Saw a notice that the Lake Superior Railroad Museum had finished its cosmetic restoration of NP Prairie #2435. Hopefully someone will post a photo of the finished work. A number of Midwestern (mostly "Granger") railroads had these 2-6-2's on the roster. These were much different from the logging Prairie's which have found favor on various museum and tourist operations. Those on these Class 1 operations had larger drivers and fireboxes supported by a "swinging" trailing truck. In addition to the Northern Pacific, other roads that had this particular type of Prairie included the CB&Q, Great Northern, Soo Line, Milwaukee Road and the Santa Fe. Except for quite a number of examples from the AT&SF, all of the others were scrapped, with the exception of NP number 2435. Great to hear that she was cosmetically restored. Perhaps one day, we might even see one of these "Granger" 2-6-2's restored to operation.

Les

Ask and ye shall receive...

Hi
After seeing the photo, BEAUTIFUL JOB, she looks like she just came out of the plant, on her way to the Northern Pacific.

Now THAT is a pretty locomotive! A perfect example of NP steam power right down to the headlight.

Where will this be displayed?

Howard P.

One heck of a good looking locomotive, and a fantastic restoration job. Thanks Nick, for posting the photo.

Les

She looks like she's ready for a fire in the box!

Congratulations, I only wish she was ready for a fire in the box!

Fantastic job- The domes, boiler, and cylinder jacketing are amazing!

Good look’n chooch! Nice work!

A friend of mine (Sam Anderson) took that thought a step further:

Already on display inside the museum gallery



From the North Shore Scenic Railroad newsletter:

"Fresh out of the Draper Maintenance Shop, Northern Pacific #2435 has had a 6 year cosmetic restoration/stabilization to preserve this unique locomotive for many years to come.

This 2-6-2 "Prairie" style locomotive was built in 1907, and is the last remaining of its kind. 2-6-2's are actually well represented in preservation, but many of them are logging or shortline locomotives. #2435 is one of a very small number (maybe the only?) of surviving mainline prairies that were not ATSF owned and operated. And, it is the last of the 150 T and T-1 class Prairies built for the Northern Pacific

An official dedication date is still pending, likely to happen after the holiday season. But for now, the locomotive is already on display inside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, where many of the members, volunteers, and public have already made a special trip to visit and admire this fantastic restoration job."

Nick -

You are correct in saying that NP #2435 is the only example of a mainline 2-6-2 that was preserved, with the exception of the Santa Fe's Prairie's. In addition to the Midwestern railroads I mentioned that ran the type (CB&Q, GN, SOO, MILW and ATSF along with the NP), the Wabash and the Chicago Great Western also had examples.

Les

What is the condition of the boiler and the firebox?

My understanding is that NP 2435, Duluth & Northern Minnesota 14 and Duluth & Northeastern 28 were all surveyed twice, once in 1983 and again in 1986-87 for operational potential. Of the 3, NP 2435 was generally acknowledged as needing the most work, both boiler and running gear, to be made operational. The other two were about equal in terms of necessary work: 14 needed primarily boiler work and 28 needed primarily running gear work. D&NM 14 was initially selected to operate and did so from 1992-1998.

Looking in the firebox about half the grates are missing, and before the jacket was reinstalled the exterior of the boiler looked quite rusty but I am not aware of any formal survey done.

Isn't this a representative example of what many of us perceive as an ideal locomotive to build new for tourist operations? It's a good looking locomotive and not too big. Easily run at the lower speeds preferred by most operations.

Any inherent design issues? I may be biased (NP fan) but this looks like a great design for consideration for replication in the future.

One issue with this design is that, unlike a typical logging/shortline prairie designed for bi-directional operation, the trailing wheels on the NP prairies are part of the rigid wheelbase. There is some degree of lateral motion, but it is not a swiveling truck that would guide the locomotive into curves when running in reverse, so it would be no better (and no worse) than a 2-8-0 or 4-6-0 in that regard. Plus, of course, there's all the maintenance fun that comes with having inside valve gear. As a similarly biased NP fan though, it sure would be nice to see!