Duluth & Northeastern 28

Duluth & Northeastern 28

28's tender waits to be reunited with the locomotive once restoration is complete
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder American Locomotive Company, Pittsburgh Works
Serial number 39587
Build date 1906
Specifications
Configuration 2-8-0
UIC class 1′D h2
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia. 56 in (1,422 mm)
Loco weight 185,000 lb (83.9 tonnes)
Boiler pressure 190 lbf/in2 (1.31 MPa)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 22 in × 28 in (559 mm × 711 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 42,700 lbf (189.94 kN)
Career
Operators
Class DMIR: C3
Number in class
  • DM&N 14 of 32
  • D&NE 2 of 2
Numbers
  • DM&N/DMIR: 332
  • D&NE: 28
Locale Minnesota, United States
Retired 1974
Restored December 2011 - Spring 2016
Current owner Lake Superior Railroad Museum
Disposition In restoration to steam

Duluth & Northeastern 28 is a 2-8-0 (consolidation) locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

History

It was built for the Duluth, Missabe, and Northern Railway as number 332; one of 32 locomotives of the C3 class built between 1905 and 1907. In 1937 it passed to the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway on the merger of the DM&N with the Duluth and Iron Range Rail Road. In 1955 locomotives 332 and 348 (also a C3) were sold to the Duluth & Northeastern, and renumbered 28 and 27 respectively.

D&NE 28 saw regular service on the D&NE between Cloquet, Saginaw, and Duluth, Minnesota. It was one of only five remaining steam locomotives for the D&NE by 1964, when dieselization was eliminating the use of steam. D&NE retained #28, and used it for only special excursions until 1965. It was then put in storage in Cloquet.

In 1974, the locomotive was cleaned, repainted, and donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. There it was on static display until December 2011, where the locomotive was returned to Cloquet for restoration, until 2014 when it was returned to Duluth to complete its restoration.

Sister engine D&NE 27 is displayed at the Carlton County Fairgrounds, Barnum, Minnesota, while DM&N 347 (another C3 locomotive) is displayed at the Museum of Mining, Chisholm, Minnesota. Some parts from the D&NE #27 were used in the operational restoration of D&NE #28 in Duluth.

D&NE #28 is currently being restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.

Historical significance

Duluth & Northeastern #28 was the last steam locomotive to operate in regular service on a railroad in Minnesota. D&NE 28 is one of four surviving C3 2-8-0s, and the only one in operating condition (when restoration is completed).

Restoration

D&NE 28 was already being restored (supposedly cosmetically at first) by Cloquet Terminal Railroad,[2] it was then announced by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in March 2014 that the 28 would be restored to operating condition, and would pull excursions on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. "Fire up the 28" fundraiser was held in order to pay the $11,700 needed for boiler flues which are required for operation. Within a week, the museum had raised over half the required funds. By April, the total amount of funds raised was well over $15,000, more than enough to cover the cost of its restoration. The extra funds are to be used in maintaining and operating the locomotive.

There are a few good factors that made #28 a good choice for operational restoration. One, when the engine was retired in 1965, it was done so while the engine was still in operating condition. Two, immediately after retirement, the engine was stored indoors to protect it from vandalism and the harsh Minnesota weather. And three, the engine was kept on display indoors for the entire time it was at the museum. All of these factors lead to the remarkably good preservation of the locomotive, and were considered when the decision was made to get the locomotive operational again.[3]

In the summer of 2014, Cloquet Terminal Railroad ended its part in the restoration process due to management changes. On August 27, 2014, the flues for #28 arrived at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from Germany. It was then decided that 28 would return to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum to complete its restoration with the installation of the flues. The locomotive was to be moved back in November 2014, but a scored lead axle needed repair before the move could be made.[4]

On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 #28 was moved back to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, where restoration will be completed. The projects on #28 that need to be completed include boiler flue installation, insulation & jacketing, as well as repainting. The Museum has made a push to complete #28 as soon as possible. Their goal is to have #28 ready by 2016.[5]

By the end of spring 2015, new metalwork was installed in the smoke-box and outside the cab. The pilot, running gear and hand-grabs had been painted.

Work on flue installation by Fraser Shipyards began November 17, 2015 and was completed on December 26, 2015. As of January 2016, the next steps in the restoration is fabricating arch tubes, followed by a hydro-static test of the boiler. The 28's wheels were given clearance by the FRA. In March, 2016, the brass and cab water-level meters were reinstalled, the super-heater tubes were being reassembled for installation, and the 'blow-down valves' were sent to Colorado for rebuilding. The "hydro-test" is scheduled for late March or Early April 2016. After the hydro-test is passed, the insulation jacket-ing will be installed and repainted, with a test-fire occurring in Early spring. Competition of #28 and it's inaugural run is expected in time for summer or fall of 2016, the usual time for steam excursions by the museum.[6]

Excursion service

Once 28 is completed, the North Shore Scenic Railroad intends to run a "Dedication Excursion" to celebrate its restoration and return of steam on the north shore. Donors to #28's restoration would also be granted tickets to ride this excursion. Duluth & Northeastern #28's completion would end the five year effort to restore the locomotive.

Projected completion of the restoration is 2016. All that is remaining is for 28's boiler to be hydro tested and it will be put back into service this year (2016).

References

  1. ↑ http://www.lsrm.org/Home/exsteam.html
  2. ↑ http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2011/12/duluth-northeastern-steam-locomotive-returns-home
  3. ↑ http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2014/08/duluth-museum-to-continue-work-on-duluth-northeastern-280-no-28-other-engines
  4. ↑ http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2014/10/duluth--northeastern-2-8-0-to-move-next-month
  5. ↑ http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/02/duluth--northeastern-2-8-0-no-28-returns-to-lake-superior-railroad-museum
  6. ↑ http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/12/28-duluth-280

External links

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