I was wondering the same thing, Mike. When I watched the engine move on Sunday I worried that the frame might have suffered damage. Not only was the engine suspended during the move, it was suspended the night before the move (and was kept suspended all night long). While the Museum has no plans to rebuild the 4-8-4, it still would be a shame if the frame was damaged because it effectively prevents any future restoration attempts. By the way, I noticed while I was in Ogden that Fred Kepner has been at work getting former Santa Maria Valley 2-8-2 No. 100 and Sierra 2-8-2 No. 36 ready for shipment to his storage lot (i.e. locomotive graveyard) in Klamath Falls. These two locomotives operated on the Wasatch Mountain Railway (Heber Creeper) tourist line up until 1984. I'm planning on doing a short piece about them in an upcoming issue of Railfan (in the Lineside Legacy column). I'm going up to Ogden again tommorow to try and get some good color shots in the sunlight (it was overcast on Sunday)<p>Jeff Terry<br><br>



lineside@railfan.com

Locomotives with cast engine beds (frames) have enormous strength and rigidity in the frame- that was why they were such an improvement over the fabricated loco frames. One of the most important items to be concerned with when picking up a steam locomotive is whether or not the pedestal binders are applied (and are tight). Yes, the binders have to be removed to drop the drivers, but if a loco is going to sit on blocks without drivers for any length of time, the binders should be installed. 833 most likely had the binders in place during its lift and move.<br>



hpincus@mindspring.com