Working on IC Caboose/ND&W 5332

11-23-2013
 
Joe Kingsbury works on the cupola area of the Illinois Central caboose. It was
discovered around the base to the roof, it had rusted out, leaving a hole for rain
water to get in, an soak down thru the wall, rotting the wood. Preps are being
made to get the display caboose painted both on the inside and outside. More
bondo is required to build up the surface for painting.
 
Notre Dame & Western 5332 resides in the HVRM shop. During the week of
18 November, for three days, the diesel was moved. What was thought a two
day move, turned into three days, due to the lowboy trailer getting stuck on the
C&I tracks. Eventually the trailer made it over, but the problems were not over.
Unloading the diesel from the lowboy, the PRR flatcar broke the rail, calling
for a new cut piece of rail. Working under the PRR flat car was not easy to do.
Eventually all was replaced an the Porter 65 ton diesel was pulled off the
lowboy.
 
A massive effort of men and machines. A job well done by all HVRM members
who helped in this short term notice to get it moved before bad weather set in.
 
Thank you very much. Photos by Les Beckman
 
Tom Travis

Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Switcher Arrives at Hoosier Valley

Donated university switcher arrives at Hoosier Valley museum

Published: November 20, 2013

The switcher en route to the museum grounds in North Judson. Photo by Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum NORTH JUDSON, Ind. – The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has taken delivery of its new 65-ton center cab Porter switcher, No. 5332, donated by the University of Notre Dame. The locomotive once served the university's coal-fired power plant. Museum volunteer Fred Boyer tells Trains News Wire that the locomotive was transported on a 46-wheel truck and trailer from the university to the museum grounds in North Judson on Tuesday afternoon. It will be used by the museum for excursion operations when it is restored. That is expected to take about two years. According to Boyer, the museum has not finalized fundraising plans for the restoration. For more information on the museum or to make a donation, go to www.hoosiervalley.org.

 

 

Museum, university discuss locomotive donation

By Brian Schmidt

Published: November 21, 2013

No. 5332 rests with the rest of the Hoosier Valley collection at North Judson. Photo by Fred Boyer The truck carrying No. 5332 navigates the grade crossing onto the museum grounds. Photo by Fred Boyer The heavy-duty truck waits to pick up the locomotive in South Bend on Tuesday. Photo by Fred Boyer NORTH JUDSON, Ind. – The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has taken delivery of its new 65-ton centercab Porter switcher, No. 5332, donated by the University of Notre Dame. The locomotive once served the university's coal-fired power plant. Museum volunteer Fred Boyer tells Trains News Wire that the locomotive was transported on a 46-wheel truck and trailer from the university to the museum grounds in North Judson on Tuesday afternoon. The truck departed from the university campus in South Bend with police officers escorting the oversized load at 8 a.m. It arrived at the museum at noon after its 65-mile highway journey. However, a clearance problem at the grade crossing entry to the museum grounds delayed unload until 4 p.m. Boyer says the museum expects a full mechanical restoration will take up to two years. He adds that the locomotive will be used by the museum in excursion service once it is restored. It has been stored at the university for at least three years. The museum plans to restore the locomotive to a previous paint scheme, per the university's request. However, the museum has not chosen which paint scheme it will use. According Dennis Brown at the University of Notre Dame, the school decided to donate the locomotive after the rail spur was removed in 2012. He adds that moving coal by rail from the university's stockpile no longer made sense, either. The university approached two other local museums, but settled on the Hoosier Valley group because it was best-suited to restore, operate, and maintain the locomotive. For the donation, the museum has agreed restore the locomotive to its active service appearance and provide reasonable access for Notre Dame Utilities Department personnel that previously operated the locomotive, and allow the university the right to have a number of guest engineer program slots annually, according to Brown. The university spur, widely known as the Notre Dame & Western, was named by Brother Borromeo Malley, the university's director of utilities from 1937 to 1978, and never incorporated as a common carrier. In the 1970s the plant received about 1,000 cars of coal annually. Abandonment was instituted by the city of South Bend and the university, which coveted the unused right-of-way for a recreation trail. The Surface Transportation Board approved the abandonment in April 2012 and the following October the rails were removed. According to Boyer, the museum has not finalized fundraising plans for the restoration. For more information on the museum or to make a donation, go to www.hoosiervalley.org.

 

 

Les

Raising the debt ceiling doesn't increase the nation's debt

Pres. Obama Sept. 18, 2013

 

 

The PORTER report

Report from Les Beckman, See more pictures on RYPN under Thread, Notre Dame Railroad 

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11-19-2013

 

I went over to Hoosier Valley today, getting there at 11:00.  Report was that the

truck with 5332 had just cleared La Crosse.  Arrived about 11:30.  Then the guy

tried to drive over the C&I "hump" and his low trailer got stuck.  We spent the

day trying to get it so it could be pulled onto museum property for unloading. 

When I left there at 4:00, it was closer, but still had not cleared the crossing.  Fred

Boyer said he had to stay as he was going to be acting as conductor for the GE for

the move of the Porter off of the trailer.  I called him about 5:15 and he said that

they had finally gotten it over and just left it there.  Going to work on it beginning

at 8:00 tomorrow morning.  

 

Wednesday 11-20-2013, unloading of ND&W 5332 was accomplished. 

ND&W 5332 Coming To HVRM 11-16-2013

Greetings,
 
After a whirlwind of mad activity to get ready for the movement of Notre Dame & Western
5332 with happen Monday and Tuesday (11/12 NOV). The equipment needed for
loading the engine at ND, was loaded on Cory's drop trailer, rail, Richards tractor, other
big equipment yesterday morning. Mark's pickup truck was loaded with smaller items,
spike malls, spikes, torching equipment, threaded rod etc. All was loaded up
quickly before noon. The convoy leaves at 6am from North Judson to South Bends
Notre Dame campus, steam plant. The truck an drop trailer from Michigan City
will be there ready to load. The moving company has secured all the moving
permits, escort, Indiana State Police, etc. Loading will be on Monday, with movement
to North Judson on Tuesday. The route is quite long, no exact time frame for
observation. Upon arrival in North Judson, it will be off loaded if time permits.
Tuesday may be the best day to observe the unloading, but I can't guarantee it.
If the sun goes down before getting it done, it may be more dangerous for everyone.
 
Other work going on Saturday, Fred and Joe working on the IC caboose, grinding
the cupola area and taking off the walk way around the cupola on the south side
to get at the holes in the metal that leak the water. Only way to get at it was removal
of the walk way.
 
Joe Baker worked on electrical in the west shop getting rid of a flexible conduit
line to above the south entrance door and installation of another electrical outlet
inside the middle shop area. A switch will be installed for the exhaust fan in the
peak of the middle building, to do away with plug in electrical cords.
 
The electrical man lift was moved from the east shop to the IC caboose, set
up on the south side, to sand the upper portion of the caboose side. It was moved
out of the way, as ladders seem to work better. Next week we will move
the man lift into the west shop on the new concrete pad poured a couple of weeks
ago, waiting for equipment to be put into the west shop area for restoration.
The man lift has not been used in years, scaffolding and ladders have sufficed
for any work on sides of cars. The lift is in excellent shape, cleaned the platform
of years of debris, and works great.
 
November meeting was held in a short period of time, nothing much to note.
 
After the meeting, mostly everyone left the museum, only to return Monday
morning to South Bend and Tuesday await the arrival of the diesel engine.
 
Tom Travis

Down to Serious Work at HVRM 11-09-2013

Greetings on this wonderful day in Hoosier Valley Land. Temp made it up to
64 degrees, plenty of sunshine, fresh air, windy, lots of leaves everywhere.
A good day to get something done.
 
Started out at Fingerhut with the amateur radio "Hams" for a good bull session
of radio talk. Excellent breakfast as normal. Lots of guys I haven't seen for some
time. Good to catch up on the news around the local area.
 
Got down at the museum about 8am, Board meeting being held in the kitchen
car. Membership meeting next Saturday, most likely 1pm, as now that tourist
trains are over. If you desire to run for an office, sign up sheet in Kitchen Car
bulletin board, President, Treasurer, and 2 directors. Not much new from the
meeting. Short meeting, done by 9am. Off to work.
 
Fred and Doug ran the guest engineer program today, six ran the diesel today.
I did flagging at the crossings up to 500 North. Nice to get out an pace the train.
 
Steve Newland worked on Grasselli tower today, most likely did some wood
project around the windows. Did not stay all that long.
 
Payloader got a new starter this past week, died last week and now starts
fine. BTW, backhoe tractor is now back in service, found out the repairs to the
transmission were done free of charge by the repair company.
 
Work commenced on spiking down the rail where the ND&W engine will be
unloaded hopefully the last week of November. After the 2 sections were done,
they were unbolted and lifted by the payloader to one side to permit the semi
truck to drive into the ROW and drop the trailer. The sections will be lifted back
in place, reconnected, an then the unloading rail will be set up. The PRR flatcar
is in position to be pushed on to the trailer, couple up to the diesel and pull it off.
During the week, all equipment had been moved down to the east end of the yard,
cept for the Purdue crane and 3 trucks that are at the west end of the siding.
Plenty of room to get the diesel in to push the flat car up the ramp. Maybe more
info will be given out at the membership meeting next week.
 
Joe was busy today working on the IC caboose up on the north side of the cupola.
It has been discovered a large hole is where all the water is leaking in. Much
grinding to get down to bare metal. I'm not sure how it will be fixed. Not sure about
the south side of the cupola yet. So more metal work needs to be done before
priming of the outside.
 
Concrete is ready to be poured between the rails in the west shop. During the
week Richard and Cory welded angle iron to the inside of the rail for the flanges
and installed a water drainage system to the west end and to the outside. Bob J
put wood blocks between the wood ties to keep concrete from flowing out from
under the rail. No idea when concrete will be poured. But will before the shop
is filled up with cars for winter restoration.
 
Some projects for the winter are, replacing bearings on the LIRR coach, tool car
floor being fixed, IC caboose being painted and the ND&W diesel put in over
the pit for inspection. A curtain between the west and middle shop is going to
be installed so it is easy to open an close. Stencils for the EJ&E caboose have
been received and Bjarne will paint them on.
 
Have a good week, drive safe, darkness now comes an hour earlier, so plan
ahead.
 
Regards
 
Tom Travis  

ND&W 5332 Progress

Just an update on Notre Dame & Western 5332, Porter diesel, donation to HVRM.
 
Notre Dame University has selected HVRM to donate it 44 ton diesel locomotive
to HVRM as of last week. A group went over to take off items on the diesel, B&O
steam whistle, used as a air horn. Bell taken off aft end of diesel that came from
Illinois Central, Pacific type engine, 1115. Standard bell put on by Porter locomotive
company. Four marker lamps around the cab area, including a box of lenses
for the marker lamps. Four rerailers on each corner of the frame.
 
ND&W 5332, loco number was selected by a priest who was in charge of power
plant at Notre Dame. His father was an enginner on the NYC who drove steam
engine 5332 during his career of employment.
 
At HVRM 11-2-2013, work was being done for unloading platform of the diesel.
Ties and rail were laid out from the roundhouse lead to the empty field area
on the west side of the museum. Spiking commenced, but cut short by rain.
 
Rails were set up on #3 track to torch angles into ends of rails for loading an
unloading. Sticks or rail were cut for proper lenght of trailer. Rails will be set on
drop trailer with threaded rods to separte them for standard guage between rails.
 
A heavy duty (12) axles semi and trailer for transport of Porter diesel. A towing
rig will be used at Notre Dame to winch diesel onto the drop trailer.
 
No time frame (dates) for transportion is scheduled at this time.- 

Drizzly hard working day at HVRM 11-2-13

Greetings!

 

Cool day in 40's with light rain in afternoon.

 

A number of guest engineers kept the operating personnel busy all day.  Crew included Fred Boyer, John LaOrange, Doug Kosloske,

Bjarne Henderson, and probably others that I missed.

 

Bob Albert put the last of the windows in the cupola of the yellow ex-IC display caboose.  Interior about finished.

 

Joe Baker working on electric alongside the recently installed concrete floor strip on the south wall of the West Annex of the Shop.

 

Gandy Dancers started two sections of panel track on the turntable lead.  Ties set down, rail moved onto ties and joint bars joining the

rail to the existing track bolted in.  Spiking started by hand with Mark Knebel driving spikes on first rail before drizzle made working

uncomfortable.  Others on track crew included Cory Bennett, Rich Warner, Dave Cook, Tom Travis, Steve Henrichs, Bob Jachim, Les

Beckman and Bing Risley who dragged rail to the track from the storage yard. 

 

A number of visitors to the museum today.  Bob Barcus and Loretta Kosloske in depot.  Margrett Cook and Diane Bennett made lunch

with help from Judy Boyer.

 

Daylight Savings Time ends tonight.  Set your clocks back an hour.

 

 

Les