With 16 steam locomotives and 6 diesels, maintenance and repair are at the upper most importance. Most engines around the SCVR shops are part of the SCVR, but some are part of my main fleet. All work on the SCVR engines are done in and out of the shops. With two shops there's many engines to work on. Luckily 14 of the 15 steamers are fully operational and have been fully checked, cleaned, and are maintained beautifully. A lot of engines from my main fleet get work outside the SCVR shop for space reasons. Most of the work you'll see is either in front or back on the shops since the locomotives inside already are operable. Detailed information on every SCVR project is coming soon!
Santa Fe Plymouth Makeover
We aquired our TYCO Santa Fe Plymouth diesel in April 2012. We've liked the paint but we got a great idea from an SCVR fan Glenn Nahrwold to repaint 303 in the zebra stripe scheme Santa Fe had. We finally in March 2013 painted her shell black as phase 1 of 2 of this makeover. Phase 2 is the stripes which will be added at a future date as time permits.
Here she is sporting a new black look!
Southern 4-8-2 #1491 Rebuild
In 2009 this Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 Light Mountain #1491 was purchased by Hyde for his main fleet of locomotives, remember, the SCVR did not exsist at that time. Anyways, the engine ran till late 2010 when her tender pcb wires broke. There were also numerous issues with her running gear that needed to be sorted out, because of all these issues the project was put on the back burner. In 2011 the main fleet shop forces decided to go back to 1491 to do the running gear repairs. Halfway through the repairs, intrest faded and more and more issues with the locomotive were found. In March of 2011, the project was stopped all together. The running gear was reassembled but the rest of the locomotive still lied in pieces. In late 2011 the locomotive was reassmembled and stored behind the SCVR shop. There was never any revival in the project while with the main fleet. Even Hyde had no intrest in restoring her but he still denied any offers to sell the engine. In Summer of 2012 the locomotive was again reassembled. No one quiet knows if this was down to evaluate the engine or to get it ready for restoration. The only thing Hyde stated he was doing with her was rebuilding the tender. This process was started but never finished on our old line. When our new line was built in Fall of 2012 still no change in her condition, however intrest was slowly starting to come back. The plans for the locomotive have almost entirely been kept a secret, mainly because there were so many little efforts to try to restart the project and all seemed promising but in the end failed, so Hyde didn't want people always getting their hopes up. For some reason at the end of Fall 2012, a big announcement regarding Southern #1491 was to be made by Hyde. The best news all followers had heard in a long time! The project was to be restarted but ownership was to be changed over to the SCVR! The main reason #1491 was never rebuilt by the more than capable main fleet was because there wasn't any intrest in having a 5th big, mainline steamer operational. The SCVR, had no main line steamer ever since #2486 came out of service. Needless to say the engines presence in the SCVR has brought more publicity and intrest to our line. Hyde will tell anyone not to worry about the project ever being dropped, it will never happen again! The project is now very far along and the tender is 90% done! The conversion from coal to oil was necessary being the location in California so Hyde spent a few days machining a new oil bunker for the tender! New trucks, wheels, screws, and washers were added to the tender! All that's left is the tender PCB and new coupler pocket! Frame work was completed but new drivers are needed! The project has a long ways to go but has the right guy leading the project and the right crew for the job! We've completed just about all the work we can do and everything else relies on funding. Our money is tied up in a majority of projects and we have no availible money to put towards all the new parts she needs. An outside source has offered to donate $100 to the restoration of #1491! That will take care of all the parts needed and the shipment of them! The donation of this large amount of money is set to go into affect in a few weeks. We won't be immediately buying all the new parts because there are many other projects ahead of her. "It's very warming to know that there are people out there who want to see her back in operation and that are actually doing something to help us out." -Hyde Seybold There is no set completion date for this huge project but it will be sometime in 2015 likely. Presently the project has been carried over to the Seybold Locomotives which is Hyde's personal shop and shop forces whom will carrry out the remainder of work on the 1491. Updates to follow!
Here we see #1491 in pieces at the SCVR red shop for the start of the restoration
Here's #1491s frame after cylinder repair and installation of the pilot and trailing wheels!
her tender before the oil bunker installation
After a couple hours of machining and measurements, the new oil bunker is installed!
Boiler back on the frame just temporarily
Her cab reinstalled!
1491 brought out for photos
Here we see 1491's restored tender outside the SLW shop
SCVR #99 Restoration
The main SCVR project is the restoration of a former parts supplier that helped complete the restoration of SCVR 0-4-0 #5. When purchased her complete running gear assembly went on #5 as well as #99s tender and motor. After #5 was completed I still had 2 spare boilers, a frame, cylinders, a tender, and many appliances. Instead of wasting space I decided to build another 0-4-0 with all the parts. I already repainted the boiler, frame, cylinders, and rebuilt the tender so I used #5s original wheels and rods. All I need is new crankpins, valve guides, and a drawbar. Expected completion date: Winter 2012 Update: Fall 2012. We now have the parts for #99! Restoration is nearly finished and we're hoping to have her operable for tests during the month of October! Stay tuned for updates! Spring 2013 Update: Well the fall push to get 99 operational for the new line failed when the quartering on her drivers gave way. Thus putting 99 in need of more parts. Presently she sits in the main shop awaiting new drivers before she can ride the rails of the SCVR. Not sure on when that might be but the hope is that it will be in Spring so stay tuned! We aquired a parts engine in May of 2013 and put 99 in service the day of its' arrival! 99 IS DONE!!
Here's #99s frame nearly completed! Additional motor and tender work are needed before she is operable.
Here's where 99 sits as of May 2013. On shop trucks in the main shop.
And here is the freshly completed SCVR #99!
Santa Fe #307 Restoration
A long term on off project for the SCVR is the rehabilitation of my 1990s Bachmann F7a #307. It was the first diesel locomotive I ever owned! It ran till the early 2000s when i believe overheating cause its pull from service. It was added to the SCVR early 2012 where the prolonged plan to put it back into service went underway. The wiring has been checked out and its good to go, but the silver pick up plates need to be replaced. Also major motor retuning is needed and gear work. Cause of all these issues that need to be resolved I've decided that the locomotive would be a "fair weather" project. Shop priorities are stacking up so #307 wont get any work for a long time to come. There is no planned completion date as of right now. As of Spring 2013, 307 is now back in service with a brand new frame system aquired off a Playart engine!
Here sitting outside the auxilary shop
A battle worn body but still rolling!
David Lee's Circus 2-8-0 Assembly
This MDC Roundhouse 2-8-0 kit is the newest SCVR engine. The locomotive was 85% assembled after two dys with the exception of rod work and some boiler handrails. The boiler, frame, cylinders, gear plate cover, idler gear assembly, all the rods, and pilot wheel assembly. The tender is fully assembled with a new knuckle coupler and the draw bar. Its ready for service. The frame has been assembled with all the parts, idler gear, motor, the cylinders were installed but they were recently removed for valve guide work. The side rods have been attached to the drive weels and the wheels are under the frame. Problems concerning the crosshead on the drive rods have limited completion. The boiler is 90% assembled. The cab is screwed on, the numberboards are on, the headlight is on and some of the handrail spokes are on. Problems getting the spokes to stay in the boiler have left the handrails incomplete. Once the correct glue is purchased the handrails will be finished. Rod work with the crosshead will be finished within two weeks then the locomotive will be retested. Upon first motor tests with only the side rods attached gear slippage was apparent. This must be resolved when tests are done in the next month. Update: 8/20/12 Work on #3 has progressed well in the last month! The boiler was repainted and installed onto the frame! Also the work on the pilot wheel was finished! This included sanding the spokes down so the wheel is just a solid flat wheel, then it was painted, cleaned and reinstalled! Unfortunately a new set of main rods is needed for #3 to operate. It is unknown when they can be aquired but the good news is all exsisting work has been finished! The locomotive is privately owned by our Owner/Founder Hyde Seybold, the locomotive (when completed) will run along side his other SCVR engines, but this locomotive is more his personal project meaning he will be the only one working on it and updating it. The rest of the locomotives and everything on our SCVR is owned by him but it is repaired and maintained with the sole purpose that it be run on our line and not for other things. Update: Fall 2012. SCVR Owner/Founder Hyde Seybold purchased the supplies to build a seperate shop for #3 and to house and work on her! The shop has been built and is called the Seybold Locomotive Works! This new shop will likely be placed next to our Auxilary shop on our new line! Great job by Hyde!
The boiler is sitting on SCVR Flat #1 in the main shop. The tender is also in the shop
The frame assembly sits outside the shop awaiting further work.
Here is #3 after a boiler repaint and newly installed handrails! The pilot wheel was finished after this.
Here's #3s completed pilot wheel! Sanded down, painted, and cleaned! Its now back under the frame.
DLC #3 in the back of the SCVR main shop, longing to steam one day
Tucked away in the back of the shop is Hyde's #3.
Here's #3 in the new Seybold Locomotive Works!
Hyde repainted the boiler on his #3 from black to white.
UP 2-8-2 #2528 repairs
As soon as UP 2-8-2 #2528 arrived we had a feeling it would need repairs. While we did not think it would escalate to such high matters, we are always prepared to repair a locomotive! Extensive motor work was needed and as of October 2nd, 2012 the work is finished! The motor can now run strong and smooth once more! However the reason the locomotive was taken out of service was for 2 cracked axles. They have been removed and they will be replaced soon, finishing the repairs! We hope to have the new axles on and be running tests during the month of October! Update: 10/17/12 Well we did keep our word and after various repairs and reworking we did have #2528 out for operable tests! Today was the first time she ran without much assistance! After about 10 minutes of continuous running we took her apart to do work on her valve gear hangers! We are planning another running test tommorow! She needs a lot of little adjustments before she is excursion ready!
Here's the running gear assembly off #2528! As you can see the 2nd and 3rd axles are removed and will be replaced shortly!
The 2 newly installed drive axles!
Here she is reassembled for operational tests! 10/17/12
Here she is fully assembled and fully repaired! She is now fully operational! 10/20/12