3640 Restoration Project

[RDG Diesel]

Over the last 2 years the RCT&HS has been restoring EX RDG GP-35 #3640 it was built in 1964 by EMD



It was later rebuilt by the Reading Company in 1974. It also had the distinction of being the only RDG GP-35 to receive the Reading's final "all green" scheme



3640 was acquired by the RCT&HS in 1994 and was returned to service in 2002.



One of the projects we did to 3640 was to completely rebuilt the Battery boxes this series of photos shows the restoration process.

This is the Front corner of the Battery box before any work was done to it



After the grate was removed



And after the spacers were torched out



Same view again with more metal removed



A view showing the middle before any work was done



After the grate and spacer were removed



Torching out the bad metal



Starting to get there



A view looking at the rear of the box after everything is stripped out



After everything was needle scaled it got painted with rust inhibitor



The front corner was a little bent up



So it was all cut out



And replaced



The new trim piece was then welded in place



Handrail refastened



Mount for one of the steps was also replaced



The new framework for the battery box was welded in place









Next the new side sheets are installed





The new grate and acid deflector



The new brackets for the spacers welded in



The spacers welded in place and new grate test fit



Straightening out the top edge



New grate in place all painted with acid resistant paint



And the finished box

[scotty269]

Very cool.

[uhaul]

Thank you for all the photographs. Thank you for restoring a unique Reading locomotive, and thank you for keeping the Reading alive. Looking quite forward to more news and photographs.

[RDG Diesel]

Hopfully this is what you were looking for

There are many different projects that have been done to 3640 so this is the rebuilding of the Number board Housing we decided to rebuild this area because of pit holes in the metal.



After the Number board was removed this is what was on the inside



After the bottom was cut out



While the bottom was removed we took the opportunity to rebuild the front window frame



The new frame



New skin welded on top



The new bottom for the housing



Welded in place



Another view



The same view as the first photo



The new inside wall fit into place



And welded in place



Smoothing out the welds



A new terminal board mount had to be fabricated



A picture of TB16



Schematic Diagrams were made of all the wiring



And Cross referenced with EMD Schematics unfortunately we do not have a set of schematics for 3640 so we have to make them from scratch



TB16 test fit on its new mount



TB H was also test fit



After being test fit the new mount was welded into position and round stock was welded in place to tie off all the wiring



The other side



The entire housing was then primed



Another view



Head on



The original angle again



Then it all got finish painted



Another view



Another



Head on



Engineers side



Original Angle



After the finish painting everything got rewired



We were lucky to find the original manufacture of the number board light sockets and buy brand new ones



Another view of the rewired housing



TB 16 again with its new wires in place



A side view



A view of the Engineers side



TB H One of the things we are adding to 3640 is a 120V AC Lighting system to display the Locomotive after it restoration and to help with general maintenance



Another view





After the feed wires were pulled to TB16



The 120V also was fed



A view of the whole thing



Before



And After



Before TB16 could be finished the terminal boards that feed TB16 had to be rebuilt as well. Here are TB13 and TB14 before anything was done to them



Next the old wiring was removed after all the wiring names were recorded a verified on the schematics



This is the new 120V TB test fit on its new mount



The new mount was welded in place also a new side was added to the box to seal the TB's better



New round stock was added to secure the new wiring



After the box was needle scaled and sanded it was primed



Finish painted



Next TB13, TB14 and TBN were mounted in place



The wiring was pulled to feed TB16



Then I got to wire it all up



This is all the feed wires for TB16 terminated on the three terminal boards



Finally all the feed wires for TB13 and TB14 were re-terminated till they can also get replaced



The feed wires for TB17, TB15, TBNL, The forward sander and the nose lights were pulled next.



All the wires pulled were then terminated



This is the trough that the wires get pulled to after leaving TB13, TB14



It was then primed after getting sanded



Finish coated



After the wires were pulled



From the trough the forward sander got rewired



After leaving the trough threw a conduit the rest of the wires go to the nose.



The front walkway light socket was replaced and rewired. This is located just above the conduit.



The four blue wires going out the bottom go to TB15. TB15 is added to feed the Ditch Lights.

These are all the pieces roughed in the wire raceway to the left and the mount for TB15 in the center.



After everything was welded in place the entire area was needle scaled and primed.



Then finish painted





Then the wires were pulled and TB15 was mounted and everything was terminated.





After leaving the nose the Wires end up at TB17 above the sandbox.

This is what the box looked like after it was sanded. The class lights and the nose light are all fed from TB17



Primed up



Finish painted



New wires pulled



This is the mounting plate for TB17



Primed up



Finish painted



TB17 remounted



Re-terminated wires



The Physical drawing of TB17



Also fed out of the box for TB17 is the new TBNL used for the 120V lighting





New wiring in place



A new switch was added below the 74VDC switch for the existing Nose light for the new 120VAC lights



Also added were two new 120VAC lights to the nose here is one roughed in



The other



TBNL with one of the New lights



The new switch Box and the other new light



One of the new lights



Another View

[uhaul]

What about using fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescents? Ceiling fan safe fluorescents are avalible, but is the extra cost of fluorescents not worth it?

[RDG Diesel]

The thought had crossed my mind but I know from some of my previous experiences with the fluorescent screw in bulbs is they really hate the cold and with the given drastic temperature changes a locomotive is constantly going through, add the fact the fixtures are sealed, and the impacts and vibrations that are part of locomotive operations. I decided to go with the good old tried and proved tungsten bulbs. Thats not to say we couldn't experiment with different bulbs on the locomotive in the future. I am sure someone will eventually develop a fluorescent screw in bulb that can with stand temperatures exceeding of 150 degrees and also work well at below 0 temperatures.

[RDG Diesel]

Some update photos of progress on 3640

As part of the recent rewiring the control stand and controller are getting a complete overhaul.

Here are TB50-53 this is where all 200 wires that connect to the control stand are terminated.



Same angle taken after all the old wiring was removed as well as the terminal boards



After getting a thorough cleaning and all the old paint removed the entire area was primed



Then the finish coat was applied and the TB mounts labeled




The same procedure was followed for all of the components in the control stand.



After drawing new schematics everything was removed



Cleaned then sanded



and Primed



Finish Painted



The inside of the stand freshly painted. All of the air brake equipment and piping that goes to the control stand was also removed and all the old piping will be renewed.



The outside of the control stand was then sanded down





Primed





Then finish coated





The Horn and Bell valves were taken apart and rebuilt





The controller was also taken completely apart and cleaned





The mechanical mechanism





The Bottom





Lots of pieces





Starting to go back together



Starting to do all the rewiring





That is all for now hope to have some more soon

[PARailWiz]

These photos of the restoration project are great - they really illustrate the complexity of a restoration project, and the satisfaction that must come of doing such work.

[jrevans]

Thanks for the pictures and descriptions. I always wondered what was inside of the control stand and now I know.

What a neat mixture of mechanical and electronic elements in the design.

Great job as usual and I hope to see her in person someday.

[N_DL640A]

Great wiring job! Having done projects like this more than a few times (as my job, and not in restoration) I know how much work it really is! I'm impressed when someone takes the time to do a nice neat, proper job. Too many times I've seen in service locos with messy wiring jobs. Makes troubleshooting difficult!
The only tip I'll offer is that the single best investment I've ever made is in a ratcheting crimper. They make factory style crimps, and their ergonomic design cuts down on carpal tunnel while their compound action mechanisim producing highly reliable crimps at the same time!

[RDG Diesel]

Thanks for the compliments and the tips. I have always found a shacked in wiring job to be problematic in the long run either at work (I am an electrician) or in locomotives. With the amount of work that has been done to 3640 I feel the need to go the extra mile to see it done right and as a result I hope it will show and the unit will have a very long life after its restoration. I am hoping to have some updates within the next few weeks.

[Otto Vondrak]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. You guys have done a great amount of work. I saw this unit in Hamburg last year and could not believe how much rot had to be replaced and rewelded. Keep up the good work!

-otto-

[RDG Diesel]

Here are some recent pictures of progress to 3640. We decided to remove the radiator hatch so we could sand and paint it properly.

"DINO" did the honors.

Getting "DINO" in position



Rigging up the hatch



starting to come out



The hatch clearing the roof



Starting to come out



Clearing the side



Getting lowered down



Almost down



A view of the hatch



Re-positioning the hatch











Next the hatch had to be flipped







The hatch was then moved inside to begin restoration







Needle scaling start

[10lbReduction]

Amazing restoration work! I cant wait to see more updates!

[RDG Diesel]

Thanks for the complements! Currently we are documenting the entire electrical system so we can start re-wiring the unit. This is a rather large undertaking and takes quite a bit of time since we have to double check the prints we have due to the Modifications the engine has gotten over the years. I'm hoping to have some pics to put up soon however. So please stay tuned and thanks for the support of this project.