VOLUNTEERS
. . . without whom 113 would still sit cold and rusty.
If you would like to get involved, get in touch with us through the message board on the front page of this Web site. Whether you have mechanical skills, marketing skills, artistic skills, or people skills, you can make a difference in Railway Preservation Project 113. We look forward to hearing from you!
In these photos, from the Pottsville Republican Herald, volunteers Bernie Perch and Jim Garraway test the brand new whistle on the locomotive, and then Mr. Perch keeps an eye on the steam gauge while firing up the engine.
We would like to thank . . .
. . . all of the groups, organizations, governmental agencies, and individuals who have contributed their time, talent, and treasure, to our restoration project.
The late Mr. Robert Kimmel, Sr., started this project more than 30 years ago, and to him we owe more than we can ever say. He appears in the lower right corner of the photo montage below.
Photomontage © 2014 Scott Herring -- "The Last Anthracite Photographer"
What does it take to restore and run a steam locomotive?
John Oross has worked on almost every aspect of the restoration, and he has also becomne one of the very few firemen in modern times to shovel 100% anthracite into a locomotive firebox. In the photo above, John handles the rake, a long, two-
pronged tool used to spread hotter coals into cooler parts of the fire and to break up "clinkers" before they can block airflow through the grates.
Hard work, dedication, and a love of the job!
"Boiler Bob" Carlson oversaw the work of restoring the pressure vessel -- the boiler -- and he himself did the complete ultrasound testing of every exterior and interior sheet, plus penetrating-dye testing around holes and joints. He removed hundreds of studs, flexible staybolts, sleeves and caps, and rivets, and performed repair welding on several hundred of the staybolt sleeves. He oversaw removal and replacement of parts of the firebox door and side sheets. And he performed and/or oversaw MANY other smaller tasks. Bob has worked on many other steam locomotives, and we consider him among the very best in the locomotive boiler restoration business.
Mike Fenstermaker found himself wreathed in steam after getting the balky air pump operating on a freezing-cold morning before Santa trains, November 2014.
Jesse Dorn (top) has worked on steam engines for years, starting as a young teenager, and serves as one of 113's firemen. Jake Pothering (below) has a ways to go before he gets out of high school, but he works as hard as anyone on the crew -- here, moving coal to the conveyor that loads the tender.
Jesse and Mike reached the air compressor in any way possible to try to get it working, 11/29/14; photo © Christopher Kovacs
