PORTLAND, Ore. — The group restoring Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 No. 700 has secured a hot water pump for the locomotive through a three-way swap involving two other preservation groups that had previously arranged an exchange of parts.
Consultant and contractor FMW Solutions discovered the water pump on No. 700, being restored by the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association, was cracked to a point that a repair was not economical. At that point, FMW contacted the Pueblo (Colo.) Railway Foundation, which had previously been involved in a parts swap with Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. Parts from Pueblo’s static-display Santa Fe Baldwin 4-8-4 No. 2912 had gone to Kentucky Steam for use on the restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 2716, with parts from 2716 going to Pueblo in return [see “Kentucky Steam, Pueblo Railway Foundation swap parts …,” Trains News Wire, March 8, 2022].
One of the parts destined for Pueblo was No. 2716’s water pump. It proved to be a fit for the SP&S locomotive, and now will be repaired to replace the pump on No. 700.
“We were aware that the pump from No. 700 had been reportedly damaged in the past, but the extent of the cracks in its cast iron block was unknown until we began a detailed assessment,” Shane Meador, vice president-mechanical at FMW Solutions, said in a press release. “Our crews initiated repairs utilizing a combination of weld preheat and silicon bronze TIG weld, but each time we made progress repairing one crack, another opened up, revealing the extent of the damage to the cast iron pump body. We knew that our client would be better served sourcing a new casting, and that’s when we turned to our friends in Pueblo.”
FMW will restore the pump at its machine shop in Soddy Daisy, Tenn.
“Restoring a steam locomotive in the 21st Century requires that organizations be nimble and creative, and we appreciate that the established partnership between Pueblo and Kentucky Steam will now also benefit a third locomotive,” said Jim Vanderbeck, Project Manager for PRPA. “All of us involved in this swap are excited to see 700 and 2716 back in operation again someday.”
Information on each of the organizations are available at the websites for the Pacific Railroad Preservation Society, Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp., and Pueblo Railway Museum. More on FMM Solutions is available at its website.
Soddy Daisey? Wow, what a name for a town.
how can a steam locomotive water pump be made in todays steel making ?
It can’s be “made”. it would have to be re-cast or a new casting made which would take a lot of time. One could be machined from a solid material but that would be extrememly cost prohibitive to a groups such as those restoring 700.
Great news for a great steam locomotive. The beloved SP&S 4-8-4 No. 700 turns 85 this year.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün