Cheaper to bring 2100 home, intact, rather than rebuild 2124, for whatever reason.

> ...would aluminum rods be worth looking into to keep weight
> down if they are feasible or would they be too ligh and possibly
> throw the engine off balance?

Considering the overall weight of a "T-hog", the rods are pretty much incidental. The weight savings wouldn't be enough of a reduction to worry about.

Also, the concern wouldn't be balance but rather the material's strength. In operation those rods are under enormous amounts of compression and tension. Aluminum is significantly softer than steel, and I'm guessing the forces would quickly reduce the rods to a mass of spaghetti.

Not only would they be unsuitable for operation I wonder if they even have the strength to withstand the engine being moved very much (the forces involved coming from any minute differences in wheel diameter or variation in wheel/rail traction). Are the aluminum rods up to keeping the drivers in line?

Aside from rods, since the 2101 was cosmetically restored and a "new" tender found, what sort of fire damage remains? As there are other T-1's available she'd be an unlikely restoration candidate but just out of curiosity what's the matter with her?

Steve

Steam locomotive were often caught in roundhouse fires and restored to service. By looking at the photos and from personal correspondence with others who were at the scene, I have pretty much come to the conclusion the fire damage was mostly above the drivers and valve gear. The cab was burned out and the fuel in the tender ignited.
Ross Rowland once emailed me, echoing the thoughts he's said on camera, here I'm paraphrasing, so if I get it slightly "off", Ross, forgive me. She needed a major rebuild after the fire, this included tender and sheet metal work. Nobody could determine to a reliable standard, if the intense heat might have damaged her frame. This last unknown was a significant factor in pressing the swap for another locomotive. In my own impression, and I'm not a mechanical engineer, I think she could be run reliably once more. To bring her back up to absolute safety for hauling passengers, so much money would be needed, it would be better to put it toward another locomotive and remove all doubts of potential disaster. And once more, I'd love to see her returned to Pennsylvania, in Reading colors. Just my opinion.

Interesting picture of the damage 2101. On the locomotive part, it burned away down to the original Reading paint!