Thank you, sir, that's the same LSO alright, #611 !!! How could I ever forget ??? For all the money and work that went into fixing that thing up to run, they could have restored a whole roundhouse full of good candidates. Can't believe they didn't have a better looking engine in better shape to work on than that one. They should have made a movie about it.

And, THEY DESERVE A MEDAL, GOLD AT THAT.

Yes, I've been reliving some of the good times, and I took a second look at that foto of LSO 611 on a flatcar --- It just gets better and better, have any of you fellas ever seen an engine chained and boomed down by the rods and crosshead guides before ??? It must have undoubtedly been a joyous occassion when it arrived at the TVRM. They must have some very fond memories of this project, besides replacing the valves and valve gear, which I hope somebody will share with us.

For once I'm speechless.

And, I guess, as usual, I'm wrong. A helpful person informed me privately (so I wouldbn't look too dumb) that the TVRM didn't fix up the LSO 611 to run, after all. Who would have guessed ??? I guess I have to withdraw my nomination for the gold medal, sorry about that.

It is still a hell of an effort to save a carcass of a locomotive. It is sad to see something that was running in the post-steam era so wrecked. At least she has somewhat of a chance going forward.

Whether rationaly or not, I believe that steam locomotives have feelings and deserve dignity. Sometimes this means putting them out of their misery, instead of letting them die a long, drawn out, gruesome, agonizing death. LSO 611 has been terminaly ill for at least 30 years.

So, here's my nomination for the gold medal --- years ago there was a story in Trains Magazine about a fella in New Zealand that restored a Rogers K class 2-4-2 locomotive and tender BY HIMSELF in seven years. The whole class of engines had been worn out and retired by the national system, and then a number of them were rolled off the end of a pier and covered with fill to make a breakwater for a harbor expansion project. Maybe half a century went by before they dredged up one of the locomotive carcasses and a tender carcass. They were so scuzzy, wrecked, and decayed that nobody could tell if the tender and engine originaly went together or not, BUT NOW THIS ENGINE RUNS !!! Not only that, but she sparkles like a jewlery store show window.

Anybody who wants to fix up LSO 611 should track down that Kiwi and put him in charge...

It has been a couple decades now, but after a hurricane pretty much destroyed the home of the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, they received funding for rebuilding some of their rolling stock. Steamtown got the job of rebuilding some of the passenger cars..... TRAIN had a convention there and we toured the shop, and found one of the cars in progress. I think only a part of the center sill and a bolster was retained from the original once they had cut out all of the rot. They were doing with steel what Matt Bumgarner's guys do with wooden cars - cloning new replicas from a little bit of remaining fabric.

dave

I was going to nominate that one! :) you beat me too it..
but that restoration is SO impressive it warrants before and after photos!
check it out:

photo after being dredged out of the river:




this engine was *under water* for 50 years! from 1927 until the mid 1970's.

and here she is restored, and operating!





built by Rogers in New Jersey, 1878.
restored 100 years later by Bob Anderson of New Zealand.

Scot

I think that Rogers LSO and TSO actually looked worse than LSO 611, but they aren't anywhere near as big. Thank you for posting these fotos, and especially for this gentleman's NAME.

From the first post in the thread -

The New Zealand Rogers locomotive is pretty remarkable and was my first thought when the question was raised, but I read the question to be about locomotives restored in North America, not built here and restored elsewhere.

Dick -

I think the original question could be taken either way. So the New Zealand Rogers 2-4-2 could certainly be included, the same as a foreign built piece of equipment restored IN North America, would too. All in the way you look at it.

Les

Would somebody please locate and recover those Santa Fe Mikados in the river bed?

Anybody drags them out of the river, I'll be first in line with wrenches, torches, and jacks.....

Dick -

As I recall, there was only one Mike; AT&SF #4076 if my memory serves me right. The other steamers were all Prairies. Some of the 2-6-2's had parts cut off of them during some low levels of the river some years back, but the 2-8-2 was not found so should remain "pristine".

I agree she would be a nice engine to restore as none of the Santa Fe's Mikado's were saved.

Les

I think you may be correct about the Prairies, but a AT&SF Mike, known to be there? Hold that up against the legendary NZ 2-4-2, and it's a restoration banquet. And here is where a deep pocketed television network might be cultivated for support. I think the process of locating and retrieving the locomotive(s) would be solved with adequate amounts of "green lubricant" ($). What I think would "muddy" (pun intended) the process is the extremely long time it take to accomplish a safe, proper restoration. This is where the story is good, but the money involved could reclaim how many park and museum locos?
Anyway, somebody, go find that Mikado when you have time.

Good Grief Charlie Brown! Did he find an engine, or a full sized pattern that he used to build a replica?

Seriously, how much of the original fabric was he able to salvage and re-use? Wheels, frame and pistons maybe, or was even the frame bent?

"Jack up the whistle and drive a new engine under it, and oh, by the way, the whistle is long gone!"