PORT ANGELES — Crews have built a cage of scaffolding around the old Rayonier locomotive on Lauridsen Boulevard to prepare for the removal of asbestos from the historic engine.
The city of Port Angeles declared an emergency Friday when it learned that pieces of insulation that fell from the rusted boiler during winter snows contained high levels of the harmful mineral fibers, Corey Delikat, Parks and Recreation director, said Monday.
Northwest Abatement Services of Lakewood arrived early Monday to contain the site at 200 E. Lauridsen Blvd. until crews can return to remove all of the asbestos from Rayonier Locomotive No. 4.
“Basically what they want to do is contain everything that’s around the site,” Delikat said Tuesday.
Subcontractors from Magnum Construction Services continued to raise scaffolding Tuesday to provide a frame for a plastic enclosure that will contain the locomotive until Northwest Abatement Services returns in a “week or two” to remove the asbestos, Delikat said.
Delikat said the asbestos-covered insulation that fell from the boiler is “very dense.”
“It’s not like it’s floating around in the air, but they didn’t want to take any chances,” Delikat said of Northwest Abatement Services.
“Working with them was great because they really took the time to understand our concerns and drop what they were doing and send a crew.”
Locomotive No. 4 is on permanent display in a traffic island at Lauridsen Boulevard and Chase Street.
It is surrounded by a permanent fence and off limits to user groups because the city has long known that it contains asbestos, Delikat said.
The Parks and Recreation Department had previously hired Northwest Abatement Services to determine how much it would cost to remove asbestos from the locomotive. The estimated cost of asbestos removal is nearly $38,000, Delikat said.
“Upon arriving onsite, it was noticed that pieces of insulation had fallen off of the rusted boiler,” Delikat said in a Monday news release.
“This was probably due to the large amount of heavy snow we received this winter.”
Northwest Abatement Services collected samples of the insulation March 19 and provided a report to the city Thursday, Delikat said.
The emergency declaration will allow the parks department to use general funds to pay for the cleanup, Delikat said.
“We’ve had a lot of community members over the years approach me about getting it refurbished,” Delikat said of Locomotive No. 4.
“It’s never had any funding directed to it. I’d love to save it, but it’s getting to the point where it’s deteriorating really fast.”
The locomotive was built in 1924 by Willamette Iron and Steel Works in Portland for the Long-Bell Lumber Co. in Ryderwood, according to Rgusrail.com.
The engine was acquired by Rayonier in 1947 and was used to move lumber from the West End to main lines leaving for Port Townsend, Portland, Ore., and other sites, city officials said.
Rayonier Locomotive No. 4 was donated to the city of Port Angeles in 1960 and now sits uncovered on the north side of Lauridsen Boulevard across from the Port Angeles library.
Rayonier also donated the 10 Spot, a Pacific Coast Shay locomotive, to the city of Forks in 1960. Locomotive No. 10 is displayed in a covered area at Tillicum Park.
Delikat said asbestos removal could provide new opportunities to restore Locomotive No. 4.
“I think this is just the beginning,” Delikat said.
“It’s a community asset, and we want to make sure it stays around. It’s got a lot of history to it.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Scaffolding partially surrounds the Rayonier locomotive on Lauridsen Boulevard in Port Angeles on Tuesday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
