Alabama, Tennessee & Northern 2-10-0 401, later Woodward Iron 41, now at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. Stock Baldwin model, sister to the extant Gainsville Midland locos and GW/Strasburg 90. Santa Fe had some also, now long gone.

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?august02/08-11-02/at_n401.jpg
ryarger@rypn.org

> Alabama, Tennessee & Northern 2-10-0
> 401, later Woodward Iron 41, now at
> Mid-Continent Railway Museum. Stock Baldwin
> model, sister to the extant Gainsville
> Midland locos and GW/Strasburg 90. Santa Fe
> had some also, now long gone.

Two questions:

1. What condition is she in today?

2. What are Mid-Continents plans for her?


midlandblb@cs.com

> Two questions:

> 1. What condition is she in today?
Last time I was at Mid-Continent (late 1990's) she looked like the photo below.

> 2. What are Mid-Continents plans for her?
Unknown

Woodward Iron No. 41

dougb@sunserver.com

She looks the same today as in the photo.
Future plans - Distant future cosmetic restoration. Not being considered for operational restoration due to being too large for museum's trackage. I personally think that she should be in a better home, where she could be restored for operation.

Boyd

AT&N 401 at Mid-Continent

ddg14@attbi.com

> She looks the same today as in the photo.
> Future plans - Distant future cosmetic
> restoration. Not being considered for
> operational restoration due to being too
> large for museum's trackage. I personally
> think that she should be in a better home,
> where she could be restored for operation.

> Boyd
Didn't Tennessee Valley Railroad museum recently approach a Georgia city about obtaining a similar 2-10-0? Maybe they should look here.

WINK638@aol.com

> Didn't Tennessee Valley Railroad museum
> recently approach a Georgia city about
> obtaining a similar 2-10-0? Maybe they
> should look here.

TVRM displayed AT&N 402 / GM 203 for many years, but it went back to its owner, The Southeastern Railway Museum, some years ago.

JAC

> She looks the same today as in the photo.
> Future plans - Distant future cosmetic
> restoration. Not being considered for
> operational restoration due to being too
> large for museum's trackage. I personally
> think that she should be in a better home,
> where she could be restored for operation.

> Boyd

Boyd: I agree. Unfortunately many museums with an overabundance of locomotives would rather keep everything that they have rather than give the excess locomotive(s) to an organization that might be in a position to restore. The standard answer is that "we'll do a cosmetic restoration SOMEDAY." In the meantime, the excess locomotive(s) continue to deteriorate so that a restoration eventually becomes impossible.

midlandblb@cs.com

On a technical note, does 401 have a stoker? Our Gainesville Midland 203/AT&N 402 had one on the Midland. It was damaged and removed at some point (the diesels were on the way and repairing the stoker was out of the question on the cash strapped GM). However, I don't know if she was built with it. Ed King had a great artical in the millenium issue of Trains about the last run of steam on the Midland with 203. The poor rookie fireman had to hand bomb that beast all the way to Athens on his own and then remarked how much he loved the engine after sliding down the grab irons, exhausted!

Southeastern Railway Museum

gapower97@yahoo.com

The round object under the fireman's window in Mr. Owens' photo looks suspiciously like the cylinder head of a stoker engine, however, I have never seen the locomotive in person, so that is all I have to go on.

Were these engines built with stokers, or were they add ons? Our #90 has never had one.

kelly@strasburgrailroad.com

> Were these engines built with stokers, or
> were they add ons? Our #90 has never had
> one.

Kelly,

I believe the Russian Decapods were built with stokers, and I'm pretty sure our fmr. SAL 544/GM 206 still has its stoker left somewhat intact, but I could be wrong. Are the GM Decapods a little larger than the GW/SRR 90 that you have? I know 544 has a front end throttle, and I hadn't really looked at 90 to see if she did.

Hayes S.

crzhaze@rrmail.com

It's been a while since I've actually looked at her close, but I seem to remember her having a stoker. If you look at the builder's photo at the below link though, it dosn't appear she originally had one when new.

Boyd

Builder's Photo

ddg14@attbi.com

The 206/544 is the only surviving Midland decapod that is a true Russian. 203, 208(Winder, GA), and 209 (Gainesville, GA) are all "Baldwin standard" decs and are lighter and faster (larger drivers) than the Russians. They're also quite a bit younger, 203 being built in '28 and 208 and 209 in '29 or '30. I believe 544 was built in 1918.

AD


Southeastern Railway Museum
gapower97@yahoo.com

The Russian decapods the Western Maryland had did not have stokers and as small as they were I doubt the others did when they were built. When I first saw the 544 I was suprised to see it had a stoker.

jhbohon@yahoo.com