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Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorations
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Author:  superheater [ Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorations
Personal favorites, in no particular order.

UP's & Mr. Levin's E's (see comments below about modern components)

D-L's 426 (an unbelievably important locomotive, one of the covert soldiers deployed by EMD that managed to prepare the target for obliteration, currently displayed where it ran -the '36 pics are amazing)

Any SMS Baldwin (how the heck do you keep a fleet running where the builder quit 51 years ago and parts stopped being made 30-some years ago.

THe GVT Alcos, but ESPECIALLY ex D&H RS-3 4103 & 4118.

The Vulcan side-rodder formerly @ the ex CNJ station in Wilkes Barre PA, now awaiting some TLC @ RMDI in Pittston

The Flying Yankee (even w/o the Winton PM)

Doyle McCormick's PA (before the griping starts about the 251- if PA's had survived, they'd all be fitted with 251's.

Strasburg's ex PRR 44-tonner painted in its orginal scheme.

Across the Street, the 2 axle side rod Vulcan @ RRMPA.

Finally, the corporate F's (CP/KCS/NS)-same thing applies here about 645 components that may apply.

What else do I need put on my must see/ride before I'm worm food list?
Author:  artschwartz [ Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Add the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum's 1930 Westinghouse visibility cab ex- Armco switcher. Although it has been re-engined with an almost as rare Hamilton engine. it is fully operable and is run occasionally.
Author:  CRHauf [ Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Superheater,

While not a diesel, but a gas locomotive... Add the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's nearly completely restored 1920 Plymouth Model BL 7-ton gas-mechanical with its 4-cylinder Buda FRH gas engine. This engine has been under restoration mainly by one volunteer at the R&GVRRM for 7+ years. While doing most of the restoration work, he has also machined over 250+ new parts for the locomotive which was donated to the museum in 1999 in derelict condition. Currently, the engine is receiving a new replica sheet metal body to complete the cosmetic restoration.

Image

You can see the BL in action in some recent videos posted to our website of the BL doing demonstration runs for the public during our 2007 Diesel Days event held just a few weeks ago.

A really neat little engine and one of the oldest operating internal combustion locomotives running today.

Regards,
Chris Hauf
Manager - Railroad Equipment
R&GV Railroad Museum
Author:  Howard P. [ Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
In "The Land of Steady Habits" (Connecticut), may I mention NH FA-1 0401 as "on-going, slowly", as well as B&M RS-3 1508, also "on-going", and B&M GP9 1732 ("planned", with a rebuilt 16-567C slated to go into the unit).

And, while it's not "recent", NH RS-3 529 is certainly "steady" in her 57th year of operation on home rails at NAUG.

Howard P.
Amplidyne, CT
Author:  Les Beckman [ Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Well, we kind of like our 1941 44-ton Whitcomb center cab. Still running with its two original Caterpillar diesels.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)
Author:  Dave [ Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Sumpter Valley is finishing restoration on a HK Porter C-C unit now with a Cooper-Bessemer motor powering Westinghouse switchgear. I expect it will clearly demonstrate all the qualities that combined to make it unique.

dave
Author:  gnufe [ Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Hi All,

To add to the list, Cowan RR Museum has been making progress on NC&STL 100. After a slumber of 10+ years, both Cat D17000's are running and in order for the locomotive to be presentable at the Polly Crocket Festival next weekend, 100 is getting a new coat of paint. It's probably the first time 100 has had new paint applied since it's L&N days....

Stuart
Author:  NH0401 [ Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
I'm going to vote for the RCHTS (Reading GP-35) project for a host of reasons.

Not only is the standard (and execution) of workmanship extremely high, the principals appear to be a bunch of them younger fellers....

DPK
Author:  John Bohon [ Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
TVRM is in a long term rebuild of Southren E-8 number 6914. I was working on the unit in 1988 and repairs continue today. Much of the rewiring has been completed including building new duct work in which to run the wires.

John Bohon
Author:  Ryan Scott [ Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
My vote goes for the Whitewater Valley's Lima-Hamilton #709. The loco has been under restoration for some years now. It was built for Armco Steel as #709, has a 1000HP inline eight, turbocharged Hamilton engine. It was used on the hot steel trains, I believe on the old B&O. The 709 is operable, and has had alot of cosmetic work completed on it, including a complete restored cab, alot of body work, and step work. The 709 is one of three LH diesels on the property, and one of only 5 existing LH diesels. The Ex CUT 25 is also on the property, although currently down for injector work.

Dave - do you have any recent pictures of the 709? My hands were always too greasy to take any.

For those of you that think and ALCO can pull and smoke, you've never run a Lima Hamilton.

Ryan Scott
Author:  dand [ Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Porter 70 ton, diesel-electric 3 ft. gauge. Under restoration at McEwen, Oregon (SVRy) under contract to CHS for Georgetown Loop, Colorado. May be completed Sept/end.
dan
Author:  Randy Hees [ Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
Not exactly preservation, but the Kauai Plantation Railway restored a very rough 1939 3' gauge 12 ton Whitcomb.

It had been built for a SF area copper smelter, then sold to an amusment park. It was donated to the Carter Group who operated it for a weekend, before shuting it down pending a transmission rebuild... We had other engines avaible and never committed the resources to this project...

The Kauai Plantataion railway, and Brook Rother did an impressive job rebuilding the loco for further service.

http://www.kauaiplantationrailway.com/loco.htm
Author:  HOD Bill [ Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolest Recent/Ongoing/Planned Operating Diesel Restorat
We have a 1942 EMD SW-1(#904 Republic Steel, Memphis Union Terminal) that has been sitting on the yard for many years. It had the cab burned by vandals when were were located in downtown Bham. I just learned that another (not running condition) has been donated by a local company. We just need to go get it. Members more knowledgeable than I think we can bring #904 back to life using parts from the one recently donated. The recently donated one has a cab in very good condition. It will probably take a long time to do it, but I'm looking forward to helping with it.

Bill Houston
HODRRM
Calera, AL
Author:  David Farlow [ Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Ongoing restoration of 709
Ryan,

Armco 709 received $3,200 from an NRHS grant in 2001 and this was spent mostly on the cab and car body metal repairs. We did rebuild the rear traction blower motor, repaired one coupler, and installed a new oil cooler, and still have to pull the fan and repair the water tank.

The last decade at Armco was pretty hard on the engine's appearance. The rear cab wall was pushed in by about 1/2-3/4 inches so when received the engine the windows were mostly held in with silicone! Many welded patches had been made to the engine over the years and we decided to repair all of these with flush panels. There was some rust damage below the cab door that we also repaired. Collision damage to the steps (and steel mill repairs to the steps) was also so much of an issue that we simply had to replace all of them with original style sets. The cab interior is now completed and has a new hardwood floor salvaged from the bedroom of a 1951 house being torn down!

Torn metal in the roof overhang has been repaired and new Lima style handrails have been fabricated and installed. The numberboards have recently been installed including the long missing "frogeye" boards on the front of the engine.

Progress has been slowed the last few years as we've worked on Dearborn Tower, the Milwaukee SD10, our GE 65ton, BLH #346, Munice & Western #8, several coach repaints, and the museum site switches and crossing work, not to mention annual DOWT events. Same old story of not enough time for everything to happen at once. After the water tank work, the engine will be ready to paint, but there are still some wiring issues to finish up to make it an "everyday" locomotive.

Details of the engine can be found on our website, this photo is one I took in 1993 which intentionally hides most of the damaged areas of the engine.

http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/roste ... cat=diesel

It's taken a long time, but the results have been worth it. I don't have a recent photo unfortunately. I'll post one when I get a chance.

David Farlow, CMO
Whitewater Valley Railroad[/img]
Author:  Les Beckman [ Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Ongoing restoration of 709
David -

What are WV's intentions in repainting the locomotive?

Les
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