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| Repairs to the running gear of ex-SLSF 4-8-2 1522 | ||
 Rogersville, MO, 19 June 1994. Photo by John Craft. | On 17 June 1999, during its first run after an eighteen-month overhaul, Frisco 4-8-2 1522 derailed on a wye in north St. Louis, MO. (See the archive for more information.) As a result of the derailment and the subsequent rerailing efforts, 1522's running gear suffered significant damage. | |
| Scott Lindsay of Steam Operations Corporation and Gary Bensman of Diversified Rail Services are the contractors performing the repair work. Scott is using the machine shop facilities of Lunar Tool & Machine in St. Louis, MO, and Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN. (For a detailed look at the shop, see Jeff Terry's "Lineside Legacy" column on page 16 of the March, 1999 "Railfan & Railroad.") And of course the volunteer members of the St. Louis Steam Train Association and the Museum of Transportion (formerly the National Museum of Transport) deserve a lot of credit for the terrific work they continue to do with 1522. | ||
| The following photos have been provided by Scott Lindsay, and Steve Freer of TVRM. | ||
| The Derailment | ||
 | The problem is pretty clear - a rail has turned over, and 1522's wheels on this side have come to rest neatly on the the web. | |
 | A close-up view of the right no. 4 driver resting on the inside rail of the curve. | |
 | On the other side, the wheels have come to rest inside the gauge of a curve. After several attempts to right the engine in place, the locomotive had to be dragged along the roadbed about 600 feet, to straight track, for rerailing. | |
 | 1522 gets a lift from Hulcher Rerailing Services. After a thorough inspection, and a delay while a new drawbar is fabricated, 1522 will make its way to Galesburg, IL. During the trip it quickly becomes obvious that something is wrong. | |
| Repairing the Damage | |
 | Here we go again. Just prior to the derailment 1522 had been given a thorough, back-to-original-specs overhaul; now after only 20 miles of trouble-free running, the work has to be done from scratch again. |
 | Driver set No. 3 rests in Lunar Tool's wheel lathe; one of the centers is getting its tire seat (the outer surface) machined prior to being fitted with new tires. |
 | An overall view of the Lunar Tool wheel lathe. Note the other side of the axle set; this tire and center was judged not to need work. Terry Winters (L), president of Lunar Tool, gives a tour to customers. |
 | A view of the bearing surface inside the "L1" bearing box (which fits the first driver on the left side of the locomotive); the triangular patterns are grooves to trap and distribute lubricant along the bearing surface. |
 | A close-up of the photo above. Note the cracking of the brass caused by impact during the derailment. If this bearing were not replaced, it would probably heat up unacceptably when the locomotive is running. |
 | A view of the driving boxes. Facing the camera, with a hole in the center of the surface, is the top of the box. A pin on the spring saddle engages this hole to keep the driver and spring aligned when assembled. The pin protruding from the "top" (actually the front) of the box is put in place to hold in place the brass blanks that are machined to form the bearing surface; it will not protrude when the work is complete. |
 | Driving boxes from 1522 (A) and 2719 (B) being bored to the proper internal diameter to fit their respective axles. |
 | The trailing truck is being fitted with new tires and new roller bearings. |
 | The rear two driver sets from 1522 arrive TVRM's East Chattanooga shop. The other drivers are from ex-SOO 4-6-2 2719, another project Scott is working on. |
 | Scott (L) and Mike Brown move the drivers to the rear of the shop, where TVRM's wheel equipment is located. |
 | All five driver sets (three from 2719, two from 1522) congregate in the shop. (The crane in the background had been used to assemble the wheel lathe.) |
More Coming Soon! | |
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