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.
We hope you have read about all the accomplishments recently made on the restoration. With anticipation growing, Project3713 has put together an ambitious To-Do list for the rest of 2019. Will it all be finished within 2019? Maybe, maybe not, but we are confident that we will make great strides by year’s end.
There are four main areas where the work is focused. The first area is the tender. The impending return of the new tender cistern to Steamtown requires that the tender frame become a top priority to allow the tank to be mounted to it. The frame was moved into Steamtown’s sandblasting booth last year but still awaits sand-blasting. The delay has been caused by the need to requalify Steamtown personnel on proper particle recovery techniques. The booth itself had not been used in several years and requires recertification of its particle recovery system before being used.
As of this writing Steamtown personnel have been requalified and recertification of the booth has been scheduled. Expect to see the frame sand-blasted, repaired, and painted in the coming weeks. Once painted, a new stoker rack and wood deck can be applied to the frame. Only then will the new tank be able to be mounted to the frame.
The tender trucks will simultaneously be receiving attention. Some of the larger truck frame components are also awaiting re-certification of the sand blasting booth. Repairs will be made to deficiencies to components including the brake gear and new pins and bushings will be installed. Jour-nal boxes will be converted to a roller bearing de-sign allowing the trucks to be reassembled with its new roller bearing wheel sets.
The second area of focus is the locomotives running gear. The new lead wheels and axles have arrived at Steamtown but before the lead truck can be reassembled, Steamtown personnel will need to inspect several aspects of the truck. Centering device components, the center casting, suspension components, and squareness of the truck will all be inspected before reassembly.
The main drivers will also receive attention before being set back under the frame. Driver jour-nal boxes will be examined and machined to fit new journal surfaces. The location of lateral mo-tion surfaces on the driver wheel sets will be meas-ured and lateral faces will have to built up to satis-fy those measurements. Crown brasses will be remachined or replaced to fit the axles. The fit of the shoes and wedges will be checked and may re-quire them to be built up as well.
The third area of focus is the cab. New window frames will be fabricated of wood and aluminum. Glass will be purchased and installed. The window hardware is also in need of repair. Once complete, the windows will be installed in the cab structure. A new cab liner will then be constructed. The minimal electrical wiring and conduits will then be inspect-ed and replaced as necessary. Lastly, in-cab light and signal display fixtures will be repaired and mounted.
The final and most complex area of work for 2019 is the firebox. With an expected late sum-mer arrival of the new firebox, lots of fit up work will be needed for an accurate installation. Before the firebox can be fitted and placed the new outer wrapper or roof sheet needs to be in place. This is currently being fabricated near Lancaster, PA and is graciously being funded by the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society.
Once the outer wrapper sheet is fitted and installed, the boiler backhead braces will be installed and new thermic syphons will be fabricat-ed and installed. The firebox can then be fitted to the boiler and staybolt holes will be drilled and tapped. Installing new staybolts will be the last step of the firebox installation process.
Photo by Tim O’Malley/NPS
Of course there will be other miscellaneous tasks to do along the way but the work outlined is our focus for 2019. As always, donors are welcome to visit the Steamtown shops and see the progress firsthand.
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.