More details.

The boiler just keeps getting there...

And just a few more detail shoots.

More soon!

.

Hahaha....
Kelly,
Sorry, I knew that wouldn't get past ya.
It's just a drip from above the saddle that dribbled down the side....and the dust from the shop made it look all the more 'prominent!"
Art

On first look that nearly gave me a heart attack. Good to know it's harmless!

Not at all involved here but that didn't sit well with me either. At first glance it sure looked like a cracked saddle. Went from admiring that nice new firebox checking all the little details I can see, then whamo. You really need to warn a person with shots like this!. Beautiful restoration except for that dribble. Yikes. Regards, John.

Okay, right up front and before the new thread starts talking about the crack in 557....the only crack was in the head of the bone head who put the picture up there!! ( and I can tell ya, he's cracked in the head!)

The part wanting to share there was the way in which we fabricated the new brace for the pilot beam....now the CMO will be fabricating a new boot in the britches for the boiler rat.

Here, prof that we are still sound. And moving forward with all safety in mind....


Cracked Boiler Rat

And again my apology for the heart palpataions, gasps and sudden rush of worry.

Actually it was pretty amusing. We need a few things to laugh about this week.

I've been deeply involved with the restoration for 4+ years, knew that this was not a crack, and still did a double take when I saw Art's photo.

I also note that the drip of oil received more comments than several months of steady progress by our crew of outstanding volunteers!

Are those saddle nuts tack-welded?

Howard P.

Yep.

How she came to us. Not sure if it was standard practice when she was in operation or not. But I have seen this done in other places in the arctic on old equipment.

You can see in this shot where it was the same thing all across the locomotives frame.

I suspect....'and only my opinion'.....that she had this in her Alaska RR operation. On equipment I have in the Arctic, the constant changes in extreme temperature causes nuts to creep off. I have tightened every nut and bolt on some of my system here only to find them loose during the next seasonal change cycle. I suspect the railroad had the very same issues. Tighten in the fall and really re-tighten in the spring.

Maybe Jeff or Dick have a little history on it.

Cracked....hehehe

I haven't seen any references to welding the bolts.

We have added a "new" tool to our collection. A 16" Cincinnati Shaper. This type of large industrial machine tool isn't readily available in Alaska and we are pleased with the donation. It's just what we need for some of the operations on our driving boxes.

The most recent 557 status report is posted at http://557.alaskarails.org/restore/prog ... index.html.

Here, our Case loader is being used to move a set of drivers. They are going into secure storage space provided courtesy of the Alaska Railroad Corporation. It's nice to be able to reclaim the floor space in our Engine House. The Case has been invaluable for jobs like this.