http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index. ... ction=News

MINOT, N.D. – Soo Line Locomotive No. 735 came close to being hauled off to the local landfill, encased in plastic and buried under a pile of dirt.

Instead, the 93-year-old steam engine was feted Monday by members of the Minot Rotary, Minot Park Board and railroad enthusiasts who fought to save it. They attended a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday to rededicate the engine, which has rested at the entrance to Minot’s Roosevelt Park since 1956.

“We hope that it will be here for another 50 years,” said Minot Rotary president Rick Anderson.

The Rotary raised money to remove asbestos from the engine and give it a new paint job as a community service project. Each Rotary Club took on a service project as part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the International Rotary.

President Ron Anderson said the Rotary had originally procured the engine from the railroad in 1956 and arranged to have it transported to Roosevelt Park for display.


Soo Line Locomotive No. 735
Asbestos on the engine became a concern a few years ago and CP Rail and the Minot Park Board had considered burying it in the landfill. At that point, the Rotary stepped in and arranged for the National Guard to remove asbestos from the engine so it could be saved, Anderson said.

The total restoration cost about $10,000.

The steam locomotive is a favorite photo background at the park for families with children.

The engine was built in 1913 by Schenectady Works in New York and was in operation until 1956. It was called a 4-6-2 due to its wheel configuration and was built to be fast. It transported settlers and goods to the prairie from Chicago.

The locomotive measures 85 feet long and weighs more than 158 tons. It carried 7,500 gallons of water and 12 tons of coal in its heyday.

The locomotive has a “twin sister,” the No. 736, which is on display in Appleton, Wis.

I think this is interesting....is this something that's normally in a National Guards ablities?
Could be helpful to many non profits!

The local person who took an interest in keeping this engine from being buried (what a stupid idea) is in the National Guard, and for some reason their unit specifically had asbestos abatement training. I was under the impression that this was an Air Nat'l Guard unit, but I may have that wrong. I had his name around here somewhere, but after trying to draw him out a bit and have him join this forum with no luck, I gave up.

If someone else wants to try their hand, PM me and I'll see what I can find. Or, just inquire with your local unit and see what they say.

If anyone has a chance to visit there, I'd be curious how much of the engine was left when the abatement was done. In the 1980s, when everybody thought they could become rich by cashing in on the asbestos scare, some engines got pretty badly butchered by fly-by-night hackers, who simply cut off everything in their way, and usually scrapped the removed parts after. I'm told Santa Fe 5030 got cut up pretty bad by a contractor after a similar burial scare.

I suspect they may not have saved the jacket pieces on the 735, which, if not reusable themselves, are useful for patterns for cutting new pieces from paintable galvanized sheet. While there are other Soo Line 4-6-2s from which the patterns could be made, it would be a lot easier to just use the ones that came off the actual engine. If parts were removed from the locomotive, but not yet scrapped, now would be the time to make sure they are saved for later installation when and if a real cosmetic restoration is done. While burial was avoided this time (I don't think such a burial would have actually passed environmental laws, as it does not dispose of the asbestos in an authorized landfill), the 735 project sounds like a hack and paint situation so far. We all know it deserves better.

Maine Central's Pacific #470 was severely cut up when contractors removed the asbestos, disposing of her jacketing, some piping, elegant appliances, and the whistle! Wonder where that went?

Regarding the National Guard, this organization has done numerous services on the community level in Maine, particularly where construction is concerned. I recommended them to the City of Waterville as a resource construction team to shelter the 470.

If your organization needs heavy construction assistance, such as the placement of posts, movement of gravel, or heavy equipment movement, contacting the unit commander of the local national guard is a good idea. It is critical to remember they are not in competition with the private sector, so project will probably need to be based with non-profit, community beased agencies. Remember also, your needs may not be easily scheduled by the A.N.G.

Last note: If you ask, they may say "no". If you don't ask, you are guaranteed "no".

Bob,

At the time, I had a couple of messages passed to me for comment through an intermediary. They concerned 1) where they would find asbestos on the engine; and 2) how to get at it. In my replies, I steered them to J. David Conrad's classic work on the care and maintenance of park engines. I suggested that they NOT cut pipes, etc. to get the jacket off, but rather cut the jacket with torch or power shears into pieces that could be slipped out from behind the pipes and appliances, number the pieces, and store them in the cistern. Whether anyone took my advice is another matter.

There was also talk at the time of moving the engine, and I raised the point that the bearings (no rollers on this engine) would need servicing, and supplied contact info for Dick Yager (Dick being the closest "steam guy" to the wilds of North Dakota that I could think of). Dick tells me that they never called, but then again, the engine never moved, either.

Part of the problem, I think, is provincialism; not wanting to listen or acknowledge advice from "outside". Part of the problem was, whet the principals started talking about "gittin' 'er runnin’" my comment that it was a sure way to have the city parks board think they were nuts; just concentrate on fixing their problem with the asbestos. I never received a single acknowledgement to any of my messages, but it appears that the project went rather well. I, too, wish I knew someone in Minot who could give a report on how badly the engine was butchered.

If we want an engine to worry about, how about Soo Line Consolidation 2425 in Enderlin, ND? That engine has gotten so bad that the city erected a pole barn around it, and didn't even provide a door, so no one will risk exposure. Of course, it's useless to point out that if they would have built a roof over it fifty years ago when they put it in the park, they wouldn't be having this problem. That's another group that has been impossible to contact; no web site, no e-mail, and an e-mail to the newspaper that ran the story brought no response.

Just wondering if any progress has been made on this 4-6-2 at Minot, ND?

Yeah, they butchered her up pretty good. She looks funny to me sitting in the park with no jacket on.

Clem,

Care to elaborate a bit on "butchered her up pretty good"? Most asbestos abatement projects on park engines involve removing the jacket, and few ever get it put back. But, is that all they removed? How about the piping? How about the auxiliaries, such as the air pumps and power reverse? Did they remove that sort of stuff, or just cut the jacket and slip it out from behind?