Restoration Journal - July 26, 2007

Every year, the boss gives 6213 a thorough wash. This year was no different, except that I've got it all on memory card. As you can imagine, washing a steam locomotive is a big job. We got there at 10AM, unloaded our gear, did some work on the numberboards, laid out the hoses, and finally started washing at 11AM. Anyhow, factor in a few breaks and we finished washing by 6:30 PM. Inspection and clean-up saw us get out of there at around 8:00PM.

The boss returned a few weeks later and touched up the trim on the running boards, with the end result of a nice looking package in time for the Canadian National Exhibition.

In the three years I've helped out with the locomotive, I've noticed that she has always been infested with wasps (6167 is no different). It can get quite tense when you're standing on top of the boiler and they decide to start doing kamikaze runs by your head. Last year was just awful. They seemed to be pouring out of every conceivable opening. As well at one point, I climbed up to the running boards on the engineer's side to get to work, and, although elephant ears look nice, it turns out that you have to get on your knee's and crawl under the bracing. At the end of the elephant ear, to my delight, a wasp nest was waiting for me right where the Smokebox is joined to the first course of the boiler. Before I know it, bees are flying all over the place. I'm still not sure how I got out of that one. I must have liquefied and poured down the steps or something...

Anyhow, the bee population wasn't nearly as advanced this year, as the only nests to bee found were in the front knuckle, the bell of the whistle, the vent on the engineer's side of the turret, and a few others buzzing around here and there. Three quarters of a can of Bug-B-Gon instilled some peace and quiet. At the end of the day, as we were cleaning up, to my sadistic delight, I discovered a small heap of dead and dying wasps on the pilot deck, all of which had fallen out of the whistle bell when I saturated it with wasp killer.

3/4 View of the fireman's side "before". Notice that the numberboards are resting on the pilot.

3/4 View of the fireman's side "after".

Back of the tender "before".

Back of the tender "after".

Yours truly

One item I still don't get is the question of where 6213 will be run, as it's my understanding that none of the major railways in Ontario want anything to do with steam power. Another good question is the use of the Machine Shop at the roundhouse. As it stands, One half of the roundhouse will be the Steam Whistle Brewery, the other half will be a Leon's (a Furniture store in case you were wondering), while all of three stalls will be made available to the museum, which leaves the machine shop as a work and display space that the other two tenants won't have access too. Last I heard, the Toronto hydro company had their claws in it, and were doing everything under the sun to have the Machine Shop torn down in order to erect a transformer??? That's what I've heard anyway.

Visit the TRHA's website and keep track of the state of things and to see some cool photos of the turntable.