Wait, wait, wait...... you mean you guys aren't having break-in runs for the J the first week of April??? I hope I can get a refund from the airline for my ticket to Fort Wayne.

;)

dreaming...

but the cause is no different from 765 either.

That one became reality. Whats next...

Fear not Rich, for my post was all in good fun and jokes.

As was mine! C'mon people, do you honestly think it will be a steam engine? :P

I'm kind of curious why FWRHS needs an extra water car? Does anyone care to elaborate? I thought they had one, made from a former L&N "Big Emma" 2-8-4 tender? The one at VMT is also a from a the same class of L&N locomotive, but I think the one at VMT ran on the Southern Steam program for some time with its coal bunder intact, turned into a "grease room," a feature it kept when it was cut down.

There are quite a few of these former L&N tenders still around. The L&N cut some down for diesel fuel transport, used others in un-molested state as wreck train tenders, etc. I believe the people in Noblesville, IN have one, a gift from the NS steam program. KRM has the one from number 1984, still in its as removed from service condition. I think SERM in Duluth also has one as well, in original configuration.

http://www.srmduluth.org/Exhibits/steam.shtml

Scroll to the bottom of the SRM website and a small photo shows the tender as being that from L&N M-1 1966.

I also recall that the Indiana Transportation Museum now has the auxilary tender that was first used with N&W J 4-8-4 611 from 1982 until 1987. This was the water tender that was painted black with the tuscan red stripe and lettered Norfolk and Western to match the 611 and tender. I recall reading that this water car was sent to Indiana partly as compensation for ITM letting NS use the 587 on the 1989 Independence Limited (where she doubleheaded with 611 to Roanoke) and also at the 1989 NRHS Convention in Asheville, NC. The last time I recall seeing the ITM auxilary water tender in operation was when the 587 doubleheaded with the Nickel Plate 765 to the 1993 Chicago NRHS Convention from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The FWRHS spent considerable time and monetary expense to upgrade the locomotive tender in 2010 to roller-bearing trucks and doing two tanks in two years when the shop is running over with other projects just wasn't feasible.

The L&N tank needs work inside and out -- trucks, pins, bushings, baffles, brakes, etc and leasing a relatively "ready to roll" auxiliary tender that bears the name of a corporate successor to the Nickel Plate Road and carries along with it the opportunity to partner with the VMT is a pretty good deal for all concerned.

This also gives us some breathing room to work on the L&N tender in the future (765A).

Certainly makes sense. Does the 765A have the "grease room" with the roll up door?

Do you know the capacities of the VMT tender and the 765A.

No, it does not. The N&W's "grease room" will be especially helpful this season, given that our tool car is not Amtrak certified.

The L&N/765A tank capacity is 26,000 gallons. As evidenced by the photos, the N&W tank holds one thousand gallons less.