The Leviathan will be coming to the Illinois Railway Museum for several trips and if all goes well it may be possible to ride behind her finally. Watch this website: http://www.leviathan63.com/ or IRM's website for complete details.

Tentative dates are the weekends of Aug 6 & 7, Aug 13 & 14, Sept 3, 4 & 5, Sept. 10 & 11 and Sept. 17 & 18th. Right now there are no other scheduled outings for 2011 at this time.

Great news. I'm glad that the stars finally aligned and the details have been worked out. Can she pull anything?

Steve

that is very cool really, the engine can stretch its legs and IRM gets some operating steam while they work out the steam issues.

everyone understand, the project to bring the locomotive to IRM is NOT cheap. and part of the idea is to allow folks to demonstrate their support of steam at IRM by coming out, and perhaps even bringing several dozen of your closest friends to help defray the costs.

Please update on the status of brakes & couplers when you can... and if any waivers have been granted...

Is this a done deal? I can't find any info on either website.

From a post earlier today on the IRMLIST mailing list, from Jamie Kolanowski, IRM's general manager:




...so YES, a POTENTIAL visit by Leviathan is possible, and probable, but IT IS NOT A SURE THING AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

As waivers are required, I'm sure most of the folks reading here can understand that the FRA moves at its own rate, for its own reasons.

Jeff

Interesting that this might finally come to pass, hopefully this will happen and be successful. Even if it falls through for whatever issue(s), it seems that the museum is
at least open to the concept of visiting steam (such as the Flagg Coal engine)

I personally found the dates interesting. Couple weekends coming up in Aug, then a lay-off for a couple weeks till Sept. Since one of the costs of this type of activity is transport for the engine, it could be argued that a "layover" at IRM on it's way home from Rock Island could "share" the costs (yes, I know it would have had to have taken a scenic route home !)

Assuming these dates to be true, would the engine just be resting comfortably at IRM between the middle of Aug, and beginining of Sept ? Even though home is right down the road, seems like a waste to transport back and forth. Just wondering.

What kind of brakes does she have? I know there are air brakes of some sort which is a little anachronistic for 1860's but sometimes safety takes priority over authenticity.

Steve

I believe, if she is like the NPS locomotives she was patterned from, that she has a little one lung air compressor on the fireman's side. These operate the tender brakes. There are no brakes on the drivers.

The engine now has brakes on the drivers and tender. It also has a coupler on the rear. The only waiver waiting is for the rear coupler. It has been inspected and is expected to get the good word on or around August 2. It will have limited tonage, probably 150 tons.

Once these hurdles have been cleared, she will tour the country with quite a few dates being worked on right now.

If it has a compliant coupler on the rear then what would the waiver be for or do you mean the lack of one on the pilot?

I think showing it around the country is a great idea as there is nothing as educational as seeing a living, breathing iron horse.

Steve

John, that layoff is the time period when IRM hosts "Thomas"...and the fans of that THING care only about their beloved goofy blue psuedo-steam engine, and could care less about the marvelous red STEAM engine.

Jeff

I hope the engine makes it to the Niles Canyon Railway at some point. The real Leviathan almost certainly traveled along this stretch of the Pacific Road in the 1870s.

Ahh, the blue beast,, I had mercifully forgotten about that, one of the many joys of no young children about ! Now it all makes sense, aside from the small detail of sidelining an actual steam engine for,,, naaa, won't go there !

Thanks Jeff !