My understanding is that the last times they ran the M-1 carrying passengers it could no longer pull any kind of trailer, and was mechanically so fragile it was only running one or two fundraising trips only for the railfan weekend. My thinking has been that they need to build a replica "M-1A", that looks similar, but has modern guts and is Tier 4 compliant.

Track,
You're right about classes of track and allowable speed - that was my slip of the keyboard. I'd probably go for Class 2 anyway because on a major rehab the cost difference is de minimis and that first cost will almost certainly be off set by the reduction in periodic maintenance cost.

The Motorcars
A replica for regular service is probably a sound idea.

I've seen pictures of M-1 being used to move a few freight cars. That made me think of the Army's Bermuda Engines

I believe there may still be a pair of Brill 55 bodies (Ex U S Army Ex Bermuda Railway) available in Guyana. From what I can find out they were converted by the Army for use as freight engines (they had 300hp Cummins - half of a 45-tonner) in Bermuda and sent to British Guiana when the Bermuda Railway was closed. One of them could come home to be stuffed and mounted and the other be the basis for the first Brill Model 55N-2.

Even if the repatriation is too difficult or the remains have disappeared (either possibility is highly probable) I think the concept of having a railcar powerful enough to pull a replica trailer makes sense. That's all speculative and quite a ways off.

One of Mr. Posner's companies is now marketing rebuilt self powered cars from the London Underground for Pop-Up transit systems. Henry - please don't, not at Obisinia, at least not without making it look like a Brill car...

Regarding motor cars why not do what they did back in the day on the narrow gauge? Find old buses and convert for rail use. It would be a era correct addition and offer much needed seats at low cost. There are many museums with excess amounts of vintage road buses and would be a cost effective option so they can put more money into rehab of the EBT equipment.

Well, I think people are forgetting about M-7 here. M-7 is capable to pull consists and it should be operational or easy to get to operation unless something changed. They could just use that.

If it hasn't already been done, I suggest asking the folks across the street at the Rockhill Trolley Museum to test the wiring and inspect the traction motors and generator of M-1. They know their way around electric traction equipment better than the steam guys, I think. I wonder when the last time was that its traction motors were removed and serviced at a motor shop?

It's been 15 years since I was there, but my understanding about the M-1 is that the major issue wasn't the traction motors, it was the prime mover. Totally obsolete. They were having to rebuild the spark plugs to get it to run because they could not find any suitable replacements. I paid the premium "donation" fare at the time to ride in the baggage section on one of the railfan weekend trips.

The other possibility for a substitute infernal combustion machine I thought of, that would be close to period correct, would be a replica of an early box cab D-E loco, like the CNJ one in the B&O Museum. Could be built from the frame of a Whitcomb, Plymouth, or smaller GE switcher, with a modern Cat or Cummins prime mover, and pull a standard length train.

Indeed it is!! All three of E.B.T.s "Big Mikes"--16, 17, and 18--have had them since they were new.

As far as I know, M-1 is the only true Brill-Westinghouse gas-electric in operating condition in the country, if not in the world. If the engine needs an overhaul, it should be done. I believe there is most of a second Brill engine stored somewhere on the property, or at least there once was. It would be a real project but should be do-able. In the meantime, the M-7 diesel is quite capable of handling a few cars.

To J3a-614,

Thank you for the confirmation on the reverser.

Also at certain photo angles, some of the links on the Young valve gear of 16, 17 & 18 have similarities to those on the Baker valve gear.

Regards,

Randy

To all, a bit of historical perspective--

The M-1 was meant to pull a trailer from the beginning, and the trailer is still there.

It's coach No. 8. Its assignment to be a trailer for M-1 is the reason it has those roller bearings, probably among the first applications of them on any steam road.

Glad you love steam engine valve gears, a most interesting subject in the world of steam power.

However, what the three Mikes have is Southern gear, which as its name suggests, came from the Southern Railway.

Here are a set of animations that illustrate the major valve gears used in North America.

Have fun watching how these things work, and I hope it also helps you appreciate the design of these almost hypnotic and harmonic details of our steam engines.

https://www.steamlocomotive.com/applian ... vegear.php

Keep it authentic!

Check out the spare engine if one exists. Take your time and seek out antique truck people who may be familiar with old, large motors.

If in future (a year, or so) it proves hopeless, seek out a suitable diesel even something modern. This is what EBT would have eventually done if they had stayed in operation.

In the mean time M-7 can haul small trains until such time as steam returns.

I repeat, Keep things authentic.

And no EBT engines have Baker gear, or anything similar to it. All the current lower numbers have Walschaerts, except standard gauge #6, which I don't think was ever converted from Stephenson. Randy may be confusing the EBT's horizontal link bracket for the somewhat similar looking long Baker bracket, but in EBT's case the brackets are all hanging Walschaerts links/blocks. Both Walschaerts and Southern use a sliding block in an expansion link for reversing, Baker uses fixed rockers and a yoke replaces the link/block.

I've never ridden on or behind the M-1, but I was able to take a look at it's engine once and the biggest thing that struck me was the size of those spark plugs! Since these are no longer available, and the existing ones have to be rebuilt, would it be possible to machine a set of adaptors that would allow modern spark plugs to be used? Something along the lines of a pipe bushing, like putting a 1/4 NPT fitting into a 1/2 NPT hole? Not that those are the actual sizes, of course, far from it.

Since restoring antique engines of all types is very common, I’m sure spark plugs can be made new. Model gas engine builders make their own spark plugs all the time and I have no doubt that they could make full sized ones easily.
I suspect a call to companies like Champion with a request could result in some replacements being made as a donation.