It’s a good time to be a superpower steam enthusiast. I can’t remember a time when so many 4-8-4s were either operating or under restoration. The 261, 3751, and 700 are operating. The 611, 844, 2926, and 4449 are all under restoration. I guess the race is on. Of these, which will be back in steam first - 844, 611, or 4449?

*please refrain from a discussion of the specific people leading the efforts. I'm intereseted in the complexity of work needed.

My money is on 4449 being back in steam before the others noted. She has a serious head start on 611, I saw work in progress as early as November of last year.
I heard Doyle talking to some folks in December in the engine shed, and he said there wasn't anything so far abnormal for a typical 1472...

Take a little child around to see all of them and they may grow up thinking that all steam engines have two little wheels, four giant wheels, and two more little wheels!

I ran across two interesting pictures. This one is inside of 4449's fire box.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=482334

This is some information on 844. The fifth photo down is the interior of the smoke box. The hole cut in the tube sheet was reported to be there to get the tubes out. Apparently they are so heavily scaled that they could not be pulled out the usual way.

http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/up40 ... -17-2014-1

I was at the ORHF roundhouse in Portland on National Train Day.

This was during normal "open to the public" hours, and being it NTD, there was a good number of people in and out of the roundhouse (Oregon Pacific had an excursion departure as well, so people were also wandering through on the way).

There were several people doing work on the 4449, and another visitor was asking the roundhouse guide questions regarding the Daylight, and in response, the guide said the current goal is to have the 4449 complete sometime near the end of the year/beginning of next.

Tubes weren't in yet, and the bottom of the firebox had not yet been replaced, but progress is being made.

Flue time on the 700 runs out at the end of this operating year, hence the fund-raising trip up the Gorge in mid-September.

So it very much looks like the 4449 will be first out of the starting gate.

I didnt know 4449 was down.

Looking at the firebox interior, I think I understand the design, obviously they did that cutaway to inspect the area, and work if needed. That will be welded back in.
I was wondering the design, it is oil fired vs coal like 765. It doesnt have the 2 circulators
in the firebox like 765. Differrent animal.

Scale on the tubes...like they weren't treating the water? (844)

still waiting for 614 to join in the fray.... (nudge)

Surely you don't cut that out just to inspect!

Yes . . you surely would NOT cut out your throat sheet just to inspect. Brother Doyle is replacing that portion of the throat sheet knuckle that forms up into the combustion chamber. Many locos have stress crack problems in this area. Some get welded, some get patched. The 765 does not have 2 circulators in this area - she has 2 Nicholson Thermic Syphons which mount in the throat sheet and carry water up into the crown. The 261 and Big Boy have circulators which feed from each side sheet to a central tee - then up into the crown. The 4449 was equipped with several transverse arch tubes in 1984. Similar in size and application as you find in the 611, 4960 and many Santa Fe oil burning locos.

thanx Gary, couldn't remember the exact words

SOme of you may know the New York Times practice of printing "Remember the Neediest" beneath columns, at Christmas. Keep Reading 2100 in mind, if you would. There's a locomotive we should be prepared to catch when the time comes. First of a series, and we are in real danger of losing her this late into the post steam era.
Just saying...

On another tack, it's great to have restored Northerns, but keep in mind the ample supply of Berks, Hudsons, and others (including one excellent Pacific in Maine) that should be funded.

As of now sounds like 4449 will be the first back.

Now 844 or 611? If I've read things correctly here and elsewhere, because 844 was so scaled, it's getting enough boiler work done to require a new form 4, make needed repairs, re-tube, and start a new 15/1472. Sounds to me the scope of boiler work on the 611 and 844 is basically the same with 844 ahead of 611 by virtue of already being de-tubed.

3 great example locomotives will be starting the boiler clock about the same time - right?

I won't get into the politics of it all like those "in the know" do over on Trainorders, but there are allegations that the current manager of the UP Steam Program altered the water treatment program for UP steam and failed to perform proper boiler blowdowns which directly resulted in #844 needing all this work long before she otherwise would have. YMMV.

I put it past some issues, since the steam is very rare today, you just get the work done, frozen up, scaled up, if you have the desire need, you go for it.
(and learn a lesson along the way)

Don't count us out, we might surprise ya'll.

Meanwhile go look at the photos. Grin.

http://nmslrhs.org/Photos/photos.php

Regards,
Kevin