The July status report is posted at https://www.alaskarails.org/pix/former- ... index.html

A THING OF BEAUTY !!!!!!

The August status report is now available at https://alaskarails.org/pix/former-loco ... index.html.

Fitting oak decking onto the tender. Although this is a WWII USATC tender, it came from an 0-6-0 and has slightly different dimensions, including a lower deck height, than the original S-160 tender. This is actually the fourth tender that has been fitted to 557. They include the original, one from a retired oil burning USATC 0-6-0 that was done when the conversion of 557 to oil was made in the mid-1960s, one from the Copper River and Northwestern fitted when the locomotive was retired and sent to the Lower 48, and this one, which had been fitted to a locomotive crane which is now in the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry.

Sammy - NO!


Les

Sammy - The wonderful restoration of number 557 is a thing of beauty, but the locomotives front end with a lop-sided smokebox door and high headlight, hardly so qualifies. The Alaska Railroad actually ended up with center mounted headlights on some of their ex-Army 2-8-0's (the surviving # 556 has one) and this "hid' the smokebox door fairly well. But I can understand the 557 appearing as she now does. Just don't call the front end a "thing of beauty!"


Les

It truly is a thing of Beauty.

A little history on the offset smokebox door and locomotive appearance -

When received, the Alaska Railroad S-160s had a single-cylinder air pump mounted on the smokebox front, requiring that the door be offset. These were quickly replaced by the ARR with a cross-compound pump on the front deck. (The army did the same with their S-160s. The S-160s currently operating in Europe still have the single-cylinder pumps). The only S-160 to get a replacement smokebox front with centered door is Great Smokey Mountains 1702 and this was done very early in her life.

About half of the 12 ARR S-160s were a variant produced by BLW for domestic use on military training bases and the ARR. They were fitted with knuckle couplers, pilot, generators and electric lights (the headlamp was mounted high), a bell on the side of the smokebox, power reverse, air operated firebox door, and no vacuum or steam brakes. The stacks were also several inches higher. The half that were originally export versions were converted by the ARR shops to the domestic configuration before they were put into service.

Some bells, generators, and headlights on the converted locomotives were installed in a different location than they had been on the factory domestic versions. There was also some movement of bells and headlights on the factory built domestic locomotives. ARR 556 originally had the headlight mounted high, but now it is centered on the smokebox. 557s bell is now in the original position on the side of the smokebox, but for many years it had been on top of the boiler. A change we made was to replace the original style cast iron bell with one made of bronze in an original frame. (It's remarkable that an original side mount bell frame and cast iron bell turned up in Fairbanks.)

Another modification that the ARR made was to source and install a cast front deck from a foundry in Seattle, probably so flangers could be added. The pilot beam on 557 also isn't original, it is apparently a transplant from another locomotive, originally 557 had a flat plate in that location.

Whistles were another change. All of the ARR S-160s were originally fitted with a cast iron, screechy, single-chime whistles. These were all quickly replaced with multi-chime whistles. The whistle that had been on 557 was a five-chime with cast iron bell of unkown parentage. A generous supporter donated a five-chime Nathan which is now fitted. He also donated a four-chime Canadian National whistle that we need to try out some day.

The Harriman-style number boards over the smokebox were fitted by the ARR in about 1950 as was the red 557 plate below the headlamp.

At the time that S-160s were being placed in service, the ARR was retiring two classes of circa 1905 ALCO 2-6-0s which they had acqured before 1920. These locomotives were originally five-foot gauge and were acquired as surplus when the railroad supporting the construction of the Panama Canal was closed down. It is possible that some of the items used to convert the ARR S-160s to domestic specs were recycled from the 2-6-0s.

Regarding the beauty, or lack thereof, of 557. I originally thought the offset smokebox door and single cover over the steam and sand dome looked a bit odd, but it grows on you.

The recent photo is courtesy Donnie Rosie, the other is of ARR-555, which was used for the builder's photo of the domestic variant of the S-160 class.

Dick -

Thanks for all of that information on the Alaska Railroad S-160 Consolidations and number 557. Very interesting. Would like to visit Alaska someday and see 557 in operation.


Les

During the second steaming of 557's boiler Donnie Rosie caught up with 557 Chief Mechanical Officer Jeff DeBroeck. In the half-hour interview Jeff talks about firing the locomotive, the cab fittings and controls, and the valve gear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDpdpLAq43o