Wanted to thank everyone who responded to the call for volunteers for the 614 annual maintenance work party in May. All the positions have been filled and I'm confident we'll have a very productive session.
We're going to try something new this year by shrink wrapping the engine after we've done the cleaning,regreasing,cosmolining etc. Tarps have a tendency to blow/rip off and we think the shrink wrapping stands a better chance?
A full report with pics will be posted on her web-site(co614.com) shortly after the weekend. For those who applied after the crew slots were filled please know that we will keep you in the "active" file and when that happy day arrives when the bell rings to return her to service(we hope sooner than later??) you'll be the first notified.
If anyone here has any tips/advice on shrink wrapping we'd be grateful to benefit from your experience.
Thank you, Ross Rowland

I have shrink wrapped small stuff after rebuilding, such as air pumps, to prevent rusting while in storage, but never a whole locomotive! Take some photos and let us know how it works.

dave

Ross,

Not sure what tarps you've been using. We've had great success at our Museum with custom vinyl tarps from Neilly Canvas Goods in PA. They can be made to fit with all edges seamed (no loose flaps where sides meet the ends) and grommets across the bottom. Your choice of colors. And the shelf life is much linger than the blue pastic tarps from the hardware store. We had one on a car for over 10 years.

Wesley

http://www.neillycanvas.com/

Yes, please keep us informed of how useful this interesting idea becomes!

Dave,

The thin shrink wrap you used on the compressors for 107 started deteriorating, and I'm still pulling off pieces of the plastic long after they were mounted on the engine. Don't know if it was because the paint may not have been completely dry and the plastic stuck to it, or due to UV deterioration while they sat on the pallet on the dock where we stored them. In any case, the thin wrap that was used did not hold up.

In any case, to Mr. Rowland I suggest you make sure that whatever material is used to cover the engine, it has some UV protection/durability. Especially if it will be out in the weather.

Given that the seperate castings were painted before assembly, probably UV related deterioration. I wonder if perhaps the paint was "outgassing" solvents, that, trapped, might have softened the coat and adhered?

Thanks for the heads up - I won't use that stuff for outdoor storage anymore.

dave

Sounds like the material used for truck tarps. The steel haulers that run from Gary use tarps over the coils all the time, and I finally went to one of the tarp shops on Chicago's south side to get one made for my camper. That tarp lasted for over ten years, exposed to the weather for all but two or three weeks per year, and I let it go with the camper. The material is / was a plastic impregnated nylon cloth, was almost impervious to puncture, and when punctured, wouldn't tear. It was available in both black and an almost Pullman green, among other brighter colors.

The truckers that buy these tarps don't particularly like replacing them, so pay for tarps that last. The home centers, on the other hand, want you to replace them ecery year. Need I say more?

Dennis Storzek

I have seen a lot of equipment ruined by tarps in the eastern climate. Even our cocooned cars would be in bad shape without the ventilators. I don't think shrink wrapping is a good idea. A good tarp should be attached in a manner to allow maximum ventilation without allowing rain and snow to get in.

The other problem I have seen with tarps, at least around here, is that if you allow enough room for ventilation, the birds invariably find the place and set up housekeeping. We must screen all our cocooned stuff for that reason.

Good luck.

Mr. Moedinger, Thank you for your input. Are you saying that you favor a good tarp well fitted etc. as the lesser of two evils to vs. shrink wrapping?? Sorry but I wasn't clear on your message. FYI we plan to properly vent the wrap so it has proper air circulation etc.
Again many thanks for sharing your experience.
Ross Rowland

with shrink wrapping, or even tarping, i'd be worried about condensation.
I've seen a lot of old autos that were tarped, then forgotten about, and years later had rusted to pieces under the tarps.

Dave

Ross,

Wouldn't it be more cost effective to construct some sort of roof over the locomotive? Maybe a pole type construction with metal roofing.

I agree with Linn Modinger on this one. I have an old tractor and my wife wanted me to tarp it. I told her that it was like putting a wet blanket on it. I then built a roof extention on the shop. One of the best things I ever did for the tractor. Lots of air circulation even on rainy days.

Just a suggestion. I know that the cost for a roof is going to be high.
Too bad the C&O doesn't connect with Morehead any more. We have a pole type stucture that would have solved the problem. It was used to keep the clay cars dry until the kiln was ready for them.

Take care,

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

you could always use the stuff that farmers wrap bales of hay with.

Mark

Ross,

Albeit on a small scale I have hauled many loads on a utility trailer on the highway. Agreed, the biggest enemy is wind and sharp protruding points, corners or edges. Once the wind lifts/gets under tarp, it starts thrashing and in no time you have it shreaded.

Something that has worked well for me and I don't see it used often is a conventional tarp but lace bungie cord, criss-crossed over the tarp and load. It compresses the tarp onto the load and minimizes air pockets so the wind can't lift it. If I recall, I believe you can get this at outdoor supply stores (ala Cabela's?) and have it cut by the foot. It is approximately 1/4" dia, has an elastic core and a black reiforced nylon outer cover. You start by connecting it a one end and creat a grid over the load..... the more tension, the better. A word of caution, if the end becomes detatched and starts to contract, things can get exciting....much like a small whip on the loose.

Here is a web site that describes the cord. http://www.bungeeco.com/subcategory.php?subCatId=35

The only downside is that it may limit under-tarp air circulation.

Food for thought.

Best regards,

Randy Musselman

But this is a steam locomotive, not an automobile. The danger to a tarpped auto is the condensation will wet the unpainted or marginally painted metal, and it will rust. If the auto's paint was in pristine condition this wouldn't happen, although the interior might get musty from the moist environment.

On a steam loco, one would presume that the paint was in decent shape, or would be made so before the tarp was applied. Bare steel surfaces are to be protected by Cosmoline. The purpose of the tarp is to keep wind driven rain and melting snow from seeping in under the jacketing and wetting the lagging, which will then never dry. One good rainstorm can put more water in the lagging than ten years of condensation, and it's this wet lagging that is ultimately the death of locomotives.

I vote for a good quality truck tarp, tightly applied with bungee cords to take the shock of wind gusts.

Ross:

Is there any way to get the money to put a "Butler
building" around the 614? Tarps just trap moisture, and
as cold steel always sweats, and rust never sleeps . . .

I would love to see her run again, and hope that a way
can be found for that to happen - sooner, rather than
later.

Margaret (SP fan)