- Tank #5 Restoration -
Help Restore West Side Lumber Co. Oil Tank Car # 5!
In September 2005, this unique piece of logging history became the focus of a restoration effort, with a mandate to rebuild tank car #5 into an operational piece of SVRR rolling stock. Full documentation of the cars remains were started, and in October 2005, the oil tank was carefully lifted from the rotted flat car deck. There are no salvageable wooden flat car parts, but most of the iron parts are reusable. The oil tank, though still structurally sound, has rust holes around the perimeter and desperately needs to have the rust stabilized inside and out. There are some flat car and truck parts missing, too.
A large amount of time, resources, and funds will be required to make this restoration as accurate and correct as possible. Historical information, and especially period West Side pictures of tank #5, would help tremendously in the restoration effort. The SVRR would like to restore tank #5 to a watertight condition, to allow demonstrations of the old steam powered pump that was used during its fire car duties out in the woods. More History >
If you would like to be part of this project, please contact Mike Roberts at 360-834-4638 or e-mail him at: mike@westernrailwaypreservation.org.
If you'd prefer to contribute to the restoration project in another way, donations are needed and always appreciated. A tax-deductible donation may be sent to the address below and please earmark for the "Oil Tank Car #5 Restoration":
Western Railway Preservation Society
PO 1644 Plaza Way #209
Walla Walla, WA 99362
- Tank #5 News -
Looking from the pump end of the tank, the new handrail piping is to the left. All of the brackets have been realigned, and the end railings are back where they belong. We hope to rivet the two handrail brackets back into place in September. The two main supports for the tool box platform have also been measured and are ready to cut to fit the tank/handrail contours.
Volunteer Mike Stewart checks out his handiwork after the third rusted-out section of the tank has been removed. This will give us access to the fourth and fifth sections of the tank for cleaning and evaluation. Cutting out sections on opposing sides has helped keep the tanks structural integrity sound.
The fifth section of the tank held a surprise – a heating coil made out of one inch pipe. This helps explain the purpose of some of the fittings on the 'B' end of the tank. The reason for all of the other drain plugs, who knows. About three inches of debris has been removed from this section, the rivet lines have been needle scaled, and it has been vacuumed out.
The extent of the rust damage is very evident looking back towards the ‘B’ end of the tank. The openings from two removed sections are visible, the main drain is at the bottom, and the tank baffle that will be replaced is in the center. About a cubic yard of dirt, scale, rust, and other debris was removed during the cleanup. Three more sections of the tank will have the rivet lines needle-scaled in September, finishing up the cleanout of the tank. Scale drawings of the new replacement patch panels are also in the works.
The next Tank #5 Work Weekend will be September 11/12.
Tipped on the steel sawhorses, the second rusted out section is being prepared for removal. Sections removed from opposite sides will keep the tanks structure sound.
Lines have been drawn for the section to be removed. The rust damage to the bottom means about a foot of steel has to come out. Note the coating of old bunker C oil from the tanks earlier days of hauling fuel oil on the N-C-O and the West Side.
Arnie Lipshetz and Mike Roberts slowly cut the old steel with reciprocating saws. A torch was avoided to avoid any possible warping.
The sections has been removed revealing a very rusted-out tank baffle. It will have to be replaced as well. The pipe sticking down is the original drain pipe.
This rusted-out section of bottom has two of the odd drain holes – we’re not sure what they are for.
Arnie removes the 1 inch handrail on one side of the tank. It was in fairly bad condition with several bends and welds. For safety, it will be replaced because the car will be used occasionally in trains.
The old 2 inch water pipe that fed the steam powered water pump was in rough shape right at the tank wall. After removal, the 1/2 inch threaded plate riveted to the inside of the tank proved to be in very good condition.
A close up of one of the handrail brackets. This section of handrail had broken and had been welded to the fitting. It cleaned up fine with a bit of grinding and a 1 inch pipe tap. Two of the brackets will have to be detached from the tank to allow us to thread the new handrail piping into place. The next Tank #5 Work Weekend will be August 14/15.
The June work weekend started with the mounting of the old steel tank to our heavy steel saw to start the cleanup effort in earnest.
The two original steel straps will hold the tank firmly in place during the work.
Project Manager Mike Roberts cleans out the first section of the tank floor. Twelve buckets of rust, dirt, scale, and debris were removed – even an old pull-tab Coca Cola can was dug out! The tank floor is pitted but still sound.
Measurements of the first removed section are started on graph paper. The inner radius of the curve and the straight run lengths will be determined, and will be compared to another cut out section in July for verification.
Volunteers Ken Hittle and Jerry Huck start the first work weekend of 2010 with some snow and ice removal to get SVRy caboose #3 and WSLCo tank #5 out of the restoration shop at McEwen, OR.
Tank #5 sits in the sun after five months of storage. The tank will be lifted off, and the flat car decking installation will restart.
Tank #5 restoration volunteers Ken Hittle and Kevin Rasmussen get a dose of early Spring sun while chiseling out the reliefs for the brake cylinder bracket bolts.
Volunteers Arnie Lipshetz and Brad Milne are cutting out the first of several rusted out sections on the old tank. This one is big enough to be our access hole into the tank for cleaning and repairs. The bottom of the tank is a bit enigmatic, with strange drain plugs here and there.
The rusted out section has been removed, and will be used to determine the radius' needed for the new patch panels. One of the four tank baffles is visible, too. There is a lot of rust, scale, and dirt inside the tank, but it is loose and will clean up fairly easily. Nominal thickness of the old Scottish steel is 3/16", not the expected 1/4".
A view inside the old tank that nobody has seen for a very long time. Taken through the first baffle, the other three baffles are visible. The one nearest the dome will require some significant repair, but the floor of the tank is surprisingly sound.
A partial view of the finished deck, with the nine recessed bolts for the three air brake cylinder support bars, and the hole for the main tank drain pipe. The decking also got a good coat of preservative to wrap up the work weekend. The next work weekend will be June 19/20.
The first two 'A' end deck board are fitted to the tank #5 frame. Note the holes in the bottom of the second board that will fit over the bolt heads and washers on the frame.
SVRR Restoration Manager Tim Bain checks out the 26 new 3 inch thick deck boards. Widths vary from 11.5 inches to 14 inches, just like the originals. The 4 inch gap two boards from the 'B' end is also duplicated, and a filler board will be cut to fit. On the 'A' end, the opening in the deck boards due to a bolster repair will not be duplicated.
The fourth 'A' end deck board is nailed down. There is lots of cutting and fitting to do on the bottoms of the deck boards. New 60d nails hold them down. Only two nails on each outer end are used per the originals.
The only frame bolts that come up through the deck boards are for the air brake cylinder and brackets. Relief holes just like the originals are chiseled into the top of the deck boards to countersink the bolt heads and 3 inch cast washers.
Half of the deck bards were fitted and nailed down when we ran out of time. The tank is being put on the frame for the winter to keep it dry.
Tank #5 has not looked like this since year 2000. There is still a lot to do before she is completed. Next spring (April 2010) we will finish the deck, and start the tank repair survey.
The first pressure test of the main airline wasn't good. There were several pin holes and leaky fittings in the original piping. About half of the original parts were replaced.
After the main air line was repaired and pressure tested, we put in the flat car bolster truss rods and bars. The third rod on the ‘B’ end is being hammered into place. To give some scale, the 7/8" rod is around 29" long. The flat bars tie the rods together, and nuts on the ends of the rods provide the tensioning.
The completed 'B' end bolster trusses.
It's amazing how tight the fit was for the bolster trusses. The beams are 8" apart for reference. The main air line is to the right, and the long main truss rod passes to the left. Both are supported by a spacer block.
The other side of the car shows the same close clearances. The main truss rod is to the right, and the 1" straight air line passes under the spacer block. Next month we can start on the flat car decking.
A new 'B' truck brake rod takes shape. This ties the two brake beams together on the truck. Thanks to Mike Stewart (Canby, OR) for his welding and bending expertise.
Three new brake rod pivot pins also had to be fabricated. The end on this new pin will be welded shut to form the pin's cotter key slot, matching the original pin to the right. The cotter keys are formed out of half-inch wide sheet metal.
A new brake beam support bar for the 'B' truck was fabricated in Bend, OR. A big 'Thank You' to Jeremy Lewis, owner of Raven Forge, and SVRR member Dennis Jones.
Holes are being drilled in the new brake beam support bar.
Balanced on a truck in front and a steel sawhorse in back, the finished frame is readied for the big move the next day.
Bolted back down to the steel sawhorses that it was assembled on, Tank #5's new flat car frame is readied for the 'Big Flip'.
Supported and lifted by the sawhorses, the frame is slowly being tilted over.
Half way there!
The frame is almost all the way over...
Again using the steel sawhorses, the uprighted frame is readied for its lift onto the trucks.
Tank #5's new flatcar frame is on its rebuilt trucks for the first time! Many thanks to SVRR member Jerry Huck for his finesse with the the forklift.
Test runs were made to seat the rebabbitted bearings, and make sure there were no clearance problems on sharp curves. The coupler height was also checked against the original SVRy caboose #3.
The 'B' end truck is temporarily back out to mount the new brake beam support bar, the brake beam obtained from the SPCRR group in CA., and the new short brake rod and pins.
Both trucks are now complete, less the brake shoes and pins. Seven new brake shoes will be cast for us by the SPCRR group using original West Side pattern.
The truss rods were loosened to let the frame settle into place for a month.
The 'B' end coupler has been sandblasted and primed.
The 'B' end of the frame car has been completed, including the long brake wheel rod and chain. The new brake staff will be machined after the frame has been flipped upright.
Detail view of the brake wheel spool, chain, and brake rod end.
The brake rigging is almost complete. The truck brake rods will be added after the frame has been flipped. One rod will have to be fabricated.
The replacement brake beam cleaned up very well. This original West Side brake beam was obtained from the SPCRR group at the Ardenwood Historic Farm (Fremont, CA). A big 'Thanks' to SPCRR Curator Randy Hees for making it available to us. Randy also determined which original West Side pattern we will use for casting the new brake shoes. A very special 'Thank You' to SVRR member Keith Masterson for purchasing the brake beam, hauling it to Oregon, and donating it to the project.
The 'A' end truck now has the its rebabbitted bearings and packing in place. Quite an oily, messy job!
Keith and Ken are 'supervised' by Jerry Huck as the trucks are readied for the rebabbitted bearings. All traces of rust-resistant primer were scrubbed from the axle ends to avoid damaging the bearings.
The August 7 - 9 work weekend will see a milestone in the rebuilding of Tank #5. The frame will be carefully flipped upright and placed on the trucks. We hope to get some video of the flip and the first test movement of the car on live rail since it was moved to the SVRR from Roaring Camp in 2000.
The 'A' end coupler and hardware has been installed.
The 'A' end lower support strap has been installed. The 'A' end of the frame has been completed.
The rebuilt AB brake cylinder has been sandblasted, primed, and weathered. A rebuilt triple valve and release valve are on site.
Smitty has finished rebabbitting the original truck bearings. Installation should be in July.
Freshly machined by Dennis Jones, the new ratchet gear and pawl sit on the original upper brake shaft bracket. The 1-1/8" rod for the new brake staff is also on site.
Getting the brake cylinder positioned took some time. Arnie, Ken, and Keith are shimming the cylinder for heighth.
The cylinder has been bolted into position. The truss rod had to be repositioned slightly for clearance.
The brake cylinder and truss rod are ready to go. The triple valve and release valve will be installed after the frame is flipped onto the trucks.
All of the bare wood surfaces on the frame have been coated with preservative. Still waiting for a repaired draft gear casting to wrap up the 'B' end.
The 'B' end buffer block begins to take shape. Note that the inner truss rod goes through the block.
The 'A' end buffer block in place. The reinforcement plate and bolts are done, and the four holes for the lower coupler bracket will be drilled in June.
The 'B' end buffer block is now bolted in place, and the hole for the brake staff has been drilled. Note that the 1" filler board has been trimmed back to fit the brake chain spool.
The 'A' end coupler has been sandblasted and primed. The unmarked coupler will accept Climax coupler parts. The coupler will be mounted in June.
The 'B' end draft timbers are receiving their coat of preservative and paint prior to final assembly.
The inner two truss rods have been installed, and the 'A' end truck bolster is being guided into its 12" X 1/2" dados by Ken Hittle and Mike Stewart.
The 'A' end truck bolster has been bolted in place on the frame.
At the end of the work weekend, the new frame for tank #5 is nearing completion. Viewed from the 'B' end, the four spacer blocks can be seen that hold the truss rods in place over the truck bolsters. One of the 'B' end coupler support castings needs to be repaired before the draft gear pocket is completed. The two buffer blocks have been cut to rough dimensions and will be installed in May.
A big thank you Russ Simpson (Placerville, CA) for donating an original West Side upper brake staff bracket. Now we need to find or fabricate a ratchet gear and pawl to finish this up.
SVRR Trainmaster Dan Denham has volunteered to rebuild the K brake air cylinder for Tank #5. Disassembly was easier than expected - just like the rest of the car.
The brake cylinder and air reservoir have been separated, exposing the face of the brake piston in the cylinder. Lots of grease - a very good sign!
The brake piston has been removed from the cylinder. With all of the grease, there was no rust or pitting in the cylinder bore - we are very lucky. Dan found that the passage leading to the triple valve was 50 percent plugged by excess grease, too.
Even the brake piston spring and piston sleeve are in good shape with little or no rust. A light honing and a new rubber cup is all that is needed internally. The cylinder will be reassembled and cleaned up by Dan in Bend, OR., and we hope to have the cylinder reinstalled on the tank car frame in June.