The loco was originally disassembled with the intention of a restoration to operation. 15 years ago the decision was made that the shoes and wedges were too worn to be used on an operating locomotive. So they melted them down. When we picked up the project 5 years ago, the aim had been changed to a cosmetic restoration. Now it is "get the thing on its wheels". So much of what we are doing is recovering from those earlier decisions that required a complete running gear rebuild and has forced us to finish that part of the old project.

Before you replace the bearings, you should check the crank pins. If you need to regrind them, fitting new bearings before they are dealt with would require you to replace the bronze again after they are done. On ARR 557, we also found that one axle wasn't quartered properly.

Oh, fer…… run diagonal strings from centers of cylinder saddle / frame bolts back to centers of frame stretcher bolts behind the rear drivers that are of equal length. See how parallelogrammed the frames might be by comparing the length of both strings, and record which side is how far ahead / behind the other. Now you can measure back from the same datum on either side, taking into consideration the difference (if any) and locate on the frames the centers of the axles on both sides at 90 degrees to the frame. Put her back together leaving about .125 of slop at the wedges, put the rods back on, and you will find her as movable as you need her to be for your purposes.

If you want a more local supplier, Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc can handle any of the alloys mentioned. I've used them for years and they're reliable for short run jobs.