Reichard Industries, successor to the William B. Pollock Co. and the only domestic builder of hot metal cars, has begun doing some welding work on the J&L 58 frame. Their task is to weld the front plate onto the frame as well as attach a rear frame extension. This heavy welding is beyond my abilities to do and Reichard volunteered to donate this work, which we are immensely grateful to them for.

After this work is completed and the ice at the museum melts, the frame will be returned and placed back onto the drivers. Then the real fun begins!

The Reichard plant was originally the Youngstown Car Company, an early 20th century builder of freight cars. In the background a new barrel for a bottle type hot metal car is being fabricated.

Mr. Rowlands, I would like to make and end of year donation to the #58, is there somewhere online I can use paypal, or would a snail-mail check work best?

I look forward to all the updates, this certainly is an interesting restoration considering the scope of work that has been and has yet to be done!

Is that frame extension a casting? Machined from a chunk of steel? Fabbed up and machined?

That is a fascinating little engine. I love seeing your progress reports and it truly looks like you guys have a good thing going. Whish I was closer so I could offer assistance. Porter, Vulcan, and other small engines always appealed more to me than their main line cousins.

As12, we are running a Booster shirt fundraiser at this time. This is the second time that we have offered this shirt, as the first time was quite successful and as people started seeing it being worn naturally wanted one of their own. However, the shirt is limited edition and carries with it special privileges. If a guest wears his or her shirt on an operating day, that person is given an opportunity to take the throttle for a couple of trips the length of our main track. The first shirt fundraiser helped pay for the purchase of the 4" plate that Reichard is now welding to the front of the locomotive.

https://www.booster.com/jl-58-porter-locomotive-shirts

There is also an option to make a donation only through this site if that is preferred. Paypal is an acceptable means of payment.

Snail mail donations could also be sent to:
Youngstown Steel Heritage
2261 Hubbard Road
Youngstown, OH 44505

Thanks!

EWrice, the rear frame section is 6" thick plate burnout. About the only castings used on 58 are the cylinders and the cannon boxes. Everything else was made of steel plate.

Thanks for the compliments! Hopefully you can visit sometime we are running the 58 and go for a ride with us.

By the way, a local foundation has pledge to match contributions to the 58 project up to $15,000 through the end of 2017. So if we raise 15K we end up with 30k!

Have been watching all this, and am encouraged by what I see. . .not only on this project, but others, too, although the problem of where to run a Dixie 4-8-4 or a C&O 2-8-4 still remains. . .

One thing that stands out in the photo of the setup to rebuild No. 58's rear frame is that it looks like things are being prepared for thermite welding. There's certainly a gap in there, an apparently a quite deliberate one!

I wonder what the people at the shop have said about working on this engine. Although the techniques are undoubtedly pretty standard, I bet they've never worked on a steam locomotive before!

The gap you see is where the ends have been beveled for welding. Welds will be approx and inch deep all around. I originally considered thermite welding that joint when I was going to do it back at the museum, but its unneccesary because the only stress this joint sees is the weight of the rear platform. Draft and buff forces go through the drawbar which attaches ahead of this frame extension.

Rebuilding our historic steam railroading heritage is our obligation to the future.
I ordered my shirt.

Rick, I just got a dead link for the T shirt booster, could you tell me how much, and I can send a MO to the address you gave. I'd hate to wear it, though, I usually end up getting dirty somehow....

You're setting the bar awful high for little guys like me. KEEP IT UP !!!!!!

Viva J&L #58 !!!!

Link worked fine for me last night. I ordered two shirts and gave a little extra.
Al

Sammy, give it another try. I don't handle the shirts. They are shipped directly from Booster to the purchasers.

Thanks for the compliments!

Just two more shirts to their goal as of this post! Ordering and donating was very simple and easy, don't miss this chance to help them out, every dollar you donate gets the J&L 58 two!

Fellas, I had my home internet turned off, to save money for my own restoration project, and I have NEVER trusted or used PayPal or any other internet payment gizmo. Maybe I'll just send 'em a 20, nice clothes are wasted on me, anyhow.

Anybody wished everyone in RyPN land a Merry Christmas yet ??? Well, here goes.

PS, HAPPY 2017 !!!!!!!!!

Sammy,
I can hook you up with a shirt. I'll have a few extras printed to sell seperately. Just tell me what size you want.
Rick