I stopped by and spoke with the group last Spring, and have stayed in contact with them and followed the progress of the restoration.
It took them only about 3 years to do the work, on a locomotive that was stored serviceable in 1954. They also have the talents of a number of members who are qualified boiler workers; the man with the cane seen in the last few seconds of the video is Fred Schmidt. He and others know what they re doing with this almost lost art of steam locomotive mechanics and operation. I've known Fred for several decades, and he secured the Frisco 1632 Russian Decapod for the predecessor group that he founded in 1964.
After the FRA inspections this month, they will paint the engine before Christmas, and plan to run operational tests in early Spring before the engine is put back into service on their tourist railroad.
There is some footage of the steam up on youtube. Just type Abiline and Smokay Valley RR.
- Luke
Modeling the Southern Pacific in the 1960's-1980's
It really is shocking how much different a locomotive looks with the lagging and covers removed, isn't it?
The lagging jacket and covers are removed for the varoius inspections. I am sure they will be replaced and painted after all of the mechanical work is complete and has passed inspection!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Wow, that thing looks in rough shape. Hard to believe the FRA inspector would be too impressed.
More details here:http://www.abilene-rc.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=87D5AC85-19B9-E2F5-46E3E8C46A115218
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.