News
27.02.2021: Work continues
Last week, some long-awaited work was completed. The brake linkage on the tender of our steam locomotive 50 3570 was dismantled in order to refurbish some moving parts. Here the colleague first looks how he can best reach the screws and bolts that have to be unscrewed.
A short time later, success is reported. The brake crossbars are removed and neatly spread out on the floor so that one can see which part belongs to which place.
Work also continued in our locomotive shed extension, which is used for storage. First, the ceiling was insulated to reduce the extreme temperature fluctuations between winter and summer in the room. Then a partition wall was installed to divide the large room.
Progress can also be seen on the water tower. For example, the windows on the ground floor were uncovered, the window frames repainted and then glazed. The window frame above the door has also been fitted in the meantime. However, it is still covered by a wooden board, because the glass will not be fitted until next week.
And last but not least, work was also done on the tracks. We regularly have to replace dilapidated wooden sleepers with used concrete ones. Since such work requires appropriate equipment, we have contracted out the work to a certified specialist company. The following picture shows a new sleeper field near our goods ramp.
vehicle: 50 3570-4
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Lok 50 3570-4 im Rampenlicht
Operation am Herzen einer Lok13.02.2021: Winter impressions
After the winter has mercilessly struck in the past few days, we would like to show you, dear readers of our news, a few impressions from the museum site. Wintertime does indeed have some beautiful sides, especially when the sky is azure blue and the sun is shining.
In the first picture the sun is shining through the rear windows of the locomotive shed and touches the passenger coach, which is used from time to time for round trips in the area.
The next pictures show unused tracks and a bit of still life with winter atmosphere from the museum's track area.
The 221 106 of the Potsdam railway company (EGP) is parked in front of the former dispatcher's building. The mighty diesel locomotive was mainly used for freight service in the Prignitz region in recent years and is now waiting for a workshop appointment.
Unfortunately, the idyll had to be disturbed a bit today, because some shunting was going on. Our steam locomotive 44 and the diesel locomotive V60 were moved to the side.
As part of the shunting trips, the Magdeburg side of the station was also used. The following picture shows one of our diesel locomotives V23 on its way there.
As all points in the shunting district on the Magdeburg side are operated by signal box Wm, the shunter has to communicate with the signalman via telephone.
This shunting district will soon get more technical equipment: The new shunting signal is now technically repaired and waiting to be installed. We deliberately show the picture rotated by 90 degrees because the signal is to be installed as shown. We are now waiting for the frost to end so that a foundation can be made for it and the connecting cable from the signal box to its location can be laid or connected.
23.01.2021: Homework and other odds and ends
Due to the current Corona situation and the associated restrictions, work is also progressing slowly at the museum. But at least it is progressing. So today we can report on the progress of the refurbishment of the Breuer tractor. Some time ago, the vehicle was unhitched and jacked up in the workshop. Finally, one of the two axles could be removed to inspect the axle boxes and the running surfaces on the axle.
Fortunately, it turned out that the plain bearings of the axles were still in good condition. What is a plain bearing? In a plain bearing, the axle shaft rotates ("slides") on a wafer-thin film of oil in the so-called bearing shell. This is a semicircular recess in the vehicle frame.
However, the lubrication pads, which are attached to the underside of the axle, need to be replaced. The lubrication pad consists of cotton threads that draw lubricating oil from a reservoir and deliver it to the axle shaft above. The way it works is similar to that of candle wicks. It ensures that the axle is always coated with sufficient oil during travel so that the aforementioned oil film can form between the axle and the bearing shell.
We also uncoupled the tender of loco 50 3682, which will soon run again with loco 50 3570. But before that some work on the brake is necessary.
A bit of home work is always a nice thing to do, especially these days: One of our locksmiths used old photos to rebuild the window frame that used to be above the entrance door to the water tower. Unfortunately, the original window was lost after the railway depot was closed down and the window cavity has since been closed with a chipboard. We look forward to the water tower regaining another piece of its original face when the window frame is re-glazed in the near future.
vehicles: 50 3570-4, 50 3682-7, Breuer Lokomotor
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02.01.2021: A Happy New Year!
Dear visitors, the whole team from the Historic Locomotive Shed Wittenberge wishes you a good start into 2021. With regard to our museum, we hope that the current Corona situation will soon subside and that we can resume unclouded operation in the spring. If all goes well, we would like to reopen the museum to the public on 3/4/2021. Our spring steam days will then take place on May 8th and 9th, at which, by the way, diesel locomotive enthusiasts will also get big eyes. That's a promise!
What else is new? Well, the days are rather quiet and working in groups is not possible at the moment because we also have to apply the required distances between colleagues. However, there are still a few small advances:
Today we were able to remove the engine of our Breuer tractor. It is now ready to be shipped for engine reconditioning and will be collected next week. For the technology fans: It is an air-cooled petrol engine from Volkswagen. It is also known from the Beetle and the first VW buses.
Our new shelving system is also making progress. It is now assembled and provisionally aligned. The next step will be to anchor it to the floor and the wall and then it will be ready for use. You may wonder why there are no shelves visible. Simple answer: It is designed to be used to lift pallets into it with a forklift truck. These will then stand on the yellow crossbars.
In the meantime, our electricians have also taken care of the new shunting signal, which will soon be put into operation in our track field. Before that, however, the cables, the lamps and the control system have to be checked. In addition, the "W" has to be given a transparent orange colour again. By the way, the W means "wait". Only when it lights up, a shunting train is allowed to pass the signal. The signal will be operated by our signal box Wm.
Then we have two winter impressions. Heiko took two still lifes. On the first one our blue Skl is sunbathing, on the second one you can see the new telephone booth and some exhibits in the background.
And now we experiment a little. For the first time we made a little film about the smallest of our operational exhibits. It shows how to start and drive the locomotive. But please do not try it on your own when you visit our museum!
As far as the quality of the video is concerned, we are halfway satisfied. The apps for mobile phones have come a long way in the meantime. However, we are amateurs when it comes to filming and editing video sequences. We are grateful for tipps and opinions.
vehicles: OHE 0605, Breuer Lokomotor, Schwerkleinwagen Typ Schöneweide
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