GE 25 Tonner, 399 has seen a lot of progress in the past two weeks at the Riverhead Restoration Site, with even more on the way. The final welding on the back of the locomotive’s cab has been completed. Now small amounts of grinding remain to remove the welds for a nice and smooth surface. Once this is finished it will be primed and readied for painting. Preparations are also being made to reinstall the newly restored engineer’s door on the side of the engine. Plans are being finalized to install it based on original General Electric design. Filler metal possibly added by the Long Island Rail Road has been removed to allow for the door to be bolted on rather then welded. This will allow for a little more “wiggle room” when setting the door up to the striker.
Inside the cab needle scaling continues on the floor. It was also painted in primer brown to prevent further rust. The cab itself was also cleaned out of all tools and materials not related to the reassembly of the locomotive. A lot of the control stand and cab have also been cleaned up and painted including the break stand, seat and control stand. The entire under carriage of the locomotive has also been grinded down to a smooth surface and painted primer brown. Next week weather permitting it will be painted black. We will be restoring 399 to her original paint job, which is solid orange body and black under carriage.
