It could very well be that they have no steam lined up for 2013. I am hearing that 3254 is in need of much repair, enough that they have cancelled the ice harvest excursion. And when is her flue time up? If the date is known, it is a well-guarded secret. Sadly, this also means that the shop crew will probably spend most of the winter on 3254, and not making progress on their yard goat. 3713 is a mostly independent resto, so they should not be slowed much at all, but they are far from finished.

The downside to the "comfort" of security with government ownership/operation is the bureaucracy involved.

Whereas permission to operate over the rails of the Reading and Northern as in this video can come with basically a handshake, a call to a dispatcher, and maybe proof of an insurance policy, and a short-term or long-term borrowing or lease of the loco by the R&N or someone like the community of Ashland (home of the Pioneer Coal Mine Tunnel) only gets as complicated as lawyers want to make it, I shudder to think how complex an arrangement for the use of CNJ 113 at a National Historic Site could get.

Doesn't mean it's not an absolutely brilliant and almost-perfect "win-win" possibility for both Project 113 and Steamtown, of course. Heck, I *think* it can get to Scranton entirely on its own wheels and over friendly/cooperative rail lines, with only two or so miles between Taylor Yard and Bridge 60..........

What's the tractive effort on this thing? Can it pull five coaches up a grade?

She is a bruiser, she'll probably pull all of the coaches you can muster, but not real fast.

Fast is not an issue. They used to like to open up the engines on the main but with all of the ATVs on the ROW, the past two excursions that I was on were definately slower. Even if they had to trim her back to four coaches, it would be worth doing so and maybe adding a date to the calendar. I'd certainly like to see her in action, and from what I can gather, the NPS is always open to visiting equipment, so long as you remember whose house you are in.

CNJ #113 would be perfectly suited filling in for 0-6-0 #26 switching in the yard at Steamtown - especially with the CNJ frieght station within eyesight.

I question whether anyone would want to see an 0-6-0 switcher pulling a long passenger train on an excursion but assume that's just what she'll be doing if any reliable source of cash is going to be returned to the crew to pay the costs.

A charter will pay some of that - and then again, it's not as if others have not been sucessful - note Strasburg and Conway Scenic to name only a few.

(I say, put her to work as SMS plans to with their former New Hope and Ivyland ex-Army 0-6-0 #9!)

/Mitch

Why would information contained in an operable locomotive's form 4 be not known and/or a "guarded secret"?

Most people tend to not put forth the effort to check the form 4, and the shop guys up there are usually mum about information.

But this thread has gone off-topic.

One last question then, where can one find a form 4? Are they in a searchable database online, or is it by mail request, or does it have to be requested and viewed on site?

As for 113, has anyone involved with the project spoken to Steamtown about operating there? It would be nice to see her for Railfest at least.

I just googled a pre-restoration photo, awesome work! This effort obviously took some very dedicated people to make it happen.

Congratulations to the 113 group, your dedication to this project is outstanding!

Form 4s are the private property of the locomotive owner and typically are only provided to the FRA. Are you looking for a blank form 4 or one from a specific locomotive? Blank form 4s are available from a link on the FRA's website. You could file a FOI request with the FRA and they may be able to provide a copy of a specific locomotives form 4. If you really want to know an answer to a question ask the question rather than making some obscure remark about well-guarded secrets, because it is not secret at all, but is calculated based on service days used, it is not always an absolute 1472 days. So only the person who keeps the records and management know when the locomotives 1472 days of service are used up and if it will make it to the end of the 15 years, whichever comes first. Not all locomotives make 1472 service days or 15 years, some require retubeing or other heavy repairs to keep them FRA compliant and or safe. Metal fatigue plays an unpredictable role in these old beasts and even with the best maintenance practices can take a locomotive out of service unexpectedly. By the way the well guarded answer is April 2016 for the 15 year inspection of said locomotive.

Mike Tillger

Thanks Mike

At least someone saw what I was trying to get at. Cheers Mike!

It is easy to talk about the Form 4 as some kind of textual document like a certificate. But the FRA Form 4 is an engineering document running to 50 pages or more that is dull as dirt and impossible to understand by the average layman unfamiliar with strength calculations and joint efficiencies. It serves as "proof" that a boiler is sufficiently strong in EVERY part for the proposed operating pressure. In the typical restoration there are at least 2 versions of the Form 4 generated. An initial version that will tell the owner (and the FRA) where the boiler is weak and a final version showing that the boiler is as strong as it is supposed to be. Adding to the already thick packet is the documentation of all of the repairs and modifications required to get from the first to the last Form 4. The responsibility for preparation and filing rests only on the locomotive owner, not the FRA.

On Friday, November 23, 2012, CNJ 113 ran an initial test run for several miles on Reading and Northern trackage. This test run was deemed to be extremely successful.

What many of you may not have known, on this day the 113 not only ran its initial test run, but gave its final ride to Robert E. Kimmel Sr. It was always my father's dream to restore 113 to an operating locomotive. Not only was his dream realized but his final wishes were honored by placing his creamated ashes in the firebox as the locomotive passed by the Minersville depot.

We at project 113 would like to acknowledge the Reading and Northern management and staff for their prearranged cooperation for this event. On the day of the event, the R & N personnel were extremely accommodating to our needs.

I would like to thank all the Project 113 personnel for their years of dedication toward our goals. Without these efforts the 113 would have never been able to operate again.

Thank you once again to all those who have supported our project in many ways.

Robert E. Kimmel, Jr.,
President Railway Restoration Project 113
Minersville, Pa.