2018 was an exciting year for the restoration of Boston & Maine #3713. Due to a large amount of funding made available by the National Park Service we were able to tackle some big ticket compo-nents of 3713 for rebuilding or fabrication. We are now seeing the results of these expenditures first hand as the finished products are returned to Steamtown.
As many of you know, Project3713 is a formal partnership between the National Park Service and the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society. Per an agreement signed in 2016, Project3713 is charged with raising $750,000 towards the $1.4 million cost of restoration. To date, $400K has been raised and over $645K of the NPS dollars have been released.
We still need your help to push the fundraising to completion. Three subscription donor levels are available for $1 a day, $10 a week and $100 a month. You can help get #3713 under steam as soon as possible, Please see our website for details on packages and thank you gifts: http://www.project3713.com/join-the-signers-fund/
So far in 2018, your donations and NPS funding have:
- Built a new cab, now at Steamtown (Hopkins Manufacturing Company & Technology in Factoryville, PA)
- Started building a new firebox (at the Strasburg Rail Road)
- Built a new tender cistern and coal bunker (at Oaks Welding & Line Boring in Ashland, PA.)
- Tender frame and trucks disassembled for inspection, repair and rebuilding – with updating to roller bearings generously donated by Brenco and Timken (in the Steamtown shop)
- Renewed the driving wheels, including as new axle (at the Strasburg Rail Road)
- Started full rebuilding of the booster engine (in the Steamtown shop)
- Finished all three new safety valves (at the Strasburg Rail Road)
- Purchased new pilot wheels and bearings. Axles have been machined, bearings pressed, and test fitted. Will return to Scranton soon (from ORX in Tipton, PA)
- Completed a new stoker rack (at the Steamtown shop)
- Continued restoration of the Coffin feedwater pump (at Coffin Turbo Pump in Englewood, NJ)
- Allowed the continued restoration of numerous small but key components (in the Steamtown shop)
With $350K left to raise, we invite you to join Project3713 on a subscription basis so that more high-quality work can continue as we bring #3713 back to operation.
You can read all the latest news in our most recent newsletter: