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Will CPR's Empress steam program be scrapped?

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, November 11, 2021 10:18 AM

No NYCentral System Hudson was preserved.  I believe a Burlington 4-6-4 is displayed.  (Galewsburg?  Ottamwa?)  CP has the omy operable one?  Any others preserved?

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, November 11, 2021 12:16 PM

daveklepper
Any others preserved?

Several Burlington examples, for starters; see the collection at MOT in St.Louis...

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Posted by selector on Thursday, November 11, 2021 3:49 PM

Flintlock76

 

selector

If they're pulling the front end throttle (?), superheater, and tubes, this lady won't be running for a few weeks.  She must not have passed inspection. Oh well, it has been 21 years.

 

 

 

Either that or since they're going to run it here in the US they're making sure it's up to American specs?  

It'd be embarassing if they get ready to make the "Grand Tour" and get stopped because it doesn't meet FRA standards.

 

 Indubitably.  I just meant that, while this was not seemingly in the mix just eight/twelve weeks ago, it is now a distinct bottleneck, and will almost certainly preclude any live steam from CP showcasing the KCS acquistion....anywhere.....soon.

 
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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, November 11, 2021 5:33 PM

My take on this latest development is that CP's steam crew is preparing to perform a full American 1472 day inspection on 2816.  This would be necessary for any operation south of the border, and among other things the inspection of course requires removing the tubes, flues and anything else you need to get at them.  

Railfan speculation about CP potentially acquiring and restoring another engine comes up on the 2816 facebook group on a regular basis.  CP 3101, the now privately owned 4-8-4 currently on display at a Regina steel mill is an especially common subject.  Mr. Jeffrey summed up the actual history of this topic in another post almost a year ago:

Jonathan Jeffrey

I’ve stated this a couple of times before on this page.  To avoid any rumours on the matter, particularly now, to be clear CP never formally considered or tried to get a second steam locomotive going.  That whole thing involving the IPSCO/EVRAZ 3101 began with two guys (one a former CP employee).  CP knew they were doing their own thing, on their own time, investigating the possibility of its restoration.  Once word got out that these guys were starting to involve CP in their discussions, unsanctioned, it created extensive friction.  So it was then made crystal clear to them at that time that CP would not be entertaining any discussion about acquiring another steam locomotive.  

The 3101 rumours occurred during Fred Green’s tenure.  When he and his senior staff learned about some of the “commitments” being made, and how CP was being brought into the picture (basically shopping for a steam locomotive without permission) the whole thing blew up and was dropped immediately.

Greetings from Alberta

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Posted by kgbw49 on Thursday, November 11, 2021 6:36 PM

Well, in the vein of "the last shall be first", a significant portion of the railroad that was the last transcontinental railroad to be constructed will now form the core of the first North American railroad.

The former Milwaukee Road Twin Cities-Chicago, Twin Cities-Kansas City, and Chicago-Kansas City will be the core of CPKC.

Perhaps if Empress throws a shoe or needs some extended maintenance, housed a stone's throw from Shoreham Yard resides MILW 261. With a few wine-colored panels painted on the cab and tender, and a 3101 number panel, perhaps the locomotive that stood in as a Lackawanna 4-8-4 as 1661 at Steamtown could pinch hit if the need arises.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Thursday, November 11, 2021 7:05 PM

kgbw49
the locomotive that stood in as a Lackawanna 4-8-4

All they'd need to make it complete would be a proper CP whistle.  There was a genuine Lackawanna whistle standing by courtesy of railfan photographer (and BIG Lackawanna fan) Henry Peterson.  They popped it on the 261 and Scranton PA heard a sound it hadn't heard for decades!

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Posted by pennytrains on Friday, November 12, 2021 5:19 PM

daveklepper
No NYCentral System Hudson was preserved. I believe a Burlington 4-6-4 is displayed. (Galewsburg? Ottamwa?) CP has the omy operable one? Any others preserved?

Great info here: http://www.rgusrail.com/roster.html

There is, of course, C&O L1 #490 at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, plus two ATSF locomotives and NKP #170.

Big Smile  Same me, different spelling!  Big Smile

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, November 12, 2021 5:59 PM

A genuine Lackawanna Pocono whistle isn't a whistle at all.  It was a multichime air horn, made by an organ company...

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Sunday, November 14, 2021 8:35 AM

Overmod

A genuine Lackawanna Pocono whistle isn't a whistle at all.  It was a multichime air horn, made by an organ company...

 

Well, as Goliath used to say:

" I don't know, Da-veee..."  

So I went to the archive here at the "Fortress Flintlock" and pulled my copy of "Lackawanna Railroad Trackside With Henry W. Peterson" and on page four lo and behold there's a photo of Henry with his whistle, air horns, bell, and headlight saved from Lackawanna Pocono 1643. According to author Mike del Vecchio:

"A most notable trip occurrred in 1995 when Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261 wore the bell, whistle, and air horns for a run between Steamtown and Binhamton."

"That sweet chime whistle and the mellow tone of the bell were heard in Scranton for the first time since 1953."

Mike doesn't mention use of the air horns, although since they were on there I'm sure they were used at least once.  Nothing special about horns, diesels have 'em, so who cares? 

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Posted by selector on Sunday, November 14, 2021 3:20 PM

Flintlock76

 

 
....  Nothing special about horns, diesels have 'em, so who cares? 
 

Can I buy you a nice cognac or scotch...some time...? Laugh

A fellow armoured officer quipped when he heard someone gush over how complicated it was to fly a military helicopter, "Well, how hard can it be?  Pilots do it."

Another time, while attending a class at Staff School, an overhead slide (remember those) was up a bit long, and people started to fidget in the silence.  The Army Colonel said, "I'm just waiting for the pilots' lips to stop moving."

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Sunday, November 14, 2021 4:07 PM

selector
an overhead slide (remember those)

I sure do, and they stayed around a lot longer than they should have!

I wish I had a dollar for every overhead slide sheet I had to un-jam from a copier fuser unit!  Yes, you could  make overhead slides in a copier but if you didn't have the right slide material?  Good Lord, what a mess!  

One damn fool in a state office jammed up three  machines!  When she jammed one with inappropriate slide sheets she walked down the hall to the next one, then the next...

Selector, if I'm ever in Vancouver I'll take you up on the offer!

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, November 14, 2021 4:55 PM

I'm not saying the Q2s didn't have whistles -- the GS4s and Niagaras did, too.  But what was used in service was the horns:

Note in the comments that the whistle is described as a relatively low 5-chime, capable of being quilled.  I suspect there are videos of the 261 trip that feature this in action...

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Posted by SD70Dude on Sunday, June 25, 2023 11:45 PM

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, June 26, 2023 7:14 AM

And about to go all the way to Mexico City!

(I keep hearing 'Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead' quietly in the background... Devil)

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Friday, June 30, 2023 8:36 PM

SD70Dude
Excellent news from Calgary today, 2816 is in steam and moving under her own power:

Thanks 'Dude!

Yeah, the word through the grapevine ever since the CP steam program was shut down 2816 was put away in excellent condition and should the day come it wouldn't take long to get it up and operational again.  Looks like the grapevine was right, although I'm more than sure the crew put in some serious work to make it happen just the same.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Friday, June 30, 2023 9:34 PM

The Empress got out of the yard for her first test run yesterday, and solo too!  I don't think they ventured outside of Calgary, just ran back and forth between Ogden and Sunalta (the west side of downtown). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3pifzBtZSo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4WZLuNwZgs

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Posted by kgbw49 on Friday, June 30, 2023 10:00 PM
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, July 1, 2023 7:27 AM

kgbw49
And Gordon Lightfoot looks down from Above and smiles.

Oh wow, I've never heard that one!  Thanks for the link!  Just lovely!  

I've got a "Best Of..." Gordon Lightfoot album, I have no idea why they would have left it out. 

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