Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

This forum is dedicated to the Live Steam Hobbyist Community.

Moderators: cbrew, Harold_V

User avatar
Benjamin Maggi
Posts: 1409
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:38 pm
Location: Albany, NY

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska?

Post by Benjamin Maggi »

hudson wrote:It seems that a 7 1/4 in gauge model is still for sale in Italy:
http://web.mac.com/alcampanini/Vapore_V ... ntini.html
Was this the engine featured in Live Steam magazine about 5-10 years ago where an Italian man bought the full size engine just to have the dimensions for it, then took it apart piece by piece, drew up plans for each piece, and then built a 7.25" gauge model of it? It very well might be.
"One cannot learn to swim without getting his feet wet." - Benjamin Maggi
- Building: 7.25" gauge "Sweet Pea" named "Catherine"
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

I gave the link for an earlier TV story. This is the correct one.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-assignmen ... 3148.story

The electronics part is a bit fanciful. The closest thing would be an incandescent lamp.

I have a long dormant project of building a 1/8 scale model of 556, which is in the park in Anchorage. I'm going to have to dust it off. Several years ago I wrote an email to the contact in Italy for the steam locomotive and he responded with a DVD with a video and photos. The builder made two of them, and they are works of art.
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

Today I got to visit the locomotive in the "engine house" and work on her for the first time. We spent the day preparing her for the mechanical inspection.

She was moved into the engine house on Wednesday through a side door and turned 90 degrees by sliding the 70 ton locomotive on its track panel. I wish I hadn't had to work that day.

Below are photos from today.
Attachments
Getting ARR 557 ready.jpg
Preparing ARR 557 for mechanical inspection.jpg
ARR-557 tender in engine house.jpg
Last edited by Dick_Morris on Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

Just to prove I wasn't goofing off.

After they were broken loose with a long breaker bar, we were able to remove about half of the nuts on the steam dome cover by hand. We put the nuts back to protect the studs and I was tightening one that couldn't be turned by hand.

I've seen a photo of one of these locomotives being shipped overseas. They were lifted into the cargo hold with a spreader bar that had a plate at one end bolted in place of the steam dome cover and the other end supported at or near the stack.
Attachments
Dick hard at work.jpg
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

Over the last month a group of determined volunteers proved what can be done when turned loose with a locomotive, some big wrenches, and a few other pieces of equipment.

Compared to the photo from a month ago, now missing is most of the piping, the air pump, power reverse, injectors, injector start valves, fire box lining, check valves, blow down valves and cab.

I spent several hours today unbolting the left running board brackets. A 1-1/6" combination wrench isn't bad, but a 3/4" ratchet with the same sized socket is heavy!

With all this out of the way, asbestos abatement should take place in the next couple of weeks.

Most of Anchorage isn't very far from the Alaska Railroad and from most places in town you can hear the trains signalling for corssings. In my mind I can already hear what a proper chime whistle will sound like as it signals for crossings on a cool, quiet fall afternoon.

For more photos, go to http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/former-l ... index.html and click on "photos" and "restore." (And feel free to click on "donate." :) )
Attachments
ARR 557 with cab removed.jpg
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

I noticed someting interesting today. The previous owner of 557 apparently set it up so that he could use an air compressor to feed the blower and atomizer when he fired up the locomotive, just like we do on the little guys. You can see it in this photo I took a few weeks ago. The angled black pipe to the right of the vertical valve is a brake hose. On the other side of the valve are pipes connected to the blower and atomizer.
Attachments
Air Connection.jpg
Steve Bratina
Posts: 1061
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:39 pm
Location: Cambridge Ontario

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Steve Bratina »

On Railway Preservation News there is a chap mentioning that similar engines are getting ready for scrap in Europe. If you need parts, it might be worth a look at the site.
User avatar
SoCalLiveSteamer#613
Posts: 212
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:31 pm
Location: Torrance Ca
Contact:

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by SoCalLiveSteamer#613 »

Whats story with this stainless steel boiler? Mike---?
Going in circles any day, anywhere as long as its on a steam engine!
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

Whats story with this stainless steel boiler?
557's boiler is riveted steel. The technology that was used was probably 30 or more years old when it was built in the 1940s and wasn't state-of the-art even when it was built.
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2841
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by Dick_Morris »

As secretary/treasurer of the nonprofit Engine 557 Restoration Company, most of my recent volunteer time in the name of the project has been spent doing "fun" things like setting up the books and preparing the formal budget and a system to keep track of the resources that are being expended. :(

This is what 557 looked like last night. Spending close to 1,000 man hours, volunteers of the 557 Mechanical Department removed, tagged, and cataloged the cab. applicances, and valve gear to prepare her for asbestos removal. The asbestos was removed and disposed of last week by licensed contractor Central Environmental, Inc. (CEI) of Anchorage, invoiced as a $46,500 in kind donation. The sheet metal next to the locomotive is the carefully removed boiler and backhead jackets which have had all traces of asbestos removed. The boiler jacket pieces will serve as a pattern for the replacement. Upcoming tasks are an inch-by-inch boiler inspection, an ultrasound test at about every six inches of every surface of the boiler, and removal of the tubes.

Last night several of us worked on upgrading the electrical distribution within the engine house. There is lots of three-phase power at the service entrance, but we only had a few 110v outlets in one corner. The only heat we have is a couple of torpedo heaters used when we are in the building. A water bottle in the middle of the floor doesn't freeze because of the residual heat. One set on the desk does.
Attachments
naked locomotive 2.jpg
boiler jacket patterns.jpg
marshall5
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Isle of Man & Boise

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by marshall5 »

Thanks for the update, you guys are doing a great job. I have very fond memories of seeing S160s at work in Turkey and China in the '80's. When I showed the photos to a pal back home he got so excited he went and bought one! Regards Ray.
User avatar
makinsmoke
Posts: 2260
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Steam railroading to return to Alaska!

Post by makinsmoke »

Dick,
I believe all full size steam locomotives have a method for applying shop steam or air to the blower (and atomizer for oil burners). I know the 940 here has this piping in place.

Brian
Post Reply