Working on No.9 scraping rust.
4/8/25
SLIM PRINCESS #9 UPDATE
The Silver Fire almost cancelled our April work party, but thanks to the amazing crews of wildland firefighters, our April 5-6 gathering went ahead as scheduled. A total of twenty volunteers showed up for the weekend, and by late afternoon Sunday, a lot more had been accomplished than anyone had expected. Besides rust removal from #9’s boiler, removal of the sand dome was accomplished, track maintenance was completed, and prepping the historic #67 boxcar for a new coat of paint was initiated. Volunteers from as far away as Reno, Nevada, and Lake Isabella, California were on hand for the tedious and unglamorous job of scraping a century’s worth of rust from our 116 year old princess and doing whatever else needed doing. The crews were handsomely fed on Saturday by our local Altrusa ladies, and on Sunday by Natividad at Kentucky Fried Chicken. This kind of community support is so appreciated and makes us realize how important our railroad heritage is to our valley residents.
Just a few days after our work party, we learned that our smoke box cover is ready. As you may remember, #9’s smokebox cover was removed last October. Early steam locomotives didn’t have smokeboxes, but they soon became standard as a place for char (ash and cinders) to collect, thus preventing blockage of the boiler flues. #9’s exposed smokebox has been a source of fascination for visitors for the past six months. Few people have seen the inside of a smokebox, and seeing the three-dimensional anatomy of the structures is a rare treat.
When our old smokebox cover was removed, it was realized that it was too warped for repair. Fabco Steel Fabrication partnered with us by donating materials for a new cover, and the new cover is ready for transport. This resource and the accompanying transport logistics are to the credit of two of our Southern California volunteers: John Soenderby and Jim Schroeder. Although the new cover will arrive soon, it will not be installed right away. Summer visitors will still have the opportunity to see the light at the end of the boiler flue: from the smokebox to the firebox. When docents are available (Wednesdays and Saturdays and most Fridays and Sundays), the inside of the smokebox is lighted, just to make structures more visible, and photographers more happy.
The restoration continues, and with better weather, we will be getting together more frequently, getting the princess ready for her ultrasonic boiler test. Video coming soon!