Assuming no bombs drop and the world continues spinng with all or most of us on board, what locomotive will be the first 4'8.5" steamer to turn a wheel under heer own power in the 2000's? Strasburg 31? One of the D&S mikes? PRR #1361 (just kidding)?<p>Who is the first?<p>Also, which will be the first US engine to operate in the 1800's, 1900's and 2000's????<p>We will wait until next year (2001) to hype the new millennium.<p>Patch<br><br>



patchtown@hotmail.com

Reading 2100 is tentatively scheduled to do a long test run in January 2000. A long test run meaning at least a two day trip. Don't ask me specifically to where or when. I have been sworn to secrecy.<br>



robsterne@hotmail.com

Why all the secrecy? If the class 1 roads hear about railfans lining the highway like in the old days, maybe it would have a positive effect.<br>

she gonna be out this year on a regular basis, when and where?? <br>



Wrinnbo@aol.com

No concrete regular runs are planned yet that I know of.<br>



robsterne@hotmail.com

Since steamers don't have computers, they are all Y2K compliant...may many steel wheels roll behind the power of steam for the next century!<p>Johnathon Kruger<br>Steam Department<br>Niles Canyon Railway<br>



jkruger504@aol.com

Reading 2100 now has its share of hi-tech equipment on it. $80,000 was spent on just the cab alone to equip it with modern, computerized devices such as a reset control, event recorder, electronic speedometer (it works somehow with a lazer beam that bounces off the rail), rear end device, and a safisticated radio system. The crew has to wear headsets to communicate with each other.<p>You never know, the damn thing just may not start in January. ;o)<br>



robsterne@hotmail.com

Yeah, #2100 won't know what to do with the oil ya'll are feeding her!!! ;-)<p>Computers... oil... my PA German bretheren are spinning in thier well-engineeered graves.<p>Patch<br>



PatchTown@hotmail.com

The idea behind the Wooten firebox was to allow Anthracite to be effectively burned at a high enough rate of heat release to evaporate water at mainline steam usage rates. A larger quantity of coal needed to burn at once to emit BTUs as fast as a smaller quantity of Bituminous, therefore the HUGE WIDE grate. <p>Please pass along the specifications on the oil conversion in this application and let us know how it works out.<p>Dave<br>



lathro19@idt.net

I'm a member of the museum in St. Thomas, Ontario where 2100 is now. The members of the museum did very little work on it. Tom Payne hired his own help. We have enough of our own work to do without refitting 2100. Therefore I do not know what all the specifics are of the oil conversion. I did help out a little bit when asked, but for the most part I had nothing to do with it.<br>



robsterne@hotmail.com