Alrighty, I've got a question (uh-oh). I may be working with a local town to help spruce up their "local history park", which is basically an RV park with a few historic items scattered throughout it. There is a railroad depot in the park, which is used as meeting space. There is also a steam locomotive underneath a basic cover that is displayed in the park (the cover is a fairly recent addition). I may be helping to restore and create displays for a few other neglected pieces of equipment in the park. These pieces are an old mine cart and a small stationary steam engine. Both could be moved fairly easily.

The steam locomotive may be moved in the future, but it seems that that wouldn't happen for quite awhile. The group preserving another local depot isn't interested in the stationary engine or the mine cart, and the local historical society likely doesn't have any room to display the items indoors. Putting the items in the depot that is in the park is also likely out of the question.

I'm thinking that the smartest thing to do would be to move the mine cart and the stationary engine (both of local significance) next to the steam locomotive so they are under cover. I think the next thing to do would be to spruce up the locomotive (needs paint touch-up, not a full repaint) and it's shelter, along with restoring the stationary engine and the mine cart. Installing bird spikes on the beams above the locomotive would also probably be a good idea. I'm also thinking that installing a working headlight in the locomotive (there are outlets nearby) and installing a rope to operate the bell would also be good ideas.

My question to you is: where would I go from there? Do we install a fence? Do we make the stationary engine and the locomotive whistle operable off of compressed air? How can we make it so people can inspect the locomotive close-up (this depends on whether or not boiler asbestos is a problem). What are your thoughts and suggestions? Saying that I'm "Out of my mind" won't help because we already know that. ;)

Basically, I'm not expecting this to result in a top-of-the-line display. I will probably be a one-man-band doing this on weekends. But I'd like to see what I can accomplish.

The fence thing is a security issue, based on both vandalism and liability concerns. I'd certainly encourage the park's owners to have a chat with their insurer and legal people and then make a decision. From your perspective, a fenced encousure limits wear and tear.

One man show means keep it simple and practical. I'd not work on the compressed air operation, but focus on conservation first, appearance second, and interpretation third. Once that's covered you can see how maintainable it is given your availability to maintain it. I think decent lighting (which incudes working marker, head and cab lights as well as ambient display lighting) is a great next step.

Best wishes - your idea is more ambitious than you realize.

dave

I'm curious to how much jewelry is still on the engine besides the bell? With no fence, I'm amazed it still has the bell. (is the bell original?)
I'd be first and foremost concerned about a fence. And it needs to be high and difficult to cut. And an alarm system installed on the fence.
Would the city pay for this?
After that, since it's just you and a few ghosts, do what pait work you can. Lighting it up, as said above, is a good idea. Not only inside the cab, but lights shining from the rafters of the shed onto the engine at night. This not only for the appearance, but for added security. People do steal anything they can carry away. Most especially if it's made of brass, or has value to collectors who like to buy stolen stuff.

Is the locomotive pretty much safe from water as it is stored?
Is the lagging still under the jacket? If it is, and if water can get in there, the locomotive is slowly decaying into iron oxide. If it's dry in there, the decay will be slower.
Best scenario is to remove the jacket and the lagging. Assuming it is asbestos, this requires men in space suits to come in $1,000,000 trucks to remove it in the same way you probabloy would, and they charge you way too much. The city needs to handle this, but if you bring that A word up, they might think it's better to have a scrapper come and get the whole thing.

So hope the loco stays dry and you don't need to worry about such things. Take care of that roof that's above it!!

That's all I can come up with. Hope it helps.
Security and maintenance.
Mark D.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm heading up tomorrow morning to speak with the Mayor about improving the exhibit. I mentioned some of the ideas over the phone, and he sounded interested, mentioning that he had never thought of some them before. I guess we'll see how it goes.

-Thanks again. :)

Dig the rocks and ballast out of the journal boxes, then replace the waste if necessary and re-oil. Have the local Tech College measure and make new window frames, using plexiglass as the window medium. Clean the firebox and braze the doors shut. Clean coal out of any space where it might have accumulated, especially in the auger, if the locomotive has one. Braze the tender doors shut. Put plexiglass or painted plywood over the ladders. Make certain the stack is sealed. Shovel wet cinders out of the smokebox. If her "jewelry" is still attached, secure it or replace it with copies.

Another poster suggested this is a ton of work. Get an Eagle Scout candidate or a Girl Scout Gold Award Candidate to help you and document what is being done. Present a photo journal to the City Counsel.

Can you disclose the location? I recall you're in Eastern Washington, which isn't real far from me, so I'm curious.

Thanks,
Paul

Paul Krueger
Seattle, WA

Paul, check your PM inbox for the location.

Well, I looked over the locomotive with the mayor today (he already knew about the asbestos situation). Turns out the last restoration work doe on it used some sort of stiff canvas or fiberglass to encapsulate the asbestos. This material was screwed in to the existing boiler jacket and then the seams were caulked. On the underside of the engine, it looks like it was just glued on, so, of course, a few holes have opened up, letting a small amount of asbestos out. Obviously, we're going to have to repair the encapsulation (as long as the asbestos isn't wet).

The mayor suggested using that spray foam insulation stuff to fill the holes that had appeared. Honestly, this sounds like a great idea. Spray foam insulation will fill the holes and expand, sealing the stuff inside. The same foam could even seal some rusted patches and cracked wood on the locomotive. What do y'all think? Would spray foam insulation work to encapsulate the nasty stuff (as long as it is dry)?

Wet comes from places other than rain. Temperature changes in humid weather result in condensation, which,caught in soot infested asbestos under the jacket, leaches sulphuric acid (among other nasty stuff) which then eats the jacket and whatever patching stuff you have put over it away.

Make the asbestos go away legally. No other option for other than short term purposes.

dave

Get rid of the asbestos. The water under it doing unbelievable things to the boiler shell. Urethane foam is a poor man's solution. Within a single summer it will begin to oxidzed, crumble and break away. In short, why do a poor job with funds that could be applied to really doing something good for the locomotive?

I would like to see pictures of this engine just to see what I am talking about. As far as removing the asbestos I think contacting the City is the best solution or seeing if you can get a fundraiser rolling to just do the up keep. Who knows, little by little you might beable to fully restore it one day. But this is just little things. If the engine is important to the city it might finance the entire enterprise. You never do know.

Here's how she looked in 1984: http://www.srv.net/~rstewart/wim/equip/wim1.jpg

I'm guessing that the locomotive's boiler jacket rusted through in the 1980's, and was patched when she was cosmetically restored about 10 years ago. I'll have to check for sure, but the jacket doesn't appear to be rusting through. If the asbestos was wet, I would think that the jacket and the patches would be long gone by now.

As for the city funding asbestos removal, the city has a population of 800. It's an old mill town. I don't think the funds exist. Trust me, I'd love to get that asbestos outta there, but I don't see any possible way.

Any ideas?

Second Jeff's motion; I got a few nice in-kind donations for restoration projects in small cities.

OK, if you can't do it right, do the rightest job you can. Problem is open circulation removes moisture, but carries friable asbestos. My guess is you are going to trade off conserving the jacket and boiler shell for encapsulation. The boiler may be a total loss anyhow; it isn't a very rapid process under roof in any case.

Use whatever you can get locally that makes sense, but with the awareness that it will be a stopgap short-term solution, and will need occasional patching over the years.

dave

Hmmm, the interesting thing is, is that most tiny towns and stuff are very very clingy to their history and will go to great lengths to keep what ever they have. So you never do know what you might come across.

For a public works project, the Army National Guard might remove the asbestos as a drill project. They have teams trained to do just that. I would add, the weather shed is helping to some degree, so you're ahead in that respect. Important rule for asbestos abatement, keep the boiler jacketing, if only as a template for replacement.

Well, I will definitely do my best to do the "rightest job I can". I think I'll start by investigating options for encapsulating the stuff "for now", and getting the engine looking good. I think we'll start with the headlight, tack-welding the jewelry down, and maybe getting a rope connected to the bell (AFTER tack welding it down, of course). Paint touch-up would probably follow.

I think that, once she looks good and looks cared-for, then we could approach someone about abatement. I mean, if you were an abatement company, would you be more willing to donate a job working on a forgotten relic, or a prized piece of history?

Does that sound like a good plan? I wish I could do it perfectly, but like was said earlier, it's pretty much just me "and a few ghosts".

P.S. By the way, what all has to come off in order to remove a boiler jacket? I imagine pipes, and handrails would have to be unbolted and removed. What else? Running boards?

Thanks all. It's great having such a wide knowledge base here.