Does anyone know the details on this? My Dad took the photo and talked to someone there and they said she is certified to operate and they will be moving her to an active line very soon.

I am pretty sure that this engine is not in operating condition. I do believe it got a new paint job recently.

I want some of whatever they're smoking. No, on second thought, it has to be illegal.

I will be talking directly with some of the parties involved later this morning or afternoon. I'll report back. But my best guess is that it's actually FAR from certified/operable, that there's no agreement (despite claims or dreams to the contrary) to have it running on the Western Md. Scenic RR or West Va. Central, etc.

Here's your biggest indicator: They haven't even been able to agree to let it be displayed at the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum. It was apparently easier for the HRM to deal with a Baldwin switcher donated to them by the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and actually IN N.C., than it was for them to deal with the crew over in the park across town.

Make of that what you will.

I used to be a member of the Hagerstown NRHS and kept in touch with some folks out there 15-20 years ago. The primary reason was because I wanted to be up to date on information on the roundhouse, 202, and 2100. Folks I spoke with told me that a lot of work was done on 202 and she passed a hydro. Now keep in mind this was before the rewrite of steam locomotive rules. My guess is that the work done was more WD-40 than welding rods and steel.

I would venture to guess in 1974 or 1984 she could have been rolled out of the park, retubed, have some piping replaced, airbrake work, and new paint and she would have been out romping the rails. Think of a certain PRR K-4. In 2009 it's a whole new world. I would also venture to say if you did a full UT boiler survey and did not find any thin metal she could be put into steam over time using volunteers without a half-million dollar rebuild. She would not be in the condition to run up the mountain supporting the schedule at WMSR.

An article dated Sep 2, 2008 in the local Hagerstown newspaper covered this topic:

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=display ... ormat=html

Note the comments by railroad officials:

NS: Rudy Husband, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, said he doubted the railroad would allow a steam engine to operate on existing rail lines.

CSX: CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan agreed, saying, in part, the "demands of the economy" would make it impractical to occupy valuable rail space with an old steam engine. "I can't think of a scenario where we would permit it," Sullivan said.

W&W: Reinstating Engine 202 probably wouldn't be worth the insurance costs, said Phil Light, president of the Winchester & Western Railroad Co. "It would really be tough," Light said. The insurance would cost "too much to really fool with."

We had similar statements about Virginia and Truckee 27 when a park engine in Virginia City Nevada...

She was removed from the park for restoration by the Nevada State Railroad Museum. They found that she was a thoroughly worn out locomotive...

It is easy to state that a park loco is "nearly" ready to steam. As noted by others it would have been easier 15 years ago, in a different regulatory environment... but

It will be expensive, complicated, and time consuming... add personalities and it gets near impossible.

When we first proposed a cosmetic restoration for Maine Central 470, the city engineer immediately proposed "Let's fire her up and run her around the state!",without having even looked at the locomotive, the big holes in the tender, or the stripped backhead. People who remember (or only suspect) the grandeur of big steam often don't understand the complexities of it. It's hard to realize that everything that makes a steam locomotive "breathe" is provided solely by fire and water.

As promised, I'm getting back to you after checking with some Hagerstown/WMHS folks.

Basically, what they said up there. It's got nowhere to go if it is operable, because the engine technically "belongs" to "the children of Hagerstown," and any serious inquiry about its possible operation (say, if the WMSR actually came looking for it) is apparently denied on that basis. And apparently the current crowd of "caretakers" around the 202 are deluded, bombastic, and/or full of wishful thinking.

I for one would dearly love to see 202 under steam at Union Bridge, Cumberland, or Elkins. And while I'm at it, I'd also like to see 611 or 261 try to break 100 on the Northeast Corridor. In the current environment, both are about as equally likely.

Early in our (1522) operating career, I had some correspondence with someone working on the 202 wanting advice on firing up an oil burner. I never did find out what had been done to the engine and frankly had forgotten all about it until these postings. It's a neat engine.
I'm also shocked to hear that all engines on display weren't overhauled just before being donated. I've certainly heard that claim a lot. Sorta like completely overhauling your car before driving it to the salvage yard...........

I think this one comes from several locomotives that were restored to operating, like NKP 759, that had gone through a major shopping and held in reserve, shortly before being retired. Indeed, if the recession of 1958 hadn't happened, the NKP Berks probably would have seen another season of service.

This was also true with a number of the CPR 4-6-2s that saw service in the post steam era and probably a few others as well. I would have to say that was the exception rather than the rule.

Didn't CB&Q shopped a bunch of locomotives before turning the out in long lines, and then hauling them away?

I just joined not long ago and was looking to see if 202 had ever been discussed on RYPN. I found this thread and thought Id clear some stuff up. Ive worked on 202 almost every weekend for the last 3 summers and I can assure you we arnt smoking anything illegal and we dont have any delusions of grandeur. I dont know who would have said 202 is certified and ready to run? It's far from it. Of course we'd love for this to be the case but 202, like any other park engine, would need quite a bit of attention before that could be a reality. There is some merit to saying it was "rebuilt" just before going into the park. It has parts stamped from several K2's on it. We believe the best parts from the K2's were put on 202 so it could serve a double duty. Yes it was given to the children of Hagerstown, but dont forget the WM still had 2 K2's in defrosting service down at Port Covington and 202 could serve as a potential parts supply for them.

There are lots of questions about what has been done to 202 recently. We wanted to know if a full restoration was even feasible so we had both a visual and UT scan done. The only somewhat major problem is the throat sheet. John Long did what he knew how, but unfortunately he messed up the throat sheet pretty good. Instead of replacing staybolts he plugged the holes......yep. The biggest problem with the locomotive is the tender, which is going to need a lot of sheet metal replacement. So there isnt really anything physically thats a deal breaker for a restoration, but of course the biggest factor keeping this from happening is having a place to run. One thing I can assure you is 202 isnt leaving Hagerstown. That doesnt leave many options for running, which is unfortunate, but it's just the way it is. As she sits she's beautiful and is pampered constantly. Rods oiled, brass buffed every week, paint touched up, mechanical lubricators turned over, cylinders oiled, and we move her back and forth every now and then to keep the bearings good. The guys a the park really care for her and if the opportunity arises there will be a full resto. We initially wanted to have steam by 2012 for her 100th birthday but doesn't look like thats gonna happen.

-Alex Haines

Thanks for the update. Can you tell us how the engine is moved in the park? Pull with a tow truck? I think it's a great idea, just curious as to how it's done.

Mike Stillwell
Buena Vista, VA.

Last time we moved it with a F350 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 but we've been known to triple-head a couple of cars:) The F350 can move it alone when the grass is dry but we've double it up with a Large Ram pickup before. John used to get the city to move it with a bulldozer sometimes. We cant move her at the moment because we are relaying the track in front.