Mike, I would kill to see any one of these locomotives in service again. The work you do makes it so that if I ever win the lottery I don't have to. Thanks for your hard work and dedication!
So are the new rivets actually structural like the old rivets (as in they are properly riveted) or are they just spot welded in for the look? Also I must say I'm so glad I found your channel. I've been seeing these engines all my life and am always looking for restoration updates. Here's to historic preservation and many more videos in future!
Excellent Question! I weld the back of the rivet fully to mimic the original riveting process as best I can. Where I see fit, I might add new weld to structural components to make up for the squeezing action. Believe it or not I found rivets inside the tender that were welded from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Even they welded rivets toward the end of the locomotives service life.
I got the opportunity to visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at the end of September and I loved it, but I also recall thinking that it was a shame that some of the really impressive stuff in the outside lot seemed kind of abandoned. Your channel has made me happy to see that they aren't forgotten and will someday get the care and attention they need. Also, you might know the answer, but why is that one big steam locomotive at the turntable parked such that the tender is in front of the locomotive rather than behind it?
The L1 520 is the next engine to be sandblasted and painted for stabilization. We separate the locomotive from the tender so we can do each one individually. If the weather holds out I will be out in the yard working on it in anticipation of it getting done spring of next year. I will post videos of it.
It's a state museum, so state budgets. If you're a PA resident, write your congressmen. If the museum was prioritized more, things would be very different.
That "pitting" is actually not so much, or only minorly from rust. That is scale driven into the head. Most likely the rivet was slightly overheated when installed.
Who have you hired to do the riveting? Damn difficult to find people to do that kind of work. Since this is restoration, rather than preservation, keeping the new metal apart from the original.
Question: Am I correct in assuming that you are just trying to recreate the correct appearance of those engines, not return them to full operating condition?
Currently yes that is our goal. We have to preserve what we have before we could even think about operation. The more I get into the state of each engine, the more I see just how much would need done. Every engine would need a thicker boiler as well as a whole new tender tank. They were retired in rough shape back in the 50s.
MAN !!! At 2:40 in...You guy's I think MAY be a little overly meticulous. I mean whose going to get down and "Flyspeck" each nut and bolt, just to make sure "it's" original. Hell, just paint the damn side and call it a day. Time is Money right? Oh, and if somebody approaches you with such a marginal / minimal a complaint, ask them if they know what year this is. I can guarantee it'll shut 'em up 'cause they probably won't know. P.S. I'm BRAND-NEW here as of 11/15/23 and love this s**t. Can anybody tell me "are there any prior episodes", and how do I find them? THX !
This is the kind of content I signed up for! Here's to the success of your channel and restoration projects!
Thank you! It will keep coming
Excellent idea for a channel. Unique and educational. Keep it up!
Mike, I would kill to see any one of these locomotives in service again. The work you do makes it so that if I ever win the lottery I don't have to.
Thanks for your hard work and dedication!
I've never seen a channel grow so fast in 3 days! Thank you for sharing these projects with the world.
Lots of work to be done, but I'm sure glad it's happening! Thank you for helping preserve the PRR's legacy!
So are the new rivets actually structural like the old rivets (as in they are properly riveted) or are they just spot welded in for the look? Also I must say I'm so glad I found your channel. I've been seeing these engines all my life and am always looking for restoration updates. Here's to historic preservation and many more videos in future!
Excellent Question! I weld the back of the rivet fully to mimic the original riveting process as best I can. Where I see fit, I might add new weld to structural components to make up for the squeezing action. Believe it or not I found rivets inside the tender that were welded from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Even they welded rivets toward the end of the locomotives service life.
So, just to clarify, you said you fully rivet them, but on the exterior, by heating them up, are you weakening the rivet in any way? Thanks.
Very interesting!
I got the opportunity to visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at the end of September and I loved it, but I also recall thinking that it was a shame that some of the really impressive stuff in the outside lot seemed kind of abandoned. Your channel has made me happy to see that they aren't forgotten and will someday get the care and attention they need. Also, you might know the answer, but why is that one big steam locomotive at the turntable parked such that the tender is in front of the locomotive rather than behind it?
The L1 520 is the next engine to be sandblasted and painted for stabilization. We separate the locomotive from the tender so we can do each one individually. If the weather holds out I will be out in the yard working on it in anticipation of it getting done spring of next year. I will post videos of it.
It's a state museum, so state budgets. If you're a PA resident, write your congressmen. If the museum was prioritized more, things would be very different.
Awesome work! Thanks for using something to hold the camera steady. Good quality and very informative.
👍👍👍
That "pitting" is actually not so much, or only minorly from rust. That is scale driven into the head. Most likely the rivet was slightly overheated when installed.
Who have you hired to do the riveting? Damn difficult to find people to do that kind of work.
Since this is restoration, rather than preservation, keeping the new metal apart from the original.
We do! I'm looking forward to sharing that video.
Really nice! Very interesting, and good to know
I hope these aged rivets don't hold like they're 107 years old.
With them being welded on the back side I hope so too.
Question: Am I correct in assuming that you are just trying to recreate the correct appearance of those engines, not return them to full operating condition?
Currently yes that is our goal. We have to preserve what we have before we could even think about operation. The more I get into the state of each engine, the more I see just how much would need done. Every engine would need a thicker boiler as well as a whole new tender tank. They were retired in rough shape back in the 50s.
Tell me that you are giong to give the M1b #6755 some love soon?
MAN !!! At 2:40 in...You guy's I think MAY be a little overly meticulous. I mean whose going to get down and "Flyspeck" each nut and bolt, just to make sure "it's" original. Hell, just paint the damn side and call it a day. Time is Money right? Oh, and if somebody approaches you with such a marginal / minimal a complaint, ask them if they know what year this is. I can guarantee it'll shut 'em up 'cause they probably won't know. P.S. I'm BRAND-NEW here as of 11/15/23 and love this s**t. Can anybody tell me "are there any prior episodes", and how do I find them? THX !
This is my 5th video. The other 4 would be under my channel name
nuts