While it’s easy to remember all the bad things that happened in 2020 (and there were
quite a few), the fact is that our wonderful supporters just like you helped
make it The Trust’s best year ever and we plan on keeping that momentum going
through 2021 and beyond.

We Did It!!

A Trust supporter challenged our followers last September, pledging to match
$50,000 if it was raised by the end of the year. In an astonishing show of your
support, we not only met our goal but exceeded it by nearly $10,000, bringing
our total donations to over $100,000.

From all of us, we want to thank each and every one of you, no matter how much or
how little you gave. Whether it was one dollar or a thousand, your donation counted,
got us over our goal and another step closer to getting 5550 on the rails.

Frame CAD is Complete

The amazing employees at JakTool logged over 1,000 working hours bringing the T1’s
frame from the actual pages of history into a fully rendered CAD model that
will help us forge this amazing design in steel. The resulting computer file is
the largest single rendering JakTool has ever done. Take a moment to admire the
beauty and hard work that went into reviving the backbone of the T1.

Frame seen from the front right, looking back

 Frame from the top. Front is at left, rear is at right

 Frame from the bottom. Front is at left, rear is at right

Firebox Update

 Steam Services of America in Sylva, North Carolina has been hard at work fabricating the
foundation ring of the firebox, also known as the mudring. Once this component
is complete, it will be shipped to Ohio where firebox construction will take
place. After that is finished, the entire firebox assembly will be off to Saint
Louis, Missouri where it will join the rest of the boiler.

Backhead

As mentioned above, once the foundation ring arrives in Ohio, it will enable construction of
the firebox to commence. One component of the firebox is the backhead which is
home to all the controls that face the engineer and fireman and the opening
through which coal is shoveled.

Our general manager, Jason Johnson, seen here stands 6 feet (1.82 meters) tall to provide a
sense of scale to this massive piece of metal.

Combustion Chamber

Another piece of the puzzle coming together at Continental Fabricators in St. Louis, Missouri is
the combustion chamber portion of the boiler/firebox assembly. The final image
shows where this part fits into the locomotive.

Guess That Part!

To test your T1 knowledge, let’s see if you can figure out what this part is just by looking at
these drawings. We’ll reveal the answer in the next issue of The Trail
Blazer.

Here’s a hint…you probably have one of these close by or in your hand right now.

Let’s Keep it Going!

Thanks again to all of you who helped make 2020 the Trust’s best year so far. Momentum is our
friend in seeing 5550 completed in steel and we can’t keep that momentum up
without your continued support. Let’s make 2021 even better than last year…in
more ways that one!