Greetings to all,
Thursday afternoon, the NKP 765 crew was working on the throttle with the
steam dome off and resetting a copper ring to seal the steam in. Actually copper
heated expands and becomes soft. This ring is then placed on the steam dome
and when tightend down, it seals the cover. Lots of heavy work, high off the ground
and not much room to work in the west shop. The injector worked on during the
last 2 weeks and seems to work fine now.
Jason Annen moved the MDT reefer down to the display track across from the
Erie shed. I had moved the manlift to the area next to the caboose track in anticipating
the caboose was going to be moved there today. Les showed up and moved the manlift
over to the brick walk way to work on the MDT scrubbing it down with TSP. Les made
consider progress with cleaning the car today. I can now take my smaller scaffolding
down and get the lower portion of the car maybe next week. I have an idea to use
a tarp, silver reflective, put over the top of the car and tied off at some point, to provide
shade against the brutal sun. I did not anticipate Les to show up today, but he did and got
much accomplished. I was scheduled to be a flagger for road crossings from 1pm to 7pm
for the throttle time engineers. Events later in the day made that job null for the day.
Noted Cory, Matt, Mark working on putting insulated rail joints in the main line
for signals. One complete joint was completed and the second was started with
Cory cutting the rail with a gas driven grinder. It was not as easy as it looked, because
Cory could not get the sliver of steel cut. At 11am I climbed on the NKP caboose as
under instruction with Conductor Fred Boyer to see how the flaggers were stationed
as the train passed by. I returned at 11:20 am. I climbed down and watched the
2nd throttle time engineer took the 765 out for its 3 mile run.
At approx 11:26 am, while talking with Doug, both of us heard a noise and turned to see
the train derail on the C&I welded rail main line. The engine stopped in very short space,
with the gon and boxcar at odd angles. Upon closer inspection the rails had spread
starting with the engine, derailing drivers R-1 and L-4, both tender trucks, right side
of truck on rail, 2 axles on left side dropped down to the tie, boxcar both truck wheels
on right side off rail, gon west truck on the ground. Rerailing commenced with getting
the boxcar stabilized with air jacks to prevent any possibility of turning on its side.
The gon was next, with jacks and lots of manpower and metal guage bars, the truck was
with a rerailer pulled back on the spread rail with IBCX 7042, that was fairly easy.
With the boxcar stablized, again hand jacks were used along with metal guage bars
pulled the rail together and got the boxcar back on track, pulled away with 7042.
Now to the 765 tender trucks, that was a little more difficult. Andy Cornwall did a lot
of the grunt work under the axles jacking up to assist getting outside jacks to lift wheels
back on the rails. Success, with pulling rail together, wheels were back on rails
to support tender. Now to the drivers, blocks of wood and steel tie plates piled
up and with an assist from 7042 and one good push by 765 herself, the drivers
went right back on track. At 5:13pm approx, all cars were rerailed and after some
more track work, 765 moved to the HVRM switch and was back on home rails.
Throttle time for the rest of the day was cancelled and the engine was taken to
the depot for watering. Tender water was dumped earlier to lighten the weight of
the tender. The 7042 proceeded to move the NKP tool car and Erie 310 to the east
shop and tool car was put back on with the mobile water canteen. 7042
moved to the east end of yard to pull the Mid America passenger cars out and
position them on the depot track for Saturdays trains. Passengers will load out
of the depot track vs the C&I main line due to the bad condition of the C&I main line
east of the HVRM switch. The diesel generator car was running and a/c was running
in the cars to cool them down after the high temps on Friday. All train excursions
are a go for Saturday and Sunday
Many thanks to all who participated in the rerailing process, Cory, Matt, Mark, Andy
Cornwall, C&I crew, Donny, Jessie and one other. Much hard work was appreciated
by the NKP crew to rerail their engine in a very timely amd safe manner. Hot and humid
conditions contributed to the misery of everyone working. Many were happy when the
sun set lower in the sky and finally got some shade from the trees.
End of a long day. Lets hope tomorrow (Saturday/Sunday) will be better. Many sold
out trains for tomorrow. Les will be a car host on Saturday and I will be a car
host on Sunday. I have some home projects for Saturday, so may not get to
HVRM till later in the day. I look forward to a nice A/C passenger car Sunday.
Tom
Thursday afternoon, the NKP 765 crew was working on the throttle with the
steam dome off and resetting a copper ring to seal the steam in. Actually copper
heated expands and becomes soft. This ring is then placed on the steam dome
and when tightend down, it seals the cover. Lots of heavy work, high off the ground
and not much room to work in the west shop. The injector worked on during the
last 2 weeks and seems to work fine now.
Jason Annen moved the MDT reefer down to the display track across from the
Erie shed. I had moved the manlift to the area next to the caboose track in anticipating
the caboose was going to be moved there today. Les showed up and moved the manlift
over to the brick walk way to work on the MDT scrubbing it down with TSP. Les made
consider progress with cleaning the car today. I can now take my smaller scaffolding
down and get the lower portion of the car maybe next week. I have an idea to use
a tarp, silver reflective, put over the top of the car and tied off at some point, to provide
shade against the brutal sun. I did not anticipate Les to show up today, but he did and got
much accomplished. I was scheduled to be a flagger for road crossings from 1pm to 7pm
for the throttle time engineers. Events later in the day made that job null for the day.
Noted Cory, Matt, Mark working on putting insulated rail joints in the main line
for signals. One complete joint was completed and the second was started with
Cory cutting the rail with a gas driven grinder. It was not as easy as it looked, because
Cory could not get the sliver of steel cut. At 11am I climbed on the NKP caboose as
under instruction with Conductor Fred Boyer to see how the flaggers were stationed
as the train passed by. I returned at 11:20 am. I climbed down and watched the
2nd throttle time engineer took the 765 out for its 3 mile run.
At approx 11:26 am, while talking with Doug, both of us heard a noise and turned to see
the train derail on the C&I welded rail main line. The engine stopped in very short space,
with the gon and boxcar at odd angles. Upon closer inspection the rails had spread
starting with the engine, derailing drivers R-1 and L-4, both tender trucks, right side
of truck on rail, 2 axles on left side dropped down to the tie, boxcar both truck wheels
on right side off rail, gon west truck on the ground. Rerailing commenced with getting
the boxcar stabilized with air jacks to prevent any possibility of turning on its side.
The gon was next, with jacks and lots of manpower and metal guage bars, the truck was
with a rerailer pulled back on the spread rail with IBCX 7042, that was fairly easy.
With the boxcar stablized, again hand jacks were used along with metal guage bars
pulled the rail together and got the boxcar back on track, pulled away with 7042.
Now to the 765 tender trucks, that was a little more difficult. Andy Cornwall did a lot
of the grunt work under the axles jacking up to assist getting outside jacks to lift wheels
back on the rails. Success, with pulling rail together, wheels were back on rails
to support tender. Now to the drivers, blocks of wood and steel tie plates piled
up and with an assist from 7042 and one good push by 765 herself, the drivers
went right back on track. At 5:13pm approx, all cars were rerailed and after some
more track work, 765 moved to the HVRM switch and was back on home rails.
Throttle time for the rest of the day was cancelled and the engine was taken to
the depot for watering. Tender water was dumped earlier to lighten the weight of
the tender. The 7042 proceeded to move the NKP tool car and Erie 310 to the east
shop and tool car was put back on with the mobile water canteen. 7042
moved to the east end of yard to pull the Mid America passenger cars out and
position them on the depot track for Saturdays trains. Passengers will load out
of the depot track vs the C&I main line due to the bad condition of the C&I main line
east of the HVRM switch. The diesel generator car was running and a/c was running
in the cars to cool them down after the high temps on Friday. All train excursions
are a go for Saturday and Sunday
Many thanks to all who participated in the rerailing process, Cory, Matt, Mark, Andy
Cornwall, C&I crew, Donny, Jessie and one other. Much hard work was appreciated
by the NKP crew to rerail their engine in a very timely amd safe manner. Hot and humid
conditions contributed to the misery of everyone working. Many were happy when the
sun set lower in the sky and finally got some shade from the trees.
End of a long day. Lets hope tomorrow (Saturday/Sunday) will be better. Many sold
out trains for tomorrow. Les will be a car host on Saturday and I will be a car
host on Sunday. I have some home projects for Saturday, so may not get to
HVRM till later in the day. I look forward to a nice A/C passenger car Sunday.
Tom
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