36 Report

 

The last two days were spent mostly on inspecting the 36.  No unexpected problems were found.

The main step forward was in getting ready to change out the compressor.  Gerry Dettloff provided the expertise in burning off the rusted bolts on the brackets without harming the brackets.  They now have new bolts which will be easy to remove when we're ready to actually lift the cradle off the car.

And here's a view of some of the underbody equipment, including the inward-facing contactor box.  It's a lot easier to check things out when the car is over the pit.

I also fixed the brake slack adjustment on the 309, so it should be ready for service this weekend.  We plan to have the 308 and 309 operating on Monday.

In other exciting news, the 1630 was being loaded with coal and water on Wednesday.  Here's the latest semi-automated method for coaling the locomotive:

 

1) Coal in the new bunker by Barn 8 is loaded into a coaling bucket by a bobcat.  Mark Secco rescued this 1 cubic yard C&NW coaling bucket  from Chicago, and it is being carried by the big forklift.  Jeff Calendine is driving the forklift, and Marko is running the bobcat. 

 

2) The forklift drives over to the tender and raises the bucket.  Two members of the Steam Team stand ready on the line.

3) With sufficient effort, the bucket is tipped over and the coal falls into the tender, with none being spilled.

4) Our Chief Financial Officer supervises the process from behind the doghouse, to ensure that none of the museum's assets are being wasted. 

The 1630 is getting some fine tuning to the front end, but should be ready for operation by Saturday.  Don't miss it!

And finally, here's another view of the scenery.