i have just had the pleasure of reading through a 25 year run of the Mid Continent Gazette.

It was really interesting learning about the growth of the museum and its programs.

It has been a tough road keeping their signiture steam program going and building the necessary support systems for the museum.

I have a couple of questions for those who are closer to the museum. Did the sewer and water connections ever get installed with the town?

The Coach Barn was about to be built when my magazines stopped. In what year did it get built? Is it a display building or a shop building?

Further, The web site steam news is rather outdated from about 18 months ago. How is the Coal and Coke #1 rebuild going?

Keep up the good work guys!

Ted Miles

Well I am not sure about the dates on the "car barn or if the town ever came across the river or not. I know MC dosn't have "city" water yet. The "car barn" question is hard to answer. After I quit being active around 1980 or so, they built a display shed where most of the restored wooden cars are. They also built a car shop, strictly for car work. Both buildings are pretty large. MC has out grown the car display building and we need another one at least as large. It is too painful to keep restoring the same epuipment, tying to keep up with ma nature. I think the car shop was built maybe in the middle 80's and the other display building in the 90's. Don't quote me, I am guessing.

The Montreal is coming along slowly. Becker Boiler {Madison group} is doing the welding and some fitting. I will try and not duplicate the web page. I just talked with the shop forman by email the other night. The second course if finally ready for fit/inspection. This took a long time to get done, but it turned out pretty good and should be welded up soon. There are plans to rivit the brace back to the mudring/throat sheet. Which will allow for some more firebox work to be done. The bottom 4 rows of staybolts were removed and the holes welded up and redrilled for replacement. Even though this engine seldom broke stays, it was decided to do this as the area is inside and below the frame and can not be accessed very easily. So the stays are going back in as we speak, but they have not been bucked yet. The frame work is about done as far as the frame {proper} goes. We have to weld up a large crack in the hub and one on the rim on two different drivers. Then the axles need to be cleaned up, just a little. I am not sure what the lead man wants to do for shoes and wedges. I want to cast up new ones, he wants to try and save the old ones. One cyl needs to be bored out and trued up. Actually a lot still needs to be done. The guides need to be trued up, one which is MIA. I am terrible impatient with the progress, but money is tight and the guys in the shop are volunteers. We don't have CMO leading the way, so the progress is a little at a time right now. In fairness to us guys in the shop, this engine kind of reminds me of a small K-4 type of project. The boiler was't really to bad, but the sectioning of the barrel is a big project, and the reason it reminds me of the #361 is this engine was worn out from top to bottom. I honestly don't know if this engine was ever rebuilt since new. On top of this, most every thing is cast iron, not cast steel, so if anything is broken, it is a pain to weld up. I really hate cast iron.

May I suggest to follow the links on the web page and find the one that will take you to "shop news" or steam progress, something like that. It is not totally up todate, but it is somewhat current. Well I hope I am not to off on the progress on the Montreal #1. Thanks for the interest. By the way the Polson #2 is coming along too. Maybe just a little bit faster in the progress department. I agree with the shop forman, that when these two finally are running again. We will have two solid runners for a while. It is hard to remember that both these engines {and most others in the country} were worn out when the owners quit using them and sold them off. Musuems like MC kept them running for another 20 years with out really rebuilding them, Not that anybody was wrong for it, but the point being that most are really in need of a class 5 overhaul. The not so new FRA rules are expensive to follow, but the work they demand is needed badly in most cases. Come visit, John.

http://www.1385.org

The above is the address to Mid- Continent's Steam Team Headquarters.

Ed

guys,

Thanks for the reply, but I did say that I had looked at the web site, only the steam part of it is over a year old.

When the museum is back to steam is most likely when I will come for a visit. Diesels I can ride any time anywhere!

Ted Miles

Don't know if you had a chance to check out these pages linked below, but they have the up-to-date info on what's going on in the MCRY engine house.
http://www.1385.org/shop.html
http://www.1385.org/shop2004.html