Anyone know what is or isn't happening with this locomotive? Is it just another big steam loco with no tracks to run on? Or is there more to the story than that?


Per Wikipedia, it is owned by the Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust, and leased to the Louisiana Steam Train Association (LASTA). The LASTA website has nothing recent in the news section.

Wikipedia asks that I provide this photo credit --
"Steamfest07Choochoo4" by Infrogmation of New Orleans - Photo by Infrogmation.

All dressed up and no place to go.

I've heard, (hearsay, you understand) that any railroad that wants to
lease the engine can get it.

They left a bad taste in the mouths of KCS and NOPB among others, so it's not likley it will get out soon. At least on either of those roads.

Too bad. Nice locomotive.

(For any newbies like me: NOPB = New Orleans Public Belt)

It operates. I know they've done movie work.

I don't think there's anyone from LASTA on here to say for sure what's going on, but my friend Karl Smith is spending the month of October down there and he seemed to say they were taking 745 across the Mississippi for an event. I'm sorry this is a little vague, but I didn't ask for details.

I think LASTA could definitely communicate better.

-Mark

As Lincoln Penn stated, it seems they may have peed on their shoes with the KCS and NOPB. All it takes is one bad trip to burn your green stamps with a mainline RR.

LASTA's Twitter page just said that 745 is heading for Gretnafest right now. Also, how did they leave a bad taste in KCS and NOPB's mouth?

Thanks for the updates guys. I don't use Twitter or Facebook so I'm probably missing all of LASTA'S news broadcasts.

Burned a rod bearing (twice?) I think in Oklahoma and had to be towed home at least once? Then with a cab full of 'steam qualified' people somehow the water got so low a soft plug dropped. There is almost NOTHING on the net 'factual' about that incident and it seems LASTA and even KCS put a lid on it, they went so far as to delete posts off their yahoo group. Since then I don't think they have been allowed to do much of anything outside their yard. Their twitter page latest post is 'going to grentafest' and two posts before that is 'coming home from grentafest'-in other words virtual silence for a year. They get towed there. They had been under steam at that same fest for a few years but it seems even that got shut down for people complaining about smoke and noise.

Thread on the low water incident: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21570&p=93277&hilit=745+rod#p93277

They dropped more than one plug on the KCS, and had no idea anything was wrong, as they were still trying to fire it with water running out everywhere.

It was the culmination of a series of events that included failure to follow instructions and simply not doing what they (the crew) were told to do, and doing a lot of stuff that they were specifically told not to do. To begin with, the crew was almost totally inexperienced. The icing on the cake was the denial of doing anything wrong and a lame attempt to blame it on KCS, at least partially.

I really don't get ever letting the water get low. "if you put a gun to your head and pull the trigger it might blow your brains out. This will typically kill you" How is that any different from low water? Every crew person on any steam heritage team should know that-ALL of them.

But some of them don't. They not only don't know, they don't know they don't know.
There are a handful of crews out there that have no idea what can go wrong, how to recognize that something is going wrong, and what to do when something does go wrong.

Everybody knows how to hang out the window and blow the whistle and make smoke and noise. A shocking number have no clue how to blow out a water glass or even what to do if one starts leaking, even after Gettysburg.

rewind, reset, learn your system, and get back in action, the plugs are there for a reason.

reminds me of the engineer so tired of hearing the pop going off he tied it down...soon enough...KABOOM.

BTW, this isnt the same engine is it?

http://terrellmuseum.info/bohlman/

Same locomotive. These are the only pictures I have ever seen of her in that state. Those pictures should be blown up and be seen by everyone. Steam is fun. Steam is hard. Steam kills.

Found some videos of Southern Pacific 745:

Southern Pacific 745 leaves Simsboro, La. on April 25, 2005 by RFW819
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJV-srw6WGE

Southern Pacific # 745 on April 24, 25- 2005 by RFW819
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MT7NMc50OQ

LASTA SP745 Florien & Zwolle, La. crossings April 2005 by 52B52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSVvYTu ... OuOZB6DhMQ

LASTA SP 745 Banked Curve Hornbeck LA Crossing April 2005 by 52B52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xDOulE7580

LASTA at Edwards, MS by railrunner01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQzuSGptFdg

Things that I noticed from videos:

- Train Speed, wasn't traveling very fast.
- Friction Bearings, on both steamer and passenger cars.
- No Diesel assistance either.