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"At
The Throttle"
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Mark
Bassett is the Executive Director of the White Pine Historical Railroad
Foundation, operator of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. He can be
reached at the museum (775) 289-2085 ext. 7 or e-mail: director@nnry.com
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The Queen of Steam — Photos
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This
is only a small sample of the photographs that were taken over the eleven
months that 40 was worked on. What makes this a truly exciting project
is that it's the original locomotive being worked on in the original shop
using the same tools and techniques that have been in existence for more
than 100 years. In the quiet of the evening, as the sun was going down,
it was difficult to remember exactly what year it was. This ritual has
been going in East Ely for 99 years. As we move into our second century,
we are keeping alive the skills, the knowledge, and the steam locomotives—all
a part of our history, which you can experience up close at the Nevada
Northern.
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40's
been stripped. Everything that was bolted to the boiler is now gone. It
is time to start taking out the tubes.
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Three
people are in this picture. One person is completely in the smokebox and
he has two helpers outside. Work is just beginning in getting the tubes
out.
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Now the tubes are coming out. To get the tubes out a person needs to drop down through the steam dome. The steam done is that cylinder on the left edge of the photo on top of the boiler. A person goes in there with a cutting torch and a trouble light and starts cutting out the tubes. Both ends of the tubes will need to be cut out. This means that the person will need to slide along on his stomach to get to one end of the boiler to the other. Back and forth, back and forth for days will he been in his prison with a cutting torch and trouble light. |
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You are in the firebox off locomotive 40. We are at the midway point. All of the old tubes are out. The boiler has been needle scaled and we are ready to put the tubes back in. Hundreds of hours were spent in here getting ready and hundreds of hours will be spent in finishing the work. |
There
is no easy way to rebuild a steam locomotive. In our push button, computer-controlled
world, we forget what got us here—sweat, steel, and hard work. Two
workers are inside the firebox of locomotive 40 rolling tubes. The only
way in is through the firebox opening (the small hole in the foreground).
For hours they will stay in their tiny dungeon working on the tubes. Claustrophobics
need not apply.
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The culmination of all of the hard work is the first fire. Here the crew lit off the locomotive for the first time in years. The fire will be built very slowly to give the steel boiler a chance to expand slowly. Must people don't know that a steam locomotive actually gets bigger when it's hot. So the fire must be built slowly. The numbers on the backhead are the thickness of the steel. Every square foot of the firebox and boiler was checked. The good news: 40 is in the same shape as when it left Baldwin ninety-five years ago. That says something. |
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Locomotive 204 is coupled to locomotive 40 to hold the later in place. When firing up a steam locomotive for the first time you don't want it wandering off down the tracks. Locomotive 40 does not have hand brakes. As the locomotive builds up pressure for the first time, a throttle leak could cause the locomotive to move. Hence we use a big anchor—a 150 ton locomotive like EMD SD-9 No. 204. |
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This
is what it is all about. The Ghost Train is in service once more. What
year is it? 1910, 1930, or 1940? No, it's 2005 in Ely, Nevada where locomotive
40 will be doing what she was built to do by Baldwin in 1910—haul
people. This
is a time capsule— steam locomotive 40, baggage/Railway Post Office
car 20, and first class coach 5 are all together again on their home track
ready for the next load of people. |
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The
Queen of Steam
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Call Us 1-866-40STEAM or 1-866-407-8326 Copyright © 2005 Nevada Northern
Railway - Ely, Nevada |
