In regards to recent questions about the Reader Railroad engine No. 4. It is alive and very well taken care of here in Mount Dora, Florida. It was not sold to the Mount Dora Scenic Railway. It is here on a long term arrangement. The locomotive had a major overhaul performed prior to its arrival here in June 2000. The engine went into weekly service July 1, 2000, operating five, 12 mile round trip runs over Saturday and Sunday. We here at Mount Dora Scenic Railway give great credit to the mechanical crew of the Reader Railroad. They have put the engine in such great shape, that we have had zero problems with the engine and have not lost one trip in almost one year of service. We also make five, 76 mile round trip excursions from Mount Dora to Orlando each year. Our most recent trip was on Memorial day. Engine Number 4 is in great shape and steams like a champ. If anyone is in the Orlando area, please look us up. We operate on a former Atlantic Coast Line track between Mount Dora and Tavares, Fl.

edrailco@aol.com

I second Steve - she is a pretty little thing, I rode to Orlando and back Monday and was very impressed with an unabashed tourist railroad providing a great days entertainment. Anybody going anywhere near Mickeyland should take a day and ride.

I will try to write a story and post some photos soon.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

The Reader Railroad seems like an interesting little railroad. I live near the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Steam Railroad, and enjoy the little tourist lines that operate with steam power! I dislike that the FRA has to always ruin things though!

- Aaron

norfolk_western_611@hotmail.com

Aaron and others,

The FRA is not the bad guy when it comes to steam locomotives. The new rules will actually let an operator of a locomotive go longer between tube jobs provided that the rest of the boiler is in good shape. The old rules were basically build around a tube job ever five years and nothing more than a visual inspection of the rest of the boiler with a hydrostatic test. You could have paper thin side sheet in your boiler but if they hold for the hydro you passed. The new rules provide for a full inspection of the boiler and reward you with a longer time between tube jobs.

In terms of safety and keeping these old girls on the road the rules should be welcomed by all.

Tom Gears
Wilmington, DE

Steam Railroading Message Board

The FRA is not the bad guy when it comes to
> steam locomotives.

Amen Tom. The enemy are marginal operators who can't afford or won't pay for proper maintenence and create problems which give us all a bad reputation. If we had done a better job of policing ourselves, we wouldn't need any public sector oversight but we didn't so here we are.

BTW, I have never had a bad experience with FRA - they simply want to make sure safe standards and practices are maintained. Cooperation is a key to a good relationship.

Although I am now working at an insular museum, I haven't compromised safety and consider FRA standards to be the minimal acceptable.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> The FRA is not the bad guy when it comes to

> Amen Tom.

Hear, Hear. And it's worth remembering that the new steam regs weren't written by some anyonymous bureaucrat, but by three of our own leading lights-- Lynn Modinger, Bill Withun and Dave Conrad. A more experienced group of steam guys and tourist railroad guys could not be found.

EBT Open Shops Days
eledbetter@mail.rypn.org