Continuning the summer of steam 2009, the IRM steam department test fired UP 428
yesterday (Sat, 8/29/09). First time in over 50 years the boiler had felt the warmth of a good fire and steam pressure.

Details can be found here, direct from the Steam Team themselves...
http://irmsteamteam.com/

And as one would expect, some of the activities found their way to YouTube as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWL_AdjPg0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ApXh-tZynU

Congratulations to all involved on achieving this milestone.

And a note to everyone else,, they have already publicly stated that a return of steam operations, on even a limited/test basis for 2009 is all but guaranteed not to happen. So please, let's all acknowledge their efforts to date and support them as they get closer to their goal of steam operations, be it 2010 or later, without pestering them. Good things come to those that wait, let's all be a little more patient, and as shown yesterday, that patience will no doubt be rewarded.

Great news. Thanks for posting. Getting one of these old girls warm is a lot more difficult than it used to be.

Thanks for the update!

On a side note - what is the status of the Frisco engine?

I always thought it would be "cool" if a museum restored an
engine to operation, ran it till it was due for "the big tear down"
and then moved onto another. In a few decades, quite a few
engines would be cosmetically in great shape (at a great expense,
of course).

How did UP #428 gain priority over the Frisco #1630?

And, how did Steamtown come to a decision to spend untold
amounts of money on it's small switcher rather then leave it
cosmetically restored on it's last run and start fresh with a
different engine (one that actually may have been less money
to restore)?

/Mitch

I saw the photos from IRM--reminded me of a mythical carrier from the days of radio comedy: "The Fresh Air Taxi Co." only this would be the "Fresh Air Railway System". It was almost like a British engine from the 1820's. No, I would not expect this engine to be in service next week, and I would expect the restoration crew to take their time and do the job right. Even though I'm mostly a "juicefan" (I still remember running a train of CTA 4000-class "L" cars at IRM) I congratulate their steam crew in bringing life back to an engine that has been cold and silent for half a century. And for the first person who asks "when ya gonna get it running?"--can anyone suggest a suitable penalty?

Frisco 1630 should be running again , next year. Currently her rear driver is out, and has had new tires applied. The driving boxes are almost finished, and she should be reassembled sometime soon. However, due to the fact that this is LATE in our season, it has been decided to wait till next year to run her.

UP 428 has been a long term project, (started 1980 or so), and is not expected in service until 2011 or later. While this test firing was certainly a milestone, much more work remains to be done, including reinstalling her cab, pilot truck, appliances, jacketing, spring rigging, pistons, valves, and many other parts.

Jeff

Sentence them to installing the lagging and the arch brick. Or maybe 400 hours with a needle gun on the next project....................................:)