A Stephen Hussar picture.

As someone with zero expertise I think that engine looks pretty good and it would not surprise me if whatever issues are found have more to do with wear and tear from use rather than from being on unprotected display. Unjacketing and de-lagging is probably the best thing you can do for a park engine. The tender could be a problem with water getting in. That sometimes leads to so much corrosion that the entire tank has to be replaced.

Steve

She has good proportions; the cast trailing truck with its booster piping and the cab seem to go particularly well together. Hope she gets saved, hope she gets to run again.

I like the project. It is always great to see an engine come back from a slumber and I wish them all the success.

A huge amount of heavy corrosion on all the sheet metal. Tender is shot, and cab/cab floor is almost gone.
Nice looking, well proportioned engine. Hard to say what the boiler and running gear are like.
Lotta work there guys if you want to run it. Lotta work to just cosmetically restore it. It needs a new home.

cab sheet metals replaceable, surface boiler rust nail guns off. 765 boiler interior was totaly sandblasted. There are metal techniques to re-surface metal with new metal.
I would think the tender will be fine with the same sandblasting treatments and painting.
piping can rust thru tho many of the appliance pipe connections may get new piping.
Overall engine condition may say more how it was when it last run, but expect all new flues, possibly superheaters. 765 was lucky it had been recently outshopped before retiring so much of it was in pretty good condition, flues pulled checked, cut new ends welded on, supeheaters were checked/ repaired where needed. There was a lot of frugality, but quality work was not compromised, and that shows. You can say it may take x millions of dollars to restore, but if you are industrious and skilled, you can knock off a lot of that money. Regardless the engine will need top to bottom work, that was done to 765.

I'd be a bit cautious about challenging frisco1522's judgement. After all, he's "been there, done that," so knows where of he speaks.

The locomotive has neither insulation nor jacket.

The steam cylinders and trailing truck booster still need asbestos abatement work performed.
Bob D.

Having also "been there, done that" with other rail and auto projects, and remembering the damage done in an equally nasty Vermont winter environment upon the Steamtown Foundation collection in a much shorter time frame, I am apt to reflexively greet anyone who says the moral equivalent of "oh, that'll buff/sand right out" with the same degree of abuse and derision heaped upon the pet shop owner in Monty Python's Flying Circus's landmark "Dead Parrot" sketch. Because they're both in the same state of denial.

Until/unless you actually go to the 470 yourself and see the damage AND have experience in sheet metal work, welding, rust rehabilitation, body work, etc., don't be too quick to counter the pessimistic expectations of others. Better they're wrong and it can be done cheaper than underestimate and then have to come back for more funds after the serious damage is found.

not challenging anyone's judgement, havent inspected the engine, someone take pics of trouble areas and we can estimate whats what.
Its all fixable, I just don't want to hear "trouble in the river city" all the time.
"it'll take money it'll take money"..of course it does, and thats what the donations are all about.

You might find financial donations, but some people might donate services or materials.

That's why I was careful to qualify my opinion as the engine simply looking good.

Steve

Yes, 470 looks good, and not too bad on the inside either.
Stephen

No. 470 was inspected and evaluated by a team of knowledgeable steam folks earlier this year, taking note of areas of concern, and it was their opinion, leavened with the understanding that they weren't able to adequately evaluate every part of the locomotive, there was nothing that would preclude restoration to operational status. Of course, every steam locomotive restoration involves a degree of uncertainty and risk since some components are hidden until the locomotive is disassembled.

The firebox and smokebox look very good. We were not able to get down into the boiler but used a fiber optic scope to inspect a small area. Cursory and discreet u/t measurements of the boiler show considerable steel remaining, but definite areas for further investigation. Much of the corrosion is post-retirement, from coal dust and water under the lagging. As bad as it looks, the lagging removal has extended the boiler steel thickness.

This is not a fool's errand, and while the locomotive looks better inside than outside, massive sheet metal replacement remains to be done just to make the engine relatively safe. The tender is gone, shot, kaput, from the frame upwards. We're talking "paper thin", ankle deep in garbage, human and animal waste. Most valves are twisted off, whole sheet metal doors are missing. Asbestos abatement was done without regard to the locomotive pipes, conduits, and mechanisms. Just about everything you read in above posts is true.

Every person involved in this effort has busted his knuckles and gotten black grease well into his skin, working on steam locomotives. Assuming the sale goes through, the restoration will be completed by skilled volunteers and contracted personnel, supervised by a credited mechanical engineer, an experienced machinist, and advised by a well known steam restoration outfit. We have observed and listened to other successes and some mistakes. We have set no time frame, other than to make purchase. Her centennial is May, 2024.

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