The 1356: The Plan for Restoration

What follows is the outline of a plan for the refurbishing and maintenance of Missoula's steam engine 1356. The initial hope is to do what's necessary to preserve the engine going forward, and then in later phases embark on more cosmetic kinds of restoration. The first phase is largely cleaning and weatherproofing.

Restoration is envisioned as a long-term, perhaps five-year project, with yearly maintenance thereafter. This would include organizing a fund to keep long term maintenance possible. Per the City of Missoula, all work must be done by a licensed contractor; cost estimates will reflect that. Friends of the 1356 hopes to cover all costs of restoration with community fundraising and grants.

PHASE ONE, first year

The cab has pigeons roosting in it. It needs to be washed out and screened in.

Clean and seal from elements.

Entire smoke box swept, shoveled, hosed down. Door bolted shut if the bolts still move. The smokestack should be covered; this can be a metal trash can lid with a weight hung off it.

Sand dome emptied of sand

Exhaust pipe capped

Firebox cleaned

Ashpan cleaned

Tender shoveled out and cleaned. Tender top needs cleaned and painted. Phase II or III would include building a cover for the bunker, which would waterproof it.

Headlights: replace glass with plexiglass. Only if necessary, a 1/2 inch diameter hole drilled in bottoms to allow rain water to drain. It would, however, be best not to if we don’t have to  (in the “do least harm” school of thought).

The boiler jacket is gone. It probably wouldn’t be practical to replace it, but it would be nice to replace the safety valve shield plates that were directly ahead of the cab.  One of these plates is in the tender, and the other would probably have to be made up.

Prepare for paint (no sandblasting, sand in the engine is then impossible to remove).

Hand paint bare metal like cowcatcher, top of tender deck

Grease as necessary and specified, per “Display Locomotives.”

Begin designing and fundraising for a sign, interpretive signs.

Replace number boards.

PHASE TWO AND ONWARD, Years 2-5

Rebuild cab

Fix sheet metal

Full repaint.

Cover over coal bunker

Lighting, including the headlight. Solar would be great, possibly a battery system.

Plan, including budget, for yearly maintenance

For your interest: Displayed Steam Locomotives, Their Care and Maintenance, a document from 1974 that “provides all the information needed to prepare a steam locomotive for static display so that it does not deteriorate. The author provides detailed advice that will be useful to civic groups about how to achieve this at a reasonable price so that what should be a source of community pride does not succumb to vandals and rust.