At the Symposium Bill Bailey told us how he got the job as Chief Mechanical Officer for the 819 restoratoin. Bill is a retired engineer from the telephone company. He knows how to read the blueprints. There is a set of as-built prints left over from the construction of the last Cotton Belt L-1s #815-819 that were built by Pine Bluff in 1942-1943. Bill told us how the Cotton Belt made the parts on these last five L-1s as interchangeable as possible. The parts were stamped with the original number for the locomotive it was installed on, but over years of operation parts were interchanged amongst the locomotives while they were shopped.
He also launched into a story about how Rollin Breedenberg rode the 819 on a trial run after she was rebuilt in 1986 to see how the bearings would perform after setting so long. They got her up to 72 mph near Camden, Arkansas. The excursion speed was then set at 55 mph and it operates at that speed without any problems.
Retired Cotton Belt Engineer Joe Hawkins spoke up from the back of the room and told how he had an L-1 running at 80 mph at Saltillo, TEXAS back in his day. Red Standefer in his oral history also tells of running an L-1 at 80 mph. They could get up and ramble under the right care and had a healthy appetite for #4 fuel oil.
Ed
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
That is encouraging news.
We had Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society Vice President and 819 Chief Mechanical Officer Bill Bailey speak at the Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium on April 16th this year. Bailey said that all is progressing nicely for a steam up in 2009. The 819 will be trip leased to cover its cost if and when it runs again. Bailey said that CBRHS is setting up a fund for the work on the 819 which will include some work to the rear truck.
On another discussion board it was noted that the 819 could be towed to friendly rails as a piece of freight by UP. Time will tell what is being worked out on when and where the 819 will steam again.
It should also be noted that Steve Lee of the UP Steam Program visited Pine Bluff and the Arkansas Railroad Museum last August to help out with the painting of the UP C630 #2907 back to its original colors. The visit was considered friendly.
Ed Cooper
CBRHS #111
I visited the engine last april during the show. It is coming along slowly and surely.
Let's just say that Union Pacific owns the rails around the area and they will be damned if the 819 turns a wheel on it. If that is true or not is to be determined. But there are alot of wispers. Even if they could only steam it up in the shop and perhaps run it back and forth on a short peice of track it would make me happy to see that old warhorse running.
Everything else is moving along at a steady pace last I heard and I have visited the engine each year for the last 5 or so.
Im struck by the photo posted here, there isnt anything different from that photo to her appearance today with the exception of the boiler jackets and various other hardware being worked on.
Today's date is 819.
Terry A. Kirkland photo at Pittsburg, TEXAS.
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