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Breaking Lost Engines news

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Breaking Lost Engines news
Posted by dinwitty on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 7:42 PM

 http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=10730352&nav=S6aK

 

 Century-old steam engines will soon have new homes

 

They've come up with a way to save three steam engines that have been parked at the back of a scrap yard in Roanoke.

Bartering.  They'll be salvaged from the salvage yard without any money changing hands.

"So this is really the only way they would end up not being scrapped, by having a bartering deal with these multiple parties, so everybody gets something that benefits them," said Transportation Museum Director Bev Fitzpatrick.

The deal includes the scrap yard and Carilion, the landowners that need to get the rail relics off their property.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation gets the one steam locomotive that was made in Roanoke, plus its pick from the set of diesel engines.

Another steam engine goes to a brand new rail museum breaking ground this month in Portsmouth.

The man who'll move all of the equipment gets paid for his trouble with a steam engine himself, along with a flat car.

Will Harris of Goshen plans to cut them in half, horizontally, to get them where they're going.

"Lift the boiler right off, and then we pick the wheels right up.  The whole sub frame, the frame, cylinder, all the wheels will come together.  We don't know what that weighs.  Once we pick it up, we'll know," said Harris. 

The prize of the lot is engine #1151, built at Norfolk & Western Railway's Roanoke Shops in 1911.

The engines must be moved by the end of September, though it may be a long time before they'll be properly restored and put on display.

 

.......

 

1151 will go to VMT, 1118 likely to Will Harris and 1134 to Portsmouth.

 

 http://lostengines.railfan.net/  for more info

 

Fund raising on the site goes for the rail preservation efforts which has involved the lost engines and more.

 

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:30 PM

Yep - they're all 3 N & W 4-8-0's = 'Twelve-Wheelers' or 'Mastodons".  The 1118 and 1134 are the M2 class, the 1151 is the M2a ==> M2c class, all slightly bigger than the one now at the Strasburg RR, per: http://lostengines.railfan.net/   

The 2 diesels are ex-Chesapeake & Western 1946 Baldwin DS-4-4-600's (or 660's ?) Nos. 662 and 663, per: http://lostengines.railfan.net/diesels.shtml 

- PDN.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by dinwitty on Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:01 AM

 

these were the primary engines the N&W used before big time power came on the scene,after that they were relegated to switching, branchline services. N&W never bought 0-8-0's, till about 1950, they used the 4-8-0's. These engines were likely in switcher duties as they were relgated to the scrap yard about 1951, where they stayed.

The 2-8-0 that was in the yard is now in Ohio.

 

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Posted by ndbprr on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:56 AM

 

Yes but they have been rotting there for what forty to fifty years?  They may very well fall into rust piles when the moves are attempted.  I hope not but don't harbor visions of them ever running again.
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Posted by Geared Steam on Thursday, July 16, 2009 3:08 PM

ndbprr
They may very well fall into rust piles when the moves are attempted

 

You didn't click the link...

 

Static display is better than the scrap torch anytime. It takes millions to refurbish, but we shall see.

 

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by dinwitty on Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:40 PM

ndbprr

 

Yes but they have been rotting there for what forty to fifty years?  They may very well fall into rust piles when the moves are attempted.  I hope not but don't harbor visions of them ever running again.

 

 they are not in that kind of condition. 1118 could run again and 1134 is also possible.

All the engines when delivered to the scrap yard were in running condition, TLC can bring them back.

 

These engines have along career and N&W took care of them those they kept running.

 

 

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Posted by Tulyar15 on Friday, July 24, 2009 7:47 AM

dinwitty

 they are not in that kind of condition. 1118 could run again and 1134 is also possible.

All the engines when delivered to the scrap yard were in running condition, TLC can bring them back.

 

These engines have along career and N&W took care of them those they kept running.

Indeed! Some of the restorations done in Britain on locos that spent several decades in Barry scrapayrd is proof of that. Furthermore the seaside location of Barry combined with the damp British climate meant rust set in a lot more quickly.

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Posted by bubbajustin on Friday, July 24, 2009 3:28 PM

Sad too see these old gals in that condition. Glad too see that that one didn’t fall into a rust pile when put on that lowboy. Also good to hear that some can run again. Woo Hoo!!! I also like the “Bartering” system.

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