Pulling the Pistons

Saturday, I arrived at the engine house around 8:45 a.m. I took my time. Biscuits and gravy at the Diamond Springs Hotel sounded good that morning.

As I walked up to the machine shop, Sam Thompson approached me and said, "Hey, you missed all the fun!"

The crew had removed the pistons from engines no. 1 and 2 in short order.

"I need to take them out anyway," Sam said. Dirt and shavings would fall into the cylinders when he shapes the valves this fall.

Sam left the no. 3 piston installed for the moment

An inside view of engine no. 1.

The pistons inside the machine shop.

Sam is getting ready to fit another piece to his valve shaper.