September 2014

In the last few years since our update of 2010, we have accomplished the following:

• All tube stubs have been removed from the front tube sheet. Except for a few nicks caused when removing the tubes, it is in good shape.
• A 1′ by 1′ grid has been drawn on the entire boiler.
• Ultrasound thickness measurements were done by Dennis Daugherty at each point on the grid, completing the ultrasound examination of the boiler, dry pipe and front tube sheet. Earlier visual examinations indicated that with the exception of the lower one third of the firebox sheets, the boiler was in good shape. The ultrasound exam confirmed this. No significant thin spots were found.
• The welded tube ends had not been removed from the rear sheet, so a complete exam of the rear sheet still needs to be done. About half of the tube ends have been removed. The lower portion of that sheet, along with the lower portions of the side and door sheets show a lot of corrosion, so will need replacing. There appears to be a crack at the top along the knuckle.
• The front heads on both cylinders were removed, and the interiors inspected. No significant wear was observed; there was some light rusting. The diameters were checked with a micrometer, and found to be round within a few thousandths of an inch. The pistons can be moved freely back and forth.
• Lots of crud has been scraped off the frame and running gear, and the entire locomotive was steam cleaned.
• The FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) requires that all the flexible staybolt caps be removed to help determine if the bolts are intact.  Since it has probably been 40 or 50 years since this has been done, removal of each cap can be difficult. We remove the cap, clean out the crud that has built up, clean and grease the threads, and replace the caps.  This will make it much easier to remove the caps when we actually test the staybolt integrity.  There are literally hundreds of staybolt caps on the firebox.  So far we have removed and cleaned just about all that are above the cab floor, but there are LOTS MORE below the floor.
• The firebox ends of the tubes are seal welded. While the tubes themselves have been cut out; short, welded-in stubs remain, and the welds must be ground off. There are about 160 two inch tubes and 26 five inch flues. So far, about half the welds have been ground off.
• The axle diameters have been measured, and it looks like they are all okay.
• We have started removing the “plumbing” that runs below the cab and running boards so that we can get at the lower staybolt caps.
• The Board approved our request to hire Mr. Efstathios “Stathi” Pappas, as a consultant. Stathi, was the chief mechanical officer of Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, and recently finished a complete overhaul of their Hammond Lumber Co. #17, a near twin to Coos Bay #11. His experience in working on #17, gives him a very good idea of what to look for on the Coos Bay. He came to Campo in mid-October to look at the Coos. (He is now the Curator of Collections at the Northwest Railway Museum, in Snoqualmie, WA)
• “Form 4″ calculations for the boiler are being done by Ron Amberger, a new volunteer in the last year. He is a Professional Engineer, and is qualified to do these calculations, and has previously done several Form 4 calculations for other locomotives.  These calculations, using the ultrasound thickness measurements, size of various braces, etc. are used to calculate a theoretical “strength” for the boiler.  These calculations need to show that the boiler can handle a pressure four times higher than the actual working pressure of the boiler.
• Stathi’s report has been received. The quick, short, summary is, “This locomotive will not be an easy restoration, but is quite achievable given institutional commitment to the project, and the realization that its return to steam will be a multi-year project requiring grant money and aid from other institutions with the more technically challenging aspects………  If this locomotive was part of this author’s fleet, the work could be completed in three years for approximately $200,000.”
• The biggest “surprise” from Stathi’s report is the following: “First, and perhaps most interesting is the fact that it appears all the frame connections leading to and from the cylinder saddle were broken and welded back together. It is possible that this occurred during one catastrophic event, or could have been the cumulative results of long term heavy service and/or abuse. The weld repairs appear to have been very competently carried out in terms of their outward appearance. However, it would be good insurance to radiograph some or all of these welds before investing a great deal of resources into the locomotive in order to prevent surprises later such as incomplete penetration, incomplete fusion, or extensive internal flaws. Regardless of the quality of welding, this condition is something that warrants careful observation if the engine is returned to service to ensure the welds do not begin to crack.”
• As a consequence of the above, we spent some time wire-brushing and scraping more crud off the frame so that the welds could be tested. Due to scheduling conflicts, both with the testing company and at the museum (crew shortages), we were not able to have the welds looked at until the end of May. Decisive Testing, Inc. did the job as a donation. THANK YOU! The technician was able to tell us that several of the welds were good, one had an obvious crack, and some others were located where he couldn’t get his testing instrument. His recommendation was that we try to remove everything that we can that is in the way, thoroughly clean the frame, and test it with dye penetrant.

Next Steps

Outside, we steam cleaned the frame, but to start removing the things that obscure the frame, the brake and spring rigging, we will need to access the pit for a few days. This may happen in September.

Because of the delays in accessing the shop, I decided that we really need to have a more permanent place to work on the Coos Bay. Also, since the board recently met to come up for goals and plans for the future, I asked them to tell me where steam fell in their priorities, and if we could have a fixed location to do our work under some type of shelter.   They approved us setting up a work shelter for the Coos at the west end of Track 11 (under the ATSF gantry crane).  Depending on budgeting and space required, this space may be a tent-type fabric-covered one or a metal car port type.

Once we can access the pit, we need to remove the brake rigging, at least that part of it that is under the axles, so it will be easier to crawl under the engine when it is under the work shelter. Once we get all the brake rigging removed, we’ll need to remove the spring rigging. To do that we’ll need to jack up the engine to take the tension off the springs.

Once all the brake and spring rigging is removed, we will be able to thoroughly clean the frame, and test with dye penetrant.  I’m guessing that this will take most of 2015 to accomplish.