Here is the latest news from the TVRM shop.

4501 Boiler Work is now focused on the throat sheet with flexible cap and sleeve replacement underway. Huron sleeves are being installed in place of the bronze plugs for the arch tube washouts. The crown bolts have been trimmed and are being prepped for driving. The rear corners are all complete and the only the bolts remain for the front corners. Finally, assemble of the Form 4 Package is underway. Boiler pressure will remain at least 200 psi.

The lead and trailing trucks were removed this week. This will allow installation of roller bearing equipped axles to both the lead and trailing trucks. The spring rigging has been dismantled the rear half. This allowed better access to areas of the throat sheet.

Other work in the shop includes some wintertime maintenance on 630. She has received her annual inspection and some attention to her main rods. We also are doing a contract flue swaging job for Anderson Tube. Finally, the hot water pump for the 765 is being overhauled by others in our shop.

Many thanks to everone that offered an opinion on what paint scheme should be applied to 4501.

I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Some more pictures

YES.......The first to respond to such great work!

Mark,

Had a great phone call with a few of the guys helping out on this project. May I say to you and all of the nay-saying railfans;

The stoker conversion: A+ You will never regret it. Anybody who has hand bombed such a big locomotive will know why I gave that an A+

The feed water system and heaters: A+

Any other modern advancement, seen or not: A+

My parting comment; The color of the locomotive......

To all of you railfan loving photographers who enjoyed using the term "leave it historical" (meaning.....leave it BLACK) are DEAD WRONG! Sorry guys. Those of you who live in a black and white world fail to see that locomotives from 1850-1940 were not "ALL BLACK." They had great colors in them. There is a post that follows of a Shorpy image of a 4-4-0. That locomotive is anything BUT BLACK! In fact, a close look at the locomotive and the photo show as many as five to seven different colors. Yes, I can prove that too!

Mark, what color should the 4501 be?

ANY COLOR YOU GUYS WANT IT.....or ANY COLOR THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING FOR THIS PROJECT WANT IT!

From me, a big thank you for A.) Helping the 4501 be everything she can be. B.) helping her get to a point where we can take pictures of her and C.) Doing good, quality work!

Wyoming was the last state to engage in public hangings. Too bad we lost that tradition too. I say, railfans who want to begrudge the great work being done on the 4501 should be hung at high noon, on the corner of Capital and Lincoln Way....a popular and faded tradition of the Great State of Wyoming. May 4501 live forever!

Press forward and let me know when you toss a fire in her!

Kindly,

If this were Face Book I would click like on John's comment. Especially the hanging part. Lol....

Aren't some of those swedged flued for the C&TS?

Yes, but in this particular instance, she was black during her first life with Southern (this is where the term historically accurate comes into play) and green during her second life (this would be her railfan livery). So, when people say "keep it historical," they mean keep her black, and they are not wrong when they say that. No one said that all locomotives were black. Some were orange, some were green, and even today, we have a bright blue one running around (R&N 425). However, "historically accurate" is rarely used as a broad term, and in this case, it means keeping 4501 black.

Thank you for the update, such fine work. It will be a great day when she has a fire in her belly again. Now about the hanging thing...

The Concorde SST flew its last mile several years ago. The Space Shuttles have all found new homes as static displays. But thanks to the many crews who keep steam locomotives running and do the physically strenuous labor in rebuilding them, we can still see these relics of 19th and 20th Century technology in action. A tip of the hard hat from an electric railway enthusiast and Type-K controller maintainer. Steam on, brothers and sisters of the ancient order of the Iron Horse!

It constantly amazes me how much railfans get up in arms about paint. Paint is the most easily reversible element in a restoration/renovation. Nobody seems to care about welded tender tanks, freight car tender trucks, adding stokers, feedwater heaters, lemphor exhausts, modifying leading & trailing trucks for roller bearings, etc. to steam locos, upgrading electricals and prime movers in diesels, replacing steam heat & AC systems on passenger cars with Amtrak HEP stuff, changing out trucks for rotating end cap bearings, etc. All of these things change the original fabric of the artifact to preserve the function. Much of them are necessary to be able to recreate a historical experience in today's world, especially if you are operating on mainline trackage. But Lord help us if we paint it in anything other than the as "God Decreed" original as delivered colors.....ridiculous. Let 4501 be painted whatever color Wick Moorman wants her to be. She's going to be running on his railroad. Our opinion & 99 cents plus tax will get you a Coke.

I need to start getting back up there and helping. I agree completely. Paint is paint, that's all. We should be celebrating the return of Main Line Steam! Does it really matter that much? Why not get behind those groups doing the work and promoting it? If one or two engines can prove reliable and be successful, it could open the door for the return of many more engines(and maybe a few other Railroads just might join suit as not to be left behind)

OK.........I can't stand it anymore......... Hang my butt from a flagpole if you want to.........as long as I can see the engine in GREEN once again. End of selfish rant.

Can I get an amen from tha' back row???

Nowadays, it is only a can Coke....not even a 20 oz bottle anymore for $0.99. :)

Paint will be always one of those conflicting discussions amongst railfans. (Even more with C&TS green boiler jackets)

Historically accurate is fine with me or quite honestly whatever the person who is paying for that engine wants in this case. It's good to see a restored steamer look good in the end but I think the other details are just as important.

I think the work on the 4501 is looking like some A+ work. TVRM, keep it up!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMEN, brothers!
Yeah, I followed this thread with a raised eyebrow, wondering how anyone thinks their opinion has any impact on what actually happens (sort of like being a married man).

I saw 4501 in the shop when I was at TVRM in September, I hadn't seen her since I was about 6 years old or so, can't wait to see her in steam again someday, regardless what color paint she's wearing!

Who cares what color she is painted? She'll be running. That's what matters. She looked good either way.

Andy Pullen