The 4014 has been acquired by Union Pacific, and is on it's way to the steam shops in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There it will be converted to burn No. 5 fuel oil. I guess UP is going to convert a water canteen to hold fuel oil. UP thinks that they can have the locomotive ready by 2019 for the 150th Anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike.

The 4014 has been acquired by Union Pacific, and is on it's way to the steam shops in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There it will be converted to burn No. 5 fuel oil. I guess UP is going to convert a water canteen to hold fuel oil.

Here is a video of UP trying to move the 4014 with not one (when it couldn't move it), but two loaders...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrKSmPzsePw

After 4 attempts they gave up...

Miner Greg

FOR NOW!

Yeah, but she was pretty frozen up solid. I know they will get her moving, but it looks like the have to remove and inspect many of the bearings to free them up and make sure they are road worthy. A lot of work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmTr22rv ... vIoq_wGTVe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhAFMuMR ... vIoq_wGTVe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wPCrzYi ... vIoq_wGTVe

Miner Greg

But worth it. I know I will be on my way to Cheyenne when I have my own car. Any time she is pulled out, I will be there, standing track side, feeling the ground shake as she thunders by with an excursion, listening to the thunderous exhaust. As a side note, there is a Japanese anime series called "Galaxy Railways" where the main locomotive is a Big Boy called Big One. In the first season, it is a 99% UP Big Boy, the only changes are the addition of a Japanese style number plate, and a smokebox mounted light. In the second season, it is changed to a 6-8-8-6. The creators of the show like ALCO products, because another train resembles an RS something, and one a Century C-415. They even have a Pennsy S1 6-4-4-6! *grins sheepishly* (I have a Revell Big Boy kit that I made look like Big One)

2 Rare Steam Locomotives Will be in Schuylkill Haven for Borough Day

http://republicanherald.com/news/2-rare ... -1.1557388

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Article:



SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Two steam locomotives will be at the annual Borough Day celebration on Saturday.
The locomotive CNJ 113, built in 1923 and housed in Minersville, and the locomotive No. 425, built in 1928 for the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad and stored in Port Clinton, will be in downtown Schuylkill Haven.
Locomotive No. 425 is owned by the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad and the CNJ 113 is owned by Railway Restoration Project 113, a Minersville-based nonprofit.
"(People) can sit in the engineer's seat and blow the whistle," Robert E. Kimmel Jr., president of Railway Restoration Project 113, said Friday.
Both locomotives will arrive in Schuylkill Haven under their own power. CNJ will chug from Minersville to Haven, where it will be on display.
Train trips with locomotive No. 425 from borough hall, formerly the old train station, to Port Clinton, will run at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. The cost is $12 for adults, $9 for children 3 to 12 and younger and free for those 2 and younger.
Usually a diesel locomotive on each end provides the journey back in time for riders, Dr. Robert Kempes, a member of the Borough Day Committee, said Monday.
"These two (steam locomotives) were never together," he said.
Work to restore the CNJ 113 to its present condition cost about $600,000, Kimmel said previously. Minor cosmetic work sometimes is still needed, he said.
The engine burns anthracite, something it will do Saturday when it leaves the station from Minersville. Sherman Coal Co., Hegins, donated the coal. Kimmel said about "a couple tons" of coal and "a few thousand gallons of water" will be used traveling between the two boroughs.
Those who want to see the locomotive move from Minersville should be on hand for 8:30 a.m. Traveling at about 15 miles per hour, engine should arrive in the borough at 9 a.m. and depart for Minersville some time in the afternoon.
"This is really the first time that it really has gone out in public," Kimmel said.
Kempes said the No. 425 was stored in the engine house owned by the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad at Port Clinton.
"They just recently got it out," he said.
Affection for locomotives can be a reminder of youth, Kimmel and Kempes agreed.
"It brings back a lot of old memories for people," Kempes said.
For a list of Borough Day events, visit wwwshboroughday.com or call 570-385-3124.

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Last time I saw 113 was around 2005-6 or so. Would like to see it go. It really impresses me that a private individual and / or group got that running on their own time, knowlege and funding....... And outside!!!! A lot of respect for them for that!

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I thought that 113 just got running again last year.

That's correct

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I have an update on the rumor that AT&SF 5000, the Madame Queen, is going to be restored. They are true.

Doyle McCormack has done it again. There is now an operational ALCO PA in the US. Early this month, his Nickel Plate Road 190 fired up for the first time!!!! I MUST get out to Oregon soon to see it!

Fire Up 611! has reached an important milestone. Funds are in place to mechanically restore the iconic steam locomotive, fundraising efforts shift to focus on the maintenance facility
Nearly 2000 donations have poured in from across the country and 15 countries, proving the Roanoke-designed and built locomotive is beloved around the world.It’s no longer a matter of “if” the Class J 611 will run again, but “when” she’ll return to excursion service.
October 25, 2013 – ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – The Virginia Museum of Transportation and the Fire Up 611! Committee announced today that the Fire Up 611! Capital Campaign raised the funds to mechanically restore the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam passenger locomotive.
Close to 2000 donations have poured in from across the United States and 15 foreign countries, demonstrating worldwide appreciation for the Roanoke-designed and built locomotive. With the current funding in place for restoration of the mechanical components for the steam engine, the campaign will turn its focus toward raising funds to provide the maintenance facility that will keep the locomotive running for decades.
“We have achieved a significant milestone, but there is still much work to be done,” explains Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. “Our goal from the beginning has been not only to get the 611 up and running, but to also keep it operational for decades.”
The fundraising campaign will continue until additional funds are raised to build a maintenance facility. Until those funds are raised, the Class J 611 will remain at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation launched the Fire Up 611! Campaign on June 28, 2013 with a goal of raising $3.5 million by October 31, 2013, in order to restore the 611 in time for excursions in Spring 2014. “We knew going in that we were operating on a very ambitious timetable to be able to begin excursions in the spring,” adds Fitzpatrick. “Good things have happened and are continuing to happen. This is not a matter of ‘if’ she’ll run again; it’s a matter of ‘when.’”
In June, the Fire Up 611! Committee outlined the fund necessary to complete this project:
1. $500,000 to $750,000 to restore the Class J 611. The restoration includes a complete overhaul to meet current Federal Railroad Administration and strict safety guidelines.
2. $2 million to $2.5 million for a maintenance facility. The facility will be used to maintain the locomotive so that she can run for decades. It will also house an educational center that can teach science, technology, engineering, math and social sciences to students of all ages.
3. $500,000 for business operations. Included in these costs are marketing, fundraising, business tools, insurance and working capital.
4. $1.5 million for an endowment to maintain and operate the Class J 611 for decades.

The Next Milestone: The Maintenance Facility

For the Class J 611 to successfully operate excursions, the locomotive will need a dedicated maintenance facility. “The 611 was conceived, designed, engineered and built in Roanoke,” says Fitzpatrick. “She is known worldwide for her technology, mechanical perfection, streamlined design and low baritone whistle. It’s important that we keep this Roanoke icon in Roanoke as much as possible.”
The facility will house maintenance equipment for the Class J 611, an exhibit gallery and an educational center so students of all ages can learn about steam technology, science, engineering, math, social sciences and history. All donors to the project will be listed on a permanent wall of honor. The facility will also keep the 611 accessible to the public during maintenance periods.
“We believe that the facility will protect our donors’ investment in the Class J 611,” Fitzpatrick says. “We want future generations to enjoy the power and elegance of the Class J 611.”
In 2012, visitors from every corner of the United States and 49 foreign countries visited Roanoke and the Virginia Museum of Transportation to see the Class J 611 in person.
“Roanokers should feel proud that their city built such a beautiful locomotive,” Fitzpatrick says. “She was designed and built by the craftsmen of the Roanoke Valley. She’s a symbol of our past and a signal of what we, as a community, can do in the future.”
While the Fire Up 611! Committee continues to meet with interested investors, the Virginia Museum of Transportation is working to finalize the contracts with the North Carolina Transportation Museum Foundation and Steam Operations Corporation. The 611 will be restored at the roundhouse at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina – just a few hours from Roanoke, Virginia. The facility hosts one of the last surviving roundhouses equipped with the tools necessary to restore the massive locomotive.
The steam locomotive experts at Steam Operations Corporation will provide the expertise to allow 611 to meet current safety and Federal Railroad Administration guidelines. Steam Operations Corporation was responsible for shutting down the Class J 611 after its last excursion run in 1994. The team has first-hand knowledge of what is required for restoration.
“It will take approximately six-to-nine months to restore the Class J 611,” says Scott Lindsay, president of Steam Operations Corporation, a member of the Fire Up 611! Committee who also worked on the 611 during its last excursion runs. “The team is assembled and ready to go.”
Potential investors and fans of the Class J 611 are invited to visit http://fireup611.org/ for more information.

Well, I didn't believe the rumors. Now, I know they are true. Following the success of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which built a new steam locomotive in the UK, there was a lot of interest in doing it here in the States. There is a group that is going to attempt to build a Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Duplex 4-4-4-4. They plan to run it to 140MPH. It has a $10 million price tag. There is also a group that wants to build a New York Central J3a Hudson. They are currently in the stage where they are trying to raise awareness of their cause.
As much as I would LOVE to see this happen, it isn't. The reason that the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust succeeded in building Tornado is because European locomotive frames are plate frames, made of individual pieces of metal riveted together. In the US, the frames were one solid casting. There is no place left that can undertake the job of pouring a new locomotive frame, especially one 122 feet long, in the T1's case. They could go to China, but since the Chinese are dieselized, I don't think that they could pour a frame. Another problem is that the T1 had problems with wheel slip, and the drivers could, and did, slip at 100 mph! The 140MPH isn't going to happen, as the T1's top speed was 100MPH.
Like I said, it would be neat to see these on the road, but it isn't going to happen. And I think that sucks.

PRR T1

NYC J3a Hudson