The Steam Department is always looking for new hands to help on our locomotives and around the shop between restoration, maintenance and operations. We have jobs and tasks for anyone of any skill level.
Here are just a few of the skill areas we could use help with:
- Machining & Fabricating
- Welding
- Pipe fitting
- Painting
- CAD / Solid modeling / Drafting / 3D printing
- Metal Casting
- Woodworking
- Heavy equipment operation & repair
- Railroad operation
- Electrical
- Building engineering & construction
- Fundraising
- General shop maintenance & organization
- General equipment maintenance
Our volunteers typically work every Saturday morning and typically into the mid-afternoon. We also have crews that work intermittently throughout the week along with crews that work on specific Saturdays and Sundays to help hostle the engines to a ready to work state when we have scheduled operations for that weekend.
Beyond the steam locomotives, the Steam Department also maintains and restores our fleet of historic freight cars which are used for demonstration photo freights for photographers and the public alike. With many different types of cars, there is always a freight car restoration project underway which can be as simple as painting and lettering, but can also include steel repair (welding & fabrication), wood replacement (flat car decks are an example), and mechanical works (air brakes, running gear, wheel replacement, truck rebuilds, etc.).
Current projects as of the start of 2022 include:
- The multi-year restoration of SP #1744 including frame cleaning/repainting, frame repair, cab repair, running gear restoration, tender restoration and more.
- Running maintenance and repair on our operating locomotives including Robert Dollar Co. #3 and Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4 along with visiting steam locomotive Skookum #7.
- Cosmetic restoration of our Associated Oil Co. triple dome tank car.
- Infrastructure improvements including the planning & execution of a new locomotive shop next to our to our current steam back shop.
- General shop work, organization and improvements.
If you are interested in lending a hand, please use the contact button below, leave your info and someone will get back to you.
The Steam Department also maintains its own website where you can learn more about the work we have done over the years on our various locomotives. It can be reached at this link.
