New life for old engine

Sloan · **Posted:** Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:09 pm

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/335826

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

Is this a "heavy cosmetic" restoration, or will the engine be restored to operating condition? Preserved Atlantics are relatively rare, according to Steam Locomotive .com, Santa Fe had over a hundred and none of them survived (I mention that because my first mainline train ride was behind a Santa Fe Atlantic.)

Emmo213 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:11 am

Entirely cosmetic.

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:16 am

Sadly, entirely cosmetic, but it is the first stabilization this locomotive has seen in 50 years. Apparently a great deal of the damage was caused by leaving it outdoors during the bulk of that time. At the least, there will be an E6s to examine, and that will have to be good enough.

Dave Lewandoski · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:58 pm **Posts:** 1084

at least the is locomotive is finally getting some attention. for so many historic one of a kind pieces, it would have been so much easier and cost effective to have properly preserved in the first place.

S. Weaver · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:58 am

I'm not sure the locomotive would have received a proper static perservation back in the day. The museum's conservation efforts these days are just excellent. For example, the medium used for paint abatement was of the quality that machinists' marks on the crossheads were preserved as sharp as the day they were stamped. Non-ferrous metals didn't suffer they way they would have with sand-blasting.

Mr. Martin's crew will turn out a restoration that will be admirable.

davew833 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:19 pm

According to the video linked to the article, the engine will "definitely remain indoors" after it's restored, which is good. I wish RRMPa had room for K4 #3750 and M1 #6755 indoors too.

On another note, does the Atlantic suffer from the same boiler "engineering anomaly" as the K4 whose number must not be spoken? That would be one strike against an operational restoration.

S. Weaver · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:32 pm

@dave. Yes.

Emmo213 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:41 pm

Dave, once their roundhouse is done I would guess the large steamers will be indoors.

u25b · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:04 pm

Does $350,000 for a cosmetic restoration seem like an excessive amount of cash to anyone else?

Wes

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:57 pm

u25b wrote:

Does $350,000 for a cosmetic restoration seem like an excessive amount of cash to anyone else?

Not when you're dealing with 1) a loco in pretty darned rough cosmetic shape, and 2) ownership and oversight by a state government agency...... now, a private owner and Strasburg under contract might knock off a few dollars, but not that many........