A crane carefully lifts the Spirit of Sir John A. tender off its wheels and over onto a waiting flatbed trailer.

22 June 2011

All Aboard... the Flatbed

Kingston Ontario - The Spirit of Sir John A., or at least part of it, was once again rolling past the towns and fields of southern Ontario Wednesday, this time on the back of a flatbed trailer instead of on steel rails.
 
Instead of taking the railway tracks past Verona toward Pembroke, it was on Highway 401, on its way to Maitland.
 
The tender of the storied locomotive was hoisted by crane onto the trailer in a daylong operation to start the restoration of the longtime resident of Confederation Park. The tender has been taken to a welding contractor, who will begin the job of returning the train to its former glory.
 
The engine's cab was also removed, but it will be taken to Maitland later in the week.
 
Wednesday's project, which started under dry skies but ended in a near downpour, was done with volunteer labour from the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Welders, Local 221.
 
In all, up to 300 men and women will be giving their time and talent to restore engine 1095. They include carpenters, painters, sheet metal workers, and electricians. Also playing a role are the Quinte-St. Lawrence Building Trades.
 
Brian Maloney, business manager for the association, is a co-manager with Greg Hulse for the whole project, which he said has been a labour of love for many of the union members.
 
"We have a real connection to the locomotive works. Some of my former members worked there and we are always looking for ways to give back to the community.
 
"The guys really rolled up their sleeves on this one."
 
The workers started working on the project about six months ago.
 
"I couldn't tell you the man hours we have got involved right now," Maloney said. "It is substantial."
 
Maloney said a major concern in the project has been the age of the locomotive and tender.
 
"We know what we are capable of with the equipment. We just don't know the integrity of some of the metal."
 
He was hoping to have the two components hoisted onto the flatbed by noon, but the Spirit of Sir John A. didn't want to give up its parts too easily.
 
The volunteers spent hours preparing the two pieces for travel, but as the crane began to lift the tender off its wheels, men had to scramble underneath to cut wires, pipes, and other pieces of metal that remained firmly attached.
 
The cab proved especially problematic. One last piece of metal still held the cab in place and had to be pounded, bent, rammed, pried apart, cursed at, and finally cut off with a torch before the cab could be lifted free.
 
The cab was hoisted onto the flatbed, but it was decided "the integrity was a little suspect," said Maloney. He didn't believe the piece could be safely transported on the back of the truck, so another method will be used later in the week.
 
In the meantime, the cab will stay in Confederation Park. "It's been a challenge," said Maloney.
 
He explained there has been so much work done on the locomotive over the years that the actual layout of the pipes, valves, wires, and other components doesn't resemble the original schematics anymore.
 
The next step will be to build a new pad for the locomotive near its current site and then lift the restored engine onto it. Once that is done, the tender and cab will be returned and reunited with the remainder of the locomotive.
 
Michael Lea.

A crane carefully lifts the Spirit of Sir John A. cab.

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