Welcome to the Chicago & North Western #1385 steam status blog! Follow along as we bring the 1907 American Locomotive Company 4-6-0 steam engine back to operating condition.
A Form 4 is a crucial document used by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to record detailed information about the boiler of a steam locomotive. The form includes data on the boiler’s construction, materials, and condition, as well as the results of various tests and inspections to demonstrate compliance with safety regulations.
The Form 4 has been completed and submitted to the FRA in Washington for the #1385. The FRA gave us approval to proceed with the FRA witnessed Hydrostatic test. This was done on October 10th, 2024. All went as planned with no issues. The engine passed the test and FRA Inspector Dave S’s final comment on the test was “Good work!”
Now we are waiting for Washington for the final approval of the Form 4. We have compiled a complete list of all the work to be done on the engine and have assessed who is doing each task. We will bring in the following labor to work on the completing the engine: volunteer museum members, paid staff, and third-party contractors including Spec Machine and FMW. This winter will be a very busy season for us. Some of the larger tasks left to complete are installing the air and steam lines, adding insulation and the sheet metal jacketing, installing the cab, ashpan installation, smokestack installation, and installing the pistons and rings. There are many other smaller items that need to be completed as well.
The #1385 Task Group and Management Committee are still meeting weekly and the items to get completed are getting smaller in number. Our plan is still to have the engine back at the museum in 2025 and at least begin testing. I want to thank our friends and supporters of this project. We could not have gotten to this point without your help, support and understanding. If you would like to give a gift to #1385, please click the button below to donate online. Your gift will ensure this work is completed in a timely manner and help with transportation costs to ship the engine back to the museum.
Thank you in advance for your positive help and support!
Although progress is happening on the locomotive back at the shop, we had a unique work experience that took place over August 16, 17, and 18 during the Badger Steam and Gas Engine Club annual show.
Mike W, Pete D, Ed R, and the rest of the regular sawmill crew, met and sawed the wood needed for the tender foot board and the tender coal boards. They used steam power in the form of traction engines to run the sawmill at the Badger Steam and Gas Show. Ash and white oak logs were used.
We would like to thank the Badger Steam and Gas Engine Club for the donation of the time of their mill to help another steam engine get back to operation. The lumber is now at the museum awaiting installation. The coal boards will be used to hold back the coal in the tender as it is filled. As the pile drops the boards get taken out. Once we fill the tender back up, the coal boards get placed back into their pockets.
The foot boards will be mounted at the rear of the tender and provide a place for trainmen to ride during switching operations. For safety, the footboards will only be used when the locomotive is traveling forward.
Looking forward, we are in the preparation stage for our next hydro test. More information will be available soon.
Thank you for your positive help and financial support with this project.
Life is relentless change and that certainly includes locomotive restoration projects. This update explores some of the modifications made to the boiler and firebox configuration of C&NW #1385 in the past year. As a teaser, what differences do you see between these two photos?
Now what do you see different in the two below?
In the 3rd quarter of 2023, the 1385 Task Group resumed responsibility for project management which included reviewing tasks to be completed and setting a goal of returning the engine to MCRM for testing and operation in 2025. As part of the review contractors and resources were added to expedite the process.
In order for the engine to be accepted into service by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) we must complete what is known as the FRA Form 4. The Form 4 is a compilation of calculations and reference documentation to mathematically prove our boiler is safe to operate and determine what the safe operating pressure limit is. That pressure is known as the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure, or MAWP.
The Task Group began reviewing existing calculations and some suspected design deficiencies were found. To get a second and more experienced opinion MCRM partnered with FMW Solutions who confirmed the Task Group’s suspicions. It was determined that six staybolts in the firebox were too small, most of the staybolts in the firebox extended too far into the fire space and the transverse arch tubes between the sides of the firebox and the crownsheet of the firebox were unworkable.
We immediately set plans in motion to create a solution. One part of the work was the shop drawings created by the Task Group. With drawings in hand, the combined forces of SPEC Machine, Hooper Corporation, FMW Solutions, Harvey Diversified Trades, Sharpe Products, and MCRM employee TJ Doyle completed the changes by early June 2024.
The too-small staybolts were a relatively easy repair. The process was to cut out the old bolt and weld in the next larger standard size.
The staybolt ends extending too far into the firebox was also a relatively simple process though the work itself was repetitive and labor intensive. It consisted of cutting and grinding off the ends of the bolts until they protruded no more than 3/8 of an inch from the firebox surface. This measurement is a requirement of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code of construction for locomotive boilers.
The transverse arch tubes were quite a bit more complex, and it was finally decided to revert to the original C&NW placement and design of two longitudinal arch tubes and patch the openings left from the transverse tubes. First, the tubes were removed from the firebox and then the washout plug collars were removed from the outside.
At the same time, two flexible staybolt sleeves were removed from the throatsheet so washout plug collars for the new arch tubes could be welded in their place.
Twenty-four patches were then welded in place of the removed tubes and sleeves. In the sides of the firebox, the patches also had to include a staybolt so a donut patch was welded in place on the inside and outside.
The staybolt was then welded in place in the donut hole.
On the crownsheet of the firebox the tubes had been placed between staybolts so a flush patch was all that was needed.
The welds were then ultrasonically inspected by TEAM Industrial Services and each weld had zero defects. Ultrasonic inspection of welds is a relatively recent process and is much quicker and safer than X-ray inspection, but it is equally acceptable. The holes for the arch tube washout collars on the backhead were then cut and prepped to have the collars welded in place.
The new arch tubes were then trimmed for proper fit and installed in the firebox.
While the necessary contractors and skilled labor was on site the boiler received two extras. The first was a pair of washout collars and plugs high on the boiler shell and at the front to aid in washing out scale and debris from the front of the boiler back toward the firebox. The second was drilling telltale holes in the firebox ends of the staybolts as needed. When the boiler was built the drilling was not a requirement, but it now is required in the current edition of the code of construction. We were not required to make this change but decided to proceed as a preemptive move in case the FRA required the drilling in the future. A tally of the stays that were drilled and trimmed was chalked on the mudring of the boiler after TJ Doyle had competed the arduous task.
All boiler and firebox modifications outlined in this update were completed by June 2024 and the project has since moved on to hydrostatic testing of the boiler, with one hydrostatic test already completed and a follow-up hydrostatic test planned for the near future.
The current state of our interchange rail ties.Notice the absent and deteriorating ties.
We’re thrilled to announce a challenge grant of $5,000 from an anonymous donor for new railroad ties. Now we need your help to match the challenge so we can claim the $5,000 grant and get the new ties installed in the coming months.
This isn’t just any track maintenance project. As the Chicago & North Western #1385 steam locomotive restoration project nears completion, one of the major tasks still ahead is transporting the restored locomotive back home to Mid-Continent. Shipping the 1385 home by railroad flat car is the preferred option, but there’s a snag: Mid-Continent’s interchange track is rarely used and many of the ties on that portion of the line are rotted and can’t support the weight of 1385. About 275 new ties are needed to make the interchange safe for use.
On July 20th Mike W., Pete D., Ed R., Mary S., Andy S. gathered at 8:00 AM to perform the first hydro test on the Chicago and North Western #1385 locomotive after all the studs and appliances have been added to the boiler. This is our own test to make sure that we have no leaks before the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) witnessed test. We were able to get the boiler up to 90 degrees with a propane fired heater and a heated power washer. We slowly pressurized the boiler to around 125 PSI. The operating pressure of the boiler will be 200 PSI. This gave us a list of only a few items needing to be addressed before we perform our next test.
All washout plugs were found to be leaking as we found the sealing surfaces improperly seating. The sealing surface of the plugs are in the process of being trued up on the lathe now and the sealing surface of the sleeves will also be touched up. We have 2 staybolts that were found to be leaking and will be replaced very soon. We also had a small drip where the superheater header mounts to the front flue sheet, so the superheater units have been removed for access. We found about 5 studs altogether that were weeping and will be tightened.
Overall, this first test went very well, and we had no major issues. Plans are in motion to address the items we have and will be looking at doing our next hydro mid to end of September. Once we are confident we have all the items addressed, we will bring the boiler slowly up to 200 PSI and not over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Then we will hold it and if no leaks occur then we will be ready to schedule our FRA witnessed hydro inspection.
This has taken a tremendous amount of capital and volunteer hours to get to this point. We have come very far and have done something at Mid-Continent we have never done before, a total rebuild of a steam locomotive to FRA standards. We have learned a lot in the process so far and still have a way to go. Please help support this project with funding and general support of our steam team. Without everyone pulling together we would not be as close as we are. A big thank you to our team and all our members and railfans that have supported us! We will not let you down.
Thank you for your help and support.
Andy S.
President
Mid-Continent Railroad Museum
Please visit the Donations Page to make a contribution toward the 1385 or other museum projects.
Prior to the day of the test, C&NW #1385 was rolled out of the shop and filled with water. Jeff L. photo.Pete D. calibrates the pressure gauge to be used for the hydro test. Jeff L. photo.C&NW #1385’s first hydro test begins. Lindsay L. photo.Ed R. regulates water flow from the pressure washer as the needle on the boiler’s pressure gauge begins to climb. Lindsay L. photo.Mike W. and Andy S. inspect for signs of leaks in the firebox. Jeff L. photo.
Mary S. monitors water flow. Andy S. photo.
The boiler pressure gauge shows just under 100 PSI as the team gradually ramps up the pressure. Ed R. photo.
Ed R. and Pete D. take notes on the leak locations and begin planning the work ahead. Andy S. photo.
