The restoration work as shown on Monticello's website is superb. It's nice to see that locomotive going back together and looking so good.

Two questions: First, the pics show the application of simulated rivets to the new (welded) tender tank. It looks like the rivets are welded on using some sort of "stud gun" or spot welder. Could someone please elaborate on this process? What is the gun used for this (make, model, etc)? Are the rivets specially fabricated, and if so, how are they made? I'm guessing that the projection on the rivet head is used to grip the rivet and apply the pressure/current to it.

Second, the backhead looks to be all fitted out (and nicely done, too). Will there be a jacket applied to the backhead, or will it be left as bare boiler?

Thanks,

Howard P.

Howard,

Didn't Strasburg do something like that with 90's new tank? Perhaps Kelly, Linn or one of the SRC guys could elaborate. I always wanted to do something like that on the welded tank that Steamtown's BLW 0-6-0 ran with.

Dave

Kent the guy in charge of 401 sent me an e-mail about those rivets and he got them from Strasburg. I heard they want to have her steaming by the end of the year!

Thanks for the kind words, in both this thread and the other, (Illinois Steam) regarding how good it's looking. A number of volunteers are working very hard to make that happen.

To answer Howard's questions, yes, it is a stud welding outfit, purchased from these folks: http://www.studweldingfasteners.com/ talk to Eric Elrod. They were very helpful, and they rent the equipment should you rather not buy it. The whole idea is Strasburg's, and indeed we got our rivets from them. The rivets are CNC machined out of bar stock to give the correct profile and tips. They ran us about $2.00 ea., there being about 1500 of them on the tank. After application, which goes really fast, just take a grinder to the tip that's used to hold it in the stud gun, grind it down and lightly profile the head.

Regarding the backhead, yes, there will be a jacket. We're still in the fit and test stage, having to replace every pipe on the locomotive, and re-arranging some of it. We also still need to do a steam test and Federal inspection prior to jacket application. The steam test should happen soon. We're awaiting stenciling for the tender so we can finish painting the tank. After the tank is done, the steam test should follow shortly thereafter.

There's still lots to do however, before it's out moving around on it's own.

Kent