Form Mike Harbour on the Railspot Yahoo!Group: CTSRR Shop Report 5/3/03 Posted By: Jay Date: Saturday, 3 May 2003, at 3:04 p.m. Report given by Mark Yates to The Commission, on 5/3/03. Any typos are mine, from scanning the report. Notes on Shop Work for Commission Meeting, 3 May 2003 Locomotive Work The following is a breakdown of locomotive work since the March 15th Commission meeting: 484 Work continues on the tender. The replacement of rivets is nearly complete. The wood between the tender frame and tank has been replaced and the tank is back on the frame. The sandblasting of the water space around the firebox is complete, The steel sub floor and cab supports have been replaced with new steel. 487 New shoes and wedges were picked up April 18th and are in the process of being milled to the proper dimensions. New hub liners have been installed on all of the drivers and are being faced to provide the proper lateral along with the driving boxes being babbitted and faced. Once these two steps are complete, driver sets can begin going up and tramming beginning with the No. 3 Drivers. It is hoped that sometime next week the No. 3 Drivers will be installed. The pistons and piston rods have been sent off to have the grooves built up and machined for new piston rings. This should be completed by the middle of next week. The pilot truck is being repaired and should be ready to replace this coming week. At present, all of the Chama Shop Crew's efforts are being concentrated on completing 487 in time for this operating season. 488 Little has been done to 488. The water space around the firebox will be sandblasted in the next couple of weeks. Passenger Cars The new car wheels have arrived. They still must be sent to have the worn wheels pressed off and new wheels pressed onto the old axles. I hope to get the purchase order completed and approved and to get the wheels to the machine shop this coming week. A second wheelchair lift has been purchased and received to be installed in the handicap car typically used on the Chama side to provide greater safety and service to our passengers. This will eliminate the need to cross the main line to board or disembark passengers confined to wheelchairs. A solar panel to charge the battery and a larger battery will also be instated. Other The slotter arrived March 24th and was moved into the machine shop. It has been wired and some tooting has been purchased. The machine, while functional, is missing some parts. For optimum performance, it requires about $10,000.00 worth of parts which have been ordered. The parts will take about 7-8 weeks to arrive as they have to be manufactured. A fair amount of time was spent leveling the east shop track inside the enginehouse to better facilitate leveling and tramming locomotives. The Kershaw Ballast Regulator is in the process of being modified. I visited with Soni Honegger on Tuesday, 29th April and it appears they are making good progress. The Antonito Shop Crew has been working on repairing and improving the steel flat car used to haul equipment to worksites. It is being outfitted with ramps and come-alongs to raise the ramps as well as repairing and beefing up the frame on ramp end. It will be used to haul needed equipment for the contractor to effect repairs at Windy Point. The Antonito Shop Crew has also been working on Diesel Locomotive 19 to put ft in better repair. The "Railroad injury and illness Summary" report for the month of March has been sent to the Federal Railroad Administration. The report for the month of April is being compiled. I am pleased to report that since the end of November there have been no reportable injuries. Respectfully submitted, Mark V. Yates
Here's how they can afford some of the work. From the TRAINS Newswire: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic receives million-dollar grant SANTA FE, N.M. – The U.S. Commerce Department is giving a $1 million grant to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission. The money will help rebuild the C&TS’s historic steam locomotives. The narrow-gauge railroad, which operates on the former Denver & Rio Grande Western line, carries tourists between New Mexico and Colorado from spring into fall each year. New Mexico and Colorado jointly own the 64-mile line that runs between Chama, N.M., and Antonito, Colo. Railroad officials said earlier this month the train will make limited runs this season – one-way trips Sundays through Wednesdays – because only one of its locomotives will be ready. A bus will pick up passengers and return them to the train's departing depot. The Federal Railroad Administration has told the railroad that the boilers for the steam-powered locomotives must be improved to meet federal standards before the season starts. The federal money comes from a fund that promotes the use of historic properties and resources for economic development and heritage tourism. The railroad commission and the state of New Mexico matched the grant with $250,000.
Sure hope they can get another steamer up and running soon! Just wondering- What is the work at Windy Point? Possibly similar to what was done in another location last year? Boxcab E50
