In 1999 the cab was removed from the locomotive. Drawings were made for building the new cab and as each new piece is built, the drawings are refined to reflect the as-built state. We spent considerable time trying to decide on the type of wood to use for the cab. White ash was one choice under consideration but getting it in the sizes we needed was a problem. After much thought, we decided to use the same type of wood that was in the previous cab, Poplar. The price of wood has gone up and the several of the initial quotations for the wood were around $3000. On top of this, one needs to add another $500 for bolts, sheet metal, etc.
Like the rest of the locomotive, the building of the cab has turned out to be a joint effort of many individuals and groups. Ogden Union Station started off the rebuilding effort by having the cab tie down anchors built from the drawings we provided. The Hostler’s Model Railroad Club provided a $300 grant to help defray part of the wood costs. A local wood supply house, “National Wood Products Inc.” gave us a good price on the 2-inch raw stock we needed for the cab frame. Rocky Mountain Frames provided a 20-inch planer to mill the raw stock down to the 1-¾ inch thick boards for the frame. Earnie Davenport of R&E Woodworks then cut the large boards down to the approximate size for each of the individual cab frame members. With this wood, Richard Carroll, Dale Newley, Jerry Krause, Lee Witten & Maynard Morris proceeded to do the final cuts and assemble the cab frame. When we need a special 24-inch reamer, Bryce Draper built us one. Dale Silverton built the doors. Earnie Davenport also assisted in the fabrication of the cab windows. United Team Mechanical built the rain gutters that go over the engineer and fireman’s windows. These turned out to be a rather complex assembly. As usual, the Nut & Bolt Supply House has provided us good prices on the various bolts we used in the cab. When we went to do the roof we learned that the tongue and grove wood (vertical gain fir) is both expensive and difficult to find in the lengths we need. However, the Ottley Floor Company was able to provide us the wood at a very reasonable price. The front of the cab has some metal sheathing and thanks to a donation from Metal West these pieces were cut and attached. We still have two wind deflectors to build and to cover the cab roof with a water proof covering. However, the main part of the cab is finished.
