Hi Keith … so nice to see a machine come alive without wires, chips, computer screens and the like 👍.

Can't wait to see the old girl making steam again. You managed the video just great Keith - thanks for taking the trouble.

I have learned more about steam locomotives, by watching your videos, than anywhere else. I hope to make a visit to the museum early next year.

This old loco stuff is great

Man, with that bright outdoor sun behind you I could see your halo. A prime example of the patience and skills needed to do that kind of work.

You had me fooled. I would have thought you were a TRAINed pipe fitter. As always, thank you.

Very nice video Keith. It is the first time I see how to assembly the pipes and everything else in the cab. Thumbs up, and congratulations from Brazil Nilton Polydoro

That was a very interesting video, not the pipe assembly, but the detailled explanation of the various systems. Thanks Keith.

Great job Keith. That was a real education. Makes the locomotive much less mysterious but no less impressive! I agree with other folks, had that been me there would have been tools and 4 letters flying. You are a true Gentleman!

For hundreds of years maybe thousands our next generations may not know how to do what you do but will see the technology used in the past through your video's. For that we as a society owe you so much! Thank you Mr. Rucker.

Man, that was a whole lot of progress on that engine. The video came out fine, too. Great job!

I was just thinking "Rube Goldberg" just like John 47. Glad you had pictures. Videos com in handy also as you found out with the lathe reassembly project. Fingers crossed here that all steam fittings don't leak! Greg

Plumbers Nightmare well enjoyed

i looked up in the dictionary under "jack of all trades" and i saw a photo of you. a fine job well done.

Master Pipe Fitter Rucker - Nice Job! Thanks for keeping the ole' girl running.

Dear Keith A great video, very well done! I helped restore and now maintain and run a very similar loco on a heritage railway here in Canada. We have a 42 inch narrow gauge, 21 ton, 0-4-0 saddle tank built by Montreal locomotive Works in 1926. The engine used to burn waste oil but I built a stainless steel, steam powered burner to use diesel and this has worked very well for us. The loco only had steam brakes with no provision for braking the 2 coaches, so we actually built a full air brake system after scrounging a proper Westinghouse steam driven air compressor. The relay valves and all the required gauges and control valves we were able to get off a nearby "real railway" -mostly from their scrap line!. The air reservoirs are truck units and we built all the coach truck rigging from scratch. By the way we had poor results using Teflon tape on the pipe joints and have had much better luck using a a mixture of valve (steam) oil (ie: that goes in the lubricator) and powdered graphite mixed up to the consistency of porridge and brushed on the pipe threads. This has given us excellent sealing and the pipes are always easy to undo for winter strip down. Please see www.portageflyer.org and look up "Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway" on You Tube for some photos and video. All the best. Paul

I have to say that is one of the most informative and enjoyable video i have ever seen. Thank you a thousand times.

Great video. Now I have some idea of the controls on a steam locomotive. Thanks. I kept waiting for you to knock that wrench off the oiler steam input with your head! Thank goodness that was avoided. I'm sure everyone appreciates the time you put in on this.

Great work! Here's a tip for you: Use anti seize on the threads and cones of the unions. They go tighten up with less effort/force, seal better, and come back apart much easier!

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to bring us along.

boy that really took the mystery out of all those pipes....Nice Video!

YES!!! This Monday just got a WHOLE LOT better!

Again, thanks so much for you time, expertise, and patience! And thanks you for graciously taking us along for the ride! Be blessed!

Many thanks for sharing this with the world, and for all your hard work, hope to see more videos of the Vulcan.

Keith, what an awesome project this must have been. Thanks so much for sharing, Cliff

Keith, One of you best videos. I love the way you talk us through the process. Look forward to seeing the steam up.

Truly enjoyed this video. Thanks for posting Keith

A very enjoyable Video as well as informative. Nice to see old things repaired in stead of being scraped! We always learn from History!

Keith, that was the best treat of the year for me! What little boy (Okay, so I'm 75, but part of me is still that little boy) doesn't dream of working on a steam locomotive? Watching you do that plumbing and hearing your explanation made me realize how little I knew about the construction of a real steam locomotive and how much I could learn in 35 minutes. You are a very talented teacher and in spite of the lighting difficulties, the video was perfect. Thanks so much for all your efforts.

You did a great job on the video, under the most trying of conditions, thank you.

Fascinating video. Thanks for filming it.

Great job getting video in such difficult situation while working hard! Thank you.

Thank you for all the extra work you go through to film this. I work for the railroad and its interesting to see these old relics and the engineering that went into them.

What an awesome looking Little Engine That Could! Great job guys!

Well Mr Rucker done well and well done cheers.

Thank You Thank You. I love trains and seeing how this engine is going back together was just Totally Awesome to see. I am sure videoing it was a pain and slowed the process down but it really made my day. Thank You Keith!!!!

Thanks for the great video that really shows purpose of each valve, pipe and lever in a locomotive cab. It really is pretty straight forward when it is broken down piece by piece like this.

looking forward to see it running. Thanks for sharing, enjoying the video!

Great video! I tell my Wife all the time about my trip their and standing in the cab of this lady. Can't wait to come back.

Great vid .. Nice to see the piping going in and what it's for... 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

wow, this is cool! you have this machine mastered. amazing quality workmanship then and now...

Video turned out great. Very educational. All the pipes intertwined together reminds of an old 3 Stooges skit where they attempted some plumbing jobs.

Look forward to seeing the finished job. Great video Keith - a pipe fitter you are!

Thank you Keith. I feel I can now operate this boiler from your descriptions of the deferent parts.

Keith great job. Challenging conditions, Great explanations of the workings

Just so you know, this video is one of the most enjoyable of the ones I've seen. I appreciate all your hard work. I don't know how you stay so calm.

Thanks for the video and letting us watch the end result looks amazing and beautifull

Keith, it looked to be a very enjoyable and satisfying jig saw puzzle.

You did excellent camera work considering the challenging conditions. Considering the lighting and the fact that there's very little room inside that cab, it came out looking great. I'm not sure if you're the guy behind the vintagemachinery.org forums, but I'd like to extend my thanks to whoever runs that. The advice I received there was very helpful in getting my vintage wood lathe in working condition.

Keith the pipework certainly looked like a big challenge to put the puzzle together

Three months for all of that work is very impressive. Good job!

I love to see you making chips... But maintaining the locomotive is always a treat! Thanks for sharing so much time and effort Keith, all the best.

What an education. I am fascinated with the work being done to the locomotive. I had no idea how these old engines operated. Thank you for the videos

Thanks for all the effort you put in making the videos.

Nice video! I work with 10,000 psi N2 units with autoclave unions. we have to pull the plumbing off to have the safety valves recertification every year. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, didn't know how much work goes into setting up a locomotive. Great video, thanks for sharing.

Thanks, I loved this video. Very interesting to hear you describe how all the components connect and their function. Also great to see the shoulder bolt in place. I can see how the small room for the wrench contributed to the issues with the head of the original bolt. Thanks for persevering with the challenges to take the video.

I've done enough plumbing to understand the difficulty involved there. Thanks for sharing. Your volunteer work is appreciated. It'll be good to see that engine going again.

That came out quite well even with the challenging backlighting.

Very nice video. I think that you did a great job!! Enjoyed seeing all the 'guts' of a steam engine!

Mammoth effort, Keith. Excellent job.

Your video quality was just fine - thank you for taking the time and trouble to get it right! Very, very nice and interesting video. thanks!

Thank you for the detail on how it works! Video turned out fine!

I enjoyed this video an awful lot. When will I ever have the chance to watch somebody repair AND explain the reassembly of a stream locomotive. It is a wonderful piece of equipment.

load unions w. never size. makes breaking them loose a lot easier! I learned the hard way lol. awesome job and video, Keith!

I just found your channel a couple of weeks ago. Been watching all I can, plan on watching all of them in time. Loce all of them. This one on this steam locomotive was very interesting to watch. With the complicated maze of pipe, fittings, and valves, your explanation of all the works really simplified the whole works. Not to the point that anyone could get in and operate it, but to get a better understanding of how things work together to make the thing run down the track. Thanks for the excellent videos, keep up the great work.

Keith, A very interesting video! I tend to have a nasty temper when things don't work right. If I had been doing that job, there would no doubt be some pipes hurled outside the cab! Fortunately, I wasn't working on the locomotive and cooler heads prevailed! Thanks for the video. Back when that locomotive was first built, they didn't have television, let alone video recording equipment! The cab was not designed with video making in mind. You did do a super job of making a great video, considering the restrictive area you were working in. I'll be looking forward to see the old girl chuffing down the tracks. Have a good one! Dave

Pretty good for an apprentice pipefitter! Thanks for all the explanation.

I really enjoyed watching you reassemble the locomotive fittings -- even though it seemed to be mainly a plumbing job. Very impressed by your detailed knowledge of the function of each fitting. You're worth everything that they pay you as a volunteer. :) Seriously, however, they're sooo lucky to have you working for them.

I use to play in a old wrecked locomotive when I was a kid , It was way back in the woods , I lived in a old logging camp .. Fun times , this was awesome to see again .. I am only 45 but I love the vintage stuff ! Thumbs up, Great job Keith !!

Great video Mr. Keith!

Great video Keith, thank you so much for doing it for us. I know it had to add extra hours to the assembly of the plumbing.

Thank you so much for showing this!

Can't wait for another ride with engineer Keith!

Cool vid Keith.Thanks for posting it.

Looks like so much fun !!!!

Mr. Rucker. You are one handy SOB.

dear keith, the video turned out very clear, and the topic -- very interesting! i am very glad that the museum decided to restore for many years to come the iron horse -- for joy and pleasure for the multitudes of the guests. it really warms my heart that you invest so much good work and dedication. also, i believe that if the creators guild is ever formed, -- you'd be honoured to become its president. thank you for the video, yours, -toly

Wow! Keith that was a great video! Thank You!

I've been waiting for this one, watched it a couple times. and you did a really nice job with it. Looking forward to seeing it run in Dec....Dave

Hi Keith, thanks for making these videos they're interesting to watch. It reminds me of visiting the Bluebell railway when I was younger, here in the UK, in Sussex county.

Fantastic! I just learned an unbelievable amount about steam locomotives. I'd love to see more on the engine.

Congratulations! Well, done.

Very cool video. I'm starting to realize how much engineering vent into making a steam locomotive work.

I am very impressed (again) with your knowledge, this time with the locomotive and knowing not only how to put that rats nest of piping back together but also in your knowledge of what all the parts do. As always I enjoyed the video even though I will never work on a locomotive.

great video Keith!

The old loco looks great! There is a lot of clocking to be done in all that piping so I am not surprised getting it all aligned back up was a challenge. Will be interesting to see how the powder coating holds up.

Good one! I enjoy steam locomotives.

G'day, Keith! A really nice job on all the pipe fittings and unions! Honestly would love to see more video on how this Vulcan Iron Works steam locomotive is coming along in it's reassembly! I was wondering did you know... Cedar Point is long been known for its amazing collection of world class roller coasters. However, it also sports a nice relaxing narrow-gauge passenger railroad as well! Opened In 1963, The Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad is located at the top of the Main Midway and takes you to Frontiertown located in the back of the park. When you board in Frontiertown, heading back towards the Main Midway, you enter the fictitious town of "Boneville", which is populated entirely by those enjoying "the afterlife"! Yes, its all SKELETONS!!! Hence the name "Boneville"! The train offers constant service all day and you can ride between the Main Midway and Frontiertown and explore that area, or continue through Boneville then back to the Main Midway. Some of the power on the The Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad consists of antique narrow-gauge steam-powered locomotives and all of the train's coaches are the open-air type with the last car being handicap accessible. There can be one or two trains running, depending on the size of crowds. CP&LE #44 - Judy K.: Built in 1923, this 2-4-0 (was originally built as an 0-4-0T) was built by the 'Vulcan Iron Works' of Wilkes-Barre, PA and was originally owned by John Marsh Inc. of Lansing, MI. Its original use is unknown. CP&LE #22 - Myron H.: Built in 1922, this 2-4-0 (was originally built as an 0-4-0T) was also built by the 'Vulcan Iron Works' of Wilkes-Barre, PA and was originally owned by the Wayne Coal Company of Clay Bank, OH, used in coal mining. CP&LE #3 - Albert: Built in 1910, this 2-6-0 was built by the 'Davenport Locomotive Works' of Davenport, IA. It's original owner was J.B. Levert, St. John Plantation of St. Martinville, LA and was used to transport sugarcane. This was one of the first two engines on the CP&LE. It's now on static display in Frontiertown. Special thanks to Cedar Point for the historical information on the locomotives. Included here is a photo essay (bit.ly/2e78hNP) of this very nice railroad located inside the best amusement park in the known universe! Enjoy!!! Cheers! :-)

Great video Keith! All your videos are great, but the locomotive stuff is particularly interesting.

Great job Keith. It's awesome you would give up a day on your weekend to do this. Big thumbs up. :)

This isn't something we get to see every day. Thanks!

ANOTHER JOB WELL DONE....

Awesome video, enjoyed watching!

if i study this video long enough i think i could learn how to drive a train lol. good job keith.

Loved it so much I watched it twice. Would like to see more use of anti seize.

You give hope that after the emp of a solar flare or HBomb, that enough machinery will survive.

Having rebuilt a couple of steam locomotives I appreciate all the work involved. All of the video you have done helps pass on, to a new generation, what is becoming a dying trade. I had the benefit of learning from "Old Timers" who worked in the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific Shops. Looks to me like this is a perfect time to plumb in a second sight glass and a fitting for a second steam gage. Keep up the good work keeping steam alive.

Two suggestions: Try using "pipe dope" or "pipe thread sealant" on pipe threads, easier to apply and seals better than teflon tape. The other is "antiseeze compound", used on all fasteners threads, and works great on the threads of a pipe union nut.

excellent, very informative!