Saturday August 20th was a banner day for the 223 restoration project. John Braun and Larry Hereig of the Mammoth Locomotive Works ( http://mammothlocomotiveworks.com ) in Palisade Colorado, volunteered a day of most useful service at our shop. We were floundering with the running gear. John and Larry, having taken apart and rebuilt locomotives for years, knew just what to do. With simple tools such as metal wedges and hammers to a pneumatic jack, they pounded, heated, pried and were finally able to remove the drive rods from both sides. John gave us a lot of counseling as to what we needed to do going forward and also provided us with an ultra sound device so we can go ahead, make a grid on the boiler and do our own testing for thickness. Steve Jones and Slim Jolly provided BBQ beef, potato salad, and deviled eggs for a much needed lunch break. Steve Jones presented John and Larry with our official 223 caps besides providing room and board at a local hotel. A bargain for what was accomplished, that's for sure.