Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4

2009 Restoration Work Log

12/12/09

The new section of cab wall formed and fitted but yet receive the holes necessary for the appurtenances that have to pass through it.
12/12/09

Henry drilling holes in stay bolts that will be removed from the blackhead.
The new Mallet house.  The number 4 sitting inside the completed tent which was finished just in time as it as been raining continuously here in the Bay Area.
12/12/09

Les cleaning the plate cut out to replace the engineers lower cab wall.
Chris drill mounting holes for the new fire pan.
11/19/09
Not a common sight when you look through the firebox door - the ground!  The bar across the opening is actually the axle on the rear driver.  The fireman is in the process of being cut out and replaced as it has been modified beyond believe over the years of service on the Clover Valley.  Actually, we are in the process of cutting out TWO firebox pans as the lumber company just added another floor over the old one (with an one inch area in between filled with Bunker C!) when it was time to repair the firepan. 
11/19/09
Gerald DeWitt and Dan Dornbrach installing cable stays to tighten up and square the tent support structure.
End of the day, the Mallet is backed down into the new structure for the night.  Hopefully just one more day to finish the tent installation so the engine will inside protected from the weather all winter.
11/19/09
When all else fails - READ THE DIRECTIONS.  Dan, Jim, Henry and Gerald demonstrate this long lost art.
There is sure a lot of this reading directions stuff today.  Johnathon and Charlie in action.
11/19/09
Henry, Pam and Gerald lay out one of the tent support hoops.

Pam, Dave Loyola, Henry Chandler and Gerald DeWitt raise up one of the tent supports after assembly.
10/31/09
No better way to move material than shovels.  Alan Siegwarth spreading asphalt chips.
Nice picture of the new improved walkway/work area with asphalt chips spread out and compacted alongside the track.  Once the tent is complete, it will almost be as nice as working inside the shop.
10/31/09
Dumping asphalt chips to use as a raised walkway inside the tent using one of the PLA's recently acquired Central California Traction ballast cars.
Henry Chandler, Johnathon Kruger, Jim Adams and Dan Dornbrach take a break from shoveling.
09/26/09
Jeff and Gerald DeWitt reinstalling the firemans side cab step.  The bolts holding the steps on were rusted and corroded to the point that the step was no longer safe for use.  A simple job right?  No, of course not.  The repair required removing the step/welds, fixing and straightening the bent step, cutting and repairing the cab floor, building a doubler plate to support the step and finally - shown here - reinstalling the step.
09/26/09
Henry Chandler and Jeff Schwab making fine adjustments on the Mallet's cab.  All that is required is a little heat and a large sledgehammer.  Cab damage is being repaired in preparation for reinstalling the steps on the fireman's side.

09/12/09
Chris drilling out staybolt telltale holes inside the firebox.  Another long tedious job that requires patience because their is always the potential to cause a bigger problem if one of the drills breaks in a stay.    A lot of work happening on the engineers side of the locomotive.  Jeff and Dan discussing piping that needs to be replaced.  In the background, Henry and Les are working on cab repairs. 
09/12/09

Les drilling and fitting new angle to support the cab floor.  Years of exposure to the weather has rusted out sections of the cab that are being rebuilt for safety. 
09/12/09
Jim wire brushing and priming the saddle tanks.  Dan painting (after wire brushing and priming) one of the air tank supports on the firemans side of the locomotive.  The entire locomotive needs to be cleaned and repainted which Dan has graciously started - there is a lot to paint!
  Alan Siegwarth  Photos
09/12/09
Loading bridge timbers at a PLA storage yard in preparation to erect the new Mallet house - a tent building purchased to keep the engine dry through the winter.  The steam department is preparing to install the tent but needs to complete the unfinished shop track work including ballasting and lining the tracks before the tent can be installed.  Hopefully we have another dry month to complete the installation. 
Photograph by Alan Siegwarth
09/12/09
Henry crawling along the bottom of the boiler barrel after spending a morning cleaning inside the boiler.  This is a fun experience crawling along under the superheater flues - volunteers always accepted = )
08/29/09
Based on Jeff's smile, this picture must have been taken before he entered the boiler.  After a few hours crawling in the confined space of the boiler, volunteers coming out seldom have big smiles on their faces.  Gerald removing the fireman's side cab steps that need straightening.  Logging service was not easy on the step as it has hit numerous things along the right of way in its 30 years of service with the Clover Valley Lumber Company.
08/29/09
Henry working on washing the boiler to remove additional scale.  As usual with all PLA projects, the fire truck had to be repaired before this work could begin so the high pressure/flow PTO driven fire pump could be used in boiler washing.  The use of the fire truck made a difficult project much easier.  To the right of Henry, Gerald continues to work on removing the step.
08/29/09
Pamela Cravens packing flexible staybolt caps and sleeves with a nasty, grimy mix of graphite and oil. The graphite and oil mix keeps the flexible ball joint lubricated allowing the stay to move with boiler expansion and contraction.  Pam is shown reinstalling caps after months of work removing caps, cleaning the interiors and retapping the sleeve threads.  
08/29/09
Thanks to member donations to purchase parts and PLA volunteers like Pam, all the flexible staybolts that do not need repairing have been repacked with graphite and new gasket and cap installed. 

Alan Siegwarth Photo
08/07/09

Henry Chandler removes the last of the flexible staybolt caps on the blackhead in the cab.

Alan Siegwarth Photo
08/07/09
Engineers side boiler support plate remounted on the boiler after repairs.

Jeff Schwab working on cleaning, removing caps on the lower blackhead - hiding in between the frame under the cab floor.

Alan Siegwarth Photos
05/30/09
Painting and more painting.  Alan painting the wrapper sheet in the cab.
Henry using a little heat treatment to persuade rusty nuts off of the frame on the fireman's side of the engine.
05/30/09
Doug Vanderlee cleaning dirt and grease from the high pressure cylinder crosshead.
Les, Gerald and John working on the dirty job of graphiting and reinstalling flexible staybolt caps with new gaskets.
05/02/09

Les working in great conditions.
New caps and studs installed.
Alan Siegwarth Photos
05/02/09
Henry removing flexible staybolt caps for inspection.
Chris and Les show the extreme dexterity required to remove the throat sheet flexible staybolt caps.
Alan Siegwarth Photos
05/02/09
Dave and Les working on the rear furnace bearer plates.
Jeff installing new recessed flexible staybolt caps.
 
Alan Siegwarth Photos
05/02/09
Amazing what you get to work on in the name of keeping steam running.  Gerald and Al work on a PLA diesel welder, one nice machine.

Alan Siegwarth Photos.
02/07/09

Pettibone in place ready to remove power reverse.
Jeff, Henry and Harrison Hollidge work on removing power reverse bolts
02/07/09

Air pump being removed in preparation for smokebox repairs
741:  Dave Burla lifting the power reverse into a boxcar for storage.  Henry Chandler and Paul Hollidge assist.
01/17/09
Henry using an air chisel to help remove flexible stay bolt caps.  It is evident that these were not inspected very often and many of the cabs/sleeves need repair or replacement.
Alan Siegwarth Photo
01/17/09
Jeff drilling out staybolt tell-tale holes inside the firebox.  Photo taken through a hole in the rear tube sheet.
Gerald and David repairing the worn and bent rear boiler support bracket.
Alan Siegwarth Photos
01/13/09
Charles Franz taking ultrasonic readings on the boiler.
Cab wall cut away to get access to stay bolts.
Several thin spots cut out of fire box wall.
H P Wise Photos
01/10/09
Gerald and Jeff removing boiler piping while Charlie and Chris remove the firemans side air tank for access to UT test and remove the flexible staybolt caps on the boiler.

Alan Siegwarth Photo
01/10/09
Henry washing and more washing the boiler.  What a mess!
Alan, Jeff planning on how to do firepan work.
01/10/09
Jeff and Charlie machining a brake shoe head for the Mallet in the shop.

Gerald heating up the nuts holding the fireman's side support plate on the boiler.

Alan Siegwarth Photo
01/10/09
Alan demonstrates perfectly why the Mallet is so much fun to work on climbing over the low pressure steam delivery pipes to exit from under the boiler.  Baldwin built a compact, efficient locomotive but it is hard to get into to for maintenance and just as difficult to get out.  
Dave Loyola Photo
01/08/09
Picture of today's contract work on the Mallet front tube sheet.  The tube sheet came out really easy.  Notice the nice easy access to the bottom of the boiler now - no worry about taking some of the superheater tubes out now for access to the belly. 
A. Siegwarth Photo

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