Waterloo Central Railway

Engine #9 to reach a big milestone

nealmoogksoulis — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:55:19 +0000

The following letter was sent to our St. Jacobs neighbours this week:

Engine Number 9 in St. Jacobs in 2007

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our neighbours for your patience as we work to meet our mandate of restoring and operating historical railway equipment. To this end we are pleased to be able to make you aware of our latest achievement.

This week a milestone in our organization’s history will be accomplished as the restoration of our steam locomotive Essex Terminal Railway No. 9 is completed. This effort has taken years of work by many dedicated volunteers.

The final component of the restoration will take place on the evening of May 11th and during the day on May 12th with the lighting of the boiler to build the steam required to operate the locomotive. This will occur at our St. Jacobs Maintenance Shop & Restoration Facility located at 50 Isabella Street and north on the rail line towards Elmira.

This will result in some steam and smoke at those times as the locomotive is tested. There will be trained staff on site at all times during this process.

We wanted to let you know this was taking place in the event you noticed steam and smoke in the area. We have also notified the Woolwich Township Fire Service and the Waterloo Regional Police that this is taking place. Every effort is being made to monitor and keep the level of steam and smoke to a minimum.

Please feel free to come by and visit the shop and witness this event firsthand. Over the course of the summer we plan on having an appreciation day for all our neighbours in St. Jacobs and Woolwich Township with a BBQ and free train rides for all.

Our pride and joy, Essex Terminal Railway No. 9 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1923 spending its operating life working on the Essex Terminal Railway in Windsor Ontario. Over the years No. 9 has been rebuilt and restored from scratch by a fiercely dedicated group of volunteers. On November 11, 2011 Locomotive No. 9 passed a milestone on its restoration journey with the completion of the required boiler repairs. The Technical Standards Safety Authority tested and passed the boiler meeting accepted
criteria.

During the course of the restoration we were required to purchase special raw materials to manufacture new custom parts. We also had to invent and make special tools to complete the process The throttle was removed and repaired as part of the recertification process. As you can imagine no parts and very few tools remain for something of this vintage.

Once the recertification was completed extensive bearing work was required. The shop pit was modified, the rail removed allowing all large driving axles to be lowered and the journal boxes taken out. A major problem was that the bearings were worn and too tight. A key question for bearing wear is the type of lubrication being used. From 1923 to about 1940 No. 9 had oil bearings.

It was converted to grease bearings, which we had been running on from 1999 to 2005 when it started running hot. This problem has been rectified and the bearings machined locally by KanViromental Corp of Elmira.

All six axles were removed and polished but due to the pit design the wheels could not be removed so a jig was invented to turn the wheels allowing the work to be done in the pit with a crank-shaft polishing machine purchased to clean up the axle surface.

We would like to thank Steam Locomotive Foreman (Steam Team Leader) Irvon Weber and his team for all their hard work and ingenuity in making this a reality and preserving another piece of Canadian history. Special thanks to St. Jacobs resident and retired Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotive engineer Don Broadbear (seen here) who has been the heart and soul of this restoration since the 1990’s.

The day before Mother’s Day, Moms Ride Free

nealmoogksoulis — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:26:28 +0000

Once again we will honour and celebrate our mothers on Saturday, May 12, the day before Mother’s Day. As with previous years, Mom’s get to ride free when they are accompanied by at least one fare-paying family member. Tickets may be purchased online or at our station.

Fare	Return	One Way
Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma*:	FREE	FREE
Adult:	$15	$10
Children: 3-14 years	$10	$7
Student: 15-19 years	$12	$8
Senior: 60+ years	$12	$8
Family: Max. 2 Adults Unlimited Children	$50

* The special lady in your family’s life may also be called Mother, Mom, Mommy, Mum, Mam, Ma, Amma, Mata, Maman,Em, Ima, Mam, Eomma, Stepmother, Grandmother, Grandma, Granny, Grammie, Abuela, Mama, Mémé, Nonna, Oma, Mormor, Farmor or any other special name. The Conductor would love to hear her special name.

Northbound

Depart	Waterloo	10:00	12:00	2:00
	Market	10:25	12:25	2:25
Arrive	St. Jacobs	10:45	12:45	2:45

Southbound

Depart	St. Jacobs	11:00	1:00	3:00
	Market	11:10	1:10	3:10
Arrive	Waterloo	11:45	11:45	3:45

You are welcome to complete your journey using different trains.

Free parking available at our Waterloo Station lot located at 10 Father David Bauer Drive.

Equipment and schedule subject to change without notice.

WagJag Frequently Asked Questions

nealmoogksoulis — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:55:47 +0000

For those who have purchased a WagJag voucher of $34 of tickets for $17, here are some clarifications.

Can I still buy a WagJag voucher?

No. Sales closed at midnight, Saturday, May 5.

I’ve purchased a voucher, can I use it after June 30?

No. These WagJag vouchers are valid until June 30, 2012.

Will the train run out of seats?

Not likely! Our train can seat up to 150 comfortably per trip. In a pinch, we have seated 225 as long as passengers are willing to be friendly and possibly sit with someone that they don’t know. Based our past experience, about 25% to 35% of our passengers on a given day will use a WagJag voucher which will leave lots of room for everyone.

How to the tickets work? Do I have to pick a specific time?

Our tickets are sold as open return tickets. This means that while you purchase a ticket for a specific date, you are welcome to board the train at any of our stations or stops. You may then get off at another station and catch a later trip to complete your trip.

Many people will board the 10:00 train in Waterloo to ride to the Market. They will then catch the next train, departing the Market at 12:25 and ride all the way to St. Jacobs, arriving at 12:45. They will then spend the afternoon in St. Jacobs and return to Waterloo on the 3:00 departure from St. Jacobs and arrive in Waterloo at 3:45. All for the price of one round trip ticket!

I can’t find the date I want. When does the train run?

At our peak season, our trains run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays departing Waterloo at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00. Thursdays service begins on Thursday, May 17. Tuesday service begins on Tuesday, June 12. We have not yet posted all of our tickets online for sale but will do so in the coming weeks.This WagJag can be used on any regular train until June 30. Tickets may also be purchased in person at our Waterloo Station, located at 10 Father David Bauer Drive.

Can I use this WagJag for 3 Child’s tickets instead of 2 Adult tickets?

Yes! In this case, the accompanying adult would pay full fare and the children would use the WagJag. Unaccompanied children are made into volunteers. Also keep in mind that children two and under ride for free anyways.

I have my WagJag voucher, now what?

Please bring your WagJag voucher to one of our stations or stops. The volunteers or staff will exchange your voucher for the appropriate number of tickets. The original WagJag was for 1 paying adult and 1 adult riding free, or 1.5 paying children for 1.5 children riding free. Because we’re feeling giddy, we are also accepting offers of 1 paying adult and 1 ticket of an equal or lesser value riding free.

How do I buy tickets online? Is there a coupon code?

At this time we cannot process WagJag coupon codes online (we will speak harshly to our web team about that oversight. Beatings may or may not be meted out with a wet noodle). If you are purchasing an adult ticket and want to get one free ticket, simply purchase 1 ticket online and our staff will give you either 1 additional adult ticket or 2 additional child tickets when you arrive with your WagJag voucher.

Do I have to use both tickets on the same day?

No. Once you have redeemed your WagJag voucher, you are welcome to use the tickets on any regular train in the 2012 season.

Spring Motive Power Update

nealmoogksoulis — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:18:56 +0000

The SOLRS board met last evening. Here is a motive power update:

Steam Engine Number 9

The steam team has been working very, very hard over the winter. Among other things, the wheels have been dropped, repaired and put back in. Steam Locomotive Foreman Irvon Weber noted that when they had to move Number 9 by hand before the bearings were repaired, they could barely move it. After the bearings were repaired, two guys could move it easily. The following To-Do list is what’s left. It is only a partial list of all the work that has been done in the past 6-8 months (not to mention since 2007)

The upcoming Number 9 To-Do list includes:

- Manufacture 6 cellars for the wheels

- Install oil lines and filler cups

- Install side rods

- Hydro test the air tanks

- Complete superheater installation

- Put the smokebox back together

- Air test the boiler

- Fix the tri cocks

- Repair the injector check valves

- Test fire and shake down

- Install lagging

Diesel 1518

The engine’s electrical system needs to be meggered before we can go further. Closer inspection has revealed that this engine will need a lot more work than was first anticipated.

Diesel exCPR 6593

SOLRS recently purchased exCPR 6593, late of the NRC Test Track in Ottawa. This engine last ran in 2010 and aside from a few missing pieces of hardware, and one wheel with a groove in it, it looks to be in great shape. We expect it to ship from Ottawa via Montreal to Kitchener via heavy duty flat car. With luck, and with a little work, this will become our secondary engine.

Engine 124

Restoration has paused while we focus on getting Number 9 up and running.

Engine 1556

This plucky engine keeps plugging along.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the hard work that has been done to all of the rolling stock. There were about 100 work orders spread across the fleet in early February. Nearly 3/4 have been dealt with already and the shop crew is on track to take care of everything else in short order.

The Dirty Hands Club meets most Saturdays, between 10 and 3 (and usually from 9 to 4 depending on the work at hand). The Shop Address is 49 Isabella Street, St. Jacobs. There are also usually a few people tinkering in the shop throughout the week. Feel free to call ahead at 519-664-0900 to see if anyone is there. All are welcome!

The Easter Bunny says Thank you!

nealmoogksoulis — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:17:55 +0000

See you next year!

Date set for next General Meeting of SOLRS membership

nealmoogksoulis — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:00:03 +0000

Dear SOLRS Member:

On behalf of the SOLRS Board of Directors we would like to invite you to a SOLRS General Members Meeting on Monday, November 21st at 7 PM in the Beaupre Meeting Room at Albert McCormick Arena, 500 Parkside Drive in Waterloo.

The meeting notice and agenda along with a proxy form have been sent by mail to all SOLRS members in good standing in accordance with Article 10.7 of the SOLRS By-laws.

We are also sending by email the same meeting material to all SOLRS members where we have an email address. Although all current members will be receiving these documents by mail, please feel free to forward this email to your friends who are members in case we do not have an email address for them on file.

At this meeting, along with other items listed on the agenda, we would like to begin a discussion of our current Society By-laws with a view towards future revisions to address the concerns some members have brought forward since their revision last spring.

Hard copies of the signed current Society By-laws along with hard copies showing suggested future revisions will be distributed at the November 21st meeting for your review – the latter document is attached to this email.

These proposed revisions to the Society By-laws are a starting point only and will not be voted upon on at the meeting of November 21st but at a future undetermined date after the SOLRS membership has had an opportunity to review and make suggestions..

Other discussion items may be added to the agenda at the meeting if you desire.

As mentioned previously a copy of the current Society By-laws offering some additional suggestions for future consideration is attached to this email. To ensure your privacy,this email has been blind copied to the intended recipients.

We hope you will be able to attend on the 21st.

Thank you.

Peter

–

Peter McGough

Secretary

Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society

Number 9 undergoes boiler test #2

nealmoogksoulis — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:20:53 +0000

Ex-ETR Number 9 in steam during its last boiler ticket.

Steam engine number 9 underwent another internal hydrostatic test on Saturday, June 24. The purpose of this test was to check the corrections made to the boiler and our testing apparatus since the July 9th test and to identify boiler issues that may require corrective action.

The test demonstrated that the new testing apparatus worked well. All the valves on the boiler will need to be plugged for the next test as they are not part of the boiler test. Final, further testing is required to identify the few remaining leaks. Once the leaks are found, a repair plan will be submitted to the TSSA for approval.

Thanks to volunteers Roy Broadbear, Irvon Weber, Manley Johnson and Jim Hornblower for their efforts on Saturday. Roy adds, “Work continues on Number 9. More testing and minor repairs are to be done. We are still hoping for a fall steam up. So far things are looking good.”

Heat wave stops train

nealmoogksoulis — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:54:14 +0000

With heat records falling across the province, the Waterloo Central Railway followed the lead of other area businesses and shortened its operating day. At the time of the scheduled 10:00 departure, the nearby University of Waterloo weather station recorded a temperature of 34.4 degrees Celsius and relative humidity of 74.9. Inside the cab, engineer Peter McGough recorded temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At 11:00, the outside temperature had risen to 35.1 degrees Celsius and the operating crew made the decision to shorten the operating day by dropping the 2:00 Waterloo departure and the 3:00 St. Jacobs departure.

By 12:00, the humidity had fallen but the temperature had risen to 37.6 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature recorded for the day was 38.0 degrees Celsius at 2:15.

High temperatures did not prevent passengers from coming out to ride the train, but by 12:00 passengers were feeling the heat and they headed home for some cool relief.

Steel Rails Huckleberry Films Video

nealmoogksoulis — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:45:21 +0000

Huckleberry Film Studios has produced a great video of the Steel Rails event. It features the some great shots of the train.

Steel Rails is a collaborative art event, held on the Waterloo-St Jacobs train line and hosted by Hilary Abel at RQMagazine.com

The Huckleberry Team had these great things to say about the event:

A don’t miss event, where tickets sell out fast, it’s an inspirational ride where art, happiness, and collaboration meet.

Huckleberry was there, enjoying being part of another #kwawesome event. Hope to see you there next year!!

Steel Rail Sessions 2011 from Huckleberry Film-Studios on Vimeo.