Friday, April 12, 2019

This Week's Doodlebug Report

Gregg Wolfersheim continues to send us regular reports of progress on the UP doodlebug, which is located in Barn 2 out of sight of the public.  So it's good to get news on a project which would otherwise go unnoticed.  He writes:


Just a few pics of progress on M-35.  We're using 1/4 inch insulation sheets above the windows. It's the only thing that will fit. Originally, there were asbestos sheets here, but they have been removed.


Over the window in the heater room there are two sheet metal panels that hold the insulation in place.


In the men's room, we have the panel in place holding the pink insulation. There are 6 pins that come through the metal panels. The ends are bent over to hold the panel. They must clear the window which slides past them when raised. 


There is another double sheet metal panel over the fire board that covers the area over the window. This is in the heater room, and we also see that the window has been put back in place after nearly 20 years! Work is now concentrating in the men's room area with painting of the walls.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Randy, is the doodlebug going to be made operational eventually or will it be a static display? What condition is the power plant in?
C Kronenwetter

Randall Hicks said...

The doodlebug has been made operational and ran several times before it was put into Barn 2 for a complete restoration. The original Winton prime mover was replaced by a Roiline engine many years ago, and there's no reason to think it won't be functional again.

I happened to run into Gregg today and checked with him before posting this. He wanted to answer your post, but says Google won't let him post comments, no matter how many questions he answers, and so on. I told him I don't have any control over this, and I don't know what the problem is, but after all, you DO look pretty suspicious! :)

Anonymous said...

Actually it will be pretty neat when you can stage the doodlebug next to the UP 428 waiting to depart E Union. Is the doodlebug able to pull any trailers or is it pretty much limited to pulling itself?
C Kronenwetter