Off the Rails | Episode 12 | Responsible Railfanning. YouTube video by Mt. Rainier Rail

Responsible Railfanning on this week's Off The Rails Podcast! Check it out!

youtu.be/8ELhBnt8DKs?...

Will have to check with the shop, but we will do what running gear work she needs to be reliable this summer, so we can get the 5 rebuilt at the same time.

If that means, some things can be safely put off for a later date, we will do what we need to do.

Where we’re at now:
• Firebox end: fully rolled, beading has started.
• Smokebox end: about 25% rolled

Our crew is making serious progress on Polson 70, and we’re on track to have steam back before summer…assuming nothing too funky happens.
Also worth noting: average age of our boiler crew is 25.5.

The weld around the tube doesn’t actually seal it. The seal comes from rolling the tube and pressing it tightly into place. The beading (tube is folded over), then seal-welded after (metal glue) helps transfer heat and reduces stress at the ends of the tubes, which helps prevent cracking over time.

This past week, Nate and Chris finished installing the tubes in Polson 70’s boiler. Once the tubes are in place, they’re “rolled” or expanded outward so they fit extremely tightly into the tube sheet....

Steam Choo Choo 201 🚂 how the choo choos actually go chugga chugga.

Steam locomotives run on…steam. Boiler tubes are relatively small metal pipes inside the locomotive’s boiler that carry hot gases from the firebox through the surrounding water, heating it efficiently to create….steam...

Well, we do love a good steak 🥩 here at the railroad too.

Staybolts and More! YouTube video by Mt. Rainier Rail

Chris and Nate working away on the 5 and more on this week's YouTube episode.

youtu.be/t8wE1BKdfLw?...

I mean you have a train ride with us and then we hear Seattle is a lot of fun for the furry community!

Very cool!

We recognize this grave mistake. That said, in the spirit of fiscal responsibility, we’ll be forging ahead with tube installation using our clearly inferior, non-cookie-scented product choices.

After Rowdy (our Superintendent and Chief Foamface) shared a post about this on his personal page, multiple well-known and highly respected steam professionals chimed in with a critical oversight:

We should have used butter-flavored Crisco.

Allegedly, it would make the shop smell like cookies.

Standard industry practice? Crisco. It holds up better than petroleum-based lubricants under the heat. Apparently, we’ve been doing it all wrong. Several respected industry professionals have weighed in this week to critique our “inferior” product choices…so we figured we’d set the record straight.

Lubricant talk! First, a very quick explainer: in a steam locomotive boiler, tubes run through the tube sheets. To reinstall them, we use a tool called a tube roller, which expands the tubes so they fit tightly into those holes. It’s a job that generates a lot of heat, so proper lubrication is key.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad adopts elite military support systems. Operations improve daily.

Something has to keep the railroad going!

This is the train on train action we like to see.....

Their couplers and other aspects of being cars in preservation prevent them from traveling on their own wheels. It's safer this way. They will get delivered to and unloaded at a local shortline before being sent to us.

In September 2024, we purchased three ex-Reading passenger cars from the N.C. Transportation Museum.

It would be hard to overemphasize the challenges of moving equipment this big cross-country on a nonprofit's budget but after a lot of work, they’re finally on the move and heading our way.

The Museum & The New Shop YouTube video by Mt. Rainier Rail

Eric gives a behind the scenes tour of the museum grounds and Bethan shows off our new building. Check it out in our latest YouTube video.

youtu.be/UFXUmkkOcXc?...

It's going to be an exciting addition.

Mt. Rainier Scenic has purchased a 3.6-acre plot and a more than 10,000-square-foot building that will serve as its new restoration facility and office space railfan.com/mt-rainier-a...

Happy to help make your event a success.

Off the Rails | Episode 11 | MRSR History and Legends. Tea Edition. YouTube video by Mt. Rainier Rail

History and Legends on this week's podcast. Check it out!

youtu.be/NMP3wN6QdJU?...

#railroad #trains #train #railway #railways #rail #trainspotting #railfan #photography #railfans #instagram #locomotiven #railfanning #modelrailroad #modeltrains #trainspotter #travel #modelrailway

It's been a great Easter weekend here at the railroad. Thank you to all those that came out, enjoyed the train ride, the sunshine and all the fun activities.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad Acquires Historic Repair Facility to Advance Museum Opening — Western Forest Industries Museum Historic shop, located directly to the south of the current museum and repair facility, will be the new home for Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad’s repair activities.

Western Forest Industries Museum (WFIM), operator of the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (MRSR), has announced the acquisition of 0 Mineral Creek Road in Mineral, Washington—a 3.6-acre parcel featuring a 10,692-square-foot warehouse and shop originally constructed in 1955.

www.wfim.org/blog/repair-...

Coffee with Maintenance of Way YouTube video by Mt. Rainier Rail

Coffee with the track crew.... See what it's like behind the scenes, keeping things on track.

youtu.be/3uNcej6kKH0?...

#trackwork #railroad #track #mow #railroading #behindthescenes

God, what have you done?
You′re a pink pony train, and you chugg at the club

I'm just having fun
On the rails on my wheels
It′s where I belong.

I'm gonna keep on rolling on the Pink Pony Train. I′m gonna keep on dancing down in Elbe. I'm gonna keep on rolling at the Pink Pony train.

We know heritage railroads take paint schemes very, very seriously…

With yesterday’s announcement that Polson #70 will be back in service this spring, we wanted to take a moment to share a little update: We’re giving our iron horse a glow-up.

Say hello to the Pink Pony 🐴✨🌈

When steam returns after their rebuilds later this year you can.

You can take @amtrak.com to Seattle but a rental car is needed to get down to us way out here in the woods

There's also @amtrakcascades.wsdot.wa.gov, @sound-transit.bsky.social, and the @trainmuseum.bsky.social to check out.

Feeling like a Monday and missing steam on the railroad, as we rebuild our locomotives. So we're challenging O Winston Link with this monochrome view of 70 back in December.

#steamtrain #railroad #nightshot #photography #mcm #washington #seattle #tacoma #train #transit #mtrainier #rainier #fun