From "Northern Lights Extra!" published by the Friends of the 261.

"The Friends (the name will once again be used, instead of the parent corporation, Railroading Heritage of Midwest America now gains ownership of the locomotive we have operated for 15 years and can move ahead with 261's rebuilding."

Also...

The Friends acquiring ownership of the 261 doesn't mean the organization will stop pursuing other opportunities. "We have opportunities to acquire or restore other historic steam and diesel locomotives, and we will continue to pursue them even though we now own the 261," Sandberg said.

You know what would be kinda cool, a doubleheader with the 261 & the 265 with a string of Milwaukee Road Passenger cars. I would be in attendace in a heartbeat!

You know, I'm wondering by now if a pair of Baldwin Sharks have been in the Midwest long enough to be considered "Midwestern" enough for consideration by that crew.

I mean, okay, they're freight Sharks and not passenger Sharks, but............

Okay, okay, I'll go stand in the corner now..................

WAIT! WAIT!! How about a Soo Line steamer, paired up with a certain Soo Line [INFO AUTOMATICALLY REDACTED TO PROTECT THE ARTIFACTS IN QUESTION]...........

I can not recall any engine being more often mentioned and desired then a Burlington engine! While no one engine can be considered unanimously the best engine a CB&Q (or even a GN) engine would certainly qualify!

And then there were those rumored talks with NS...

Time will tell and donations will expedite and keep these ventures for generations to come!

/Mitch

both PRR and NYC had sharks, NYC had the 4 wheel, PRR had the 6 wheel passenger, dunno if any of those exist.
I recall the NYC sharks in West Lafayette as a kid toiling on the big hill there, so they are midwest.

None of the "six-wheel passenger" Sharks (Baldwin DR6-4-20, an A1A-trucked 2000-hp model with the only "sharknose" versions delivered to PRR) exist. (Or at least are known to exist--check a barn or quarry......)



The "four-wheel" in question is Baldwin model RF-16, which was acquired only by B&O, NYC, and PRR. The ones hiding in Michigan are originally NYC, then Monongahela, then D&H, then E&LS. The parts supply to maintain the 608A engines in them are basically nonexistent, even with the healthy parts loco reserve the E&LS has (mostly six-cylinder 606A engines), so they are very unattractive options for operating preservation. I view them as more of a potential acquisition candidate for the RR Museum of Pa., but the owner has the final say, at least with regards with what happens to them in his lifetime or potentially as part of an estate.

Here are pics of the E&LS/D&H Sharks:

http://www.railroadmichigan.com/shark1205dh.jpg
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/mign1205.jpg
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/mign1205a.jpg

Enjoy!

The parts supply to maintain the 608A engines in them are basically nonexistent, even with the healthy parts loco reserve the E&LS has (mostly six-cylinder 606A engines), so they are very unattractive options for operating preservation.

I still maintain that at a certain point, operating diesel preservation will be impossible without increasing modification from the original. At some point, 567's and 645's will be done-and 710's might be sunsetted by increasing environmental regulations.

On the other hand, steam parts can be fabricated and we know this because its being done.

Would it not be ironic if the victor falls and the victim remains?

There is no reason you cant fabricate parts for diesel engines either. If it was made at one point it can be made again.

True, BUT internal internal-combustion parts require a higher degree of precision than most steam locomotive parts.

Tell you what: Let me call up the Streetcar Museum shop and ask them how much/long it'd take to fabricate a crankshaft for an eight-cylinder Baldwin diesel............

I wouldn't put it past the Strasburg shop to make one! And isn't that exactly what one of those Sharks needs?

Steve

I remember being told several years ago that the EBT shop has had to rebuild spark plugs for the M-1 gas-electric. I don't know if they have had to make new parts for the Westinghouse prime mover or not, but there is a good chance they might have. It pretty much only runs a couple of trips a year for the railfan weekend now, but eventually something major will either fail or be found about to fail.

I have seen significant parts for gasoline engines including new heads for a Lamborghini machined from a block of aluminum, or crank shafts with the throw changed for racing engines, so spectacular things are possible. Of course the cost can be spectacular.

Beyond the diesel engine its self, diesels need contactors, switches, and other small parts endlessly... Likely a more significant issue.

Paul Woodring wrote:
> I remember being told several years ago that the EBT shop has had to rebuild spark plugs for the M-1 gas-electric. I don't know if they have had to make new parts for the Westinghouse prime mover or not, but there is a good chance they might have. <

It is true that Phil Glass spent time improving the off-the-shelf spark plugs that are set aside for the M-1 (I believe there are 2.5 sets of plugs) by replacing the electrode wires. There are 2 plugs per cylinder, 6 cylinders. It is a Brill engine - the original - and there are numerous spare parts, including (I believe) a spare crankshaft. It used to have a problem with the cylinder heads, but that problem has been rectified, and there are several spare cylinder covers available (each covers 2 cylinders). The only "modernization" of the engine is that the original vacuum fuel pump (still in place) has been bypassed with a more modern electric one. It still has the original magnetos and two aircraft-style carburetors. It is a true museum piece, and (to the best of our knowledge) the only Brill Gas-electric still operating with its original equipment. Most have been dieselized. There may be one/some operating in Australia, but we have not been able to track one down in original condition.

A styrofoam cup. Try making one.

A steamer or a 1900-era streetcar, it's going to be built of sand casting, blacksmithing, machinists' work and woodwork, all of which lends itself to (or absolutely requires) one-off work by a craftsman (with dirty hands). But in the diesel age, manufacturing is all about tools, dies, jigs, molds, rolls... the craftsmanship went into designing the machine, and once they got that right, it was just a matter of turning the crank. If you don't have that sophisticated tooling, reproduction is a lot harder. The sides of BART cars were extruded from aluminum, how do you make one BART car side?

Go back pre-1900, and a lot of airbrake gaskets were made of leather. Post-1930, there may be several formulations of rubber composited into one gasket which was then molded in a heated mold held to very precise temperatures. Imagine the trial and error it'd take to get that right...