#3713 Summer 2019 Work Update

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Please remember as you read this accounting of all the tremendous work being done to bring Boston & Maine #3713 back to operation that we still need to raise approximately $300,000 to complete the project. If you would like to join the effort, please see all the ways you can support Project3713 financially on our Support Page. If you have skills the effort may require, please reach out to the Steamtown shops for information on volunteering.

Work has continued at a steady pace over the winter and spring of 2019. The most exciting development was the return of the 3713’s main drivers. In October 2017, the drivers and axles were trucked to the Strasburg Rail Road’s shops near Lancaster, PA for inspection and needed repairs. The work required specialized welding on the alloy wheel centers, a job that Strasburg was well qualified to do. The completed drivers and axles were returned to Steamtown this spring. Volunteers have since primed and painted the drivers.  Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS
The engine truck was also a focus of attention over the winter. Funding for new wheels and bearings was donated to Project3713, which enabled ORX of Altoona to get to work. The new wheels and axles, mounted in axle housings, were shipped to Steamtown in February. Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS
A brand new firebox has been contracted to be built by the Strasburg Rail Road and is pro-gressing nicely. All of the side sheets have been pressed and dies have been fabricated so the fire-box door opening can be pressed into the back sheet. The firebox is expected to completed in late summer 2019.  Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS
Work on the new tender tank is complete. As of this writing we are expecting to see it shipped to Steamtown in the coming weeksPhoto by Bruce Mowbray/NPS
#3713 now has a brand new, tight-lock, tender draft gear. This was made possible by a $2,500 matching grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. The grant also covered material for the new steam dome. The draft gear has been added to the growing list of new or repaired components in ready storage at Steamtown, ready to be reapplied to the locomotive when called for. Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS
While the new cab structure has been completed, there are still many items to add. The cab window components are finished. A little bit of weld prep, welding, and new glass will make a nice addition to the cab. Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS


Volunteer machinist Bob Krug starts to machine the window frame components for the #3713 cab side windows. Originally made from profile rolled brass tubing, the new windows will be made from extruded aluminum bar and TIG welded together. Photo by Bruce Mowbray/NPS

What’s up next in 2019? Click here to find out.