What's New:
On Thursday, members Richie King, Bob Bodenstein, and Steve Falco delivered M&E 19's new wheelset to UTC/RAS, a wheel, axle, and truck rebuilding facility in Morton, PA. Hawk Drilling, Inc. was generous enough to allow us use of one of their dual axle trailers so that we could transport the wheelset ourselves, which saved Tri-State over $1000 in shipping costs. The wheelset which was brought to UTC was donated to us by Morristown & Erie, who will also be donating the labor to install it in place of the damaged wheelset that put the engine out of service. That wheel set will be getting new wheels, reconditioned bearings, and will have the axle and gear requalified.
What's Next:
When the wheelset is completed, volunteers will transport the wheel set back to Morristown. At that point, 19 will be brought into Morristown & Erie's shop and jacked up off of its trucks. The front truck and #2 motor will be disassembled and the rebuilt wheelset will be installed in place of the damaged one. The engine is currently drained of coolant, so it will be refilled and the engine can start up and run again for the first time since it was permanently retired in November.
All of this work is 100% donor funded. Check our GoFundMe fundrasier to donate to the project and help us reach our $5000 goal!