Pouring Babbitt in the engine house

For the past year stories and photographs on this blog have focused on the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. Long time readers have seen activity shift from weekly renovation reports on the Diamond and Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive to tie replacement, speeders and train rides on the Placerville Branch rail line.

That doesn't mean work has stopped at the engine house. During this time two dedicated members of the Shay team have continued work in the shops at the El Dorado County Historical Museum.

Lead machinist Sam Thompson continues to make the weekly drive to Placerville from his Bay Area home. He has focused on rehabilitating the Shay's three engines. The second member, Mark Bruto, has divided his time between the engine house and railroad park.

The team has focused on the bearings for the eccentrics on the crankshaft. Using Babbitt donated to the railroad by the CemexUSA plan in Pleasanton, California, Sam and Mark devised a simple process to form the bearings.

The photographs show the process Sam and Mark used yesterday to form the third of six bearings:

Sam tightens the bolts after placing shims between the halves of the eccentric strap. The shims act as dams. They form two distinct halves as the bearing is molded. The round fixture at the bottom of the picture is used to form the inside diameter of the bearing.

Sam makes final adjustments as he centers the eccentric strap around the ring mold. Sam and Mark next clamped the strap to the ring mold to immobilize it.

A little after 10 a.m., Mark began melting the Babbitt. Babbitt is the soft white metal that's used to make the bearing. According to Sam, the material consists of approximately 92 percent tin. Antimony and copper make up the rest of the alloy.

Sam drops a handful of Babbitt shavings into the molten Babbitt. The shavings melted as soon as they fell into the pool. The Babbitt is heated to 460 to 470 degrees. Mark said the Babbitt it ready to pour when it takes on a straw color.

Mark pours the molten Babbitt into the mold around 11:15 a.m. Although difficult to see, Mark and Sam used duct seal, a clay-like material, to keep the molten Babbitt inside the mold. A second line of duct seal formed a gasket under the eccentric strap.

Sam said that he would cool the bearing for an hour or more before splitting it into halves. He heated the mold in an oven to 250 degrees before pouring the Babbitt. This prevented the Babbitt from prematurely solidifying as it spread in the mold.

Sam is currently machining the second bearing on the mill in the machine shop. Mark and Sam try to mold a bearing every other Saturday. Sam uses the middle Saturday between pours to machine the bearing to specifications.

1933 Ford truck at depot

Sharon and Ron Evans of Crystal Hill Ranch in Placerville stopped by the depot with their 1933 Ford truck last week. The couple recently donated a Southern Pacific baggage cart to the El Dorado County Historical Museum for use on the railroad. We'll feature the cart on the blog once it's restored.

New Fairmont A4 car

Last month the El Dorado Western Railroad acquired a second Fairmont A4 car. The car will be lettered as the El Dorado Western Railroad No. 603. The 603 will be used to expand rider capacity this summer.

Train rides for winter 2012

Please come out and support California's newest county-run railroad. As residents and guests of El Dorado County, you have the opportunity to ride the train in the winter of 2012. With your support, the railroad will continue to operate many years into the future.

Train rides for 2012

Beginning on Sunday, January 8, 2012, the railroad will offer train rides on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line, weather permitting. The railroad will operate two Sundays each month in January (8th and 15th), February (5th and 19th) and March (4th and 18th). Trains will operate from noon to 4 p.m. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour.

To locate the train depot in El Dorado County, California, take Pleasant Valley Road (from the east or west) to Oriental Street. Turn north. Keep left at the Wye. Continue to the end of the road and left to the station.


The video begins on the Placerville Branch from just west of the Forni Road grade crossing. The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe No. 4 Kalamazoo track inspection car travels west across Blanchard Road toward the depot in historic El Dorado. The video was shot on a brisk fall day in the California Mother Lode on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

Thank you for a successful first year

The El Dorado Western Railroad extends a hearty thank you to our guests and riders. Since the railroad opened for weekly passenger runs on July 17, it has enjoyed a consistent and loyal following by a dedicated group of riders. It's interesting to note that our ticket agent said he is starting recognize familiar faces. Many passengers come out and ride the train each month.

Please come out and support California's newest county-run railroad. As residents and guests of El Dorado County, you have one more opportunity to ride the train in 2011. With your support, the railroad will continue to operate in 2012 and many years into the future. The railroad will run on Sunday, December 18, 2011, from noon to 4 p.m. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour. See the yellow poster for directions to the railroad depot.

As an added bonus, you are all invited to attend The El Dorado Train Rider and Volunteer Appreciation Party at the El Dorado Community Center tomorrow noon to 4:00 p.m. We hope to see you there. This event is for all. You can visit the party, then walk down to the depot and ride the train.

Fairmont car operator and conductor Mark Bruto punches the ticket of a young mother and her daughter.

Mark directs passengers to their seat on the El Dorado Western Railroad No. 602 Fairmont A4D.

Donation of portable welder

The El Dorado Western Railroad thanks businessman George Turnboo for his donation of a portable welder to the railroad. The railroad has already placed the portable gas powered Miller welder in service.

George owns and operates George's Pit Stop in the town of El Dorado. The business is located at 6234 Pleasant Valley Road.

"This landmark auto repair business, owned and operated by George Turnboo for 35 years, is located at the intersection of Highway 49 and Pleasant Valley Road," states the description of his auto repair shop on the Historic Town of El Dorado website. "Services for foreign and domestic automobiles and trucks include brakes, tune-ups, electrical and diagnostic repairs. George's is an official licensed smog test & repair station. Need service? Call George: (530) 626-4845."

Train and stagecoach rides this weekend

Enjoy some holiday happenings on Saturday, December 3 in the historic town of El Dorado.

The El Dorado Western Railroad will give train rides from to noon 4 p.m. Trains depart on the hour and half-hour from the re-created depot on Oriental Street.

You can also ride Davey "Doc" Wiser's stagecoach from noon to 4 p.m.

While you're in El Dorado, stop by and enjoy what these shops have to offer:

Grab a tasty soup and bread (and Gingerbread Man cookies) at Allez! Good Food on the Go! from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Allez! is located at 6180 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Booksigning by local author Cindy Sample for her new book Dying For A Dance, the second book in a series, at Books n' Bears from 1 to 3 p.m. The bookstore is located at 6211-A Pleasant Valley Rd.

Annual favorites, the Suzuki Kids, will perform at 2:00 p.m. at Gallery El Dorado. The gallery is located at 6180 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Santa will be in town, so check to see if you're on the Naughty or Nice list!

The train will also run on Sunday, December 4 from Noon to 4 p.m. Two operating days reamin for 2011 if you can't ride the train this weekend. Come out and support the El Dorado Western Railroad on Sunday, December 11 and Sunday, December 18. We will post our 2012 operating schedule after the first of the year.

From now until Christmas, stroll and shop Historic El Dorado's local merchants for gifts and goodies!