I appreciate it when someone who has done their homework and knows what he is talking about posts here. No foam here, just the facts. I'm guessing that the 557 is in VERY good hands.

I encourage everyone to take a look at our September progress report at http://alaskarails.org/pix/former-loco/ ... index.html. Make sure you open all the linked photos.

Our fundraising materials carry the slogan, "Dream Big, Dream Steam." As you can see, we are doing a lot more than dreaming.

Dick

I got to see ARR 557 while attending the 2013 NRHS Convention. Here's some video highlights from my trip:

Alaska Railroad 557 (Restoration Tour), 09-22-2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MvqlzBmHng

Also got to see it's sibling locomotive...

Alaska Railroad 556 (Park Tour), 09-21-2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDHppwrysfs

Enjoy! ^_^

j32885-

Thanks for the exposure, much appreciated.

Jeff

The progress continues at a steady pace. Work days are scheduled for four days each week and on most days there are between 5 and 9 volunteers working on the locomotive. A new update was posted today at http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/former-l ... index.html and the previous update is at http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/former-l ... index.html.

The reference to straightening the front frame extensions on the photo of the priority list refers to a fix for something that must have happened in 1944. In the four feet from the front of the cylinder block to the pilot beam, the frame extensions are bent upwards by about 2". This also means that the guide for the pin for the front truck is not plumb and the truck rides a bit higher than it should. The air pump was installed by the ARR when they received the locomotive and the air pump is plumb - compensation for the out-of-level front deck is provided in the mounting bracket. Our best guess is that the locomotive was improperly lifted before the ARR received it. It shouldn't have happened as these locomotives were designed to be easily lifted into the hold of a ship using a special spreader bar which bolted in place of the dome cover and had a hook that fitted a lifting tab welded to the top of the smoke box front.

Dick

Correct me if I am mistaken here, I seem to recall hearing that The DELAWARE & HUDSON RR had such a beast as well.

Mr. Starr

I am just extremely impressed with the quality of the report. I love the format with names and linked photos. Exceptionally well written and it sure gives you a very positive feeling, like "I want to be part of that". Just one of the reasons for the success of this project.

Not that I'm aware of. Other than the Alaska Railroad, the only somewhat large railroad I've heard of which used an S-160 was the Maryland & Pennsylvania (Ma & Pa). That was the poppet valve equipped 611 which was loaned to them by the Army for testing shortly after the conversion.

Tom, thanks for the Kudos. We have 25+ volunteers and quite a few businesses who agree with you on wanting to be part of it.

This is what I am rather was thinking of and her sisters ..

Mr. Starr

Exactly!

Mr. Starr

Holy smokes, and people say the S-160 is homely. I am glad our engine is not one of those complicated monsters.

Jeff

Yes the 1702 ran for a number of years, but it did have firebox issues. It received several partial replacements in 1997 when Greg performed a 1472 on it. Before it made it to the next 1472, it needed those sheets and the rest of the firebox replaced to meet the requirements of the form 4 and stay close to the original MAWP. If you do the math, you have 0.040-0.060" wastage before you start to derate the boiler. Not much margin. I too was going to go back with 7/16" thick plate, but support for the project was fading. It also was very prone to staybolt breakage if not handled with extra care during fireup and cool down. I was going to install more flexibles in critical areas as part of the project. I have no idea what the plans are for the current incarnation of the project.

Ryan

Greetings:
I recall that the USATC locomotives were designed to last "for the duration of the war"...
I too have "run the numbers" the S-160 and the USATC 0-6-0 and found that there was little or no margin for wastage. These were true "limited life" boilers (not unlike modern boilers, designed to be replaced, not repaired).
That said, our 1920 ALCO 2-8-2 was built with a 5/16" thick door sheet, which too had little margin. The first time we did a 1472 we found that "running the numbers" using "real time" thicknesses, we had to reduce the MAWP to 160 psi. In 2006 we made and installed a new door sheet using 3/8" material. The brought our MAWP back up to the original design pressure (with an allowance for future wastage).
J.David

Congratulations to Jeff and the 557 Mechanical Crew. After removing stays for quite a few weeks they hit another milestone yesterday. The crown sheet is now on the floor behind the locomotive. The volunteers added an extra day to their normal four-day-per-week schedule and had the additional help of Art from Fairbanks for a few days. A wide-angle view of the results.

Dick