i was wandering through david conrad's wonderful 2-volume directory of north american steam locomotives the other night and i'm curious as to the fate of ex-FEC 148, a medium-sized pacific that last last in new jersey; any body know the location or fate of the engine? i recall it being offered for sale as a "kit" in the late 80s or early 90s;<p>also, i'd like to publicly compliment david conrad for that wonderful work that is so useful and accurate and hope he'll update it sometime this decade! how about it, dave?? <br>



Wrinnbo@aol.com

FEC 148 is currently in Traverse City, Michigan, undergoing restoration.<p>Jack Hengartner has recent photos of it on his web site, at http://members.tripod.com/MEWDI/<p>His site also has photos of the equipment formerly used on the Leelanau Scenic Railroad being moved out of Greilicksville, as well as the ongoing saga of its semi-orphaned Manistee & North Eastern NW2 and its companion C&O SW9.<p>-fm<br>



Jack Hengartner's Train Pictures Site

fritz,<br> thanks for the info; looks like one of those "slow" restorations to me; i wonder what all they're doing to it??<br>



Wrinnbo@aol.com

As you know, Jim, I have a soft spot in my heart for these lovely and lean long legged FEC light pacifics since the first steam locomotive I worked on was one. This poor old girl was truly rode hard and put up wet a very long time ago. When I last looked her over back at Valley RR, the running gear was well worn and some impressive holes were in the firebox. Staybolt sleeves looked a bit gnarly all over, lots of necessary work. <p>Given the boiler cracking problems in sister 750, I would certainly want to do some serious NDT work on the whole boiler shell too. I hope the new owners have nice deep pockets.<p>Dave<br>



lathro19@idt.net

Being 10 years younger but of similar design, does 148 have the same lap-seam boiler construction as 750 (aka FEC 80)? I've been led to believe that it was possible that the cracking was a result of the lap seam joints wearing out. By the way, 750 looks quite striking in fresh paint in the new SERM exhibit hall.



Southeastern Railway Museum
sa750@boone.net

750? Lap seam? I think it has a double strapped butt seam if memory serves, but then again, I haven't done any work on that one. What about it, Malcolm?<p>Dave<br>



lathro19@idt.net

It's been a year or more since I saw this engine, and nothing more than desultory work was going into it then. The photographs suggest that not much more has been done, and that it is still at the former Pere Marquette enginehouse on the west side of the lake. This is in a small yard still laid with very light rail from the PM, itself quite a relic, and the presence of an engine from the Key West extension makes for a very surreal combination. (While there, I was told that a nearby manufacturing concern was the site of the first numerical-control machining anywhere and had been considered so sensitive during WWII that it was relocated to Traverse City by the Navy from the less-secure environment of Detroit.)<p>You never know what you're gonna find in small Michigan cities, although the French Panama Canal company 0-6-2T with outside Stephenson eccentrics is gone from Traverse City. Now, can anyone tell me whether the big steam-tractor festival at nearby Buckley really has a small tank engine, as has been rumored? They recently hauled the Ann Arbor steam crane there from Owosso.<p>Aarne Frobom<br>Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc.<br>Owosso, Michigan<br>



froboma@mdot.state.mi.us