Thanks to everyone for the tips of advice. I will look into a steam engine near me (although I dont really want to restore something small).

There was a recent post about C&O #2700 at Dennison, Ohio and how they had recently gotten legal ownership of it. That would be a worthy project, #2700 has been stripped of its parts for a long time now. Helping to reassemble it would be a great learning experience and would help indeed to preserve one of YOUR and MINE favorite locomotives !
Perhaps you could contact them and offer to volunteer !


Kevin

At one time there was talk about restoring C&O 2700 to operational condition. Then it sat for few years, and then Ft. Wayne Historical barrow a few pieces off her to redress NKP 765 as C&O 2765. It sat still for some more, and was featured at Trainfest 2004. It sat finally long enough, for the legal court battle over her. Now the Dennison Railroad Museum really owns 2700 and wants to perform a cosmetic restoration on the locomotive.

By all means do some help on other engines for the experience. Your young and the plan is long range, if you stick with it it could happen, one way or another.
I have seen more interest in these locos to do something for them like the GTW engine in Hammond and so on, so its always a good thing to encourage onwards.

Never surrender my young friend. I've had my eye on one particular locomotive for 10 years and one day I'll be able to do something with her. Not today,but one day.....now my focus is looking for a railroad to run her on..once I have that I can go get her.....

I finally got to see C&O 2776 up close and personal after coming back from seeing N&W 611 operating down south. Had wanted to see this dead steamer last year after going to Streamliners At Spencer.

Chesapeake & Ohio 2776 (Park Tour), 06-05-2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3p4Xs58GR8

Enjoy! ^_^

Certainly an attractive engine, and not in bad shape, as Park engines go. We'd probably all rather see a roof over her, and some fresh paint. But that secure fence and the covered stack show that her custodians have some sense of responsibility, and that's good.

The comments about the caboose are interesting. That car was an I-5, converted to class I-5c or I-5d with lengthened wheelbase. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I-5c/d conversions occurred after B&O had dropped the Kuhler logo in favor of the "13 Great States" logo or the "Big B&O" scheme. So the plain Kuhler logo probably wouldn't be quite right for this car as it now exists. However, it's good to know there are plans to paint it in a B&O scheme, so maybe I'm being too picky.

Thanks for the update.

Tom

In the early 90's a group of us 765 crew members from southwest Ohio assisted Paul Keller in an internal inspection on the 2776. The crown sheet was found to be somewhat quilted and other sheets had the normal wear and tear of being rode hard and put up wet. Many of the staybolt sockets exposed to the elements were rotted out. The drawbars were cut to negotiate the move into the park. I cannot remember if the pistons were also torched. These were just a couple of the major problems found at the time. But all in all Paul Keller had done an amazing job in stabilizing what he had to work with. He had big plans for the loco and was in the process of gathering his resources when the mainline steam drought hit in '95.

I believe the piston rods were cut. Paul thought that at least the running gear had received an overhaul less than a year before she was retired. He had always told me that the plan was to operate her on the track age owned by WESTCO out of WCH which isn't too hard to believe as IORY doesn't run much on it.

Rob Gardner

Howdy;

Adding to your list, some things that you need to address if your serious about restoration of an locomotive of this size, and you have the backing $$$:

1: Secure and covered place to store and restore the locomotive, with working utilities, ie electrics and water.

2: Your own track! You should have at least enough track to test run your engine with access to the both your restoration shop and a steam friendly railroad!

3: A good Lawyer and Accountant!

This from someone who has seen a number of projects crash and burn because they did not have the above! The "if your rebuild it, it will run" concept is great, but you need do have the infrastructure to do it! Long term, this will pay off, even if you at least get the locomotive out of the park and into a secure building to slow the process of neglect.

Prepare for high blood pressure! David Notarius, (who should know better?) knee deep in chickens, Cambridgeshire UK

There is no thing as an unattractive Kanawha! This in one I haven't seen in person, but note, it's been abated of asbestos and look pretty well secured. I'd like to see any of these find a home with rails and the drive to bring it back to steam. Nothing simple or easy about the project.
Are any of the big 2-8-4's in midst rebuild?

There was a KRM rep. that was on here the other day. Perhaps he will expand on their plans for 2716. I would guess with C&O being a major player in the state and even operating into Louisville that they have big plans for it. Fire Up 2716...

Cynicism aside, I agree that a 2-8-4 was a gorgeous machine and the C&O version was particularly so. 2716 is the only one I recall operating in the modern era. You'd hope that it has at least been mothballed in a manner that it would be easier to bring back than a park engine.

In all honesty, 2789 is probably the best candidate for restoration with her all welded boiler. Plus, HVRM has kept her under cover for roughly 20 years, give or take. Their own website indicated not too many years ago that the known deficiencies with the boiler were fairly minimal but I do not know upon what basis those statements were made or how accurate they were
Should the county ever finance a thorough tie and surfacing project on the track that HVRM runs on, it would them become very interesting to see if HVRM makes a push to return 2789 to service. A lot of conjecture here, so forgive my Monday morning indulgence into fantasy land.

Rob

You never saw Lynchburg's 2760 at its worst, apparently.

Oh yes, I did see 2760 at her worst and posted photos of her. Fact is, Alex #4, when I looked her over, the drivers were buried in rock and silt from wash. She was still in retirement paint, and covered in wet, dead, leaf litter. I raised the topic in here. The Southern coach behind her was a sodden mess and was broken up, although parts retrieved by responsible parties. When I saw 2760, despite her being placed in the absolute worst area of the park, she was reasonably intact. I'm afraid the water on the asbestos covering her boiler may have done irrepairable damage, but that remains to be seen. First thing that should be done is get her out of that park!