This past summer, on July 4, Engine #1 of the Tanana Valley Railroad (ex-AEC/ARR Chatanika Branch #1, ex-North American Transportation and Trading Co. #1), a Gold Rush era Porter 0-4-0 ST, CN#1972, spent eight hours on it's first revenue run since the early 20's! Retired and placed on display in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1922, the engine was restored by Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad, Inc., a local non-profit group formed to restore the little engine and misc. TVRR memorabilia. The group has spent the past nine years on the restoration of the locomotive and associated projects.
TVRR Engine #1, two days before its inaugural revenue run on the 4th of July, 2000 - Art Chase photo.
Sparked by the issue of the LGB Porter model, a group of friends decided to try and prevent the further destruction of the engine which was on display at a local park, slowly succumbing to the ravages of time. Assisted by representatives of the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, the friends spent Thanksgiving weekend of 1991 examining the engine and developed a restoration plan which was presented to local officials. A decision was reached to proceed with restoration with the ultimate goal of making Engine #1 run again, if possible. Upon learning that the engine had been built in the Spring of 1899, the group set a target date of 1999 for return to operation.
Work began in the Spring of 1992, when the group formally organized as Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad, Inc. and began recruiting additional members. They secured non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, and began dismantling the engine, while conducting extensive historic research, and initiated a fund raising campaign. Limited by a short outdoor summer work season and available funds, work proceeded at a slow and careful pace.
By the fall of 1996, the 36" narrow gauge loco was totally in pieces, which had all been cleaned up and examined for repair or replacement. The Alaska State Boiler Inspector determined that the boiler would have to be replaced and a nationwide search was initiated to locate a professional firm willing to travel to Fairbanks to build a new boiler, utilizing the "guts" from the old one, and direct the re-assembly. Original blueprints for part of the engine were located by FTVRR researchers in a collection loaned from the Canadian National Archives, which aided in the re-creation of some of the essential machinery. Other professional firms capable of repairing or replicating parts such as running blocks and injectors, were located and parts were sent out. Missing pieces were re-cast using molds patterned off parts borrowed from a sister engine.
Summer 1997 marked the time for re-assembly to begin, still outside. As replacement parts came back, they were returned to the growing chassis and painted with a special anti-corrosion paint. Summer season in 1998 began with the crew recovering donated track and switches to build a new siding into a pole shed that had been used for reconstruction of a riverboat wheelhouse. The chassis was finally placed back on the re-tooled axles and rolled into the shed. While re-assembly continued, work immediately began to enclose the shed, utilizing lumber salvaged from an old gold-rush era structure. The new boiler arrived in September, was mounted inside the chassis, and tested for leaks. Reassembly continued through the winter, additional track was laid in the Spring to create a 125 ft passing siding, and the boiler company returned on July 8, 1999, to complete the final work and test the engine. Steam up began on July 24th and finally on July 27th, everyone's dream was achieved, as Engine #1 moved out onto the mainline at the park, accompanied by cheers and many misty eyes.
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| FTVRR members constructing new passing siding with rail salvaged from a gold mine and ties from the ARR - FTVRR files, D.Gullickson. |
Work continued this past winter: The pole shed
interior was insulated and sheet rocked, a wood fired heater was installed, and the crew
corrected deficiencies discovered during the 3 hour test run. Some of the 100 year
old fittings had failed during steam-up and it was decided to replace all of them rather
than make piece-meal repairs. The timing needed to be re-adjusted and brake shoes
needed to be replaced, among many other things. The crew also began restoring a 1967
passenger car from the local park railroad.
This Spring, operating crews were chosen and sent to Skagway, Alaska, where they received
an introduction to steam locomotive operation by officials of the White Pass and Yukon Route! Returning
to Fairbanks with their new knowledge, they completed the mechanical reassembly in time
for the arrival of Peter Bouley of Benson Mt. Co., who built the replica boiler and
supervised the original reassembly and testing. Following an intense day of on-site
class instruction, the "practicum" began; students fired up the boiler and
began practicing on the TVRR siding that had been built the previous year. As their
skills increased, they moved out onto the mainline in the park, finally adding on
the passenger car from the the park. On July 4, as part of the local community
Independence Day celebration centered in the park, Engine #1 became the oldest operating
Steam Locomotive in Alaska and the Yukon.
Engine #1 returns to operation July 4, 2000 - photo courtesy Richard Hansen.
Engine #1 has continued to operate periodically throughout the
summer and fall, with much attention being devoted to timing adjustment and spark
arresting. The final day for operations was October 5, as the TVRR entertained
members of the Alaska Tourist Industry Association. Daily operation is not being
considered at this time due to the the historic value of the engine and the lack of parts
available when breakdowns occur. Operational plans for 2001 will be developed after a
thorough review of this year's activity.
This coming winter, while continuing maintenance and restoration on #1, the group will be
busy restoring a speeder that was recently donated (railbed maintenance will be much
easier next year!) and finalizing plans for a new 50'x70' two stall engine house that will
become a living museum at the local park. Construction is scheduled to begin during
FY 2002.
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Dan Gullickson is President of the Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad, Inc. There is more about the history of the railroad, the restoration of the engine, and lots more photos at the TVRR website.
Main Article ~ Restoration Photos ~ In Service Photos