Trimming the dome tube to length. The height of the finished dome was not known when this sheet metal was ordered, so it was purchased intentionally long, for future trimming. Late last fall, a trip was made to Durbin to measure the dome on the Moore and Kepple 3 running there, and it measured 17.5 inches of metal showing between the castings, but this was not written down (big mistake). To confirm this, we did two things: extrapolated from a picture, using known dimensions of the castings, and guessed at 18 inches; contacted the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad and inquired about the dimensions on their 70-ton Climax. There's is 17 1/2 inches, which matches the locomotive we measured last fall!

Photo by Rick Brigger