more stay bolts to tighten and the steam dome cover needs to be applied in the coming weeks. Over the July 4th weekend if all goes well we will be driving up the staybolts applied to the right side of the engine. Our plan is to do a hydrostatic test on the boiler July 27th. There is a lot of small projects that will be needed prior to doing that test.
SAFETY SENSE
As there is no end in sight for the corona virus issue, we are repeating the shops action plan which is still in effect. Everyone needs to follow the plan to prevent spreading Corona Virus to others. If you are working with others or cruising around the shop you should be wearing a mask. If you are on a project that puts you 6 feet or preferably more from others it is permissible to not have a mask on but you should have it close at hand so if the situation changes you can apply it to your attractive puss, reducing the spread of viruses and other nasty substances to others. The shop policy follows:
May 1st, 2020
As the impact from the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues, we wanted to reach out and share the steps that we are taking to prevent the spread of this virus. Our highest priority is to keep our volunteers and visitors protected.
In response to the evolving spread of COVID-19 as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has developed the following Plan of Action for our restoration shop. This plan requires a collaborative effort by all volunteers to help minimize the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Plan of Action !
- All building occupants are expected wear a mask and provide their own face protection. (Masks are currently available at the shop)
- A pre-job briefing will be held each morning on how to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.(Project managers are responsible for this briefing, if you miss it check with the project manager for updates.)
- Specific emphasis on 6’ social / physical distancing (where possible) !
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and practice good personal hygiene habits. (Soap and water are on hand)
- The Society will provide disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer in the shop.(This is also on hand)
- We are encouraging volunteers to stay home if they are sick. Must be fever free (less than 100.4 degrees) for 24 hours without medication before coming to the shop or other Society functions.
- The shop will remain closed to public visitors. (Personally I feel this should be “required” not “encouraged” but in any case please stay home if sick from any cause.)
Further we are constantly monitoring the CDC and the State of Indiana for updates regarding preventative measures to communicate to our volunteers.
We continue to ask everyone to do their part. The best line of defense for protecting your health, and the health of those around you, is to practice good personal hygiene.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we all strive to keep our employees and communities safe and healthy. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed as we move forward.
FWRHS Board of Directors
SAFETY IS JOB 1
SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS
