Work Officially Begins on Baldwin Number 7!!!

Mechanical Department Work Session, January 12, 2008
By Mike Moulison

The Steam Team arrived Saturday morning with plenty of enthusiasm as this would be the first time any work has been done on number 7 since she was winterized at the end of the 2003 season. Rick Knight (CMO) started the day with a sit-down meeting in the crew room. We discussed the project at length and decided to work in small teams disassembling the locomotive’s accessories. We also made a point to talk about what will need to happen to ex- Monson number 4 to ensure that she will be ready to run again in the Spring.

The news of our commitment to bring Baldwin Number 7 back to life attracted a large number of wonderful volunteers to assist. In attendance were Rick Knight, Gerry Bagley, Hans Brandes, Russ Page, Rich Currie, Mike Moulison, Jay Monty, Trevor Hartford, Steve Kohut, Larry Urbanski, Tony Devito, Don Sanger, Bob Churchill, Bob Meckley, and Jeff Ferland.

In the morning meeting, we discussed how we would carefully document all that will be happening with the locomotive during the restoration. Rich Currie will be taking extensive film footage and still pictures of the entire process. Rich is doing this to properly document 7’s return to steam and to produce rare footage of the work that goes into brining one of these fiery beasts back to life. We are fortunate that she has only sat dormant for about four years and the locomotive is in good condition. During the course of the day, Tony also took pictures to help catalogue this process.

Hans agreed to assign a number to each part being removed from the locomotive, and keep track of each part in a bound notebook. This way, when it comes time to reassemble the locomotive, we will have a number on each part that corresponds to a number in the book. Also in the book, we have notes about where the part goes and how it was attached.

The weather could not have been better for a Saturday in the middle of January, and soon with the help of diesel number 1 Baldwin Number 7 emerged from the engine shed into the sunlight.

Russ, Bob Meckley, and Trevor worked as a team disassembling and removing all of the controls, gauges, accessories, and tools from the cab.

Gerry, Steve, Jay, and Larry removed the whistles and the footboards. Mike, Larry, Hans, Steve, Jay and Tony, began the arduous process of carrying the removed parts into the engine shed where they would be organized for safe keeping.

Rick used the torch to cut the bolts holding the brass bands the locomotive, and Bob Churchill used a grinder to break the rivets holding on the jacket.

As work came to a close, Mike and Rick gave Trevor and Jay a brief hands-on lesson behind the controls of diesel #1. This is just one of the many enjoyable learning opportunities made available to our dedicated volunteers.

On behalf of the Steam Team, a big thank you goes to Brian Durham and Mary-Lou Sprague for providing us with a wonderful lunch of Beef Stew, Corn Chowder, assorted sandwiches, and delicious brownies!

After Jeff and Tony finished empting the contents of the sand-dome, #7 was pushed back into the house. The work day concluded at about 4:30 PM. The steam team accomplished everything on the day’s agenda.  Number 7 now awaits an asbestos abatement contractor, who is scheduled to come in before our next work day on February 2nd.

The MNGRR Steam Team relies on the financial contributions and volunteer hours of supported in order to keep of steam engine on track. Restoring and maintaining antique locomotives proves quite expensive. Please come out and lend a hand, we have work suitable for volunteers of all abilities. Also, please consider a financial contribution to support our museum’s ongoing preservation effort!