At the following blog post of mine can be found a recent photo of NP ten wheeler 328 at Jackson Street Roundhouse in Saint Paul, MN:

http://www.tonyheld.hoboandbowser.net/w ... oll-again/

I have many, many fond memories of that engine from my youth. As I understand it, she basically needs a new boiler before she will run again, but the "priority" is to get the restoration of 2156 done first. If nothing else though, it would be nice to see her put back together and on display inside the roundhouse. That looks like a fresh coat of paint on her smokebox at least.

The steam group at MTM is currently reexamining the priorities among our three steamers. At this time, no restoration to operation is being considered. The priority is to get all three engines restored cosmetically for display in the roundhouse. Of the two NP Class Q3 Pacifics, No.2153 is most complete, needing a new cab to make it presentable. No detailed inspection of the condition of the boiler or machinery has been done. No.2156 was completely disassembled for restoration to operation some 15 years ago and requires extensive work just to get it back on its wheels. This project alone will take several years. NP Mogul No.328 has been disassembled for inspection, however no detailed work-up on either the boiler or the machinery has been completed. The locomotive will have to be reassembled for display. At some point in the future we will begin the process of deciding which locomotive to restore to operation.

@hamster:

Thanks for the update.

Sorry to pick a nit - but 328 as a 4-6-0 would be a ten-wheeler and not a Mogul.

I hope to see some NP steam in my lifetime - several of the S-4 and Q-3 class left.

Thanks for picking that nit! It has been giving me trouble for years! NP328 is a favorite at the MTM and there are many that would love to see her back on the main line. But she IS a very tired locomotive that was kept in operation with "baling wire and twine" the last year of operation.

@hamster:

I take it then that the 328 a hopleless case operationally?

We all know that virtually any locomotive can be brought back from the dead given enough interest and enough money. NP328 was due for a major overhaul, anyway, with worn out machinery as well leaking tube sheets and a questionable firebox. Questions about ownership and lease terms made the museum reluctant to begin the overhaul, and while that situation has been resolved, the issue of money and priorities is what is at issue today. The locomotive is perfectly restorable, and probably at a relatively low cost, as these projects go. The first steps must be taken, though, with a complete boiler survey and generation of an "as-is" Form 4 to identify the scope of work required.

@hamster:

Interesting facts, thanks!
BTW: what is a form 4?

FRA Form 4 is an engineering document that contains all of the required stress calculations on a locomotive boiler and shows that the boiler meets, or does NOT meet the required safety factor of 4 over the designed Maximum Allowed Working Pressure (MAWP). In a restoration, a Form 4 is required to identify weak or questionable areas in a boiler and to produce a scope of work to be performed in repair. This report is sent to the FRA for approval. After the boiler has been repaired, another Form 4 must be prepared and filed with the FRA. An amended Form 4 is submitted whenever any structural changes are made to the boiler.

Looks nicely painted in these 2015 photos. Is it still on public display as shown in some of these pics?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pacific_328


Interior by Brian Hicks, on Flickr


NP 328 by Brian Hicks, on Flickr

Thanks.

Nice cosmetic restoration of 328. Wasn't one of the Northern Pacific S-4 class 4-6-0's being restored to service out west? I think 3 or 4 of the S-4's still survive unlike number 328 which is the only S-10 still in existence.

Les

Les,

Yes. I believe it is the 1364 that has been undergoing a slow but steady restoration in Yakima, WA.

http://nprymuseum.org/NP%201364.htm

Sincerely,

Rob Gardner

Thanks Rob.

Their website hasn't been updated since 2014 and I can't seem to find any other presence on social media to know where they really are with 1364. The last comment that spoke anything meaningful to me was that they had found all the superheater units to be unusable which could be the reason for the cessation of updates for the time being. Perhaps I'm wrong. The photo log shows that the backhead and can were going back together.

Rob Gardner