Reading 2101

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

bbunge wrote:

C. Edwards wrote:

The amount of man hours involved in the switching to free her from the front yard alone is enough to make major headway on any one of many other projects.

This is enlightening. I might visit the museum 3-4 times a year and it is always interesting to watch how the equipment is moved around between visits. Given the tight conditions and varied condition of the equipment, I've always wondered who does it, how it is planned and just how difficult it is. A casual observer might think the stuff is moved around just for fun. The move a couple of years ago to put 490, 5300, 4500 and others in the south building must have taken a lot of planning.

Museum is keeping four boilers under code now. All four are very nicely matched to how they operate and the mission of the place. Perhaps as recent as a decade ago, they weren't operating any thing, let alone steam.

My personal pipe dream would be to see one of the grass hoppers operate, just because there isn't anything else like them. It would be VERY cool to see one at Ellicott City Station in a "photo charter," parked on a rebuilt turn table by the engine stall that still has the exhaust stack in the center and not at the end of the stall.

Bob

There is one good reason to move equipment and thats to keep them flexible, keep bearings from flattening, lubed up and so on, which is a good idea for active preservation.

Randy Musselman · **Posted:** Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:21 am

Hello,

I wanted to address a point mentioned earlier in this thread. If it has been addressed before, I apologize.

As I recall, the roudhouse fire in which 2101 was involved was severe...it totally destroyed the building surrounding her. If my memory serves me right, I understand commercial power boilers are by default condemned if they have been in a fire. Likewise, I assume the FRA has language in thier regs that state the same?

If so, it puts the 2101 in a much different realm with regards to potentially restoring her for operation. If the boiler needs total replacement, the financial demand would be way beyond reasonable. Again, I am sure this subject has been beat to death over the years. But I would say the chances of an operable restoration are 0%. May she rest in peace.

I do have postive memories of her in my younger years as I was a resident of the Gettysburg area and saw her operating over the old Western Maryland Dutch line. Like an idiot, I was so gund ho on steam, I failed to go up on Jack's Mountain and watch the real event......two Western Maryland F units helping the 01 to Hagerstown. I had seen photos of this at a local fair......a head on shot of the F units with a severe emissions problem! The photo did not show what was behind them.

Perhaps Ross can comment on that trip if he was at the throttle that day. Back in Jack's Mountain the curves are sharp and the grades are steep. I assume whoever was the engineer, they were not on their seat box!

Regards,

Randy

co614 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:11 am

Randy, Can't recall that specific trip over Jacks Mountain but I was privileged to run her over that hill a number of times and you're right it's a tough piece of railroad. Nearly always when we had diesels it was for the dynamic braking feature coming down the mountain not for help getting up it.

As to the fire we opted to swap her for the 614 as no one could be absolutely sure what internal damage had been caused by the intense fire and when you're hauling passenger trains at track speed with 1,000 peoples lives in your hands that's no place for doubts to exist.

Any machine can be restored to service if you want to invest the time and money needed to do the job. IMHO there's a lot of mainline engines I'd say are FAR better restoration candidates than AFT 1.

Hopefully we'll at least get her back to looking respectable soon!!!

Ross Rowland

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

The La Porte County Steam Society had a fire in their storage building years ago and their 3 foot gauge shay was in that fire.

time passed, they eventually got that shay back in operation. Perhaps the fire was not as dramatic.

From what I have heard firebox fires can be hot enough to melt metal which is why you keep water above the crown point otherwise its warpage and kaboom time.

I have to argue that steam locomotive boilers have to be made for serious heat and take the beating riding the rails. You would have to take 2101 thru all the mettallurgy checks and so on. At this point a new boiler would be the order or getting the boiler to current specs. Probably a bother you don't want to get into especially when 3 other sister engines exist, let 2101 rest as is.

We have seen the Reading engines under power, I wonder what the 261 crew is up to, their getting my socks off now curious.