Steam & Excursion > Rayonier #70

Wondering what the status of the #70 is at the Mt. Rainier Scenic is?

Thanks for any information.

Denny

Hiya Denny,

We are still marching along with it but unfortunately mechanical issues with our other locomotives have slowed the progress down. Hoping to get her out soon! The weather is finally warm enough to paint (which we have been prepping the cars and the #70)

Ha, ha, Denny - I thought your biggest worry was how soon you could get a cab ride in the F9!

As Brian said, there's just been too many mechanical issues lately to make much progress on the 70. On Saturday Stathi and Karl pulled the right valve on the Heisler after having concerns the last time it ran so this weekend it was the Willamette running Friday-Sunday.

Stathi again had to abandon the shop work yesterday to fire for me because no volunteer signed up. MRSR desperately needs more volunteer operating crews to allow the projected shop work to proceed. My firing for Randy on Saturday was super easy because Macster was the student fireman.

There's good news also, though. The new slipper on the Willie's #2 crosshead appears to be making progress wearing in thereby reducing the overheating issue. In the how-lucky-can-you-get department I consider it a real honor to be firing and running a Willamette that was, when I was a child, hauling logs in the same small Klickitat County in which I grew up.

I can add a bit more to Brian's post:

CMO Stathi Pappas is currently finishing up the new shoes and wedges for the #4 driver set. He's got the left side done, and the right side shoe done, with the right side wedge being fitted now. The #4 driver has been in our 60" Pond engine lathe for a few weeks now for machining. Both tires have been re-profiled and he's almost done with the journal surfaces. We had a bit of electrical trouble with the lathe, so the job got stalled for awhile until we could get the dinosaur running again. The driving boxes for this axle are done with final machining of the crown brasses left to do when the journals are done. The trailing truck was rebuilt and installed some months ago and awaits the re-installation of the last driver so it can be trammed.

This past winter, both cylinders were honed, the rear heads were installed, and the crosshead guides on both sides were installed and shimmed with a lot of help from a couple of my Niles Canyon Ry. buddies who had nothing better to do than visit me for a few days. We also had both pistons built up by fusion welding (since the cylinders are now larger in diameter), machined, then pressed onto the piston rods. New rings have been received from Niagara Piston Ring of New York. The pistons will go in after we've steamed the boiler for the first time and have blown out the saddle steam passages.

Boiler work was completed a few months ago and is now being prepped for its first hydro. The steam dome cover went on yesterday and a final check to make sure all staybolt telltale holes are clear was made.

Air brake plumbing is about complete with only a few copper lines to be run yet. Installation of both injectors and their plumbing is complete. Steam piping to the air compressor, dynamo and fireman's manifold are being installed now. The fuel line to the burner is also being fitted up. All new wood work is being installed in the cab, with all framing and windows complete. The t&g bead board will be installed very soon. Tender connections were completed some time ago so the tender is ready to use. I'm holding off on painting the cab and tender until the cab work is done as we keep finding reasons to drill or cut more holes into the cab walls (like for the whistle operating mechanism which hasn't been fitted yet).

That's a pretty good synopsis of the work that's been done to date, I think.

Brian Wise
General Manager
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
www.mrsr.com