Volunteer Work Log 2005This page outlines the activities of SBRHS volunteers while they keep 3751 operable during the year 2005 - as recorded by volunteers James Campbell, Wolf Fengler and Steve Crise.
January 8, 2005 - January 8, 2005 - Today was the first official day back for the 2005 season, however not a whole lot was accomplished due to the continual rain that has been plaguing Southern California and now for another week. During breaks in the rain, the tarps around the engine were secured to minimize the water on the boiler and an overall assessment of what needs to get done this year was done. The remainder of the day was spent discussing potential plans for the Educational Outreach Program in 2005.
January 15, 2005 - Well finally the first sunny Saturday in almost a month. Half of the day was spent putting the large blue Amtrak tarp over the locomotive to fully protect it from any the further rain we know we will receive this winter. The afternoon was spent working on the reefer bolster center plate location on the frame of the car. The reefer will be the priority for the crew this winter and spring so the car can be ready to move when necessary.
January 22, 2005 - Work on the reefer focused on dismantling part of the air brake system for cleaning and inspection and building up the brake beams enough so that they can be put on a lathe and cut to the appropriate specifications once the break heads are purchased.
January 28, 2005 - Today, the centerplate, which was repaired by Coast Packing Company, was fit up and the mounting holes reamed to match. The left side number one driver flange oiler was removed so it can be repaired and the right side was inspected for damage, which none was found. On a different note, one of the societies 50-ton car jacks was disassembled and cleaned in preparation for repair.
February 5, 2005 - The task for today was to paint black all the recently de-rusted parts of reefer truck. This job really made the crew feel that something was finally being accomplished with the reefer. Pedestal liners are to be ordered for the truck this week and the leaf springs taken in for repair. Tasks are being completed each week and reassembly of the truck should occur sometime in the coming weeks or months. As with the previous weeks, work progressed in building up the brake beams to make them ready for lathe machining.
February 12, 2005 - There was not much on the agenda to do today as a result of the rain, which has returned to Southern California this week - some painting was done, but was curtailed by the light mist we had most of the morning. We managed to get one truck part painted and one of the car jacks partially cleaned and painted. Leon Greenwalt, welder extraordinaire, has completed the welding on the fireman side flange lubricator and this will be machined next week or so. We finished around noon.
February 26, 2005 - Today, all our efforts were again on the reefer. The center plate was attached to the frame of the reefer with huck bolts. Additional truck and air brake system parts were cleaned, primed and painted and work continued on building up the brake beams. Pedestal liners are on order and should arrive in the next couple of weeks and brake shoes were acquired at a parts supply place. New brake heads however we are finding difficult to come by. This issue will hopefully be solved in the coming weeks.
March 5, 2005 - A lot was accomplished with few volunteers today. Reefer truck parts were again painted, including the roller bearing boxes and caps. New bolts were also acquired to attach the roller bearing caps on each of the wheels. It was also discovered today that the brake beams differed in design than was previously thought. This confusion was the result of the bushings having embedded themselves onto the brake beams in such a fashion as they appeared to be part of the beam itself. This discovery will actually speed the work up because the beams will not need to be built up as much as was previously thought. Work also progressed on restoring one of the two 50-ton car jacks owned by the society.
March 12, 2005 - Today we removed the parts from the molasses de-rusting solution that were placed in two weeks ago. The parts put into the solution consisted primarily of the leaf and coil springs from the reefer. Once removed from the solution these parts were pressure washed. Once air dry these parts along with others, were painted in preparation for reassembly of the truck.
March 19, 2005 - Another Saturday and we find a small volunteer force braving the threat of rain . Sam Calderwood got to the compound early this morning to put together the motor and gears to one of the 50-ton car jacks which has been in repair. The roller bearing boxes on the wheels and the roller bearing caps were put back on, torque to 290 lbs as required. We were all there for about 2.5 hours and then left.
March 26, 2005 - Work on the reefer was temporarily stopped in order to get the engine ready for next weekends American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Conference display. Wolf and Jim were the first one's to the compound and removed the blue Amtrak tarp from the locomotive. The fire hoses were then set out and the water connections were installed onto the locomotive in preparation for filling the boiler and tender with water. The fireman side flange lubricator was also reattached today. The water injector was cleaned and painted and the rods and wheels were cleaned as well. After lunch Bob Kittel and Dan Echeto climbed down into the smokebox through the stack to work on installing the new exhaust nozzles. The nozzles were a perfect fit requiring a slight tap with a ball peen hammer and then spot welding. Jim and Tony worked in the tender inspecting and patching any leaks. Remember the 3751 tender water cistern and oil bunker are separated only by a riveted sheet so inspections are mandatory. A leak would let oil into the water which is not to good for the boiler.
April 2, 2005 - Today was spent firing the locomotive up in preparation for participation in the American Public Transportation Association convention. In addition to firing the locomotive up work also continued on the reefer with painting being done on several of the coil and leaf springs that had been cleaned in the derusting solution the previous weeks.
April 3, 2005 - Today was a short day of operation with 3751 traveling up to Union Station in the late afternoon for participation in the American Public Transportation Association annual commuter rail convention being held this year in Los Angeles. 3751 was part of the equipment display at the convention, which included Metrolink, Union Pacific and track maintenance equipment and several private cars. The engine returned to Redondo shortly after sunset.
April 29, 2005 - The focus today was to fire up the locomotive, for the second time in one month, in preparation for participation in the annual Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation conference.
April 30, 2005 - Today saw 3751 operate its shortest excursion in history, moving just across the turntable at Redondo Junction to be on display for the annual Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation conference, which this year focused on the Santa Fe Railroad. The engine was moved back into its stall by mid-afternoon.
May 5, 2005 - Less than 4 days after the fire had been dropped, 3751 was once again brought back to life to attend the annual Fullerton Railroad Days. Today was spent getting pressure back up so we could move the locomotive down to Fullerton.
May 6, 7 & 8, 2005 - 3751 was the star attraction at this years Fullerton Railroad Days located at the Fullerton train station. The engine arrived in Fullerton early afternoon on Friday, after being wyed in Orange. This was the first time 3751 had returned to the City of Orange since its last trip for the Santa Fe Railroad in August of 1953. The engine was on display to the public all day Saturday and Sunday, returning to Redondo late Sunday night.
June 4, 2005 - Today we focused our efforts on the tender truck suspension. There was a couple of concerns pointed out by the Amtrak contract inspector during our annual certification. The area of concern was the equalizers and how they were aligned on the wheel bearing boxs. What could have been a major project turned into a work session when we found that the equalizer seats were extremely worn. Our fabrication person, Dan Echeto weld built up the seat profiles and ground them back to spec. While this was going on we looked at what it will take to finally get the reefer truck back together. We made up a parts list for raw materials that will eventially be machined into pins, bushings and wear plates while Jim C. painted the last of the truck parts.
June 11, 2005 - Over the past week, new bushings and pins have been made for the reefer leaf spring hangers and 3/8 inch thick wear plates were purchased. Work on 3751 focused on replacing the tender draft gear wear plates with newly machined ones in order to comply with Amtrak regulations and to allow 3751 to once again be cleared to travel at 90mph. A third project today focused on restoring a steam circulator pump which had been stored in the reefer. Bob wants to restore this pump for use during steam ups to help circulate the water in the boiler and therefore helping to fire the locomotive up more quickly and efficiently.
June 18, 2005 - With another steam up scheduled for the middle of the week, the crew was busy preparing for light off, which was scheduled for early Wednesday morning. In addition to this, work progressed on the reefer, tending to some of the details as the time gets closer to when the truck can finally be reassembled. Today, the countersunk bolt holes were measured for the new wear plates. In doing this, it was discovered that not all of the wear plates for the center bolster were 3/8 of an inch thick. A 1/4 inch thick wear plate will also need to be purchased in the coming week. This plate is the last component needed to begin putting the truck back together.
June 22, 2005 - Crew call was early in the morning to fire up the locomotive. While the engine was being fired up, additional work around the compound and on the engine was scheduled, such as determining the source of a lubricant leak in the #2 driver roller bearing, which appeared to be worsening. However several larger issues prevented the crew from focusing on these projects. The locomotive was originally scheduled to move early on Thursday morning, however throughout the day this time continually changed with the crew getting the call to move the locomotive out onto the "101" track around 7:00PM, arriving finally on Track #12 at Union Station around 10:00PM that night.
June 23, 2005 - Action started early in the morning, in that it was realized by Amtrak that morning the locomotive had to be moved to allow room for the arrival of the Southwest Chief on Track 12. This move was made successfully by Bob and Warren Scholl. The remainder of the day saw the crew maintaining a steady spot fire, while entertaining both conventioneers, commuters and passerby's. The crew got the all clear to depart around 6:00PM, with Rowland, Danny, Jim and Sam bringing the locomotive back to "the barn". Once on the turntable, the crew graciously allowed a photo session for several convention photographers, before moving the locomotive over the inspection pits to finally determine the source of the leak under the #2 driver. During this inspection it was determined the leak was being caused by a crack in the welding and the bearing simply being overfilled. Once this inspection was complete, the crew put the locomotive back into the compound and put out the fire.
June 25, 2005 - This weekend, the crew drained the tender and boiler and finished removing the "jewelry" from the locomotive. A complete boiler washout was not necessary since one had been performed after Fullerton and the trip the previous week had not been extensive. While the tender and boiler were drained, one group worked on the high capacity circulator pump, which had been stored in the reefer and was now being restored to assist in speeding up the fire up process. Another group worked on placing the wear plates on the reefer truck. Unfortunately, this took longer than expected and the truck will have to be assembled another weekend. But the plates are on and the truck is now officially ready to be put back together.
July 2, 2005 - Despite it being the 4th of July weekend, work was done both on 3751 and the reefer. On the locomotive, Paul Prine needle gunned some rust spots on the cab roof. The mudring corner plugs were removed and this portion of the boiler was washed out. The locomotive has not had enough service to warrant a complete wash out. Bob with help from Steve Crise and Wolf inspected the all the driver rolling bearing cellers. The roller bearing oil will be drained and replaced before the engine is run again. On the reefer, the wheels were rolled over to the inspection pit with a 10-ton overhead crane. This crane was used to place the truck equalizers between the 2 axles. One was found to be misaligned due to rust expanding between the equalizer and a spring seat. The pair was separated, rust cleaned and then the equalizer pair was reinstalled and fit. The wheels where then carefully aligned and the main truck frame was lowered onto the wheels. It was found that fitting the pedestal liners would be very challenging with the truck right side up, but that the tolerances were pretty much on...perhaps a hair tight. The frame will be lifted off and the pedestal liners clamped into position for welding next week, after which we will proceed with the rest of the truck assembly.
July 9, 2005 - Today, after nearly 2 years, the reefer truck was reassembled. Following up with the work performed last week, the truck was separated from the wheels again, and the wheels pushed out of the way. The truck was then tipped sideways and one side placed into the pit so to create a relatively horizontal service on which to weld. Once one side was completed, the truck was lifted, rotated and lowered again to weld the other side. Once all the pedestal liners had been welded into place, the truck was raised and the wheels moved back under. The leaf springs and bolster were also placed back onto the truck and everything fit perfectly. In the coming weeks, the truck will need to be rolled back under the reefer in order to size the hight of the coupler to determine if any shims will be needed. In addition to the truck, work on the circulator pump continued. Most leaks on the pump were sealed and the pump was tested with relative success. We now have a high powered circulator pump, which will be beneficial to the boiler during steam ups.
July 16, 2005 - Today the reefer truck was rolled back over to the compound where it was fitted under the reefer for the first time in 2 years so that the bolster and coupler height could be determined and eventually corrected. Following this, the truck was touched up having lost some of its paint in the reassembly process. While this was going on, another group continued working on the restored steam circulator pump, as well as Dan's continued effort in welding up the brake beams.
July 30, 2005 - This weekend the brake rigging, with the exception of the brake beams were fitted back onto the truck. Several of the brake beams that have had the ends built back up were sent to Coast Packing to be cut to the proper dimensions with a lathe. The brake beams can not be finished however until replacement brake heads can be located. In addition, the truck was jacked up and additional shims were placed on the coil springs to compensate for the 5/8 of an inch that was cut from the tires when they were turned. The primary air cylinder on the reefer was also checked in order to determine the size and type of gasket needed for the seal. The original gasket fell apart when the cylinder was opened for inspection. Also, as has been every week, work continued on building up the ends of the reefer's brake beams.
August - Work done around the compound during the month of August included draining and flushing out of the remaining roller bearing journals on the locomotive and inspection of the repair that will need to be done on the #2 driver roller bearing to prevent further leaking. Work continued on welding up the breakbeams, as well as recutting the first two beams to their original dimensions. These beams were then painted. Work began on errecting the remaining shelving that has laid in the corner of the compound for almost 3 years. This shelving will then be used to store the remaining flues and other pipes, as well has additional firebrick. A 50-ton jack was also placed under the coupler pocket of the reefer in preparation for cutting the coupler pocket out in order to repair the damage. Dimensions were also taken of the smoke stack in order to develop drawings and construct a stack extension to provide better drafting while on the road.
September 3, 2005 - This weekend the crew continued to erect the storage shelving for the flues, pipes and firebrick. In addition, the blowdown valves were removed to be replaced with stainless steal ones. Despite rigorous lapping, the valves still do not fully close during operations, resulting in water leaking out of the blowdown. As in weeks past, work also continued on building up the brake beams for the reefer. All that remains is to locate replacement brake heads.
September 10, 2005 - Today was a short day, with not a lot needing to be accomplished. The shelving was completed today and several of the newer flues were placed on the racks, after 2x6 wood cross supports were cut to hold the flues. Work continued on building up the brake beams, and an old steam pump was salvaged and transfered over to the compound to later be sent to an individual for restoration.
September 17, 2005 - The crew set about tackling the leaking blowdown valves today. The valves were opened up and inspected and it was found that there had been some pitting along the seats of the valves. The valves will be remachined and a tool will be created to hopefully unseat the inner seat of the valve so it too can be remachined. Another item on the "to-do" list was to disassemble and inpect the reverser cylinder. Work also continued on building up the ends of the reefer brake beams.
September 24, 2005 - It was a small crew out today and the focus was on four tasks. The first was to move an old water circulation pump found in a junk pile over to the compound. The second was to determine whether the tool constructed over the past week would work in getting the blowdown valve seat out. The tool fit, but the seat would not budge, even after heating the surrounding area. Another means will need to be found to unseat the valve. The third was continuing to move all the old wood boards and boiler flues over to the newly erected shelving on the other side of the compound. This is so an area can be cleared to lay a concrete slab. Lastly, work continued on building up the brake beams for the reefer.
October 1, 2005 - Much of the same work that happened the previous week also continued today. We also had two 11 year old visitors and their parents around the compound today. Touring them around the locomotive and answering questions was the bulk of the activity for the crew in the afternoon.
