Soo Line locomotive gets a bath
City of Gladstone employees and members of the Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority team up to clean the engine. From left are Justin Coppock, John Pickard, Bubba Finch and TJ Moulds. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Products to clean Gladstone's Soo Line relic were donated by GreenTree Auto Styling in Escanaba. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
The steam engine that formerly ran on the Soo Line Railroad gets a pre-winter washdown from City of Gladstone Parks and Recreation Employee Bubba Finch and Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority's TJ Moulds. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Bubba Finch from the City of Gladstone Parks and Recreation Department sprays the old No. 730 steam engine with a powerwasher while TJ Moulds with the The Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority washes. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
City of Gladstone employees and members of the Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority team up to clean the engine. From left are Justin Coppock, John Pickard, Bubba Finch and TJ Moulds. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Products to clean Gladstone's Soo Line relic were donated by GreenTree Auto Styling in Escanaba. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
The steam engine that formerly ran on the Soo Line Railroad gets a pre-winter washdown from City of Gladstone Parks and Recreation Employee Bubba Finch and Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority's TJ Moulds. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Bubba Finch from the City of Gladstone Parks and Recreation Department sprays the old No. 730 steam engine with a powerwasher while TJ Moulds with the The Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority washes. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
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GLADSTONE -- The No. 730 steam engine that once chugged along the Soo Line Railroad and now sits on a bit of track on the edge of the Canadian National railyard on the outskirts of Gladstone got a cleaning Wednesday, thanks to the nonprofit that supports its maintenance, the City of Gladstone and an area business.
Since the Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority formed a few years ago to restore the aged locomotive and clean it regularly, the task has gotten easier. President John Pickard noted that now, thanks to wire mesh that keeps birds out, there is far less to clean off the engine.
This time around, GreenTree Auto Styling, a car detailing shop in Escanaba, donated some products to help clean No. 730. On Wednesday afternoon, after the engine was hosed down by Parks and Recreation employees using a water buffalo tank and power washer, a foaming wash was applied and soon after rinsed off.