Has anyone heard anything about the return of steam to this museum lately? The steam part of their web site is kind of out-dated.It appears that their Western Coal & Coke #1 is getting the most work. It has hyad new boiler plates ans a new fire box is being built from what I can see,Any recent news?Ted Miles

Work is moving along on both the #1 and the #2. The #1 has had patches welded into the bottom of all three courses, new staybolts installed along the bottom 1.5ft all around(as this is the portion that will be behind the frame), new rear flue sheet is awaiting fabrication, new front sheet is made and will soon be fitted, new smokebox has been riveted together and on the chassis side of things work is coming along at a bit slower pace but forward progress is still being made. This locomotive is being worked on exclusively by volunteers save the contracted boiler welding. The #2's work is being performed by the owner of the locomotive in the chassis department. The design work for the boiler repair is handled by Steam Operations Corporation with sheet fabrication being completed by Gary Bensman while the actual assembly work will be completed partially by an outside boiler company. While both may well be progressing slowly, they are still progressing. Steam will return when it is time for steam to return, that is nothing shall be rushed and all will happen at a pace that time and manpower provide for. There is a comitment within that organization to do it right, and thus far I have seen no evidence to the contrary of that. Do all pay a visit to the website. http://www.1385.org/shop.html

I haven't talked to the owner of the #2 for a week or so, but I'll try to add to Jasons comments. During the convention in Chattanooga, Jason, Bob Ristow and Skip Lichter helped Gary Bensman finish up the throat sheet for the #2. I had thought that part was done already but I got it wrong. Now it is at Milwaukee Boiler with all the parts needed to complete the boiler repairs there in Milw. By that I mean the welding and fitting. The staybolts and some of the riveting may be done back at MC. Supposedly some of the welding of staybolt holes has commenced and last I heard some early riveting was to be done this week. About 15 to 30 rivets need to be done so the work can continue on the firebox. I believe all the parts are already formed and had been sent out for stress relieving in the last month or so. The shop had more pressing work to do, so this project got pushed back. Being that it wasn't a rush job and the work needed to be done on the running gear anyway it wasn't a problem. Both the #1 and the #2 projects are funded by dontations and a very limited budget. Unless the money is dontated specifically for the #2, all goes towards the Montreal #1. Guess what I am trying to convey here is that there isn't much money at all available to hire out the repairs and rebuilding of these two locomotives. If any of us won the lottery we would hire a these projects out and have steam up for next season. So far none of has won the lottery. If all things proceed as they look, my money is on the Polson #2 being running first, followed by the Montreal #1. We lost a lot of experienced steam people in the last 20 years. With the not so new FRA rules, putting bandades on these old ladies won't do the trick anymore. So all I can say is try to patient. I am personally not patient at all with the steam progress, but that is the way it is right now.Happy Thanksgiving to all, John. "This is just temporary, unless it works" [Red Green][/quote]

"We lost a lot of experienced steam people in the last 20 years. With the not so new FRA rules, putting bandades on these old ladies won't do the trick anymore. So all I can say is try to patient. I am personally not patient at all with the steam progress, but that is the way it is right now."I don't think Mid-Continent is alone here. As those who revere railroading's past continue to age, with fewer numbers of young people taking their places, I sometimes wonder how many of these disassembled projects will be finished before those involved are no longer able to participate. Restoration is a slow process and we all have a limited lifespan. I'm beginning to believe that we might be doing some disassembled engines a favor by just putting them back together, doing a nice cosmetic restoration, and getting them under cover (preferably an enclosed building) somewhere.

Certainly, at least as far as mainline steam is concerned, we have too many available locomotives and locomotives in process relative to the available operating opportunities. How many of them will actually earn their restoration cost back in revenue service while also setting aside funding for the next 15year overhaul? What with unearned sources of funding dwindling and competition for them increasing, cost-benefit analyses for each project should be a basic step in the planning process.Smaller engines, however, seem to have better opportunity to go to work. Several potential lessees for one that will be coming available in the next few months expressed interest at the conference. Maybe we need more 50 ton loggers and fewer 4-8-4s? I am less worried about talent. People like Scott Lindsey do better work than the old timers, and have a 2 or 3 decades of working life ahead of them, while the middle generation, Steven Butler and John Rimmasch for example, have forty good years of (progressively less) heavy part lifting to look forward to. They are doing a great job of bringing along very young people such as Paul Dalleska, Mike McLean and Jason Sobczinski, who can put in 50 years or so before they get tired. If I didn't mention several names please do not take offense - these are examples, not a definitive list. The quantity may be diminishing, but so is the market, and the quality seems to be improving now that the bandaid and bailing wire approach is no longer possible. If a larger market for steam evolves, i feel we will be able to provide adequate staff to keep it running. dave

A very good topic indeed. While at MC a few weeks back I met some folks who had come up from ILL to ride the fall color train. Wonderful people, who had the most enthusiastic 10 yr old boy with them. He just wanted a wrench and someone to tell him where to begin. 40 years ago that was me and a few others who are still active at MC, who later grew up to be president as well as a master wood car restorer and a foul mouthed hippie kid who can still be usefull at times {me}. Just before they left, the member who had invited the family told me that he couldn't work at MC till he was at least 18 yrs old. I had not heard this before, and I asked a few other members about this and they told me they thought that was correct. Once again we have met the enemy and it is us. I meant to ask the MC president if this were true, but never remembered to ask. I know some are going to chime in about lawyers and lawsuits and yes we all have to be aware of potential lawsuits. There must be a way that we can invite and train/teach young people who want to learn. If you wait to let a person turn 18 before you let them get there hands dirty they will discover women, drugs, and rock and roll and we won't get a shot at them again till they are middleaged. Personally I have had a well rounded life so far and had both my cake and ate it too, but most hopefully will take a different route. The point is well made by Dave and I couldn't agree more with all he has said. My point is, we {all of us} need to somehow come up with a way that lets new people in, young and old a like. I feel that some folks have become downright selfish in a kind of "good old boy" or "OUR little club" mentality which is not condusive to letting anybody new feel welcomed or encouraged to return. I honestly don't believe that there are hundreds of kids wanting to become steam mechanics lined up at the door, but a viligent eye can spot them when they come around and they ARE worth the time and effort. I step down from my soap box now.After talking to Skip {the owner of the Polson #2} last night, I found out that Steven Butler and TJ were going to try and finish up the riveting on the firebox early Friday {today} morning. So I went down to Milw. Boiler and tried to help out where I could. Got there within 5 minutes of everybody else and we went right to work, almost. The shop compressor wouldn't start and they didn't know how and when it would be running. Skip used to be a field mechanic for Atlas Copco many years ago, so he went to take a look around. About a half hour later it was running and we finally did get started. Then a frozen rivet gun malfunctioned and we had to warm it up by the rivet furnace and drive out the first nogo. Another 15 minutes and some oil and we were off. Some trained monkey work was about all I did, I left the real work to the professionals. I didn't count how many rivets we drove this morning but guess maybe 15. 14 were on the Knuckle/corner patch on the outside sheet, firemans side and just above and below it. One brace recieved a new rivet as well. I also viewed the new throat sheet that Gary Bensman {with some helping hands} made up. What a piece of work it is. For those not used to working with steel you may not be able to appreciate what a job it is to bend up a throat sheet, but for those that can I wish I had a picture. Those compound radius bends are awesome. Nice work Gary. This rivet job is only a small beginning, a lot more work is coming, but this will allow much work to continue onward. A sequential type of thing. As TJ said this morning, "it was fun, but not that much fun". Later, John.

I'm excitied to head out to North Freedom for the Snow Train in Feb and work in the power car!

That power car is really a cool thing. When I rejoined a few years ago I had the pleasure of hanging out in there for one of the "heated" trains. A boiler room on wheels, kind of it's own little universe. Can't remember the fellows name, but he did a fair amount of work on it this fall. I have never been involved with operations, but the job of running the power car would be fun I think. Plus it smells like steam, sounds like steam and has a pressure guage too. If my back ever quits acting up I will be down there soon. John.

Well, I guess I'll throw in my two cents, seeing as I'm sitting here in Toledo waiting for my fuel pump to be replaced.......... This a classic difference between now and 20 and 30 years ago in the hobby/ profession. The whole "18" thing is bothersome to me as well. Our local NRHS chapter did this to me and some others starting in the late 1980's, under the guise of "insurance", as if we were all going to sue them. This, after I had worked at least ten separate charters as a car host and a ass. chef in the "first class." Sadly, there were four of us that were between 12-18 that were "axed", and then told "oh, you can just come back when your 18." Sorry, but if I'm not good enough for you once, why would I come back later? This same NRHS group now is supposedly begging for volunteers............ Before you think, "what isn't he telling me", there isn't much; basics are that those in charge had a good old boy club of 50-65 years olds who hated having us around; most of the guys who "helped " us were in there 40's, and many of them left after the display by their supposed peers. When you are told that you can't do something becuase of your age, it hurts, cuts even. We were good kids; and frankly, it left such a sour taste in my mouth, so much so it was 10 years before I started volunteering in rail preservation programs again. There HAS to be some place where the engery of a teenager who wants to learn can be focused in steam or rail preservation; hey, start with sweeping the floors of cars, or cleaning the shop; teach the kids what there picking up, what its used for. If need be, have the kids sign a waiver of some sort, or have a parent come with; the profession/ hobby can't afford to turn away youth anymore.My two cents,TJ

I'm 25 and I'm glad to be in steam preservation. I enjoy learning all the tips about running locomotives and applying them in operation. I may have been qualified summer of '04 as an engineer, but every day I learn something new. I've noticed that no book and no one person can tell you how to run a steam locomotive, and when someone says that running a train is simple since all I do is "sit there and throw levers", I just smile and shake my head. I hope to continue working on steam for the rest of my life, although I doubt it will all be a full time job like it is now.

Look around, you should be able to find another operation that will value your time and find age appropriate tasks. Certainly serving refreshments and lifting tickets as a car attendant seems a safe task for the teen crowd.I don't know what today's rules are, but in the 1980's the Minnesota Transportation Museum allowed teens with a valid driver's license to become streetcar motorman/conductor. A buddy and I both did it at the same time. They had a very sophisticated training and certification program, so it was hard to get into trouble.I had a similar experience with the NRHS. I attended the national convention in Denver, 1982, alone. Everybody had a great time and we were all pals, then Bob Bader got up and gave a speech about how great it was that this 15 year old was bringing new life to the NRHS, and promptly then and there I was told that I did not qualify to be a member!