Big wheels rolling

Cutting heads in position.

The Museum's high hood Alco model HH660 locomotive received its first restorative work this week when Scott Hutton - with able assistance from Josh Kiavo - was on hand to turn the wheels.  The last operating assignment for the 125 was switching grain cars at the Port of Longview.  In this intensive use, the tapered profile of the steel wheels wore down into a hollow.

The wheel lathe produced many
shavings and chips.                       

This model HH660 was built by the American Locomotive Company for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1940, and was the first diesel electric switcher that road brought to Seattle.  It later served the Walla Walla Valley Railway and RELCO locomotive leasing before it was purchased by the Port of Longview.   It was retired in 2004 and in November 2021 moved to Snoqualmie after years of offsite storage; evaluations of the locomotive and its systems are ongoing.  

Wheel profile detail.

The steel wheels were worn beyond acceptable limits and Scott's portable wheel lathe was summoned to bring the tread back into profile. Wheel profiles are important for maintaining adhesion (avoiding wheel slip), minimizing friction, reducing wear, minimizing hunting (undesired side to side motion) and providing a smooth ride.  The profile used on the 125 was developed by the American Association of Railroads and features a 1:20 tread taper.

Completed wheel.

Turning a new profile onto a wheel usually involves removing the offending wheel sets from the car or locomotive and placing them in a wheel lathe.  Scott has a set of portable cutter heads that allow a locomotive wheel set to be profiled in situ.  How is that possible?  By using the locomotive's electric traction motors to turn the wheels.  Each axle and wheel set is addressed individually by jacking up the motor and axle and powering the motor with an electric welding outfit.  The output of the welder is modulated until the axle is spinning at a rate appropriate for the carbide cutters.  A thin sliver of steel is peeled off; it takes a full work day to profile each wheel set, and care must be used to ensure the diameter of both wheels is the same.

Check out this short video illustrating the process:

Restoring a truss

Pullman builder's photo, courtesy of the
California State Railroad Museum library.

Parlor car 1799 is a Pullman Company product  constructed almost entirely of wood, and completed in 1901.  The car was built for extra fare (first class, similar to business class today) service on the Northern Pacific Railway's Lake Superior Limited serving between Minneapolis/St Paul and Duluth.  Later, the car was transferred to Washington State where it operated on the North Coast Limited between Seattle and Spokane.  The car was retired in 1940 and sold for use as a cottage on Whidbey Island.  It was donated to the Northwest Railway Museum and moved to Snoqualmie in 2018.  

The cottage era doors 

were removed earlier this 

year.

During the cottage era when it resided on Whidbey Island, two entry doors were cut into the carbody in the center of the car, one on each side.  The key objective of the rehabilitation and restoration is to return to the car to its period of significance when it operated on the Northern Pacific Railway.  So the doorways had to be removed and the missing components in the truss restored.  

Floyd cuts a truss component to

length for use on the 1799.

Floyd V. took the lead on this part of the project and fabricated in kind replacement sections of compression truss from southern yellow pine.  Next, the truss plank was replaced in kind using two large planks of Douglas fir.  Then the inter truss blocking was replaced with Douglas fir planks, though they were originally yellow poplar heartwood, which is not currently available to the Museum.  New sections were attached to old with lap slices, wood screws, and marine epoxy.  A replacement window sash set will be fabricated and installed later; new exterior cladding will be applied soon.

The cottage-era doorway is no more; a window will be placed in the opening.

Rehabilitation and restoration of parlor car 1799 is continuing inside the Northwest Railway Museum's Conservation and Restoration Workshop. Funding for this phase of the parlor car project has been provided by individual contributions, the Washington State Historical Society Heritage Capital program, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and by the Nysether Family Foundation.

Your support is welcome, and will be used to complete this major effort!.  Please click here to be directed to the Museum's contribution page.

New wood is seen in the compression

truss on parlor car 1799.

This 1909 cab builder's diagram illustrates

the carbody structure in a modern wood car

that is normally invisible to passengers.

Restoring a truss - part one

Parlor car 1799 was built by Pullman in 1901.  After 38 years of service for the Northern Pacific Railway, the car found a second use as a seaside cottage.  That new adaptive use removed the distinctive truss rods, queen posts, and needle beams from the wooden car's underbody that supported the car while in service.  These components were vital for the car frame to span from one truck to the next, but no longer required once the car was set on a foundation.  So naturally for the car to return to its appearance and function as a railroad parlor car, the trusses required restoration.

The parlor car was moved from Whidbey Island on Puget Sound to the Northwest Railway Museum using a temporary steel frame.  This adjustable device had been used to move countless homes and served the same purpose for the parlor car.  Once unloaded at the Museum, the car was supported with wood and steel car stands, but to allow the car to return to its former glory as a Pullman parlor car, the truss had to be replaced.

The Museum was fortunate to have retained the needle beam and queen posts from a former Canadian Pacific officials car.  These hardware components were standardized by the Master Car Builders, the forerunner of today's Association of American Railroads.  So the queen posts and needle beams manufactured in the Hochelaga Shops of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Montreal were visually and functionally nearly identical to the components manufactured by the car builder in Pullman, Illinois.

The rehabilitation and restoration of parlor car 1799 to its appearance and function during the early 20th Century is being supported in part by a grant from the Heritage Capital Projects program of the Washington State Historical Society.  Many staff costs are used to meet the obligatory cost share and are funded by the Museum's operating budget, which has been seriously compromised by the closure necessitated by the pandemic.  Your support helps this project continue through to completion, and ensure the museum continues to serve its educational purposes.  

Please consider a contribution to GiveBig 2021.  Your support will help this project overcome the pandemic.

More on the 924 debut

The Museum's Northern Pacific Railway steam locomotive 924 made a brief public appearance while testing earlier this month.  The 1899-built Rogers 0-6-0 has been undergoing rehabilitation and restoration for five years in the Museum's Conservation and Restoration Workshop. An earlier blog post shared some highlights of the two hour session, but today this blog features a few moving pictures of this milestone event.  This video shows some rare views from inside the cab, which are particularly clear because the roof of the cab had not yet been added.  The new boiler jacketing is also visible, which was applied from the outset to protect the safety of the cab crew.  

This author is also pleased to share news that the 924 will make another public appearance this fall - all aboard!

924 takes the main

In celebration of a social-distant, Snoqualmie Railroad Days lite, the Northwest Railway Museum was pleased to introduce to the community newly certified steam locomotive 924, an 1899 Roger's built 0-6-0 that served the Northern Pacific Railway in Washington until 1923, and continued in service for the Inland Empire Paper Company until donated to the Museum in 1969.

NPR 924 arrives at Snoqualmie on Aug 15, 2020

The open cab helped the crew tolerate temperatures in the 90s.

Northern Pacific Railway 0-6-0 924 has been undergoing rehabilitation and restoration for more than five years, and on Saturday, August 15, 2020, it finally had an opportunity to "strut its stuff" on the main track.  The operation was technically just a testing day, and was planned to check out - or prove - all the work that had been performed up until that time.  The 924 was accompanied by a combine car with several observers, and diesel-electric locomotive 4024 to provide a light braking load as desired, and to allow for safe backup movements.  And the day was a spectacular success: the only issues evident were already known to the 924's team.  

The 924 is temporarily sporting an open cab while plumbing is continuing to be adjusted.

How remarkable was Saturday's run?  The last time the 924 propelled itself up a main track Jimmy Carter was President, Amtrak was still introducing the original Superliners, and EMD/GMD's model SD40-2 locomotive was enjoying peak production. That was in 1979 when the 924 was on loan to the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad, and the 924 steamed its way down to the Burlington Northern mainline to greet British Columbia's Royal Hudson 2860 as it passed by on a tourism promotion tour.

Good lubrication, and appropriate procedures to apply it are essential on a steam locomotive of this vintage.  All the bearing surfaces are "plain" and if they run dry of oil, they will be quickly consumed.

The day was also an opportunity to continue the training process for crew members new to steam. The 924 has been set up to burn solid fuel, and there is a little more planning required before moving the locomotive.  Planning?  Solid fuel takes time to ignite so the fireman has to ensure the fire is already hot and the boiler is producing more steam before the engineer cracks open the throttle.  Otherwise, the locomotive will quite literally run out of steam.

Beginning this month, the 924 is now sporting its circa 1906 cab side lettering.

The original plan for Snoqualmie Railroad Days 2020 was to mark substantial completion of the 924 with steam powered excursions to commemorate the Suffrage Specials.  Two of those trains visited Washington State in the years leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment that gave women the vote on August 18, 1920.  Unfortunately, the Covid 19 crisis allowed only social distant viewing of the 924; other elements of Snoqualmie Railroad Days were hosted on the web.

What's next?  The 924 will be getting some plumbing and running gear adjustments.  The tender will be painted.  The sand dome will be reinstalled.  And the volunteer crews will be practicing their wood chopping and chucking skills.

924 Testing

On a blistering-hot July 27, 2020, steam locomotive 924 emerged from its track inside the Conservation and Restoration Workshop for additional testing.  The 924 is an 1899-built 0-6-0 Rogers locomotive that served the Northern Pacific Railway in the Everett-Seattle-Tacoma region until 1923.  


The 924 has been undergoing a complete rehabilitation, with restoration to its appearance circa 1908.  Already, an investment of more than $500,000 has been made in this King County and City of Snoqualmie Landmark with support from local residents, museum volunteers, individual donors, 4Culture, Washington Heritage Capital Fund, the Emery Rail Trust, Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association, Schwab Fund, and more.

Check out the moving pictures of the 924 in action:

The July 2020 testing was scheduled to prove the air brake system, most of which was re-plumbed with new schedule 80 piping giving the 924 a fully functional early 20th Century G-6 brake system.  Meanwhile, a number of minor boiler issues including some leaking stay bolts and boiler tubes were being re-tested to see if they had been successfully sealed.

The 924 was also put through a series of operating exercises, including pushing a braking diesel to simulate a load to check for things such as the efficacy of the cylinder packing.  The locomotive tender's new water tank was completely filled with water, but unfortunately did continue to experience several leaks, which will have to be sealed before the tank can be painted.  So not everything is perfect, but the 924 is 121 years old.  Yet aside from exceedingly high atmospheric temperatures, it was a perfect day to run a steam locomotive in the scenic Snoqualmie Valley.

Work on locomotive 924 is continuing and a public debut is expected later this season.  In the mean time, your support helps ensure this work can continue, and is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.  Please visit the Northwest Railway Museum's online donation portal to pledge your support.

More on the 924

The Covid-19 crisis has been particularly difficult for the cultural sector, and the Northwest Railway Museum has been no exception.  However, prior grant awards and contributions have allowed at least some work to continue on steam locomotive 924, the Rogers-built 0-6-0 that operated for the Northern Pacific Railway in the Puget Sound Region from 1901 until 1923.  As reported in an article posted in May, after years of rehabilitation the 924 steamed under its own power this year for the first time since 1979.  Since then, the locomotive has taken on a more decidedly finished appearance.

The steam saddle had a number of broken screws that at one time helped secure jacketing.  A process of drilling, tapping, and backing out the remains of the old screws is used to prepared the saddle for new jacketing.  Kyle I. achieved great success by adding just a little heat, too.

Meanwhile, Floyd went to work fabricating a new mounting plate for a period-appropriate bell.  Unfortunately the original bell disappeared many years ago, but was a late 19th century model that mounted the harp up on a pedestal.  The bell the Museum's director selected to replace it is very similar and was purchased in a local antique shop by Joe S. more than 50 years ago.  Yet it too had also suffered from missing parts: the finial was no where to be found.  Fortunately, Floyd was able to fabricate a replacement ball from a trailer hitch as suggested by one the Museum's consultants, Steven Butler.  

One of the more interesting projects was fabrication of a new spot plate.  The remains of the original Rogers spot plate are long gone - the 924 was seen sporting a new plate as early as 1912.  Yet the period of significance the Museum has chosen for the locomotive featured the original casting.  So Lyle E. set to work fabricating a replacement Rogers lookalike using data supplied by the great curators at Railtown 1897 in California.

The replacement spot plate is not a casting, but a steel fabrication that was turned in a lathe to create the original profile.  It consists of a steel "doughnut" with a plate welded into the center.  The plate was placed in a press to create a convex face.  After finishing, replacement cast brass numbers produced by Keith Durfy were attached to the plate.  The end result is a very nearly identical spot plate, but one that is 121 years younger than the locomotive!

The Covid-19 crisis continues to place many restrictions on the Northwest Railway Museum, which remains closed to the public.  However, work is continuing on the locomotive 924 project.  Another update will be posted soon; your contributions are always welcome and encouraged, and will help ensure work continues on this signature project.  Contributions to the 924 project may be made online at shop.TrainMuseum.org, and are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

924 steams!

The 924 builds steam on a warm spring day.

Locomotive 924 was constructed in 1899 by the Rogers Locomotive Works of Paterson, New Jersey, and was delivered along with two identical sisters to the St.Paul and Duluth Railroad.  By 1901 it was under ownership of the Northern Pacific Railway, and was soon serving their needs in the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest.

Steam and air plumbing fills the cab; the
roof has been left off the cab for now to
improve access and lighting.

In 1924, the 924 became superfluous to the needs of the N.P. R. and was sold to the Inland Empire Paper Company near Spokane, WA.  The locomotive met the needs of its new owner until 1969 when company president William H. Cowles Jr. donated the 924 to the Northwest Railway Museum.  The 924 briefly operated in Chehalis, and was later moved to the Museum headquarters in Snoqualmie.  In 2015 it was nominated and listed on the King County and City of Snoqualmie Landmarks Register.  Work was immediately underway on a major rehabilitation effort, which is now nearing completion.

A wood fire crackled for about four hours
before the boiler reached operating
pressure. 924 will be fueled with wood
rather than coal.

May 18, 2020 represents an important milestone for the 924: it returned to steam and operated under its own power in testing on the shop track.  An inspection conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration observed that the boiler safety valves opened and closed at appropriate pressure levels, and the steam-powered air pump was able to deliver the required air flow.  During the visit, Museum staff also demonstrated successful operation of both Ohio injectors, and the hydro-static lubricator, all of which were rebuilt by Backshop Enterprises.  And an additional day under steam gave collections care specialists - steam specialists, really - an opportunity to perform additional testing and troubleshooting.  Steven B., Josh K., Scott, and Gary performed most of the effort required to boil the boiler water, but dozens of additional volunteers and staff contributed efforts that allowed this to happen.

Work on the 924 is continuing and completion of vital systems is anticipated in 2nd quarter 2020.  Work has been funded by contributions from individuals, companies, foundations, and government agencies including 4Culture, Washington's Heritage Capital Fund, the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association, Emery Rail Trust, Schwab Fund, and more. You can support completion of the project by visiting the Museum's donation page, making a pledge, and selecting the steam program here.

Check out two days of steam in photos and videos:

The hydrostatic lubricator, automatic brake valve, steam gauge,
and air gauges.

924 was built with one water glass but
regulations now require two.

Setting safety valves to the correct pressure involves verifying
they open at the desired pressure.

Checking the water level.

Verifying the open and close pressures for the safety valves.

924 simmers in the Snoqualmie Valley
sunshine.

The Museum's director and the inspector from the Federal
Railroad Administration discuss locomotive 924.

Locomotive 924 gets rods and more

The  worldwide pandemic is causing significant disruption in nearly everyone's lives throughout the Puget Sound Region, but a core group of dedicated specialists is continuing to work on locomotive 924.  They are practicing social distancing, and limiting the number of workers in the shop at once, but still achieving success.  Until this week, that meant not more than ten people at a time.  However, now the Governor has ordered non-essential workers (and pretty much all volunteers) to stay at home for at least the next two weeks.  So this seems like a great opportunity to reflect on and highlight recent progress, and what all the public donations have supported.

Packing - Mechanical packing seals the gap around the piston rod where it penetrates the steam cylinder.  The packing has to be installed before the rod is inserted into the cross head.  So Jay was busy assembling this puzzle on a Saturday morning earlier this month as everyone else was preparing to install the rods.  There is more to this than meets the eye - the packing gland has to be able to resist 185 lbs of saturated steam without leaking.

Radius rods - Meanwhile, Paul and Larry were cleaning up the radius rods for the valve gear, which with Stephenson motion are located between the lead and main drivers.  It is an awkward place to reach, but the Museum's Conservation and Restoration Center has pits 60 inches deep, providing ample room to work from below.

Eccentric straps - Over on the work bench, David and Vic were cleaning and preparing the eccentric rods or straps in advance of their reinstallation.  These rods fasten around the main driver axle on an eccentric (offset center) and as the axle turns they convert rotary motion into a longitudinal oscillating displacement (back and forth motion) to move valves that control steam entering and exiting the cylinders.

Cross head - After Jay completed tightening of the packing, the piston rods were inserted into the cross heads.  The cross head is the assembly that most observers will recognize on a steam locomotive.  It is the component that moves back and forth with each rotation of the main driver, and at high speeds might appear to some to be just a blur.  The rod has a taper and fits just about perfectly into the cross head - so there is no movement between the two parts.  Then a tapered key or keeper fits through the cross head and the end of the piston rod to ensure they remain tightly in position.

Main rod - Installing the main rod is a delicate dance.  This forged assembly is - even on a light locomotive such as the 924 - amazingly heavy.  Fingers or toes that are in the wrong place will be effortlessly and mercilessly removed.  So with the aid of a wheeled hydraulic table to adjust the height and position of the rod, the work was performed with just three workers.  The first milestone was installation of the little end into the cross head.  It is attached with a pin just behind the piston rod end.

The next step was to raise the big end of the rod into position ahead of the main rod crank pin.  This involved another form of dance as the entire cross head, piston and rod assembly was gently moved forth and back until it was in just the right place.  And yes, there was a great deal of careful measurement and calculation, too.  Otherwise when the bearing brasses were installed and wedges tightened to hold them in place, the rod would be either too long or too short, causing catastrophic failure.  

With the rod in the correct position, the bearing brasses, wedge, and a large fitted bolt were applied to hold everything in the correct position. Lyle was careful to apply anti seize coatings on all the components prior to assembly.

The resurrection of Northern Pacific locomotive 924 is continuing to take shape at the Northwest Railway Museum.  Support from 4Culture, Washington Heritage Capital , Schwab Fund, Microsoft, Osberg Family Foundation, Boeing, Emery Rail Heritage Trust, more than hundred individual donors, several awesomely skilled employees, and dozens of dedicated volunteers is making this work possible.  Additional progress will be described in another article that will appear in early April.

Project 924 continues to welcome your support!  To make a donation online, please visit the Northwest Railway Museum donation portal and select "steam locomotive."

Work continues on coach 213

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway coach 213 was delivered in 1912.  It is one of the last wooden coaches built for service on an American railroad, and was constructed by the Barney and Smith Car Company of Dayton Ohio.  It faithful served in the Northwest until after WW II, a period of more than 35 years.

The 213 is a sister car to coach 218, which was restored by the Museum and its volunteers back in 2014.  The 213 will soon resemble the 218, and this winter the project has made dramatic progress.

Beginning with the roof, the roll roofing was removed from the lower right clerestory to allow repair of the decking and carlines, and application of a new canvas membrane.  Just like the 218, the 213 will be completely roofed with a traditional cotton duck canvas sealed with canvas stain.  Think of it as old-school Gortex!

While the car was in the Conservation and Restoration Center, additional electrical work was performed so it could receive all its new heating elements.  That made it possible to heat the car and begin the interior paneling finish work.  The first project was fabrication and installation of the restrooms.  New wall panels were created using 1/4 sawn Honduras mahogany veneers applied over a Baltic birch plywood.  Similarly, replica restroom doors were fabricated.  The mahogany veneers were treated with 2% potassium dichromate to add color and depth, then the surface was varnished with the Awlgrip single component clear urethane system, which is a moisture cure urethane.

Then work shifted to the interior paneling in the main cabin.  Veneer panels were made to replace the badly deteriorated or missing original panels.  The "tiger stripes" appear as a result of slicing the veneer from a log quarter.  This visual was highly valued then and now, and was a distinguishing feature in this and other cars.

Some other features have been restored to the car, too.  The utility closet located by the door in the rear of the car was recreated.  The interior surfaces are all bead board, and today this enclosure is a practical feature for storing cleaning supplies.  The interior was even painted to match the original!

Many staff and volunteers are making this monumental project possible, as has funding from individuals and 4Culture.  Notably, Bob M. works on the car usually at least four days per week.  He is a cabinet maker who actually likes applying varnish - go Bob, go!  Collectively, there are more than 14,000 hours invested in the restoration, the equivalent of nearly 7 person years!

Staff is continuing to work on coach 213 during the temporary emergency closure.  Coach 213 will return to service just as soon as the Museum reopens to the public.  We hope to see you on board soon!