Coos Bay Co. #11 Restoration Updates – As of February 2026

If you would like to join our Steam Team or if you have further questions, please contact the Steam Foreman at baker@psrm.org.

n 2008, we contracted with a very experienced and respected locomotive boiler inspector, Dave Griner, of Arizona Mechanical Engineering, to examine the boilers on both Southern Pacific 2353 and Coos Bay 11.

It was decided that Southern Pacific 2353 would be too expensive to restore at this time (see link), so we continued to evaluate Coos Bay 11. Mr Griner was optimistic in his visual examination of Coos Bay 11. Because it is such a major part of the locomotive, and probably the most expensive to repair, the boiler will be the first thing to take a good look at.

In addition to a visual examination, it will be necessary to do a complete ultrasound examination of the boiler to determine the thickness of the steel. Areas that have eroded to the point that they would be unsafe under pressure will need to be replaced, so the ultrasound testing will determine the extent of repairs needed to the boiler. Certainly, repairs to other parts of the locomotive will also be needed.

In order to get a good look at both the exterior and interior surfaces of the boiler, it would be necessary to remove the outer jacket and asbestos insulation, and all the boiler tubes. Then, all the accumulated scale and other crud that has collected inside the boiler would have to be cleaned out.

Fortunately, a number of years ago, a generous donor had agreed to do asbestos abatement work on all five of the steam locomotives we have at Campo. As part of that process, the saddle tank and sheet metal jacket had also been removed, so the locomotive was ready for us to start doing our job.

During the past several years, our volunteers have worked on this project, putting in over 1,100 man-hours (including some woman-hours). Sometimes the progress was very slow, since a number of jobs required extensive “learning time.”