Leaf Springs in the Autumn

Several items require attention while the tender is separated from the locomotive. The first item to be addressed is making repairs to the spring beds that support the leaf spring bundles on the front truck of the tender. It was noticed during our last Amtrak inspection that these spring beds have seen some abuse over the years and were looking a little "out of spec".

In order to repair the spring beds however, the leaf springs needed to be removed. To do this the tender was jacked up off of the trucks. Once that was done, the bolster that rests on the springs was jacked up to relieve the pressure on the leaf spring bundles. The spring bundles were then carefully removed. Each bundle weighs in excess of 100 pounds.

Hanger shown with no leaf springs or bed.

Once the spring bundles were removed, the spring bed was slid out from under the truck and taken over to the Amtrak locomotive shop where it was washed using a power washer and then put into the 60 ton press to take the dents and kinks out.

Jim Campbell, Dan Echeto and Bob Kittel

Welding was also performed to strengthen areas of the spring bed that may have weakened when using the 60 ton press.

Dan Echeto welding on the spring bed.

Last was putting the whole thing back together. This was actually more difficult then dismantling the leaf springs since it required having two crew members lift each spring into position, assisted only by pry bars. With eight spring bundles weighing in at over 100 pounds each, this gets to be close to 1,000 pounds of lifting, and the whole thing gets to be repeated next week for the second spring bed under the front tender truck.

Doing the tender dance...

This past Sunday we had a small crew, just right in size, to work on separating the engine from the tender. We did run into a small problem but small problems are expected.

The planned move was to pull the locomotive from the compound onto the turntable, release the car mover and run around to the front of the locomotive and then push the locomotive over a pit track. This is where the problem was encountered. The car mover will not couple to the front of the locomotive because of the pilot. We sat on the table for a half hour when Greg Casford came up with a solution.

The car mover was put back onto the tender and then the entire engine was pulled onto the pit track. The crew, Dave Clark, Jim Campbell and Dan Echeto pulled the two tender drawbar pins. Outside assisting was Winston, Smokey, Greg and Bob. Once we were loose a diesel unit came in and pulled the engine out, across the table and put back into the compound. The tender was then pushed onto the table, spun around and pushed back onto the far end of the pit track. Job done.

The drawbar pins were looked over and it was decided that the main pins on the drawbar will be replaced. These of course are separate from the safety drawbar. The pins on the safety drawbar are in good condition.

This next Saturday the tender box will be jacked up to take the weight from the trucks. Once this is done the elliptical springs can be pulled and then the spring beds. The spring beds will need some heat and press time to get them back into shape. Dave Clark and myself will head up the drawbar pin project. Dan Echeto will lead the effort in truing the spring beds.

All of this Sunday fun took place in 110 degree heat.

Sheet Metal Maintenance

The crew keeps a book of projects that is updated with specific needs that are to be addressed, some with deadlines, others are as we have time. One of those items is to repair the jacketing of the locomotive. Not having a cover over the locomotive has created areas of rust on some of the jacketing of the locomotive, even in dry southern California. This jacketing was custom made by a retired air force sheet metal fabricator during the restoration and is something the crew takes great pride in. This weekend members of the crew began the process of removing the jacketing from the firebox sides that are showing the greatest wear with the intent of repairing (or replacing) the affected sheets.

Tender Work

It was noticed during the San Diego and San Bernardino trips this past May that the telltail valve on the tender that allows the crew to see the water level in the tender and the the primary water shut-off valve between the tender and locomotive were tight and harder to open/close then they should be. The summer break has offered the time necessary to finally disassemble these valves and perform long overdue maintenance on them.

In addition, discussions have begun on how best to provide "cover" for the locomotive, not only for protection from the elements, but also for the crew during the hot Southern California summers. More on this topic as it develops.

New Site for 3751 Updates

In an effort to get more information out on the status of 3751 and support equipment, the SBRHS is proud to introduce our new "blog". Updates will be provided on a semi-regular basis to share in what is going on between excursions or events. So check back often to see what new projects are being tackled at Redondo Junction.