Update from the DT&M Faux Roundhouse

Matthew Goodman · **Posted:** Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:41 am

It has been a busy fall and winter here at the Henry Ford. With our operating season ending last November, we have been working steady to complete our 1897 Baldwin 4-4-0 the D&LN No.7. There has been a lot of annual maintenance being performed on our other 2 steam locomotives as well.

The Edison has recieved a new pilot beam and is having some minor work done on it's engineer's valve rod.

The Torch Lake is recieving some cab trim work and has had new smokebox netting and deflectors installed.

This past December No. 7 was coupled to it's tender for the first time since being pulled from Henry Ford Museum almost 30 years ago. They were pulled together through our tightest curves to check for any clearence issuses.

No. 7's pipe fitting is coming close to being finished, much has aready been removed for paint.

The 7's tender is almost finished with just a few minor details left to complete. More is soon to come.

Emmo213 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:32 pm

When I see stuff like this it makes me glad I'm a member there. Thanks for the update!

jasonsobczynski · **Posted:** Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:18 pm

Matt,

With all of the work going into this locomotive, and it being an absolute ground up rebuild, I don't suppose you guys took the leap to request the FRA inspect and regulate the locomotive so that if the opportunity arrises it could go off property??? Would have been just a procedural thing, inspections, Form 4.....could still be inspected by the state....

Cheers, Jason

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

I visited the Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village as part of a cross-country RV trip in 2011. My wife stayed in camp because she was reluctant to do all the walking involved. I toured the indoor museum one day and the Village the next. When I got back to the campground, I told her about all I had seen, and she said, "I can't remember when I've seen you this excited about something." And yes, as the surfer dudes here in California used to say, I was stoked. The roundhouse is worth the price of admission; there was a young man reassembling a steam locomotive throttle assembly, and I'd wished I'd brought my gloves and coveralls, so I could give him some help. I rode the steam train (around the perimeter, like Disneyland) and later hopped into a Model T for a "flivver" jaunt. As a long time record collector, I was "blown away" when I visited the restoration of Edison's Menlo Park lab, where a staff member was demonstrating an 1879 "talking machine", making tinfoil recordings and playing them back.

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 05, 2013 4:02 am

She's looking better all the time. . .great work, fellows. . .

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:47 pm

Do the smoke jacks in that roundhouse have blowers, or what are those devices plumbed in the stacks?

Chris Salmonson · **Posted:** Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:22 pm

The smoke jacks do have blowers in them. If you bring the smoke jacks right against the smokestack, the natural draft gained by the extra height is more than sufficient.

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

I question the term "Faux" in regard to the Greenfield Village roundhouse. It looked quite real to me when I visited. The fact that it wasn't built a hundred years ago should not detract from its form and function.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Bob Davis wrote:

I question the term "Faux" in regard to the Greenfield Village roundhouse. It looked quite real to me when I visited. The fact that it wasn't built a hundred years ago should not detract from its form and function.

Bob -

I thought about the use of that word "Faux" too. Technically it should read a Faux DT&M roundhouse because it really isn't the DT&M original, which I think is what Matt was trying make a point of. BUT, as you say, it really IS a roundhouse, and a terrific one at that!

Les

Dave Sutter · **Posted:** Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:51 pm

To understand the "faux" reference you'll have to read Kevin P. Keefes "Inside America's Newest Roundhouse" article in the February 2013 issue of Trains.

Rick Rowlands · **Posted:** Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:00 am

Are there any DT&I steam locomotives in the collection that retain the nickel plating and cosmetic improvements from the days when Ford owned the railroad?

SantaFe158 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:08 am

Hot Metal wrote:

Are there any DT&I steam locomotives in the collection that retain the nickel plating and cosmetic improvements from the days when Ford owned the railroad?

I believe the 4-4-2 former Michigan Central locomotive has all the improvements you mentioned. The cab piping is all brass plated as well as many other cosmetic details.

As for the question about the roundhouse and the use of the term faux... The roundhouse was constructed new in 2000, and I believe they used some salvaged details from the original in Marshall, Michigan. At one time I knew what those parts were, but I can't think of them at the moment. I was only 5 at the time, so my memories are pretty vague from back then. I do remember seeing it under construction though.

j32885 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:46 am

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:52 am

Really beautiful work, thank you for the updates and photos!

SH

Matthew Goodman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 06, 2013 4:56 pm

Bob Davis wrote:

I question the term "Faux" in regard to the Greenfield Village roundhouse. It looked quite real to me when I visited. The fact that it wasn't built a hundred years ago should not detract from its form and function.

To elaborate a little more on the faux reference, it was a play on what was stated in the February 2013 issue of Trains magazine that said the Age of Steam Roundhouse is the first roundhouse since 1951 and that a few other faux roundhouses have been built in recent decades. Without a doubt, we are a real working roundhouse; we currently have 2 operating steam locomotives and 2 steam locomotives under restoration. We strive to operate steam every day non-stop from April 15 thru the first week in November. We may be small with only 6 stalls, but over 95% of our restoration work is done on site, there is nothing faux about it.