Rail Diamond in the Rough

After railroad cars have been restored and are shiny and beautiful, it is easy to forget what they looked like before restoration. The picture at left is of the smoke box of Oregon Rail and Navigation Engine 197 (OR&N 197). It is the most recent acquisition of Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF).

Its restoration process is in the very early stages. As you can see, the smoke box door has been removed for cleaning and repair. Notice the bolt holes around the rim. The boiler section normally bolted behind this smoke box is currently detached to install new insulation and to repair dents and recondition the metal.

The volunteers of ORHF will put in hundreds of hours of hammering, machining, cleaning, and repairing to find the railroad diamond beneath this now rusty engine of iron.

Once she is restored and able to run, the maintenance begins. Big steam engines with many moving parts, such as this locomotive, require lots of time and attention. ORHF relishes the challenge.

Their love of trains is evident in the detailed work involved in these restorations. Every bolt will be cleaned, metalwork repaired, and all rust removed. Then, after careful research to determine how this engine was first painted, ORHF will paint it to look as close to new as possible.

A lot of time and love go into these restorations. Think about that next time you ride a scenic railroad. Watching this process myself has left me more impressed than before.