I should also point out that when the original gang pulled OUT the asbestos lagging back around 1990, they made sure to put fibreglass insulation BACK IN! So that new insulation of course only traps more water against the boiler shell and the boiler jacket, and I recall seeing some significant instances where the jacket had rotted right through.

This of course raises the question of what effect this has (and will continue to have) on the boiler shell, staybolt caps, and of course the jacket itself.

This news today:

https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-st ... f-cn-6218/

Let's hope this is done with the recommended steps in the report they commissioned. This locomotive is absolutely priceless and should be restored to her earned status in CNR history

Richard,

That newspaper item is very good news. Maybe the tide is changing.

Nice to see somebody has enough brains to realize the value of what they have
and put some dollars behind it.

Dennis.

Sad that they only decided to do something when another party showed interest, but still good news.

Oh, for Heaven's sake Richard, This is a major step forward.

A long-time team effort has finally produced results.

....well done.

D.

City of Fort Erie has been true to their word, and former CNR 6218, the late fan trip Queen is being cosmetically restored as planned. I stopped in this past weekend and noted the jacketing and asbestos have been removed. The correct patches for the boiler have been installed, complete paint removal is well underway. I could not tell in the stack has been capped, but I'll make a broad assumption and say it probably has been. Long term plan includes a roofed housing over the locomotive. I've already heard one complaint about the job and the company hired to do the restoration, so if you don't like this report, you certainly won't like my next reports from the field, either.

I will say -minor comment- bringing 6218 to the Niagara Railway Museum , a few blocks away, would have put her indoors in a proper CNR context. That being said, 6218 is NOT a total loss as some have stated, and it appears the community DOES care about her future. Now get her greased and oiled as part of the conservation effort.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Richard,

All the asbestos was taken out in the early 1990s. The problem is that they went and put fiberglass insulation back in. That, coupled with the terrible design of the jacket that they applied at that time, is what led to its old jacket failing so badly.

As for the stack, the cover, well, more of a plug, was recessed several inches into the stack, which contributed to water seeping in over the past 50 years and rotting out the smokebox so spectacularly.

I see in your pictures that they've welded patches onto the smokebox front.

Of course previous restorations have done exactly that, but always neglected to find out exactly how all that water was entering the smokebox. So hopefully third time is a charm and they properly seal the stack.

I can't believe I missed seeing this right after it happened, looks like they painted 6218 and plugged the hole in the smokebox last fall.

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/new ... -complete/

https://forterieobserver.ca/2018/10/fir ... -unveiled/

I can't tell from the photos, but hopefully a proper stack cover has been installed.

It is. I saw it last month.
They did a decent job of restoration, but it certainly isn't first rate. The tender was not sandblasted, so it looks rough. It does appear however they used a good quality epoxy paint. It is as hard as rock. The locomotive looks a heck of a lot better than it did.

This is a huge leap towards long term care. Now they should follow through with a roof. Other than that, we should let Fort Erie know they have approval for this undertaking.

Sorry, but a proper stack cover HAS NOT been fitted on that engine. It was a very poorly done, politically motivated restoration. There are still holes that were not even patched, and water is still getting inside the smokebox. The attached image is of the "stack cover" which can clearly be seen to be lifted off. It was not secured in place properly. The entire job was done by an ornamental iron company with NO railway restoration experience. The only reason they actually got the job is because they knew someone in the Town. The councillor for Ward 1 said he would get something done to the engine before his term was up. So they did this crappy rush paint job, so he could say something got done, in case he didn't get back in. He got back in, but now they don't know what the future plan is. They want to put the jacketing back on but now say that and a roof may not be in the overall plan/budget. Unfortunately, when you don't consult those that actually know about this engine, you end up with a poor job. Looks great from the road, but as Rob said, they did nothing to clean up the tender, and they definitely did not do a complete paint removal.

Ken

I didn't climb up and look at it. I just saw from the ground there was some sort of cap on it.

How many restorations will it take to figure out this mystery of "why is water getting into the smokebox"?

This latest news makes a guy want to sneak in there and put a black painted bucket over the stack. Would look a little tacky but it would do the job.

And the funny thing is, they probably wouldn't eve notice...

Ken