I just visited the Hoosier Valley Museum's website. It indicates that the plan is still to restore the Kanawha to operating condition. Can anyone comment on that? What work remains to be done? What is the condition of the boiler and firebox?

Thanks in advance,

Rob Gardner



train@nls.net

> I just visited the Hoosier Valley Museum's
> website. It indicates that the plan is still
> to restore the Kanawha to operating
> condition. Can anyone comment on that? What
> work remains to be done? What is the
> condition of the boiler and firebox?

> Thanks in advance,

> Rob Gardner

It is still the policy of HVRM to eventually restore the 2789 to operable condition. A complete new set of flues was donated to the museum a few years ago and has been stored inside. At the present time, we are cosmetically restoring the locomotive as she had never looked presentable since coming to North Judson back in 1988. Why not begin to try to restore her for operation now? Three main reasons:

1. Poor operating possibilities amongst Class 1 railroads today especially CSX which is the connecting carrier that comes into North Judson. In other words; no place to run her.

2. Little generated interest to begin such a restoration. In other words; lack of bodies interested in doing the work.

3. Limited funds. We are a small museum with an active membership that keeps its head above water by watching nickels and dimes. We are talking about BIG BUCKS needed for a restoration to operating condition.

Presently she is being worked on INSIDE our shop. A few years ago she was inspected by Scott Lindsay and a report was written stating that she is a good candidate for restoration. One thing that was not done unfortunately was an ultrasonic inspection of the boiler. We believe however, that it is sound. Someday when things may change, we will have a locomotive in decent shape with a WELDED boiler that will be able to begin work on in order to bring her back to operating condition.

I invite any one interested in seeing her to come to our museum. We are open every Saturday year round. If you can only come on another day, let us know and we will try to have someone at the museum to show 2789 to you.

If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them for you. Thanks for everyones interest.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

midlandblb@cs.com

I recommend a trip to North Judson for anyone interested in steam technology who travels to the greater Chicago area. C&O 2789 is on view without its jacket, so you can see what I think is the only preserved welded boiler in North America. The boiler barrel seams are big smooth welds about an inch and half wide. This engine also has some of the C&O's repair firebox sheets in which each staybolt is at the bottom of a slight dimple, intended to act as a flexible diaphragm and reduce working and leakage at the staybolt threads.

Aarne Frobom
The Steam Railroading Institute
Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc.
P. O. Box 665
Owosso, MI 48867-0665

froboma@mdot.state.mi.us