Does anyone have any news about these engines?

Lake Central Rail Tours
ra1508vh@cs.com

They are still in Staunton, VA. The 38' has the trailing truck torn out from underneith of it. It has the new roller bearings on it ready to go back in. I haven't been able to talk to Jack since it came back to find out when it will go back in. I found out last week that that things are looking better for purchasing parts of the former Southern Valley line. I don't know what the time frame is going to end up but I doubt anything will get done before this summer.

btrue@vt.edu

> They are still in Staunton, VA. The 38' has
> the trailing truck torn out from underneith
> of it. It has the new roller bearings on it
> ready to go back in. I haven't been able to
> talk to Jack since it came back to find out
> when it will go back in. I found out last
> week that that things are looking better for
> purchasing parts of the former Southern
> Valley line. I don't know what the time
> frame is going to end up but I doubt
> anything will get done before this summer.

Ben, any chance you or someone else could do post a feature on that work? To pick a small nit, the CPR G5's had an "idler wheel" (as explained to me by an ex CPR fireman) under the cab as opposed to trailing trucks. The journal boxes moved laterally as well as vertically. Wedge shaped bearing surfaces between the journal boxes and pedestals cause the wheel set to center itself under the cab, while the spring rigging provides the vertical travel and suspension. I hope I have the description right, its been too long since I last observed 1201's idler wheel in motion to know with any authority:( Regardless, it sounds as though the conversion would be an interesting subject to feature.

mnowell@senstarstellar.com

Your right it would be, Unfortunatly I don't think the VC engines would be the ones to do it on. The new bearings where put on at a private machine shop up in Maryland (I don't know the name but could find out) so I don't have many pictures of that. The new boxes were done (almost done they got some fine rouches to be added yet) by a voulenteer here at Staunton, (they had to be built to fit the journal carrier)unfortunalty I didn't get any good pictures to come out yet. When it all goes back together I'll have some good pictures to post on my webpage. The place to watch for this would be the Ohio Central because I thing Jack gave the plans to them so they could do there engines. Don't know if they have started yet.

Interesting little fact out the deigin of them though.......because they move lateraly there is a left and a right box. They are built to slide back and forth at an angle. The guy doing our welding took one home finished it, then he worked on the other one in on site, when he took it home to put the finishing touches on, he realise he but twins instead of pairs!!!! So it has taken a little longer due to that.

btrue@vt.edu

I have original CPR blueprints for 1238 and 1286 currently in my possession, on loan from George Hart, the former owner of both locos. Let me check and I'll let you know.

K.R. Bell
Railroad Museum of PA

> Your right it would be, Unfortunatly I don't
> think the VC engines would be the ones to do
> it on. The new bearings where put on at a
> private machine shop up in Maryland (I don't
> know the name but could find out) so I don't
> have many pictures of that. The new boxes
> were done (almost done they got some fine
> rouches to be added yet) by a voulenteer
> here at Staunton, (they had to be built to
> fit the journal carrier)unfortunalty I
> didn't get any good pictures to come out
> yet. When it all goes back together I'll
> have some good pictures to post on my
> webpage. The place to watch for this would
> be the Ohio Central because I thing Jack
> gave the plans to them so they could do
> there engines. Don't know if they have
> started yet.

> Interesting little fact out the deigin of
> them though.......because they move lateraly
> there is a left and a right box. They are
> built to slide back and forth at an angle.
> The guy doing our welding took one home
> finished it, then he worked on the other one
> in on site, when he took it home to put the
> finishing touches on, he realise he but
> twins instead of pairs!!!! So it has taken a
> little longer due to that.