The streaks are the result or rust from something above.

Jason

Is that boiler and piping still lagged or was it removed and the jacket reapplied over blocks?

Steve

I think 4012 still has it's lagging which is asbestos.

Great...water logged lagging eating away at everything.

Steve

Seems like Steamtown's UP Big Boy #4012 was just painted and quite a few of the locomotives that followed are just now making their way back on to display.

Just in time to start all over again?

True - it's not "preserved" until it's parked inside but should we have expected (hoped.. demanded) more then 6 years on a paint job? Was this a poor paint job or does it simply fall into an expected life span for painted equipment left outdoors?

Was there a practical method to upkeep the paint to make it last longer?
Washings of some sort - touch ups - removal of grease and oil prior to painting, ect?

Maybe it's not too late? We know how long these engines sat faded and rusting away and the paint only came after the government pitched an ill-fated experiment to simply print "extra" money. I don't believe we'll see much "extra" money in the next decade or so...

/Mitch

PS - What's it gonna take to get the numberboard replaced??

Perhaps Steamtown should think about building more indoor storage areas to rotate locomotive on display to extend or protect the restorations. I know you can’t get everything undercover, but in the long term, the more you protect, the less you have to restore or re-restore.
David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope Pa

Its peeling already? Where did that paint come from? WalMart?

That is the effect the wonderful weather of the Northeast has on paint.

Man, it sure doesn't take long for people to pick apart another persons work, especially here on RyPN. Might as well be New England Railfan dot com.
Really guys, can't you just be glad to [i]see[/i] a Big Boy? I'd like to see what [i]you[/i] do to preserve trains in your area.
I'd say Steamtown has done a damn nice job with the Big Boy, the T1, 759 and the rest.
If your so upset by the "streaks on the paint" or the "missing side rods" then I'd suggest you vollenteer your spare time to correct those problems.

Brian Hebert

Unfortunately, RYPN does not provide for two separate forums - Politically correct and honest truth so we'll all have to live together.

I was not criticizing Steamtown - only asking if the job met spec and what could be done to save these engines from another decade or two of bare metal exposed to the elements which we all know was a detriment to the preservation of these magnificent machines and to Steamtown's own reputation.

As far as volunteering, I imagine there are too many regulations in place to allow such an opportunity in regards to the upkeep of these machines but who knows - that's part of the what I was proposing.

To state we should all be happy with anything short of nothing is logic I do not follow. Perhaps you are "the one" who believes that we should all be satisfied that the Hell Gate Bridge at least has paint and we have no right to expect anything further?

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... new-paint/

Unlike that fiasco, the Big Boy will not last another 60 years unattended to.

/Mitch

Interesting the title of this thread should mention raindrops.

Take a look at the attached maps: (1) coal-fired plants in the vicinity of Steamtown, (2) acid rain levels in the US. See the correlation?

Notice, Pennsylvania has some of the worst acid rain in the country. I wouldn't be surprised if paint does not hold up as well in PA as it might elsewhere.

The locomotive was repainted during the first half of 2009. That is three years ago. A good coating system engineered to withstand the acidic atmosphere of the northeast would still be providing good results for several more years at least. The photo of the tender shows what appears to be a black topcoat applied directly over a previous topcoat. Now anyone who has spent any time painting metalwork knows that topcoats don't adhere very well to previous topcoats. Why was a primer not applied first? I would be curious to know what kind of paint they used. They may have used a water based DTM coating which is very picky as to what surface it will stick to.

Also, as a taxpayer who helped fund that repainting project, and whose future tax dollars will be paying the interest on the debt incurred to paint these locomotives, I have all the right in the world to complain!

Certainly, you do have the right to complain, but a positive suggestion for preserving the Big Boy would be more appropriate. How about, since the locomotive is too long to place in the roundhouse, and since 4012 knocks the socks off visitors arriving in the parking lot, perhaps NPS should consider investing in an architecturally pleasing weather shed over her length? Something with lighting under the eves, and pigeon roost proof, would go a long way towards a) protecting the locomotive, and b) offering security after dark?

How 'bout they just invest in paint that works? Oh, sorry, I forgot, the EPA outlawed that long, long ago.

Considering what the NPS likely paid for the painting to be done, I'd say we as taxpayers have a right to complain. In fact Steamtown management should be having the contractor back for remediation. Unless there was absolutely NO prep work written into the specifications, I'd say the quick failure of the top coat is evidence that the prep wasn't done.

Some background on the 4012 without getting into the "hot button" stuff.

The 4012, along with a handful of other pieces, was repainted prior to the asbestos abatement project at Steamtown. If I recall, the NPS had problems with one of the painting contractors they had gone through at the time. I'm actually thinking the company went bankrupt or disappeared during the job?

The "stimulus" money went to removing the asbestos in a number of locomotives (and cars) as well as re-jacketing when finished. All done by Gary Bensman and a very professional crew. This included the Grand Trunk 6069, NKP 759 and Reading 2124. The 4000 was not included in this project. Final painting was done by Steamtown inside their shop in a more controlled environment. These pieces should hold up much better over time. Both the 6069 and 759 are now kept under cover in the roundhouse, the 2124 will not fit.

Steamtown does have a long range "wish list" for indoor storage, but it comes down to money, and we all know how that movie ends.

What you have with the UP unit is a well intentioned, if poorly executed, triage of a paint job.

Dave