Erie Lackawanna
Railfan.net 'erielack' E-Mail List Photo Archive

Tri-State_F3_Scranton_7-17-2010_016.jpg   Original: 1200 by 900 pixels - Current: 1200 by 900 - 100%
                          Try your mouse wheel too!

Previous Image - Tri-State_F3_Scranton_7-17-2010_014.jpg Tri-State_F3_Scranton_edit_7-17-2010_010.jpg - Next Image

From: MDelvec952 mdelvec952 AT aol DOT com
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:00:16 -0400
Subject: DL&W F3 Volunteer -- Who was that mask man?
"Tri-State_F3_Scranton_7-17-2010_016.jpg" - image/jpeg, 1200x900 (24bit)


Big news is that Tony Traglia joined us Saturday after his short hospital stay. He's reports feeling like a new man, and he proved it Saturday. We're back on a roll with 663. With our little break the 663 was pushed into the roundhouse so that the DL&W 565 crew could remove the oil bunker from its tender where the 663 normally sits. And that was a blessing - no more masking in the sun and heat, while indoors the gentle beezes carrying the lovely scent of coal smoke passed us creating that timeless atmosphere of a working roundhouse. The temperature felt like the 90 degrees that it was -- not like the hundred-plus it had felt like the past three days of masking. Working off ladders was a little more difficult than scaffolding, but we got the last of the major masking finished. A few spots need to be done outside from the scaffold Sunday morning, but that should go quickly. Some prep work to make the gray paint adhere to new paint, and the maroon should be finished and
the masking begun for the yellow. Monday we'll finish masking for the yellow. Tuesday we spray the yellow, the mask for and spray the last of the black, which is one straight line (some of which is masked already). And that should complete the last of the big painting.

After this, we'll have some touch up work do on the paint, as is natural on any masking job this large, especially around the screening and the stripes, but that we can do at another location. Then, to run 663 in September as planned, we still have some piping to reconnect and electro-mechanical work, batteries to troubleshoot and replace, combined with the routine items to inspect and repair / update to get our Federal Blue Card for the locomotive in order and filed. So our plate is still full. Work sessions won't be as pressured, but we'll still have the Labor Day deadline for operation. After that, in cooler weather, we have interior work to complete -- prep and paint the engine room and components and roof and ceiling areas to protect those. The cab needs paint and a new floor. The nose interior needs POR-15. When we had the people during the body-and-fender phase, we did accomplish a lot of work toward operation. One recent project that comes to mind was the re-plumbin
g of the air horns, which Justin Kershner did the day after we installed the horns while painting -- new pipe, unions and elbows were needed to replace worn threads and missing pipe on the ancient connections in tight surroundings. Many thanks, Justin.

While wrapping up yesterday we got a surprise roundhouse visitor. Charles and Tina Smith stopped by to ogle our handy work. I consider Charles the keystone of the 663 project. He worked tirelessly to sell the Easter Train, that included putting up signs and posters in every covered town, tracking sales by town, and rehanging the advertising in the wake of floods and blizzards. It was an amazing feat, and it gained us the money to get the 663 off the ground. We wouldn't have come this far without him. While dozens of us have been doing the bull work -- which is fun for those of us who like bull work and buying things -- marketing and telephone work isn't glamorous. He remained focused, and so have we. Thanks, Charles, and all of the VRA members who have been helping, both on the excursion and in Scranton. Tri-State has made a great many friends surrounding the 663.

Meanwhile, some photos. Today, Sunday, Tom Kelcec, Dave Linstrum and Tony are working. Monday and Tuesday it'll be Kelcec, Tony and I. If you can get to Scranton, a few more hands would be helpful. We have blank name tags on-site for those who can.

Meanwhile, the 664 crew is working today in Scranton, and earlier this week they had the 664 running while prepping for the 92-day inspection to make the blue card current. An away team visited the B-unit on the SRNJ and began prepping it for its move up to Scranton. It's umler tags are now on it, to become DL&W 665 to complete the A-B-A set.



Below, to cover large areas we're using automask, a great invention that has masking tape on one side and six feet of folded plastic sheet that can be deployed and taped as needed. In 115-foot rolls, we can cover the entire locomotive without seams.




Below, Tony Traglia are dropping the automask and taping it to the critical masking. As time-consuming as this is, it's quite a time saver.




The last masking of the day was to cover the anti-climbers so that they remain gray on 663. EMD delivered F3s with both black and gray anti-climbers. We don't know why this difference since the EMD drawings call for black. It may have simply been the whim of those doing the painting on any day. Units repainted by the DL&W were the same way -- some black, some gray, though the gray ones outnumbered the black ones by a lot. Our plan originally was to paint the anticlimbers black on both 663 and 664 for a couple of reasons relating to the sequence of paint colors. With the 663 becoming a gray ghost for the Convention which required it be painted gray, we decided to leave it gray to recall its heritage as a gray ghost. And it'll depict the variations in the DL&W units. If you look over the in-service photos of freight units from previous F3 e-mails, you'll see variations in details. Meanwhile, below, look at that gray paint shine.






To re-run a photo from the previous e-mail, below from Ken Von Steuben in 1954, a brace of freight Fs are heading west, notice the changes in height of the striping across the three units. The DL&W shops had the same challenges as us, and both ARHS and Tri-State crews have taken extra efforts to keep ours straight. ARHS did an excellect job on 664's striping.
--64874682-3c8d-4a9c-92c5-a20edbde874d

Tri-State_F3_Scranton_7-17-2010_016.jpg

Image EXIF Data:
Image Capture Date   2008:03:10 11:45:22
Image Digitized Date   2008:03:10 11:45:22
Make   EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Model   KODAK EASYSHARE C160 DIGITAL CAMERA
Exposure Time   66667/1000000 Sec.
Shutter Speed Value   1/14.9285 Sec.
Aperture   f2.9
Aperture Value   f2.8
Focal Length   5.7mm
35mm Focal Length   32mm
ISO Speed Rating   10 (160)
Metering Mode   Multi-Segment/Pattern
Exposure Bias   0 EV
Exposure Program   Program Normal
White Balance   Auto White Balance
Light Source/White Balance   Automatic
Flash   Flash Not Fired; Compulsory Flash Suppression;
Exif Image Height   2604 pixels
Exposure Mode   Auto Exposure
EXIF Version   0221
FlashPix Version   0100
Sensing Method   Single Chip Color Area Sensor
YCbCr Positioning   Datum Point
Max Aperture Value   f2.8
ColorSpace   sRGB
Component Configuration   YCbCr
Exposure Index   160
Digital Zoom Ratio   None
Exif Image Width   3472 pixels
Scene Capture Type   Standard
Gain Control   High Gain Up
Contrast   Normal
Saturation   Normal
Sharpness   Normal
Subject Distance Range   Unknown


Click Here or on the corner X to close this window.


    All photos are the property of the original photographer unless otherwise noted and are to be used for personal viewing purposes only.

    The use of these photos on any website or other distribution media is strictly forbidden without the express consent of the image copyright holder.

    Linking directly to this page is permitted as long as "Railfan.net Erie Lackawanna Email List Photo Archive" is creditted on the linking page.