"Seeing it steam again"

WASILLA — Engine 557 Restoration Company volunteers are diligently working with face masks in their shop near the Parks Highway overpass and All Seasons Clothing Company.

President and founding member of the Restoration Company, Patrick Durand said this passion project has been a nice getaway from the current coronavirus and political climate; and achieving recent milestones has really stoked the fires of their overall momentum.

“We all have a common goal of seeing it back in operation, seeing it steam again,” Durand said.

The Engine 557 locomotive was originally built in the early 1940s for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps for use during World War II. Its model was used widely across Europe and Africa during the war.

“These are war babies,” Durand said.

Engine 557 was one of 12 steam locomotives sent to Alaska in 1944 to help bolster the Alaska Railroad. It saw significant use before being sold to a Washington scrap dealer and museum curator in 1964. It eventually returned to Alaska, and will carry passengers again thanks to the efforts of Durand and his eclectic group of volunteers.

Durand said the average age of their volunteers is 70, and they usually have about six workers at the shop on a given day. They come from all walks of life with a common passion for engineering and historical preservation.

“Yeah we’ve got a variety of characters,” Durand said.

They’ve been in the shop every week, many of them finding relief in the daily tasks of this passion project, according to Durand.

“It’s a great relief for a bunch of old guys,” Durand said.

Out of the 12 original steam locomotives brought to Alaska, only two remain. Besides the 557 Engine in the Wasilla warehouse, another model sits in Anchorage. Durand said there’s only 27 of its kind left in the world.

The 557 Restoration project is the only of its kind in the state and when it’s finished, will provide a whole new experience for locals and tourists alike as one of the last operational steam engines in the world.

There’s two coaches and a power car, and the ultimate goal is to get the engine operational for regular use. Durand said they could use some old passenger cars from the Alaska Railroad that are stripped out and sitting in Anchorage if need be.

“If we want to refurbish them for future use we’ll have them available, too,” Durand said.

Most of the major assemblies are done and crew members are just waiting for the proper sequence to install them, according to Durand.

Last year, the Restoration Company received a major help from one of their longtime supporters, MEA. They received a $5,000 grant from the MEA Charitable Foundation which went toward reconditioning machine work needed for the front engine truck wheel set.

“We awarded this job to Roteq Alaska, another MEA rate payer,” Durand said. “While the total cost came to just over $16,000, Roteq did a fantastic job in salvaging this major component of locomotive 557. Had we not been able to salvage this axle, the specialized nature of a replacement could have pushed the work well beyond $30,000.”

Durand stated that this month mark’s 9 years of labor totalling to over 90,000 work hours, $1,200,000 in contributed funds, and $700,000 in donated parts and services from across the globe.

He said they hope to get 557 on the track for regular use as soon as possible, but they’re taking as long as they need to make sure they get everything done in the best way possible.

“Nothing would make us happier than to do it next year,” Durand said. “We have one chance to make it right so we’re gonna take our time to do it.”

For more information, visit 557.alaskarails.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com