Microsoft Word - 2000June.doc HotScoop Shovel Logo by Larry Rose A publication dedicated to San Diego Railroad Museum volunteers June 2000 MUSEUM NEWS VOL XII NO VI <<>> Ted Kornweibel I want to let the whole Museum know how hard everyone worked to make the Rummage Sale a success last Saturday. Don and Elaine Getz organized it, and I don't blame them for not doing it yearly; it must have taken months to put the pieces together. I don't know who all else participated, so I won't list names for fear of slighting someone. But to all to pitched in, you have my heartfelt thanks. You know who you are: you collected all the treasures, set up for the sale, conducted the sale, and brought it to a close. I spent most of Saturday at the sale, and saw many of you "in action." Wow! I don't have an official tally for the proceeds, but I understand it was a goodly sum. In case you don't know it, the proceeds are going to replace the funds missing from the RPO restricted account. With what was raised last Saturday, we are close to being able to hire our painter to do the interior of the RPO car. All that's needed is to finish the prep work. That's another reason for this message. If a few of you would be willing to give one or two Saturdays to working with us "regulars," we could have the car ready for painting in four weeks or less! It's mostly sanding, a little caulking, a bit of filling with easy-to-work-with epoxy steel. No rocket science. The best part of it is the great fellowship! So PLEASE, if you can help out, even for only one Saturday in the next four weeks, we can bring this to a glorious finish. Please call me THIS WEEK at (619) 461-0098, so I can know who to expect, and have all the materials, tools, etc., ready. Together we can knock this out in short order. But I need your help. Thanks in advance. Perhaps I should explain a bit more: once the inside is painted, then it's just refinishing the woodwork and sanding and painting the floor, and the interior is DONE. After that, exterior lettering, and then INTO THE DISPLAY BUILDING as another COMPLETELY-RESTORED MUSEUM-QUALITY ARTIFACT! <<>> Ken Kahan One day when Ross Bryant was still here a few months ago an AB brake valve failed on one of the cars. Ross removed it and found a split diaphragm due probably to age. He quickly grabbed a valve out of the brake room and the train was on its way. He gave me a valve that he claimed was an ABD emergency section because of the rubber- actuating diaphragm and said go ahead and rebuild it. That should have been the end of the story. I started going through the books to order parts for this valve and found I had no books to support what I was looking at. This sparked the next 3 months of research. During this search Wabco has supplied me with virtually every brake valve book on passenger and freight equipment from the 1920's to present from Triple, K, L, AB, AC, ABD, ABDW, ABDT, UC, D22, (and about 20 valves I didn't mention), all relays, quick service to most locomotive equipment. Still the exact valve I have is not shown. Rubber diaphragms are only found beyond AB systems while only metal piston and rings were used in AB valves and most valves previous. This was all quite strange especially since the parts I was looking at were all stamped with the Wabco symbols but no piece numbers. After numerous calls to my friend Mike at Wabco engineering (a 30 year veteran) who also was ready to give up saying "I have to be looking at a New York Air Brake Hybrid" said he would call two friends of his that are retired Wabco brake engineers that retired years ago and that they were in their 70's or 80's. By the way I found out that Wabco used to sell parts to NY Air for certain applications and sometimes left their logo stamped on the rubber and metal. Well here is the end of the story: AB valves were considered the standard of the freight brake industry for 20 plus years but always lacked the quick action in both service and emergency in all applications--set, release, charge, emergency etc. Wabco then designed the AC valve, which I understand was a great valve and solved most problems and was way ahead of its time (by the way we actually have a AC valve in the brake room) but they goofed and made a different pipe bracket for it, even though the plumbing to the bracket remained the same. All of the large railroads resisted heavily and refused to retrofit the thousands of cars with the new pipe bracket and virtually limited the new design to small railroads or new captive fleets. They demanded that the new technology be able to fit the AB pipe bracket. So here's what happened: They started to modernize the AB valve. First came the Service portion. There are actually Service portion AB valves out there with rubber diaphragms and they are called ABC1 valves. TRY TO FIND A BOOK ON THIS! The next project was to do this to the Emergency section. I found out that when Wabco used to design new parts they would simply give them "E" (engineering) numbers but they would only be in print on the blueprints and not on the parts. Only in production would a part receive a piece number. It was during this development that Wabco engineering came up with the ABD valve which replaced the entire AB valve group by only changing one mounting stud to a shorter one. End of AB emergency update project! The old engineer told my friend that he remembers this project only vaguely and he had no interest in digging up the papers and blue prints nor did he know where they might have been stored at Wabco or they could even have been tossed. But he is sure that this was an actual cancelled project. WHAT WE HAVE IS A PROTOTYPE VALVE! This may not be too interesting to some but I think its pretty interesting that this unique valve in railroading history wound up in our hands and not only that, saw about 40 years or service before one of the prototype parts died of age. The old engineer said he had no idea how that valve ever left Wabco for interchange service because they were never supposed to see service until production was approved. I also had taken pictures of the disassembled parts and sent them to Mike at Wabco whose response was "I've never in 30 years seen a diaphragm like that one made by Wabco". In any case I intend to preserve it as it is and not rob any parts. Who knows maybe someday we can have a display showing the history of locomotive brakes and put this one on display. (And I will close the book on months of Wabco research.) Thanks for listening. <<>> Allan Dillane Yard Track Foreman Steve Kostelak reports that switch 11/12 is safe, as of May 20th, to temporarily operate an engine through. The track crew will finish strengthening the switch, grinding the south stock rail and tamping the switch lead-in tracks. Recently the north stock rail of switch 11/12 failed and the failure of the switch frog became apparent. Switch 11/12 is a rare #7, 90 lb. "clamped" museum piece that is critical to the access of the inspection pit and one of the key tracks into the Car Barn. Besides being old, worn and rusted, the switch over the years has become humped and the lead-in tracks have become dipped from depleted ballast. The increased activity through the switch has added stress. What caused the rail to snap can not be confirmed. However, the ingenious, diligent and timely efforts of the welding crew and track crew can be. Rich Warner has just finished an expensive and labor intensive refit to his tractor, which allowed him to move the 90 lb. rail with ease. He spent much of last week searching through the weeds in the north forty hoping to find the parts to repair the switch to no avail. Dick McIntyre showed up at Campo last Thursday in answer to a special call from the track crew for help. It is something special to be present and watch the minds of Rich and Mac working away on a problem. All their years of engineering and fabrication experience come in to play. The solution does credit to the railroad worker traditions of the past. When they agreed with a solution they and their crews just went to work and things happened. It may not be pretty but it is utilitarian and above all safe and operable. It is important to the story to note that the heat of the day seemed more like the middle of August and at switch 11/12 there was no shade. The tamper was operating and the new spike driver (that was paid for by volunteers) in such heat was a godsend! No one has counted the number of hydraulic and air hoses that Kostelak has personally replaced (must be close to 20) on the tamper but it is another example of how attention to infrastructure and maintenance pays off when the chips are down. The Museum owes a special thanks to all involved. <<>> Jim Lundquist With the pledge of a power auger from Gary Sweetwood, I have begun the long process of installing mileposts at each mile of the SD&A that is open between Division and Plaster City. The original mileposts put up by SP in the 60's were metal on the telegraph poles - most long gone. I've adopted the T&T style, modified, to use rail with the number painted on them. Milepost 66 is already up. I expect these to be bullet proof and last my lifetime. Well, I will have to paint them every few years. I am using an expensive ($40+/gallon) primer which "destroys rust", and a high quality white paint -hopefully to gain extra years between paintings. Next station sign - Hi Pass. Hopefully, we'll be running there again. I can use help locating the milepost sites – contact me if interested. It involved walking and speeder work, along with painting ties. Thanks to Mike Retz for starting that job with me. <<>> Bob Schussler Most of us feel the importance of the Trainman position lies in the close relationship with the passengers. That closeness gives us satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, this closeness also entails close scrutiny of us by the passengers. Our personal appearance and performance must be exemplary if we are to represent the museum in a positive way. Although we have all attended Trainman's class, now and then we forget some of our responsibilities or we think some of the prescribed duties are just not important. Here are a few things to think about on your next duty day. Arrive at Campo two hours before departure time. There are good reasons for that. First, you need to visit the yard to see what surprises await since your last duty day, and to plan a safe and informative route through the yard. Take a notebook with you, list the equipment you're going to talk about, and, if there' s something new, look up the pertinent facts. If your going to pass by the freight cars and/or cabooses, at east tell the passengers the railway they're from, the year of manufacture, and a fact or two about each. Prepare the train. Ensure the cars are clean and swept and that water is aboard. Ensure also that there are trashcans in each car and that they have liners in them. Open some windows. If you arrive only an hour ahead of departure, your work will already be done by someone else. He won't like it. Attend the safety meeting. It's usually held an hour before. You're responsible for passenger safety, so be there. During the trip, point out areas of interest. You should know the route, and you should share your knowledge with all the passengers, not just the pretty ones. Move around and make sure everyone is aware of things like the stone house, the burned ranch house, etc. Also, watch for smokers. This can't be done from a sitting position. Upon return to the depot, conduct a yard tour or prepare the train for the next trip. The Trainman conducting the tour should be knowledgeable (that's why you took your pre-trip walk), friendly, and very much in charge. The Trainman returning with the train should empty all trashcans and turn the seats to face east. Passengers on the second run deserve a clean train, too. Second trip, same thing. If there are two Trainmen, alternate duties. If there's just you, conduct the tour and ask the Conductor for help on cleaning the train. Check with the Conductor for his wishes on closing windows, locking the train, etc. DO NOT leave until the Conductor dismisses you. There's nothing new here. We all know what to do, but not everyone is doing it. Let's review our procedures and see if there's some area we might improve on. Nobody's perfect, but we can come pretty close. <<>> Jim Baker Rule of the Month - Hours of Service - AGAIN PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY - PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FOUND IN VIOLATION With the advent of trips to Tijuana, etc, and other late day trains, like dinner trains, and evening trains to Tecate, we all need to pay more attention to the Hours of Service regulations. Remember the following: 1) The longest you can work in one 24-hour period is 12 hours. This may be 12 continuous hours, or the period may be broken by a rest period of AT LEAST 4 HOURS. For example, if you come on duty at 8 AM, you could work until 8 PM, or you could work from 8 ‘til noon, rest until 4 PM, then work until midnight. Rest must be at a designated terminal, where "food and lodging" is available. Campo is our only terminal; food, of sorts, is available, and the crew lounge is available for rest. 2) If you work 12 continuous hours, you must be off for at least 10 hours before going on duty again. If you work less than 12 continuous hours, you must be off for at least 8 hours before going back on duty. 3) When you come on duty, you must’ve had at least 8 hrs off in the preceding 24 hrs. 4) While only the operating crew is covered by these regulations (Engineer, fireman, conductor, brakemen), ANYTHING ELSE YOU ARE DOING FOR THE MUSEUM PRIOR TO STARTING AS OPERATING CREW IS "DUTY." For example, you cannot come out to Campo at 8 am and do maintenance work, or be a Trainman all day, and then be part of the operating crew for the dinner train. But, you could go on duty as an engineer at 8 AM, work until 5 PM in that position, then do maintenance work until midnight, since maintenance isn't covered. But, if you were going to be on the crew the next day, you would need 10 hours rest (until 10 am) before going back on duty. YOU MUST BE RESTED BEFORE GOING ON DUTY IN A COVERED POSITION. Other Museum work, including paperwork in the office, is NOT rest. 5) While the rules appear to be written with regular railroad employees in mind, I'm sure that if not expressly prohibited, the FRA would not like it if you worked a graveyard shift at your regular job, and then immediately came out to Campo to crew on a train. QUALIFICATION BOARD The Qualification Board recently certified the following people to operate: Brakeman: Dave Houk and Jim Polloreno. CONGRATULATIONS!! FIRE SUPPRESSION TRAINING ALL volunteers are invited (strongly encouraged) to attend a training session at Campo put on by Capt. Pete Scully, of CDF, and his staff from the Campo Forest Fire Station. Weather permitting, we will work on putting out an actual fire. All train crewmembers, especially fire speeder operators, should attend, along with anyone else who is interested. Be sure to wear 100% cotton clothing that day. Date: Sat., June –TBD Time: -TBD A.M. Check with the office for date and time. <<>> Jack O’Lexey I have posted in the Carbarn near the phone on the Hazmat Site Plan a phone number for MSDS: 1-800-694-6782. It’s also inside the paint locker. If you have a spill, or get something in your eye or swallow something call that number for help. Soon I will have MSDS sheets in a red 3-ring binder and kept it in the paint locker on or near the door. I will not be able to have all the sheets since I am not finding number needed to get the sheets. You may find it quicker to call the 800 number. If you have HAZMAT materials for your department call this number and ask to speak to someone who can send you these sheets and they will connect you. <<>> Jim Polloreno FOOD BOOTH: Thanks to all who have done so much to help La Mesa Depot and the Museum. The Booth was closed on 18 May, so that we could prepare for the rummage sale the following Saturday. Last week we were open for week #8. 25 May sales were as follows Food:$172.50, Donations:$8.25, Total:$180.75 Added to coffee and donut sales from the rummage sale $71.10 is a total for last week of $251.85. Event to Date $1,576.35. RUMMAGE SALE: First thing is a huge thanks to all that participated, as Donors or crew. I will list the crew names here: Bob & Teri Miles, Don & Elaine Getz, Ann McVeagh, Rita Cloud, Randy Gibson, June Wallace, Jim Polloreno, Duane Dubke, Sue Ann Taggart, Dick Pennick, Terry Clark, Ted Kornweibel, Janet Sager, Jack O'Lexey. Thanks to Security guys Myke Santos & Friends. If I have left out anyone's name please know that you are truly thanked for your help and support. The money will go to finish the R.P.O. car, a very worthwhile and deserving project. Total Raised $2,862.65 MODEL TRAIN & RAILROAD COLLECTIBLES SALE: JUNE 10TH 2000 <<>> Randy Houk I have added new photos of restoration specialists Frank Stites, Ted Kornweibel and Kevin Dudenbostel. I also caught a shot of U.S. Customs Officer Gary Board. These folks and others can be seen at http://www.sdrm.org/gallery/people/. <<>> June 5 Operations meeting July 3 June 3, 4, 24 and 25 Steam July 8 and 9 June 3 and 17 Campo to Tecate July 8 and 22 June 20 School Train July 18 June 10 and 24 Twilight Dinner June 28 Museum Services meeting July 26 June 28 Deadline for July articles >>>Article Submissions<<< Please submit articles in pure text (.txt) or MS Word (.doc) format. E-mail to hotscoop@sdrm.org is preferred. Please send address changes to the Hot Scoop editor. >>>PHONE NUMBERS and e-mail<<< Web page: http://www.sdrm.org SDRM ADMINISTRATION @sdrm.org Business Office, Rich Borstadt (619)595-3030 office Business Office Fax (619)595-3034 Museum Phone (La Mesa Depot) (619)697-7762 Report Editor, Marna Hartjen (760)489-1353 report HotScoop Editor, Randy Houk (858)672-0111 hotscoop La Mesa Depot (619)697-7762 Campo Depot (619)478-9937 Campo Car Shop (619)478-9451 Campo Caretaker, Thomas Lee Braginton (619)478-9344 DEPARTMENT HEADS @sdrm.org Executive Director, Rich Borstadt (619)294-9321 borstadt Research, Bruce Semelsberger (619)264-7282 Library, Roy Pickering (619)462-3392 pickering Operations, Lew Wolfgang (619)662-1963 wolfgang Safety, Jack O’Lexey (858)274-4449 olexey Restoration, Ted Kornweibel (619)461-0098 kornweibel Steam, Dwight Koller (619)478-9348 Training, Jim Baker (619)670-7441 baker Trainmen/Guides, Bob Schussler (619)698-1458 schusslerb La Mesa Depot, Jim Polloreno (619)590-2892 polloreno Facilities, Thomas Lee Braginton (619)478-9344

2000-06-Hot-Scoop

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Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

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