Saturday my brother-in-law who is a member of the IRM invited me for my first ride in a locomotive cab. But first he had to drag me away from my first love - machine shops and machine tools - not that I wasn't thrilled with the ride. But before our ride I took some photos of the shop and its equipment.
Too often I feel that rail fans don't appreciate the importance of the machinists and the machines that make it possible to restore this equipment.
First, a big thank you to my brother-in-law Joe (above in White Sox gear) who invited my out for my first cab ride. This is taken inside the machine shop with the IRMs' 1630 decapod behind.
I believe they have been in the process of rebuilding this unit for the last 4-5 years.
What I believe to be is a steam piston chucked up in a big engine lathe. Piston skirt (?) was getting turned.
The IRMs' Shay undergoing FRM maintenance.
Here is a Bullard VTL (verticle turret lathe) with a journal on the chuck/table.
This is their wheel lathe which is still not running. The IRM has had this lathe for something like 10 years.
A pair of driver wheel sets.
Here is a hydraulic planer made right up here in Rockford Illinois.
Here is a Kearney & Trecker horizontal mill with a verticle head attachment. This was my first time to see a horizontal mill with a head attachment in use.
A volunteer doing some welding with a Hobart stick welder.
I plan on going back there and taking more photos. They have the biggest Monarch engine lathe I've ever seen sitting outside. I'm particular to Monarchs since I own one - albeit much smaller than the IRM Monarch.
Steve
