And what to my wondering eyes should appear? But an ALCO PA, on its trucks, not its rear!

Sitting on wheel trucks, awaiting re-location at Age of Steam's new site, these pictures show what the restoration crew is up against.





















Oh, this is a mistake stitch picture, but perhaps it's a restoration idea for a "stretch Pa1"?

I am very pleased that it has gotten this far, I wish the guys all the best with the restoration- I hope it doesn't beat them. I think I can see why the Smithsonian may have let her go.

Wes

Wow, do they have their work cut out for them! Granted that their collection is maintained in immaculate condition, but I gotta wonder if they have the resources to restore something this far gone.

A lot of good DNA to work with there. Get a good fabricator/weldor, add cubic dollars and stand back!

Howard P.

Thanks, Richard!

Found this on youtube. I don't recall seeing this video posted here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1n-PjFR ... re=related

Stephen

Following discussion of museum terminology on another thread, I would submit this PA as an example of an object that will be reconstructed and not restored.

Wesley

The interior is full of scrap metal, burned off bolts, soil, algae, moss, debris, and rust. Still, I'd love to be on the rebuild team, since I can see how she can be straighteds, cleaned, and made cosmetically displayable. She's really beyond operation, even as a cab-car.

Somewhat more than 40 years ago I walked through this locomotive when it had just completed an engine replacement at the D&H Colonie Shop. It had a newly rebuilt 16-244 and the entire engine room was all clean fresh paint, it looked almost as good as a new locomotive. A lot has happened to it since then.

I wish them the best with this effort. It is unfortunate the 16-244 from Philly gear did not find a home, it would have been valuable for an ATSF reconstruction.

PC

"She's really beyond operation, even as a cab-car."

Well, maybe. After all, Doyle didn't start out with much more than this, and he didn't have the trucks. His body shell was somewhat straighter but both require(d) cutting out bent or crooked steel and replacing it with straight stuff over and over again. Then truck and engine replacement and wiring, etc. ad infinitum.

It really depends how motivated someone is to complete the task.

According to the museum website, someone stole the nose door shortly before the PA was moved from Oregon to Texas-- I wonder if the thieves got the headlight grille too, or if it's safely tucked away somewhere. It was certainly there when the unit was repatriated to the US 10 or so years ago.

With respect to Doyle's PA "NKP 190" he actually located and obtained two sets of trucks for his unit and this one at the same time. They came from FM Erie-built "B" units that CP was using in Canada as part of some kind of welded-rail equipment train. They are mostly similar, but not identical, to the original PA trucks. I believe Doyle swapped one set of trucks for clear title to "NKP 190" formerly D&H #18.

An acquaintance of mine who is a talented welder and mechanic built a replica sports car from the ground up, including fabricating the frame. Restoring this PA-1 is really no different, except the scale is much larger. There are many talented trades-people out there capable of the kind of work needed to restore this machine.

Yeah, actually easier than all the steam loco replica schemes, since the frame is currently common fabrication technology, rather than huge castings.

First off, as I recall the PAs were built on cast frames.

Except for the body work and the gutted electrical cabinet it doesn't look that far off from pictures of the CNJ 1554 after the original prime mover was removed....Love to see a 251 with type E electricals go back into that locomotive.

SixAxleAlco

The PAs and FAs were not built on "cast frames". The frame is a welded fabrication. The truck frames were/are castings. The greatest use of cast frames in diesel locomotive construction was by Baldwin on switcher locomotives. EMC also built a few cast frame switchers in pre-567 days. The only covered-wagon style locomotives to use a cast frame were again Baldwins, mostly the "Centipedes" and a few of the "Baby Faces".

Howard P.

And as for a 251 engine in that carbody, let's remember that when the four units left Boise in 1974/5, they all had 12-251s in there.

I do agree that it would have been a perfect place for the 16-244 from Philly Gear; oh well.

Howard P.