NYS&WTHS/142 Discussion Thread - 2009

[142locoman]

There has been a post on our other thread " Bel Del 2009 " in regards to volunteering with our society. If anyone that visits this thread, and feels as if they could lend a helping hand as a volunteer for the society, by all means fells free to do so!
For $25.00 per our yearly dues and after your initial safety training you can become a volunteer. Being a volunteer entitles you to helping out on various projects like the M-1 currently in Butler, NJ...ROW, MOW, even railroad operations which includes Steam Locomotive #142. Whether you have no experience or nominal experience, we will teach you and take you under our wing to become one of the best around tenfold! I have also included the link to our website, and please check out the recent post/s on Bel Del 2009 for more info. Thanx!

142locoman

http://www.877trainride.com


Happy Rails to you.....until we meet again (ok i know that isn't the way the song goes, but it sounded good)!!!

[142locoman]

By the beginning to the midway point through next week, I will have more news and pics to be added to this thread as I will be at the locomotive servicing facility this weekend. Our " Meet A Volunteer " section will also be updated at one of these times. Get ready.....I will post between 10 to 20 new pics of our members in action as well as status updates of #142. So for now, hold on to your seats, more info ' coming soon ' !!!

[142locoman]

Well folks, just what I have promised from the previous thread is finally here and I hope it was all worth the wait! I was down at the locomotive shop this past Saturday from about 8AM till about 5PM helping out getting #142 back in shape for this year. There are about a gazillion items on the maintenance list for this year before she runs again, and we are only about an eighth of the way there at the present time. This Saturday sure was a great time to see some of the other volunteers as well as meeting a new one that tagged along with one of our other members. I always like seeing the other regulars, it seems at times as though they are now family, even though we agree or disagree here and there about different things. This Saturday saw an excellent turnout, about a dozen of us were out here in our respective areas or crafts just making or getting things in better shape for this year. By the amount of work that was done just this past weekend and all of the work that I came to find out was done the past two months or so, would literally make anyone's head spin! So, this being said...I'm sure this year will be above all better than the rest, and to prove some of that I have conjoured up some pics of this past Saturday for your viewing enjoyment! However, this is only a handful and does not really show all the work that has or is being done at the present time....otherwise I would be writing a novel instead of a few paragraphs and I would be putting together a picture archive instead of these few snapshots....ENJOY!!!

[142locoman]

For this year, the running gear is being serviced, partially due to some of it being torn down to fully service the steam chest valves and pistons, rings, etc. Here we see the Fireman side running gear being serviced, as the same servicing is being performed on the Engineer side as well!

[142locoman]

Here we have the Engineer side steam chest, that has recently had the valve and piston fully serviced.

[142locoman]

This is the top view of the steam dome after the dome cap has been removed, this is so any inspection and/or repairing of the throttle can be performed.

[142locoman]

Also for this year, the air compressor is being totally dismantled and rebuilt properly. The next few pics are different angles of this air compressor.

[142locoman]

Another view of the air compressor. For those of you that don't know where this is mounted on the locomotive, it is on the Fireman side running board about halfway or in the center of this running board if looked atfrom a side view!

[142locoman]

This is Gary Matthews, our CMO guiding in the new center bearer grate into the firebox of #142. We had a new one cast for this year as an old one had to be replaced. This is just a sample of the things that are done " RIGHT " with this organization! Do it right the first time!

[142locoman]

Another view of Gary Matthews CMO with new grate in firebox.

[142locoman]

Also new for this year after a high demand from passengers is the ability to flip the seats from their current fixed position in our coaches. Painstakingly, we have some volunteers working on this project. So from now on in one possibly two ( no promises made ) we will have seats in these select coaches that now have the ability to have the seats flipped so that you may always be riding forward!!! This is a pic of Keith Dorn, who is an excellent volunteer with this organization and by all means, likes to get things done!

[142locoman]

This is another pic of two of our volunteers helping each other with the seat brackets of our coaches. On the left is Keith Dorn from the previous thread and on the right in the blue shirt is our newly elected President John Stocker. Please note, on this railroad, it doesn't matter who you are or what title you hold, everyone helps each other here, something you rarely ever see anymore! This is what I mean by family!

[142locoman]

Again, new for this year two of the coaches are receiving new floors and new tile. We are always moving forward in the right direction....getting better every year! We will remove our Christmas decs soon, this is the least of our worries at the present time!

[142locoman]

The two mudring blowdown valves that were recently serviced at our shop.

[142locoman]

This next pic is what I have worked on this past weekend...one of the smaller details but can be so much! This is a pic of the trailing truck leaf spring box oil point orfice. In the next pic you will see the elbow and point fully serviced and replaced. In this pic, you see a small drill bit being used to get out all of the partially solidified oil and debris that has collected in the orfice of the box. Repeated, time and time again, you insert the bit turn clockwise and remove, clean the bit and repeat until nothing is found on the bit. You then clean the elbow, point, and reinstall on the spring box as shown on the next pic. There are one of these on each side.