Current Events
May 19th, 2012 - Construction continued on the new enginehouse and
trackwork this week. The corrugated steel roof was nailed in place early
this week, and the rest of the week was spent building the new switch and
trackwork for the enginehouse. Like most of the switches on the N&F, this
one was custom built in place just for this spot. It is a type of "wye" switch,
which means that there isn't a straight leg... both legs of the switch diverge.
I used an old harp switch stand that was given to me from the WF&P a few
years ago, a real neat item and it works great. Hopefully, I will get started on
the doors this week! Here is a picture of #103 on the new trackwork in the
new enginehouse:
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May 12th, 2012 - Construction began on the new enginehouse this week.
Here is what happened day-by-day:
Monday: The day started off with rain, so I worked on disassembling the
rest of the 1907 International's running gear. Later in the day, the rain let up
so I was able to get the forms ready for pouring the concrete footings:
Tuesday: Pouring Concrete!
640 lbs of Quickrete on flatcar 5121. In all, it took 12 bags to fill the forms.
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Water is needed to mix with the concrete, so I filled the jug from the
Northview water column. The concrete was mixed the old fashioned way,
in a wheelbarrow with a hoe!
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Here are the poured footings. The existing footings for the original
enginehouse were used, with 1/2" holes drilled in the ends and rebar forced
in to tie the old and new footings together.
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This is the old RIP (Repair In Place) track that was in front of the original
enginehouse. It was also used as an ashpit for #205. It need to be removed...
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... so I removed it. A wye switch will be installed here to switch two of the
enginehouse's tracks. The black area is cinders from #205.
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Wednesday: Building the floor!
Boxcab #2008 with a couple of flatcars of material for the new enginehouse
floor. The forms have been removed from the footings, a vapor barrier laid
between the footings and gravel spread over the vapor barrier.
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The floor's frame is taking shape. Since it rests directly on the footings, the
lumber is all ACQ pressure treated. This is an enginehouse - not a
regular house - so the floor joists run lengthwise, with joists placed directly
below the location of the future rails. They span all three footings. Keep in
mind that this floor needs to support around 3000+ lbs of locomotives, plus the
weight of the building, so the framing is a bit different than normal.
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Thurday: Finish the floor, begin framing!
The finished floor. Plywood is 3/4" ACQ pressure treated. Lumber for
framing was also delivered to the site by train today.
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Friday: Framing the Enginehouse!
Rick came over and we got the framing roughed in. Again, the structure is
a bit different than house construction... the ends are doors, not walls. Also,
I do the rafters and roof framing a little different since it is a small building.
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Saturday: Siding and Roof Decking!
It's a bit homely right now, but it is beginning to take shape. Both ends are
left completely open for the doorway, since access will be needed for three
tracks. A transfer table (that will double as a RIP track) will be built on this
end of the building.
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Coming up next week: Corrugated steel roofing, doors and trim.
Not sure if I can get all of that done, but the work will continue!
*****
May 5th, 2012 - It's been busy around here, what with my day job, running
trains, springtime mowing and trimming and other work! I have made some
progress on the 1907 International's pilot truck. I machined new upper
bearings out of cast iron. Most people don't think of cast iron as a bearing
material, but it actually works quite well with cold roll steel axles and is
common practice in old machinery - #103 also rides on its original cast
iron bearings. In this picture, the new bearings are on the left, old on the right:
Four of the old bearings were re-used for the lowers... the engine rides
on the new upper bearings, lowers just support the axle if the locomotive
is jacked up for some reason. In addition to the bearings, the frame was
also repaired. One end of the frame had been cut away to clear a huge
lubricator that someone added, so new parts were cut out and welded in place.
The orginal longitudinal strap ends were riveted to the end crossbrace, so I
riveted the new parts together at the same spots instead of welding.
New springs were cut to length, then everything was painted and assembled:
The International project will be put on hold for the rest of the month while
I work on the new enginehouse at Northview. I hope to get started on it soon,
and will post pictures as soon as there is some progress!
*****
April 15th, 2012 - This weekend I took #205 out to the C&H RR in Kansas.
Steve and Mike hosted a small gathering of area Ottaway enthusiasts and
rolled out their newest restored Ottaway steamer. Here are a few pictures
from a weekend of 12" gauge steam!
Steve with #1045, the latest Ottaway steamer to be brought back to life.
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C&H #1045 in the foreground with N&F #205 simmering behind it.
The 5 gallon buckets are used for coaling the engines... N&F uses the
gray buckets and C&H uses the white ones.
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N&F #205 and C&H #1011 sitting by the Yard Office.
These two locomotives were built in 1946, and are just three serial
numbers apart (#1011 and #1014).
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A few of the guys gathered around #1011.
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The C&H Railroad has tons of character and atmosphere. Lots of cool
vintage buildings, a working telegraph system, a neat track to run on
and (with the debut of #1045)... three operating Ottaway steamers!
My Thanks to Steve, Mike and the entire C&H crew for letting me come
out for the weekend.
*****
April 5th, 2012 - I finally finished painting the Frisco "Coonskin" on
Caboose #56 this week, which means that the caboose project is done!
Rick came over on Tuesday and we got both steamers ready to run, as well
as discussing options for the much needed enginehouse. However, the big
news at this point is the start of the 1907 International Minature Railways
steam locomotive project. I decided to kick the rebuild off by doing an
"easy" part first, the pilot truck. The frame was hoisted up and the truck
rolled out from underneath the cylinder saddle. Here are the challenges of
rebuilding a 105 year old steam locomotive:
Pilot truck upside down with bottom frame straps removed. The top of the
picture is actually the rear of the truck. Part of the frame has been cut away
when the HUGE lubricator was added - that will all be repaired.
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Interesting - the wheels are a slip fit on the axle, then the end of the axle is
heated and peened over to hold the wheels in place.
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Wheel removed from the axle - note the rusty part of the axle where the wheel
was located.
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Old wheels, new axles. New axles were needed to correct a gauge problem
as well as a scored journal. The new axles were machined for a press fit
instead of peening the ends. Wheels have been machined to match
diameters on each wheelset. Since the wheels have a fair amount of wear,
I removed just enough material to make it work. Also, the wheels are very
hard - I smoked a couple of carbide bits in the process of turning them.
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This illustrates the problems with old locomotives... no standardization!
Both bearings came off the rear axle. Not only is one bearing taller than the
other, but...
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One bearing is wider than the other! By the way, notice that they are cast iron.
No bronze, no ball bearings, no roller bearings... this is common practice for
turn of the century machinery. Cast iron bearings on a steel shaft actually
work quite well; N&F steamer #103 is supported by cast iron bearings.
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There's your problem! Yes, the locomotive had been running on a broken
bearing for some time. Note the oil holes plugged with dirt - the oil couldn't
make it down to the bearing and journal where it was needed. New upper
bearings will be machined out of cast iron, per original practice.
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So, that is it for now. I'll post more pictures as it happens!
*****
March 28th, 2012 - I have started making a page about my friend Walt,
You can see it at: http://nfrailroad.com/page28.html
It is a work in progress, and I will get a link to it on the home page soon.
Rick came over today, so we took the new caboose out for a test run:
It is almost finished... what you can't see is that I don't have the Frisco
"Coonskin" painted on the other side yet. Hope to have it done this week.
This is me with the new caboose:
It will give you an idea of the size of the new caboose. Successful test run;
no clearance problems or derailments. It's a bit heavier than the normal
flatcars, so it rides pretty smooth. That's all for now!
*****
March 21st, 2012 - It is with great sadness that I have to post the passing of my
friend Walt Stansbury on Monday night. Anyone who is familiar with the
N&F RR will remember the Stansbury Lead Mine, which is named for Walt.
Walt was 85 years old. Here is a picture of Walt trying out a 7.5" gauge
speeder a few years ago:
Rest in Peace, Walt.
*****
March 16, 2012 - Progress on the caboose! With the handrails in place, doors
installed, smokestack done and walkways finished, it was time to move the
caboose out of the shop. For now, it is on a roll-around display stand until I get
the lettering done. This is how it looked this afternoon:
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The Frisco Coonskin and reporting marks are in progress. I cut stencils and
traced them onto the carsides. I am painting them by hand. If you look
carefully at this next picture, you can see everything traced
in pencil above the "56":
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With Caboose #56 out of the shop, it was time to move in the
1907 International Miniature Railways steam locomotive:
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I hope to start disassembling the International next week. I will continue to
work on the Caboose's lettering in my spare time. Painting it by hand is
a bit tedious, so I just do a little at a time. More news later...
*****
March 3, 2012 - Before I can start working on the International Miniatures 4-4-0,
I have to get the new caboose out of the shop. I'm hoping to get it done by the
end of March. I made a lot of good progress this week; hopefully it will be
finished soon... but there are still a lot of small parts to make, not to mention
the Frisco Coonskin and reporting marks that I need to paint by hand
on the sides! This is how it looks as of this afternoon:
More news later!
*****
February 27, 2012 - Yes, another entry after just one day. Today Rick and I
pulled the boiler off Carey's International. The running gear appears to be
fairly complete; just a few parts to make, nothing major. Also removed the
HUGE mechanical lubricator that had been added at some point. Here is
how the chassis looks as of this afternoon:
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For more information on the International Miniature Railway Company,
take a look at this page: http://www.elginhistory.com/dgb/ch23.htm
There is a nice history of the company in the 5th section down, under the
heading, "Miniature Trains." They were built in Elgin, Illinois from 1906 - 07.
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The Cagney was locked up, but it was just a crosshead binding on the guidebar.
We pulled a wristpin and was able to roll the chassis off the trailer:
There will be a lot of work in this one, but it is a very well built locomotive.
This link has a picture of a Class C Cagney "back in the day":
http://www.transportdiversions.com/images/books/TE2110S.jpg
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Finally, we loaded the boilers on a flatcar to take them to storage:
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Next, I'll get back to work on the new caboose. That's all for now!
*****
February 26, 2012 - Well, let's put aside progress on the new caboose or
enginehouse for now, and take a look at what showed up today:
What is it? 218 Year's worth of steam locomotives!
On the left is the boiler & running gear for an 1899 Cagney.
On the right is a 1907 International.
The International will be restored for Carey, a friend of mine that is a fellow
Live Steam enthusiast and historian. The Cagney will be the N&F's third
steam locomotive. The International will be the next project in the shop
when the caboose is finished. I'll post more pictures later when I have some
time. Check back soon!
*****
February 9, 2012 - Just a quick update, since I haven't posted anything in a
month. I have some non-railroad projects to wrap up this month, then I
will start working on the caboose again. It needs to be finished by April.
This spring or summer I will try to get the new enginehouse and transfer
table built. There are a couple more interesting projects coming up, but
I'll keep those under wraps until later...
*****
January 7, 2012 - After a few days of nice weather, I was able to get everything
ready and move the enginehouse today. The enginehouse had to be relocated
so that a new, bigger enginehouse can be built in the spring. Earlier this week,
I was able to get the footings in at the new location and lay track up from the
switch up to the new location. Here are a few pictures from today's move:
Before: This is how the enginehouse looked at the start of the day.
Steamer #205 had to be removed and the building unbolted from its footings.
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The enginehouse was then rotated 180 degrees, jacked up and loaded
on flatcar #5121.
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Boxcab #2008 moved the enginehouse up the 1-1/2 % grade in the yard
to its new location. Progress was slow for saftey's sake, but the building
was stable on the flatcar. Clearance between the building and the
switchstands was very tight!
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The enginehouse was jacked up and slid over to its new footings, then
carefully lowered into place. Final adjustments were made on the track
by the door, and steamer #205 was nudged in with Boxcab #2008.
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The old enginehouse site looks a little bare now... but next spring, a
new 3 track enginehouse with transfer table will be built on this site.
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My supervisor gave his approval for my day's work!
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Plans haven't been finalized for the new enginehouse yet, but it will need to
hold at least 3 locomotives. When completed, the old enginehouse will be
used to house one of the diesels. More news next time...
*****
December 29, 2011 - A belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Finally got the new switch at the Northview Carbarn done! In the last post
(last month!) I had installed the ties for the new switch. Yesterday and today,
I had a couple of nice days to finish it up. Here it is yesterday morning:
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And here is how it looks now:
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OK, that isn't it exactly. I didn't have the switchstand actually connected
to the points in that picture, but it gives you and idea of how it looks.
This is an overall view:
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The next step will be to get footings set for the old enginehouse, move it
to its new position, then connect the track between it and the switch.
I have no idea when that will happen, but I'll post pictures when it does!
*****
November 26, 2011 - With the completion of #205 this spring, we are presently
a little short on room for the locomotives. Various plans have been sketched
to expand the enginehouse at Northview, but I finally made the decision to
move it so a new, larger enginehouse can be built in its place. The old single
stall enginehouse will be moved just west of the Northview Carbarn, and will
eventually be used to store one of the diesels. In order to do this, a switch has
to be cut in on the south carbarn lead. I have the frog welded up and started
installing the longer ties under the track:
Ties were cut from treated 4x4's. The switchstand & points will be located on
the ties at the bottom of the picture, and the new track will switch to the left.
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This picture shows where the new switch located in relation to the carbarn.
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The Northview Enginehouse... for now. It will move to the left across the
mainline, further down toward the depot. It will also need to be turned
180 degrees! The new enginehouse will have more room for the locomotives.
More news later...
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