• Cosmetic Restoration: Project 565

  • Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.
Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.

Moderator: blockline4180

  by afboone
 
I'm working with Steamtown to restore 565 as a display. We have found several exterior photos but have no interior cab photos.
We are also looking for drawing if anyone has them. We are trying to figure out the doors and windows of the cab.

Thank you in advance.

Steve B.
  by afboone
 
Anyone interested in helping with 565, we have a workday scheduled on the 18th of February, Weather may change this--love the snow! We normally meet at the parking lot around 9:00. We will be sorting parts, cab hardware, running gear components, and start looking at where we want to start restoration. We may be sandblasting some parts and if we can find the pilot journels we will start assembly of the front pilot. Please PM me if you are interseted and can come out.

Thanks, Steve.
  by afboone
 
Over the last two weeks we were able to get to Steamtown and work 2 days. We have found about 90% of the parts. Thanks to Dave Crosby for the tips on the boxcar. We actually found the parts in a baggage car. 6 wooden pallets worth! We found some big stuff:
Located the equalizer bar and stablizer for the front pilot truck
Front axle journels
Boiler jacket--NEW!
All the drivers and wheel attachment hardware
The dual water injector!
The steam dome
another dome, sorry not sure the name, but its just forward of the cab
We found the headlight
The Doors, windows, and forward cab windows---need to be rebuilt.
Most of the brake linkage

Now the fun can really begin----SANDBLASTING all the parts and getting them painted.
Within the next 2 months the back shop wants to move the tender into the shop so we can lift the oil tank out of the tender and return that to a coal burner. Also they want to get the engine moved over the wheel pit and drop the front drive axle and install the journels and the front pilot. We need to get that done before the engine can be moved around to the back shop. The plan is once it's in the back shop to realign the boiler with the chassis and bolt it back together. If we can't get the wheel pit fixed we will jack her on the spot and work on the journels and pilot.

Some of the chassis parts are missing:
The bar that the equalizer hooks to the front drive axle is still missing along with the springs for that axle. Still looking for that!

[URL=http://good-times.webshots.com/pho ... .jpg[/img][/url]
It took 30+years but the 565 is now have all her pieces within 50 feet of her. Anyone who would like to come help please PM me. I'm looking for some carpenters for the doors and windows and anyone who wants to sandblast or paint. Thanks.

Steve B.
  by afboone
 
More pics......................

All the parts are now in these bins! Those are the journels and air compressor.
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Equalizer bar, the dual water injector, what we thought were the pilot journels (don't fit) Oh yeah, the urban legend was true about the equalizer, we found it buried in a weed pile on the scrap dock. I tripped over it!!!!
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Front pilot assy
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Working in the snow.
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More parts
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More parts
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Steam dome
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  by afboone
 
18 Feb workday! We found the last of the bins of parts for the engine. Some of the driver connecting rods pieces, The U-bolt that connects the main rod to the crossheads, we found the drop link to the equalizer but didn't find the bar that crosses from the front driver springs to connect the equalizer to it.

The next steps are in work. The historian now is working on the paperwork to let the powers to be in the NPS that restoration has started. We can continue working but we can only do some of the minor work. We are looking at the next workday to move the engine to the drop pit in the roundhouse to drop the front driver out and install the journels. That's going to be an all day project. Plus while we have to install the pilot truck. We have one of the brackets to hold the journels in so we will have to make another one up. We are still looking for the front springs for the front drive. We have a volunteer who lives close who is going to start sandblasting/priming parts.
  by cjvrr
 
Steve,

Looks like a neat project and one that should have been done years ago. Seeing your posts here and on the RYPN list I figured I would forward your posts to the Erie Lackawanna eMail list. I received the following response;
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:52:05 -0500
From: Neil Weinberg <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: (erielack) DL&W 565 work at Steamtow

Have you spoken to Don Jones? He has parts for this locomotive!

Neil Weinberg
I am unsure if you have spoken to either of these gentleman, but I wanted to pass the information along.

Good luck with your continued efforts.

Chris
  by afboone
 
Chirs can you get me a number or e-mail address? Thanks again. Big day coming up with 565, we are going to move her to the drop down pit next month, looks like 26 Mar, and jack her up and drop out the front drive wheels to install the journels. Bruce doesn't want to move her onto the switches and curves without them. We could jump the tracks or cause some damage. Once we do that they will move her into the back shop for us.
  by cjvrr
 
Steve,

I don't know the parties involved. I would suggest emailing Mr. Weinberg who's email address was in the linked message.
  by afboone
 
Hi everyone, We are coming up on the 26th of March. Looks like we will be moving the engine to the drop pit and lowering the front drive axle out to install the journels. We have to do this before we can move her to main shop. The shop foreman doesn't want her to damage the chassis or jump the tracks while we move her back there. If anyone can helps please let me know or if you want to stop by and watch the fun come on by!

Thanks, Steve.
  by Otto Vondrak
 
afboone wrote:Anyone interested in helping with 565, we have a workday scheduled on the 18th of February, Weather may change this--love the snow! We normally meet at the parking lot around 9:00. We will be sorting parts, cab hardware, running gear components, and start looking at where we want to start restoration. We may be sandblasting some parts and if we can find the pilot journels we will start assembly of the front pilot. Please PM me if you are interseted and can come out.

Thanks, Steve.
So I assume that this work always takes place at Steamtown? Are you attempting a cosmetic restoration? I dont know anything about this project... :-)
  by afboone
 
Hey Otto. Yes we are doing all the work at Steamtown. It's only a cosmetic restoration. We are only the laborers :-D Steamtown has a project manager assigned and the shop foreman is the man with the plan. I'm trying to get a weekend crew together cause we, my guys from McGuire, usually come up during the week. So if I can get someone to work on her on the weekends we can get alot done.

Thanks.
  by Schuylkill Valley
 
Hey all,
This is an Email I received from Steve, If theres any one out there that can help us at Steamtown with this historical locomotive please do.
Len.


Gentlemen,

Sorry about taking so long to get back to you guys. I’m in the Air Force and I’m deploying to Iraq in July so training has been crazy. I will be gone for one year. I want to get together with everyone to show where we are with 565 and also to get someone to take over while I’m gone. We have found a ton of parts and we need to start putting the front truck together. And get the brakes working before we can move her. I would like to go up on a Sunday either the 14th or 21 of June. Plus we can start on the cab with metal work and wood work. Let me know what day is best for everyone. I hope we can keep this project moving so the critics can stuff in their ears J. What do you think?



Steve.
  by afboone
 
Folks, we are planning a workday on Sunday the 14th of June. Work continues on 565. We are right now getting the front pilot cleaned up and ready for re-installation. Also we are trying to re-assmble the brake system so we can safely move the engine around to the main shop. I'm looking for someone with welding skills to start welding some cracks we found. Send me a PM if interested.

Thanks, Steve.
  by afboone
 
Well I got some folks up to Steamtown yesterday and work continues on sandblasting. We removed all the brake parts and sandblasted. The brake cross bars are removed and we took measurements of the brake connecting rods to make sure we have them.

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  by Schuylkill Valley
 
This is an Email from Steve.
Len.

"Gentlemen,

I must apologize for doing this but with me leaving in a few short weeks my younger son is in a championship baseball game that had to be moved to Sunday. So I’m not going to be able to come up and give you a great turn-over on this project, I apologize again. I hope you understand that family comes first especially with the way the situation is for me. I encourage you all still to go up.

Bruce Mowbray, in the CC box, is a shop boss at Steamtown and has been an awesome help and great person all around. He is excited, like most of the shop, about getting 565 back to her former glory. All the parts are by the engine and in the room just in front. We have 3 bins full of stuff. Some we are sure don’t go so you can take that back to the scrap dock (It is a nick name). Pat who Leo has been in contact with can help with getting you into the basement where there may be some more parts. Justin you have been there too. Some of the parts will have to be made. The cow catcher and front of the boiler are located in the bay next to the tender. The boiler jacket is on the other side of 759. The doors and windows are in the parts room off the room where the bins are. As you come into the room look to your left on the shelves, you will see red doors about 5-6 feet on a shelf those are for 565. Also in that same room is a loft, the headlight is there.



Bruce wants to get her on the pit to re-install the journals but we need the wheel lift to do that. So we have to wait until the contractor gets that fixed. I suggest you guys concentrate on getting the pilot truck ready to go back in. Also sandblast the journals for the front driver and you are going to need to make the piece that holds the journal in place. We have one so to make a copy should be easy. It’s in the bins. It’s about 2 feet long, 2 inches thick and about 4 inches wide. If get that done over the next several months, may look at the tender as an easy kill to get finished. To me it looks in very good condition, except for the rotten wood on the ends and that ugly oil tank.



Again I do apologize for this but my family comes first. Thanks for helping and good luck. I will stay in contact with you guys while I’m over there. I should be able to get with you thru RYPN, Railroad.net or Railfan.net.

Parts Still Missing:

The pilot truck pin.

The steps for the front of the tender, they may be in a crate up on the hill. It’s a big metal box just to the left of the stacks of sheet metal. They are under some couples in that crate.

Steve."