DynaRail > Projects & Updates > 2020 Updates

2020

- 6976 oil change, test run, and pressed into service

Locomotive #6976 had its lubricating oil drained, which gave us the opportunity to change out the leaky ball valve before refilling it with new lubricating oil, all 275 gallons of it! It took approximately 2.5 hours to transfer one barrel of oil at a time, with a pneumatic pump. New oil and fuel filters were installed, and a new set of unitized batteries went in as well. An annual inspection was completed, and the locomotive was pressed into service.

- 231 electrical and fuel system work leads to successful fire-up!

Locomotive #231 was moved from the display to shop track, where it spent much of 2020 undergoing work on its electrical, fuel, and main reservoir systems. Once the fuel pump and its lines were cleaned of debris, the locomotive was fired up for the first time since 2001! Several main reservoir leaks were identified, as well as a few stuck injectors, which were removed for replacing.

New ball valve	Engine oil pan (drained)
Pumping oil into engine	New oil filters being installed
6976 at the Boulder City shop	6976 at Railroad Pass during test runs (844 on other end)
6976 at Railroad Pass during test runs (load test with 844)	6976 at Railroad Pass during test runs
Traction motor wire repair	Inspection of traction motor brushes
Gearbox inspection (6976 has both crater and gear oil boxes)	In the shop for annual inspection
Handy to have a pit to inspect undercarriage	Older batteries being removed
New unitized batteries installed	Annual inspection completed; inaugural departure
Inaugural run (solo without assistance) at Railroad Pass	Burst hose, engine emergency shutdown worked as intended
New water hoses / fuel and oil lines next	6976 on the south display track at museum
New windshield wipers for 6976	6976 cab work continues
Two new valves for 231 and 6976 horns	6976 at Railroad Pass
Celebrating July 4th with 6976	Celebrating July 4th with 6976
6976 picking up passengers at Railroad Pass	6976 and 844 during the summer
6976 and 844 hanging out at the station	231 moved to shop for extensive work
Replacing circuit breakers on 231	Inspecting and reconnecting 231 HEP generator
Inspecting and cleaning 231 air boxes	231 fuel strainer from the late 1990s
231 fuel pump debris (from its service days in 2001)	Fuel pump full of debris
231's strobe lights	Old vs new strobe lights
Old vs new fuel pump strainer	Air compressor fitted with new valve
Cleaning up strobe mounts, new strobes installed	Charging 231's batteries
Another mess of wires to trace	Relabeling with heat shrink protective cover
Firing up 231; identified stuck injectors to be replaced	Addressing leaks in 231's main reservoir system
Working on 231's injectors	The bad injectors removed from 231's top deck looked like this