Thanks for the info pertaining to 576.I have fond memories of 2716 when she ran around my hometown of Morristown,Tn back in may 82. I assume if she gets to run on NS that the Southern look will be used again? If that's the plan than I will send a little cash to the 2716 group when I can. "Southern" 2716 just looked awesome in person,I don't think the photos and movies out there reflect just how classy she looked.

Interesting set of films canbe found here https://youtu.be/ZJO3evB3y0A
The link is to the first of several cuts. Anyhow you'll see Bill Purdie and a young Doug Carhan and very young Preston Claytor as they prepare for a Birmingham to Chattanooga excursion 3/27/1982.

Hi
Looks like work has begun on C&O # 2716 , I pulled this off yahoo groups .
vRemarks & Notes
The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. members work with Kentucky Railway Museum's Mark Johnson, operating the crane, on removing the steam dome cap of 2716 in preparation of a evaluation of her current condition to determine her viability, and get a cost estimate on a operational restoration. The full weekend of inspection revealed 2716 to be in excellent overall condition and a worthy candidate for a full restoration. Today 2-7-16 the full campaign was unveiled to the public. If you would like more information on the project, would like to volunteer, donate, or help in any way visit http://www.2716.org to get on board with giving 2716 a

If you haven't yet seen it, here is a less loved Kanawha. #2701 in Buffalo, New York, just before it was cut up as scrap. From George Elwood's wonderful "Fallen Flags" archive:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/co/co-s2701f12.jpg

and poor 2700

A view from inside the much ballyhooed firebox with a good look at its thermic siphons.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 7&nseq=185
looks like the arch tube on the right (firemans' side) as been removed and is laying on the floor of the firebox.

Begs a question. Did siphons give way to circulators either the T and Y shaped ones or transverse ones like 611 has?

Yes, I think so. Much less complex to fabricate and provided at least the same benefits.

Syphons provided greater heating surface, but the trade-off was higher first cost and higher maintenance costs over the Service life.

Like Button Ha - I noticed that...

Any examples of a loco that was switched from siphons to circulators post regular steam? (Can't think it would be worth it unless heavy use is expected and the conversion significantly reduces maintenance cost of an excursion loco.)

There are/were examples of removing all or some T-circulators, in some cases they were replaced with transverse arch tubes. I am unaware of locomotives having their syphons removed save few which were not originally equipped.
While circulators did pretty much just that.... circulate.... syphons (as lincolnpenn mentioned) increased a locomotives heating surface. Locomotives which were built with syphons had that heating surface included into the calculations for the boilers steaming capacity. Were one to remove OEM syphons from a locomotive it would leave a boiler less able to generate a sufficient amount of steam (or at the least increase the difficulty and stress associated in doing so).

Cheers, Jason

Fascinating photograph! What stood out for me when it first came up was how organic looking the curves of the siphons are. They remind me of some of the artwork in certain science fiction pieces, both literature and film.

Further study of the photo also reveals what I am guessing are past patches (weld seams) in the sides and possibly the siphons. That might be expected given that the engine was about 13 years old when it was retired, and has also been in two short excursion careers prior to this shot.

Other things that stand out is the humorous look at the other photographer in the fire door, the firing table just under the fire door, and in the association department, a tremendous appreciation for the men you read about on the NYC who would go into the firebox of a Niagara after the fire was dropped but with the engine still in steam to tighten staybolts. . .good Lord, how did they do it in the space and the heat, with the firebox beginning to leak and spray water and steam at them due to contractions and thermal stress? How did they even see?

.

What?

Inspect, yes. Tighten?? Spray water and steam?........

.

There are many crazy tales about hot firebox work. I heard one from a former NKP guy in Bellevue, Ohio. A boilermaker had been working in the firebox of a hot 2-8-4 during the dead of winter. Just as he crawled out of the firebox, someone climbing into the cab jerked back the cab curtain and a icy blast of wind hit the boilermaker full on. They claimed the shock knocked him out cold.

Not that railroad men ever pulled practical jokes, but the story went around about a boilermaker at the Frisco roundhouse at Lindenwood (St. Louis) working inside the firebox of one of the oil burning 4500s doing something. Engine had the fire out for a while, but was still stifling. While he was in there, somebody threw a ball of burning waste in the door, yelled "watch the fire" and slammed the door.
Needless to say, pandemonium took over and a lot of salty language and laughing.