| Posted by Anders Benson on January 11, 2007 | |
Keep your eye out for VB102 clearing the tracks and sporting its snazzy new paint job! This old beast was in the shop for about 10 days or so getting ready for winter duty. My partner and I did a thorough inspection and performed a number of repairs before we turned her loose. First off, we pumped up the tanks and chased down about three dozen little air leaks, tested the brakes, and ran the wings in and out. The service pipe and hose, which connect the mechanical system to the locomotive's air, were missing, along with the bracket that holds them next to the rear coupler. I fabricated a new pipe hanger and ran a new length of pipe into the main reservoir system, then attached the new hose. Also, the striker plate and carrier irons that mount the rear coupler were bent, broken, and completely unservicable. Instead of repairing the old steel and wood bolt together assembly, we decided to just scrap it and design a new all-steel assembly. The new one is loosely based on the old design, but much heavier and hopefully a loy more durable. Fabrication and welding on that one piece alone took me almost two days. After I finished that, I turned my attention to the horn, which was another part that seemed to have gone AWOL. VB102 now proudly announces her approach with the 136+ decibel blast of a genuine tri-tone locomotive whistle rather that the old-fashioned single horn. Several of my fellow carknockers threatened to beat me soundly after I tested the horn inside the car shop. After that, I finished up a few decidedly less glamourous jobs, clearing all the junk out of the cab, scraping old, peeling paint off of the interior walls and ceiling, and repairing the chimney. My partner Kevin was busy filling in for our vacationing foreman much of this time, but he did found enough time to fix the oil (kerosene?) heater and do a masterful job of repairing the woodwork around the window frames up in the cab, which was very fortunate considering that my carpentry skills are severely lacking. Wood is just not my medium of choice, I'm afraid. Anyhow, after all that was finished, VB102 headed breifly over to the Diesel shop for re-wiring, and then went across the way where Bonk scraped and painted the plow face and the interior. Once that was complete, we set her out on G track and released her. Where she is now I have no idea, but I imagine she'll find her way back to Derby sometime next Autumn. Cool photo, Rod!
-Benson
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