December 2020 Update

There is some great news about the Build No. 11 Project this month. First and foremost, our FundRazr has reached and surpassed its goal of $17,000, thanks many donations from members and friends far and near. Nevertheless, if you want to contribute, you still have about three weeks to do so. We’ll be announcing a new FundRazr campaign for 2021 on January 11.

The quotations for casting the cylinder half-saddles, driver centers, cranks and various other parts were received, and the team is evaluating them. The expectation is that an award will be announced by the end of 2020.

In other good news, Mountain Machine Works of Auburn, Maine will be machining 10 new axles for the WW&F Railway Museum, including the axles for the rear truck under No. 11. The others are for coach No. 9, a-building now in the Sheepscot shop, and B&SR boxcar No. 56, also in the shop. The really great news is that Mountain Machine is doing this work at half the usual cost, as a donation to our museum. This donation has been described as “a tremendous time savings” for the museum since we don’t have to manufacture the axles ourselves.

The new pattern for the WW&F No. 7 builder’s plate replicas was completed recently and delivered to the foundry on Dec. 7. The first 10 plates will be cast and sent to those who donated $1,100 to the Build 11 Project soon. If you want one of these beautiful bronze plates, just donate a lump sum of $1,100 (or more) to the project.

The engineering team continues to make purchases of materials, which will be stored in a designated container (which arrived at Sheepscot last week) until needed. Actual progress on Phase I of the construction of No. 11 will of necessity be slowed until the restrictions on travel imposed by COVID-19 are lifted sometime next year, we hope.

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November 2020 Update

Progress on No. 11 continues, with fund raising for this year getting close to the goal. As of Nov. 9, it’s less than $1,000 from that $17,000 goal. Thanks to all the great folks who have contributed. We’re currently working on plans for a new fund raising project, to debut in January 2021, to help move the Build 11 Project forward for another year. We can also report that we have received two competitive quotations for the major castings, and we expect to receive others as the Dec. 1 deadline approaches. The award will be made on that date, and as soon as all the documents are accepted and approved by both parties, that work will move forward. Through no fault of our own, several patterns for No. 11, including the driver centers and cranks, were seriously damaged by water. As a result, they must be dried out and repaired before they can be used. Several of the core boxes are beyond repair, so new ones must be made. Since we won’t need these components right away, however, there is time to do what must be done. As part of the Build 11 Project, several improvements to the shop are underway. The 20-inch Prentice lathe was recently sold and moved out, the the big New Haven lathe will soon follow it out the door. A 30-inch lathe has been acquired to handle the work formerly done by the two lathes, thereby gaining much-needed floor space in the shop. The new radial drill press is almost ready for use, and several machines are being relocated. As the winter weather comes on, work in the heated shop will pick up. Flanging of the final components for No. 10’s boiler will be accomplished by the end of the year, and then work to flange boiler components for No. 11 can begin. If there are no major holdups, the flanging work for both boilers should be completed by spring.

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October 2020 Video Update

Fund-raising for this year has reached over 93 percent! This is fantastic news, with more than two months left to reach our $17,000 goal. Thanks to all who have donated thus far. There is still time to donate, either through this website, or with a check to the museum in the good ol’ U.S. mail. We’re glad to have it any way you care to donate. The Request for Quotations for large castings went out on Oct. 1 to nine potential bidders, and we have already received confirmations and questions from about half of them. Foundries with the experience and ability to produce such complex castings as the cylinder half-saddles are relatively rare these days, so we reached out to operations in Maine, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and elsewhere to meet our needs.

In other news, a large sheet of one-inch steel plate has been water-jet cut by Aquacut of Syracuse, NY, into numerous smaller pieces for No. 11. (See video.) This is the same firm that cut the plate from which new boilers for No. 10 and No. 11 were made. The one-inch pieces have been placed on a pallet for shipping to Sheepscot. Next for Aquacut are 7/8 and 3/4-inch plate to make additional components. Before the snow flies, we hope to have a container on hand in which to safely store components for No. 11 until needed. Once the COVID-19 restrictions have eased, we hope to get a serious start on the first phase of the Build 11 Project, that of assembling the main and rear frame components. Harold Downey arrived from Texas the other day with another load of patterns for both No. 11 and coach No. 9. Both projects are moving forward.

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September 2020 Update

Some good new to start out this month’s No. 11 progress report.

Our on-line FundRazr has reached 76% of its goal for 2020, and we still have nearly four months to go. Eight individuals so far will be receiving bronze replicas of WW&F No. 7’s Baldwin Locomotive Works builder’s plates. In addition to funds flowing through the on-line site, donations are coming into the mailbox at the Alna post office. We are grateful for every dollar we receive. Thank you. Thank you. The engineering team continues to meet weekly via Zoom. Recently, the team has been concentrating on the production of drawings for the tender. So far, Harold Downey has produced about 60 drawings of various details necessary for the water tank and coal space for No. 11. In addition to the tender, a great deal of attention has been focused on the final details of the Request for Quotations packet that will be in the mail sometime in the next few days. The team has selected seven potential manufacturers of the cylinder half-saddles, driver wheel centers and other major cast components.

Harold Downey sent several photos of patterns he’s been making in his workshop at home in Austin, Texas. Among the photos is one that illustrates the complexity of not only pattern making, but also the complexity of castings parts. One attached photo shows the parts necessary to cast the trailing truck journal boxes for No. 11. To start with, in pattern making, the maker must be able to visualize the part as a negative, similar to a photographic negative. He must see what’s around the part, rather than the completed part. To make the journal box, five separate pattern parts are necessary. There are also two photos of another part that Harold has patterned, that of the rear truck swing link hanger. The larger photo shows the hanger as it would look as a completed casting, while the inset illustrates how the casting will be made using two parts of the same piece.

Notice the two small holes in the left-hand piece, into which the two pegs are inserted to properly align the sections. Now imagine how complicated making the patterns for the steam cylinder half-saddles will be. There are several interior passages for live and exhaust steam that must curve inside the casting to deliver the steam to the valve and allow the exhaust steam to exit. There are also several “lightening” areas to reduce the overall weight of this large part. It’s estimated each half-saddle will weigh about 1,500 pounds.

In other news, our bull riveter is back together. It was tested last weekend, and on Saturday, Alan Downey, along with Gerry and Carlos Steinke, plan to rivet the front ring to the new smokebox for No. 10. Carlos and Jerry completely overhauled the riveter during the spring, and this machine will have major role in the construction of No. 11, as well as in the manufacture of boilers for No. 10 and No. 11.

Thanks again for your continued support for the Build 11 project!

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August 2020 Update

It’s August 11th – which means it’s time for the monthly update to BUILD LOCOMOTIVE #11!

This report on No. 11 includes some fabulous news, as well as updates on actual progress that moves the project forward. First of all, we have received two substantial donations for No. 11. An anonymous member has donated $50,000 to the project, which really provides us a kick start! In addition, the Bluewater Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, located in Royal Oak, Michigan, heard about the project and donated $10,000. This chapter, which is going out of business, has sold off its collection of passenger equipment and is donating the proceeds of that sale to what it considers worthy causes. Many, many thanks to both donors.

In addition to these wonderful donations, this FundRazr crowd-funding has reached about 45% of the $17,000 goal we set for ourselves. Just in July, three people each donated $1,100 or more, entitling each of them to a replica of WW&F No. 7’s Baldwin builder’s plate. The pattern for the plates has been made and delivered to Cattail Foundry, which is producing 10 plates for us — we’re quite optimistic that others will want one. Thank YOU for supporting us through FundRazr. The engineering group has developed a timetable for the manufacture of No. 11.

Over a five year period, it is hoped that No. 11 will go from paper and electronic images to the actual live, steaming, operating locomotive. Phase 1 — building the main frame from from front to back, including the cylinders and rear frame castings. Phase 2 — adding the running gear including pilot and rear trucks, drivers, etc. Phase 3 — finish all foundation work including driving gear, valves and brakes. Phase 4 — boiler and tank installed on frame. And finally, Phase 5 — completion and testing of the new locomotive.

On Aug. 3, the frames and other parts made by Precision Grinding Inc. in Alabama were delivered to Sheepscot and are temporarily stored in Bay 1. This month, quotations for water-jet production of parts, plus a request for quotations for production of the cylinder half-saddle sections, will go out. The cylinders are cast in two identical sections which are then machined and bolted together, thus the “half-saddle” nomenclature. In addition the drive wheel centers and the eccentric cranks will be cast. Last but not least, No. 10 was recently moved from shop track 2 over to track 1, not only to provide shop space for coach No. 9’s construction, but also so No. 10’s boiler construction and other necessary work can continue. During the move, a rolling inspection of No. 10’s running gear was performed, revealing no problems.

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July 2020 Update

It’s July 11th – which means it’s time for the monthly update to BUILD LOCOMOTIVE #11!

So how do we get from “wouldn’t it be cool” to the actual locomotive? An engineering team, led by Jason Lamontagne, joined by Rick Sisson, Harold Downey, Eric Shade, Gordon Cook and Alan Downey, is using modern methods to take the locomotive piece- by-piece from a series of sketches to computer-assisted designs and finally to the shop to become a real piece of iron or steel.

WW&F No. 7 was scrapped in 1937. Fortunately for the team, Baldwin Locomotive Works had developed a very methodical and logical approach to locomotive construction. Virtually every piece and part that went into a Baldwin locomotive was of a standardized design. Baldwin engineers relied on the company’s Manual of Standard Practices, which defined the dimensions and materials for every component, for guidance. By following those specifications, these components could be made, no matter the gauge or size of the locomotive. Our WW&F team is following those same standards as they design and draw the many components, which, once assembled, will become WW&F No. 11.

The team meets weekly on Zoom to discuss progress and challenges. Each member of the team has been assigned a series of related components, which will become sub-assemblies of the locomotive. Rick Sisson manages a spreadsheet to track completion of drawings and patterns, while Eric Shade carefully checks each drawing against the standards.

The process begins with an old-fashioned sketch on paper, with the necessary dimensions indicated, sometimes with an arrow pointing to a particular place or a circle indicating an area for special attention. Following the sketch, several two-dimensional computer drawing are made, including all dimensions for rivet or bolt holes, angles, fillets or any other modifications. The exciting part comes next, as the two-dimensional drawings are converted to a 3-D images using one of several Computer Assisted Design programs. A 3-D image offers the design team the opportunity to “see” what the finished object will look like. The image can be manipulated on the screen to allow viewing from any angle, it can be enlarged to show detail, and in very complex designs, such as the cylinders, it’s even possible to see interior details. Various smaller parts can be “stacked” on the screen to show the final product. In fact, a 3-D image can be “printed” to make a foundry pattern.

The first parts manufactured in 2020 for No. 11 should be at Sheepscot soon. These are the two main frame rails and two pallets of smaller parts. All were made using CAD prints produced by the engineering team and sent to Precision Grinding, Inc. of Bessemer, Alabama. Parts were produced by computer-controlled plasma-cutting, a polishing process known as Blanchard grinding and final machining.

The fund-raising for No. 11 continues apace. The first on-line campaign on FundRazr kicked off on June 11 and raised its first $1,000 in less than two days. In addition to the on-line contributions, funds were mailed directly to the WW&F post office box. Our goal by the end of 2020 is $17,000, which will set up the budget for the first year of the project of $50,000. Have you donated yet? Don’t forget the special gift for anyone who donates $1100 or more in a single check. We will give each of those generous individuals a full size bronze replica of WW&F No. 7’s Baldwin builder’s plate, produced at Cattail Foundry in Gordonville, Pa.

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The Origins: 2008 to Present Day

While the Build 11 project started in earnest during 2020, (we were bored, isolated, and had some spare time) its origins go back more than a decade prior. For a chronical of the project from (nearly) the beginning, see the Build 11 Official Work Thread on our Discussion Forum.