Work on MEC 470 at New England Steam’s shop continues! Our volunteer crew has been grinding it out and our spirits are being lifted. Progress is being made on several tasks.
One project gaining momentum is 470’s cab. Years ago former President Richard Glueck donated a utility trailer to the project. Recently his dream of seeing the cab mounted on the trailer was realized. The trailer needed some work to make it suitable for placing the cab on it. 470’s cab is actually wider than the trailer, so a new deck had to be constructed across the frame width with heavy lumber. Once that was ready the cab was dismounted from the restoration cradle and lifted with the crane. The rebuilt trailer was rolled underneath, and the cab was set down on it. Interestingly, when the cab was lifted, we weighed it with a scale. The cab weighs 2000 lbs. just like it is.
Bob D. made some custom u-brackets in his home shop to hold the cab to the trailer. Bill A. made a set of armrests for the engineer and fireman’s windows. Brian H. went to work removing old brackets that supported the smoke deflector on the rear of the roof. Hours were spent grinding down old welds and rivets. Damaged angle iron, intended to deflect water dripping over the windows was removed as well.
Now that the cab is mobile, we can move it in and out of the shop. That allows us to get up close to the front of the boiler with the crane.
Perhaps with some prettying up the cab could be turned into a parade float! Or, hey! We could start selling cab rides!
Now that the cab can be moved out of the way, the front of 470’s boiler can be reached with the crane. Work commenced on removing the smokestack.
The base is in very poor condition. The stack has multiple breaks also that have welds of unknown quality. We believe these repairs were made when on display in Waterville and not during operation. The Petticoat is intact and has a few pieces of the stack base still attached.
With the smokestack out of the way, there is more headroom. Cody P. and John B. continued their efforts of grinding away the last remnants of the feedwater heater. When ready, patch panels will be fabricated and installed in the areas that were where the feedwater piping and shut off cocks were located.
Meanwhile work continues on cleaning up the Delta Trailing Truck. Paul VS has been tackling this project by himself, and he is making great progress. Soon, the big crane will be used to flip the truck upside down so his work can continue.
Other project developments have occurred including work being done to the trailing truck. The new wheels have been forged by McKees Rocks Forgings in Pennsylvania, and they have been shipped to Strasburg Railroad Shops for machining and assembly. We will have an in-depth report on their progress soon, so stay tuned!
Finally, we want to send out a huge THANK YOU! to all the volunteers and supporters who continue to contribute to this project. A lot of work happens behind the scenes that doesn’t get any recognition, and we want you to know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed. Without your generous help the effort to rebuild 470 would not happen. With your help, we are more than just a locomotive restoration.