The Nebraska engine

Lee;927 said:
.I've been trying to find my place at Rollag, and this looks like good place.


Lee,

What you said in your last message is an important statement for a lot of us "old timers" to see. We need to give people an oppertunity to find their place. We need to invite people to try our exhibit. Some times the person and the exhibit fit, some times they don't. If you try working in one area for a while and it doesn't seem right for you, look for something else. I believe there is a place for everyone at Rollag.

Some parts of Rollag need people that can run or operate a piece of equipment. Some parts of Rollag need people that can talk to our guests and explain what is going on. We need people to run the Administration Building (thank goodness we have a qualified bunch up there, especially during registration and during the show). We need people to pick up trash, scoop ice cream, run sound boards . . . . and the list goes on.

Wow, somebody (me) did a bit of rambling.

Keep looking, find your "home" or maybe "homes".

Later,
Jerry
 
the history of the nebraska engine as i've been told:

the engine was donated to wmstr from the great western sugar factory in scottsbluff, nebraska. it was still operational at the time when around four or five wmstr members went down, disassembed the engine, and shipped/trailered the parts back up here. (are these people still around and could they give some insight or help?)

i'm not sure of the date ( early 80's ? ) when it was disassembled but others may know......

tim moen and myself have talked about plans for this engine over the past couple years in giving this engine a "home". but with the past rainy shows we're "still sitting on the fence" you might say. i have personal reasons why i will be involved with this engine. both my parents are and were from nebraska.

i've heard some comments already about placement. some say "too many [staionary engines] in one place", others say to "spread 'em around". i prefer this engine to be up by the montana boiler with the rest. there's a real nice spot northeast from the steam hammer.

if nothing else, i would at least like to see this engine inside a building as a static display to get it out of the elements.

i concur with others... this is excellant to have this forum to inform and keep wmstr on the growing path.
 
I spoke to Tim during the Larson welding steam up, and offered to make drawings. If somene else is willing to champion this (between the Freeport and the Machine shop I have enough to push for now), I would be willing to bring a computer with solid modeling software down to the grounds (its what I do all day anyway); with one helper we could inventory the parts and make a prety accurate model of the engine for designing the installation in less than a day. Even if someone has sketches or dimensions from when it was in service, a complete drawing with all the plumbing, foundation and building makes project planning and work MUCH easier (and the visual helps to draw people into it).

So who wants to step up to the plate and lead here?

As for location, I'll through out a few suggestions
1. Move the Ortner and give it some real track to run on, put engine where Ortner RR is.
2. Put Engine NE or roundhouse; I know of a 40hP steam air compressor that would go with this and supply air to the roundhouse and machine shop (hidden motive here, obviously)

Just shooting off my mouth again :p

-MK
 
Two great suggestions Mark. Let's see some posts from others.:bannana:
 
Nebraska engine "disassemblers"

Just to help with the background of the Nebraska engine: Those who were on the real job of tearing down and moving the Nebraska were Jim Todahl,
Mike Johnson (New Folden, Mn), Smitty (Elroy) Amundson, possibly Bob Glass (he was one who was very the interested in the Nebraska-not sure if he accompanied them to tear it down.) I do have ALL the photos of this project---2 big piles--that were taken during the disassembling. They should prove very helpful when this project gets a 'champion' and crew to begin work.
Lynette
 
I am starting a new job next week and I am not sure how my life is going to proceed. With that being said I would possibly be interested helping out with this project. I am very mechanically inclined and I have some common sense when it comes to construction and mechanical things. Please keep me informed and I will offer some sweat and back work. I think my new job may leave me with more weekends open.
 
Lynette;1268 said:
I do have ALL the photos of this project---2 big piles--that were taken during the disassembling.Lynette

lynette,

do you know if the guys who went down there recieved any history or information about the engine besides taken the photos (which will be very helpful)?
maybe even some plan drawings?
 
Would any of the people interested in the engine, be at the summer meeting on 6-2-07? Maybe the wheels could get rolling.:bannana:

(Dancing banana is so cool.)
 
It would seem to me the first thing to do would be to get all the parts together in one DRY place. That would probably require the P&H and/or the Big Ugly.

The place???? Perhaps the triangle between the old and new mainline tracks west of the Pennsilvania. Arey/Muhl might not like it, but that spot is accesable via Big Ugly and relitivity well drained. It also would have the benifit of being observed by xx,000 people riding the train saying "when are you going to put that together?" We need to unload ties from Expo flat anyway. At least this would get the parts out of the slough hole the're in now and would also fufill the "must be moved 3 times" rule.
 
Jerry,

Your post has several good points. Let's see if we can get the engine moved and sitting on some kind of blocking in a drier place. If we can clear the location you mentioned with the railroad crew, I think that would be a good place.

Later,
Jerry
 
Asher Interpative Center

For those not closley involve with the railroad, I would like to interperit the paragraph above by Jerry Asher.
We should compile all of the parts from the Nebraska Engine and get them high and dry. This will involve the P&H truck crane or the railroad crane.
I think it we could put it between our new mainline tracks and the old tracks now used as a siding just west of the Pennsilvania engine building. Gary Aery and Gary Muhl may not be happy, as they have worked very hard cleaning up that area however it is accesable with the railroad crain, and the drainage is relatively good in that area. In that spot it would be seen by thousands of people riding the train, who would pester us to make it run.

The interperitave center is not sure what unloading the ties from the Expo flat car has to do with this project, but we do have a team looking into this sentence.
This will get the engine high and dry, and we will have spent enough time moving it from place to place that we can do something productive with the Enging in question.
Ken Ronsberg
 
Asher Interpative Center

The interperitave center is not sure what unloading the ties from the Expo flat car has to do with this project, but we do have a team looking into this sentence.

I am guessing that we could use the Expo flat car to move the pieces so that would mean that we would have to unload the ties?:confused:
 
AIC (Asher Interpative Center)

OK Mr Smarty Pants at the AIC-you want to tackle the Clase Fat project?

Were you referring to the Case Flat (Clase Fat)?

We are not in charge of track or rolling stock.:biglaugh:
 
Clase Fat

I think Asher either meant Classy Fat, or his bridge slipped while trying to sound out the words.... or could be french Clase' Fat ? Clawnece!
Ken:biglaugh:
 
I think it is great how everyone is coming together to begin this worthwhile project. Lynette mentioned earlier in this thread the she has a couple piles of photographs pertaining to the Nebraska. I would be willing to put these photos together (as best I can) in a readable, book type fashion. I could also scan the photos to create backups of them. This would also allow everyone to have a copy of them (on CD) to take home with them to study and ponder. If you guys think this would be helpful to you and if someone else isnt already doing it, let me know and I'll do what I can to get it done.
 
That would be a great idea.With the technology that is out there, anything is possible.
 
OK, this may sound like a really stupid question, but does the Nebraska engine have two flywheels? On the North side of the tracks by Steam Hollow is four flywheel halves. Is there more than one engine there?:confused:
 
I'm lost :confused: here I thought we were talking about a steam engine and then it turned into a classy fat chick :hide: and then something about the RR where are we? I'm willing to help but please :praying: lets focus on the project at hand!

Erik the ned

sorry just had to add on two bits
 
Time for a "Head Count"

seeing how the intersest in this engine is rising. just to throw this out there...

how many of you out there are willing to commit to a pre-planning stage type of a meeting? (could be setup to meet at an agreed spot. say.. the mercantile? at some point?)

granted, living far away is a hinderance but even if we had enough close rollag and the surrounding area support and input. we can always keep everyone informed about the progress here on this post.

i have found out thru the internet that all documentation from great western sugar was donated to the colorado state university library at fort collins, co. the reply i recieved was from a librarian stating about a listing of all documentation recieved (which i downloaded into word). also about great western sugar's magazine publication called the "sugar press" which the feb-mar-apr- 1962 issue has information about the scottsbluff factory construstion in 1910. if any one can find this publication it would be awesome!!

while i was transmission line surveying out in this area back in 1988 +/-. i took some outside shots of this factory. yes, the sugar industry has a major influence on my whole families life. as my dad retired from american crystal after 40 years.
 
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