Now if they could only find another Class J, or even a steamlined Class K out in the weeds somewhere to make kgbw49's Photo Four come to life...
Hey firelock, how about the c&o 490?
How about the C&O 490?
Pre-rebuild...one Fast Flying Virginian!
I'll hold out for SD40-2 fest.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Kinda of interesting concept as well.
zugmann I'll hold out for SD40-2 fest.
Good idea, or how about an all ALCo diesel fest. With all that exhaust it may resemble a steam fest.
Okay, well, here is a 4-8-4, 4-6-6-4, SD40-2, SD40-2 fest - the best I can do for now...
ROBERT WILLISON Hey firelock, how about the c&o 490?
The "Big Banana?" Why ever not? It's up there in the B&O Museum waiting for another call to duty.
Or fire lock, her old running mate the 1218....u must have a sft spot in heart for her....I know I do.
ROBERT WILLISONOr fire lock, her old running mate the 1218....u must have a soft spot in heart for her....I know I do.
As do I ... but there is a pot-load of work to be done on 1218 to get her in running condition compared to what would likely be needed for 490, and comparatively few places where 1218 could run even with enthusiastic NS operating support.
Something else to consider -- while this hasn't been pushed nearly hard enough, much of the 'wicked cool' vibe of the PRR T1 is probably present for the 490; in fact, there's a 'retro' feel to the design and the colors that would probably be attractive to a large cross-section of the general population that would otherwise care little about particular locomotives.
This of course dodges the relative unlikelihood of 490 being 'put in play' for an operating restoration, let alone having places to run that would justify it. But I'd like to see it run for the poppet valves alone -- and there are so many other reasons...
I can't speak to the mechanical condition on 1218, I remember she was disassemble when ns pulled the plug on their steam program.
As for where she can operate on the ns, she seemed to of ran system wide. I was on the Shawnee excursion out of north Florida and south ga and on in Alabama.
No one on here can speak to the williness or desires of ns to allow steam excisions. Until their a definite yes or no its pure speculation.
With the cp horrors behind them they maybe more likely to be pro steam as they were in the past, as long as they are not writing the checks. Again wishful thinking and speculation on my part.
From what I remember the 1218 went pretty much everywhere the 611 did during the old NS steam program. There may have been some places it couldn't go, but I'm not aware of them.
1218's not as big as people might think it is, I was surprised when I first saw it up close. There's a LOT of power in that small package.
Now a Big Boy on the other hand will take your breath away when you see it up close. It dwarfs the 1218!
1218 could probably be brought back if someone wants to raise the funds to do it, as far as I know it's "all there," work simply stopped on it in 1994.
1218 made it to Chicago, St. Louis and Florida for sure.
About the only place I don't think it went on the NS system at that time was New Orleans.
The whole industry and hobby is one big rumor mill, thats one thing I've learned over the years. Look at C&O #2716, everybody thought she was a pile of junk, but lookee what the KSHC found.
I don't know what to believe or expect about 1218 at this point, not until a real inspection has been done.
For those that haven't noted today's News Wire, there is information about the summer steam event at Spencer. While smaller than hoped for by many, it at least has N&W 611 there for several days of operation.
“It’s a Summer of Steam With the Class J No. 611”, scheduled for June 17-18, includes throttle time, cab rides, and caboose rides behind No. 611.
Having an Alco DIESEL-fest is a great idea!Could be a wonderful turn out of colours and classes, from the early HHs thru to the last switcher built at Schenectady in the Sixties, and all the Cabs and such in between.Roller bearings will help on those units equipped, and highway trucks and a road system now exist to move many by highway.Many are still operational and don't require a Boiler Test nor Inspection, if to be steamedCoal nor large amount of water required. Nor special lubricants.Steamed Steam engines require competent 'STEAM' men in charge.The list goes on.A good Idea!Thank You for thinking of it.
Firelock761218 could probably be brought back if someone wants to raise the funds to do it, as far as I know it's "all there," work simply stopped on it in 1994.
While she could be reactivated, she wasn't left fully intact like the 611 was, since she was disassembled and in the midst of an overhaul.
Many of her appliances like air pumps were auctioned off since they had been fully-rebuilt and were valuable to other steam operators rather than sitting idle on a great machine that very well might never steam again. It's nothing that can't be worked around, but it would be a significant extra expense if she was to be returned to steam today.
And that's ignoring the sale, mostly to scrap, of their supply of new flues, tubes, and superheater material that were specially made for her.
Steve Lee, the head of Union Pacific's steam program at the time, attended the auction and wrote about this years ago (While annoyingly concluding it by acting like railfans were ungrateful about the situation, actually claiming that NS did us a huge favor and went far out of their way by generously not scrapping this museum piece 35 years after N&W dropped her fires for the last time).
One has to hope that if a Pennsylvania T1 can be resurrected Jurraisic Park-style, 1218 will someday get another shot at the high iron.
fwiw i read this last year about the 1218
This still seems like a alot of spredding rummors.
Ya think. Rumors are great because the truth is so boring.
Rumors are like dreams, and sometimes dreams are all we have, you know.
i have also wanted the 1218 to return. i made a forum on her and brought up the issues of her unfinshed resto in length. if you guy,s wanted to check that out. i have personally asked the VMT if there is a possiblity in a campaign to bring her back. There response as of a couple of months ago was no. but i am keeping up hope. As long as i remember 1218 and 611 always ran together. and it woould seem very off if she dosen,t come back in the future. she is one of my favorites. as with 611. do i personally think that she can be restored. yes. but like 611 there is got to be people involved and money. probably twice the amount it took for 611. now people have in the past that she can,t be restoered. she has boiler problems. or etc. back when i did the forum on the 1218. that was a key question. cause i didn,t believe it. and we found out that that was in fact false. she has a empty boiler. the boiler can absolutly be restored. they have to do a standard inspection when any loco is down for a 15 year. she has new fire box side sheets. they just have to be finshed welded in place cause they tacked them in when the programe got axed. now like firelock mentioned his shock in my age... lol. even though i am 23. i love steam. i want to run and restore steam locomoctives. i currently live in oregon. and used to live in south dakota about a year and a half ago. i have alway,s loved steam. i want to show my next generation what a steam loco is. now someone mentioned the late Jim Boyde..... oh how i miss him. i have a doublesided six disc set of his railfain episodes. i was sadend when he passed. but part of me thinks that good old jim would be smiling ear to ear today. knowing how many, 4-8-4,s a big boy, several mallet,s and articulateds are running or being restored. he would be very impressed. here is to you jim...
Jim would be proud. Must be smiling down at all the reborn steamers.
ROBERT WILLISON Jim would be proud. Must be smiling down at all the reborn steamers.
AND at the satisfaction of knowing he was right!
[quote user="JOSEPH the steam buff"]
So this has been in my brain. and i think it is a pretty good idea. So what if we did a 4-8-4 gathering in spencer north carolina? and we had all avaible 4-8-4,s come and hang out. i mean the 844. the 4449, the 261. the 3751. the 2926. the the 611. the 2102 the 2100. maybe even cotten belt 819 and C & O 614. and more. how cool could that be? we could call it Northerns at spencer. is it possible? would you think? would the railroads and owners and chapters and even spencer be on board? plus sorry for not being on as much in these discussions. but i am back!!!!!
This event should called "A Gathering of Northerns (Steam)
Norfolk & Western J1 #611 4-8-4 (Host)
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3751 4-8-4 (operational)
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #2926 4-8-4 (Restoration in Progress)
Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific #261 (operational)
Spokane, Portand & Seattle #700 4-8-4 (operational)
Southern Pacific #4449 4-8-4 (1472 day inspection currently)
Chesapeake & Ohio #614 4-8-4 (operational)
Reading #2102 4-8-4 (restoratoin 2017)
Union Pacific #844 4-8-4 (1472 day inspection currently)
other 4-8-4 Northerns depending on their status?
Atchision, Topeka & Santa Fe #2912 4-8-4 (restoration?)
Reading #2100 4-8-4 ( Restoration started?)
St Louis Southerwestern #819 4-8-4 (restoration in progress?)
Nation de Mexico #3034 4-8-4 (serviceable?)
Canadian National Ry #6213 4-8-4 (restoration to operational being explored?)
To have these Steam Locomotives would be a great boost to the "North Carolina Museum"
I wish I was a lot younger so I could be of help to them.
Oscalemodeler Richard
Welcome to the "Trains Forum," Oscalemodeler! I do O gauge myself, that grandest of gauges, fire 'em up and the whole house shakes!
Of the locomotives you mentioned, that National de Mexico 4-8-4, as far as I know it's in New Hope PA on the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad but the NH&I has no restoration plans for it at this time or in the immediate future. It's just there.
Better than a scrapyard I suppose.
Can add Dixie #573 to the list as well (If everything goes through). No. 573 is less than 90 feet long too.
But none the less, a 4-8-4 event is a pipedream; just like a big boy I might add (Wink-wink).....
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