After years of neglect, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad steam locomotive #223, is once again the object of care and concern. It is the only known Grant Locomotive Works narrow gauge steam locomotive (2-8-0) still in existence. Built in 1881, it is over 117 years old. There is some discussion as to the actual operation of #223 in Utah, but it is of the same class of engines that came through Salt Lake City and Ogden on their way to Idaho. The engine was donated to the City of Salt Lake on 24 July 1941, and remained in Liberty Park for many years until it was moved behind the Rio Grand Railroad Station. Here a shelter was built around the engine and the asbestos covering the boiler was removed.

In 1992, locomotive #223 was adopted by the Golden Spike Chapter, Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, of Ogden, Utah. Using a grant from the Utah Division of State History and local chapter funds, a trucking company moved the locomotive on 26 September 1992 to the Utah Railroad Museum in Ogden Utah. While one crew prepared the locomotive for movement, another crew laid track at Ogden. Later another crew returned to old 223's former resting-place and dismantled the building and moved the wood to Ogden. This wood was to be used to fabricate a shelter for the locomotive while it was being restored until more was learned more about building codes.

During the winter of 1992, there was much discussion on what needed to be done, how we would do it, when it should be done, and who would lead the effort. As a starting point, it was decided that what we wanted was an operational locomotive (circa 1930) ready to steam up for the railroad festival at Union Station in March 1995. This was rather optimistic, since we had no money or experience in this sort of work, but we felt that without a specific goal, the project would never happen. The following spring of 1993, a project coordinator was selected and work began in earnest. A project plan was drawn up (PERT Charts) and efforts were started to recruit volunteers.

In 1993, the first order of business was to organize a logistics support structure for the restoration project. Simple things like cleaning up trash in the locomotive area had to be done. The facility site needed power and water. There was no place to work or store items as well as no tools or money to buy any. A major part of the restoration effort has been to develop the infrastructure to handle restoration projects.

A special treasurer's account was set up to handle the money for the restoration of 223. Money raising projects were begun such as selling prints of a Gilbert Bennett painting of 223.

 (click on picture for larger view)

The Golden Spike Chapter of the R&LHS commissioned a rail portrait of the 223 by Utah's renowned rail artist Gil Bennet as a fund raiser for the restoration project. Numbered and signed 24" X 20 1/2"prints are $50.00 each. If you are interested, contact Lee Witten via email at:

A thorough inspection of the locomotive disclosed that the years of neglect had taken their toll on 223. Much of the lighter metal had extensive rust and most of the wood was rotten. Vandals had stripped the gauges out of the cab.

The extent of the repairs on the locomotive are still being ascertained. One side rod is bent. The locomotive won't roll and we are still unsure of the problem. While inspecting the drive rods, it was discovered that two of the metal bronze bearings had been removed and replaced with wooden blocks. As time permits, the boiler will be removed from the frame to permit better access to both the boiler and drive train. Both will require a major rebuilding effort. The inspection of the inside of the steam cylinders did not disclose any major problems. The pipes for water and steam lines are generally in fair condition. The heavy parts appear to have survived the years of neglect.

The boiler sheeting presents an interesting puzzle. When it was taken off to remove the asbestos, none of the pieces were marked. The functional integrity of the boiler appears to be acceptable. The throttle was removed and the boiler was inspected inside and outside. A group of rivets will have to be replaced because of rust. A more thorough inspection of the boiler, to include ultra sound thickness measurements, will be done once all the flues are removed. The smokestack was not covered and over the years a lot of water collected in the smoke box causing it to rust. The steam wish bone has to be rebuilt and most of the sheet metal in the smoke box is gone.

On the other hand, the firebox is in good shape. A test filling of the boiler with water revealed that one flue is defective but this is no problem since the locomotive will have new flues installed. The air tank and compressors will be rebuilt as normal maintenance.

The locomotive will need a new cab. The wood is rotten and much of the metal is rusted away. The floor on the firemanís side is gone and the roof is held up with a prop. The existing cab is good only as a pattern for a new cab. Engineering drawings are almost complete of the existing cab to be used in building the new cab.

The examination of the tender disclosed that there was little we could salvage. The water tank on the tender was rusted beyond repair. In places it appeared it was held together only with paint. Gaping holes in the bottom were used as inspection ports to assess the extent of the rust. The thick metal of the water tank had been reduced to layers of rust. What was left was only good for a pattern. Underneath the water tank all the wooden support beams were rotten and several were broken. One end sill on the tender frame was gone. However, the brake rigging and trucks will be used again.

Shop areas:

When space in the north end of the Ogden Union Station was made available we immediately made plans to move. This space has been divided into three distinct work areas: metal shop, wood shop and assembly area. From a zero beginning, we now have a work area with heat, fire protection, shop type electrical power and an assortment of shop tools and equipment. In the metal shop we now have two milling machines, drill press, bandsaw, press, grinders and a lathe. In the wood shop we have a table saw and a drill press. We are still looking for more tools, especially woodworking. We need things such as a 12-inch cutoff saw, planer, and joiner.

When wood for the tender was donated, we stopped work on the locomotive and began working on the tender. Using jacks and cribbing the tender tank was raised from the tender frame and the frame rolled out. At that time, we had to begin a reverse engineering project. As the tender was disassembled, engineering computer drawings were made of each part. These drawing then became the standard for the new parts. After much work, the frame was assembled. The trucks were rebuilt with new custom babbit bearings and Stapax lubricators for each journal. The trucks have been moved back underneath the frame and the brake rigging hung. Airlines and accessories are installed. The triple valve has been rebuilt and a new small tender air tank has been built. A final set of engineering drawings for the tank was completed on 19 March 1998. The tender tank drawing replicates the old existing tank and took over four years to generate. Negotiations were concluded with a local steel fabricator to build the water tank but after two years with no progress the project with them was terminated. Currently we are looking at building the tank ourselves. Although we have progressed a long way in developing our fabrication capabilities, building a new water tank really stretches our capabilities because of the size and weight of the individual pieces. The intention is to build the tank on the tender frame, which eliminates the problem of lifting a completed steel tank. We could use a portable crane to lift the heavy items, but a forklift will have to suffice. We also need to build a small forge for heating the rivets. Once we complete the water tank, the tender will be complete.

Currently, we are looking for a coupler for the tender and locomotive. We had a loaner knuckle coupler from the Colorado Railroad Museum to check for fit and to help us to better visualize the two we need for the restoration project. Originally we thought that if we could not find another pair of couplers, we would use the loaner to build patterns and cast our own couplers. This idea was put on hold when we learned that patterns alone would cost approximately $10,000. What we are looking for is a turn of the century coupler that fits into a link and pin socket. The coupler will date back to the late 1800 or early 1900. The Sharon Steel Works made the coupler we had. Any help in finding couplers or molds would be appreciated.

Locomotive:

Initial efforts were concentrated on the locomotive. John Bush, past lead engineer of the Cumbres and Toltec and now with the White Pass and Yukon, came up and inspected the locomotive and provided some needed advice. A major effort is just getting the many bolts and wedges free to see what has to be repaired. Most of the nuts holding the engine together are rusted securely in place and require an acetylene torch to break the rust weld bond between the nuts and bolts. In most instances the bolt threads underneath the rusted nuts have survived. It took over eight weeks before one wedge loosened. Our problem is that we are short many necessary tools and a lot of improvising is required. Once a part is freed up, it is covered with grease and put back into its original position. This way the part can be easily removed later on; and it keeps the part from being lost. Also, a series of pictures is taken to help in re-assembling the parts.

Currently we are trying to remove the bolts connecting the smoke box to the saddle so the boiler can be removed. The pilot (cowcatcher) has been removed to expedite the boiler removal. The intention is to place the boiler on a trailer so it can be moved around and worked upon. Removal of the boiler will then let us move the engine frame into the shop for rebuilding.

In 2000, we submitted a request for a grant from Trains magazine to get the air compressors rebuilt but we were not successful. One of the air compressors had been sent to Backshop Enterprise in Colorado to be rebuilt. A grant of $600 from the Hostler Model Railroad Club started off the effort. However, by depleting our treasury we were able to fund the rebuilding of one of the air compressors. The project cost us over $12,000. Donations will be gratefully accepted for rebuilding the second air compressor.

Refurbished Compressor

Second Compressor awaiting funds for refurbishing

In 1999, we acquired an operational headlight and dynamo. The dynamo has been rebuilt and repairs are being done on the headlight. A hydrostatic tester was purchased and the first order of business was to test the engine air tank to see if they can be used again. The engine air tank was hydrostatically tested to 180 psi for 15 minutes with no signs of leaks. The engine air tank is the original tank.

In 1999 the cab was removed from the locomotive. Drawings are complete for building the new cab. We spent considerable time trying to decide on the type of wood to use for the cab. White ash was one choice under consideration but getting it in the sizes we needed was a problem. After much thought, we decided to use the same type of wood that was in the previous cab, Poplar. Estimated cost to build the new cab is about $800. The hardwood will cost about $500 with another $300 for bolts, sheet metal, etc. Ogden Union Station started off the rebuilding effort by having the cab tie down anchors built from the drawings we provided. Negotiations are in progress with a local wood supply house for the wood.

In 2000, the pilot was removed from the locomotive. This allowed us to get at the wooden crossbeam. A new oak beam was cut and drilled and cracks in the beam filled with epoxy filler. The metal parts of the pilot have been sandblasted, repainted and mounted to the beam. The flag holders had to be repaired since the mounting bolts were badly rusted. New mounting bolts were fabricated and then welded into the flag holder casting. This was a difficult weld and was done by a welder from L3 Communications. To finish the pilot, a new coupler pin was machined to hold the coupler in the coupler pocket.

Again in 2001, we will try and get the boiler mounting pins and bolts loose so we can remove the boiler for inspection and repair. Once the boiler is removed it will give us better access to the running gear of the locomotive for rebuilding and repair. Work on removing the bolts that hold the smoke box to the saddle was halted last year when winter arrived. As soon as we can get everything loose, we intend to remove the boiler from the frame such that the boiler and frame can be worked as separate items. The tubes will be removed before we lift the boiler to reduce weight on the boiler carriage.

A very small crew of volunteers has done what has been done so far. We still meet most Saturday mornings in our shops on the North end of the Ogden Union Station. What we need is more volunteers willing to work on the project and who will take responsibility for specific tasks. This is a commitment many find hard to make. Also, with the rebuilding of the one air compressor our operating funds have hit a very low level. If you would like to contribute to this project or just learn more about railroading and restoration, please contact our project coordinator.

Maynard B. Morris 340 East Oak Lane Kaysville, UT. 84037