Did MRM buy one of the Roanoke Chapter coaches? Or is it just stored there?

What great photos of this engine. Congratulations all around for all the folks in Monticello.

Just a curiousity question. Do the folks at MRM have plans to make some replica builders plates for the engine? I hope so as she would look so good with a set.

I wish I could have come but could not get away.

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

Gary Gray and probably many others know more about this then I do, but I believe it was sold to the museum. Either way, it's a really nice car to ride in, having done so many times while it was at Spencer.

Martin

The Monticello folks fell in love with the 1827, an ex-Wabash coach, at the RPCA Convention at Spencer in January. We weren't really planning to sell it, but they were persistent and made us a very fair offer. I'm going to miss the old girl, but she has gone to a very good home. 1827 was in "regular" service for 24 years for 3 owners, then stored for a couple of years. The Roanoke Chapter bought it in 1973. It has probably run almost as many miles in excusion service as it did in "regular" service.

Yes, MRM did purchase 1827 from the Roanoke Chapter. We need the additional seats for polar sales, and 1827 was previously Wabash 1420, so it's a good fit in our area. It was originally one of 7 cars the Wabash purchased from the B&M. It will eventually be painted in Wabash colors, but we won't be re-applying the fluting.

We're working on builders plates for 401, but ran out of time to get them done and applied. We have the originals, but we'll have replicas cast for placement on the loco.

There have been some comments on the placement of the numbers on the tender sides. We understand they're higher than was "common", not to mention higher than is shown on the Southern RY painting standard we have a copy of, but in perusing the many photos of the H4 class provided by the Southern Railway Historical Society, we noted the numbers, while mostly centered and into the rivet lines vertically, some were placed higher which lines them up with the cab. I have no idea why this was done, but as the painter, that meant I only had to deal with one row of rivets rather than two when masking the numbers, so I took the higher location to save the masking hassle.

401 ran well and steamed well, with no issues of any consequence. We did have some foaming problems, but those were getting worked out by the end of Sunday, and weren't unexpected considering the new boiler.

Kent

Kent -

I was at MRM on Sunday and enjoyed the day very much, as usual. Quick question, I now notice a slight difference in lettering on the cab sides. I didn't notice it when I was there. Both sides show Memphis (for the historically assigned Memphis Division I am guessing) but the engineers side shows some additional lettering down in the right corner which is missing from the firemans side. I assume you just ran out of time? And just what is this lettering exactly?

Les

@Les
It's just the class lettering. Southern put it on the right side only usually. For deciphering it, it's the class, driver diameter, cyl. bore over cyl. stroke, tractive effort in thousands.

Only on the right side of the cab? Wow, that IS interesting. Did all railroads do "miscellaneous" lettering that way, or was it just a Southern Railway thing?

Les

I've seen quite a few other railroads that do it. SP sticks out in my mind as doing similar, but most the others just put the class, if anything.

I got to thinking (a very dangerous thing for me!) that with the wonderful restoration of 401, she needs a genuine steam era Southern caboose to go with her. I know that there are quite a few Southern cabooses preserved, but most of these I think are steel bay window cabooses that are from the post-steam era. What I was thinking was a genuine Southern Railway wood cupola caboose. I know that there are a few out there, but maybe none are available. Anybody know for sure? I am sure the boys at MRM are rolling their eyes about now. "Like we don't have enough to do!"

Les

Actually, Southern had may bay-window steel cabooses in the late steam era. Many of the surviving steel bay window cabooses you see today were built around 1948. They had round windows in the doors, and other details that were changed in rebuilds.

Of course, many of these cars were rebuilt one or two times for service well into the 1980s.

Regarding cab side lettering, the L&N always had a brass plate affixed to the engineer's side giving the class number of a particular locomotive. (For example L&N 152 at KRM has a 'K-2A' plate." This practice continued into the diesel era.

Shhhhhhhh Les.... You'll wake the hunter-gatherers, and we're out of room! :-)

Kent

How sweet it is! It's good to see yet another steam engine revived. I hope the folks in Illinois appreciate how rare it is to have operating steam in the 21st Century.

So when will it be running again, Kent?

Randall,

There has been discussion of operating it one weekend in this coming October, but nothing has been decided yet. We'll get something hammered out and post it to our website soon. After that, it will be winterized and laid up 'till spring. The plan for the 2011 season is running it one weekend a month, May through October, but that's not written in stone yet.

Kent