Rick posted a link to his photos. There is photographic evidence that the trailing truck has been converted to roller bearings.

I cannot see any detail that indicates the pilot truck has been converted. But if the work has been done on the trailing truck, perhaps the work was done on the pilot...

-Mike

The PRR made the pilot truck roller bearing. The trailing truck and tender journals were converted during the 1980s restoration at Altoona.

Great photos in your link, Rick. Nice to see that it all appears to be there and is well-organized.

Looks like someone made a major weld repair to the trailing truck (?) at some point. It was also interesting to see the partially complete repair to the seating surface on the smokebox saddle section of the cylinders in a couple of pictures.

Hugh - That's not the truck frame that's welded in IMG_8081 - it's the rear frame extension, not far behind where it bolts to the main frame.

Rick - Thanks for posting the photo link. Nice to see.

I think some of the thinking to change to roller bearings is because of the incident on the return trip from York. Here is my 2 cents:
It was not a bearing that caused the grease cake to melt out, it was a loose tire at York that was never reset, and caused the hubliner to run hard against the journal box, due to minimal lubrication on the hub this in turn heated up the box and the axle, causing the grease to overheat and runout, which then made the bearing fail. I stuck dimes in between the tire and the wheel center to prove my point to the crew. I showed the loose tire to the crew at York and they took no actions, when the tire cooled and shrunk back on the wheel center, it was crooked on the wheel center and caused the hubliner to run in hard contact during each revolution of the wheel. The tire did not come off completely because of the riveted safety plates. The whole fiasco was caused by a defective brake system causing the brakes to constantly reapply on the locomotive as it was pulled back to York and to boot not one person from the operating team, knew how to cut the driver brakes out. They need a manager with steam experience to guide this project and to make sure the running maintenance is performed properly and timely. I agree with Kelly about the plain bearings not being an issue. I suspect that the questions about the original flush patch welding are what is driving the ideas to build a new boiler. I support this restoration effort and will back up my mouth with my check book, will you.

Welds can be NDTed to determine their quality. If that's the only issue, I'd certainly check it out before committing to a new boiler - but it's not my project.

From what Ross has said, this initiative has been in the works for a while. I am willing to give those involved the benefit of the doubt that they have done their homework and have weighed the pros and cons of a new boiler or a roller bearing conversion. We also have no idea what was said in the meeting with the FRA.

I am sure that the overall goal would be to get 1361 back under steam in the quickest and safest way possible, and to ensure that she will not be sidelined by excessive maintenance issues or a regulation change before her first 1472. If they are indeed looking at traveling all over the state, I am sure they are also considering that they may not always have a roof over their head to properly conduct repairs and will try to minimize any pitfalls.

Again, I can't overstate how excited I am about this project and I wish them well. The Northeast is poised to become a veritable Mecca of steam in the next 3-5 years unlike anything in recent memory.

Well, I just got the backstory on the welded repairs - they certainly did their homework and my assumption that it was a matter of certification was very much oversimplified. Based on how complicated and wrought with multiple layers of difficulty that turns out to be in reality, if the rest of the craftsmanship is like it, might be a case of jacking up the whistle and replacing everything underneath. Hats off to brave and audacious people who are making plans that are far larger than they appear, and are well positioned to carry them out.

Mike,
1361 had a problem with the Hub-Liner heating from the 1st day after the '85 re-build; not disputing what you have said.
Didn't Bill W. know how to activate the "Dead Engine Fixture" under the Cab right under the engineer's posterior??

Thanks,

Paul

Paul,

From an operations standpoint, the crew wouldn't even need to cut the driver brakes out. A vigilant engineer* would see brake cylinder pressure creeping up on the gauges and thus bail off any errant application (maybe due to a faulty distributing valve?). One would like to believe, an unintended, prolonged application of the driver brakes would be heard, felt and definitely smelled long before they heated up a tire to a point it expanded off the wheel center. No disrespect to Mr. Tillger, I'm simply playing Devil's advocate.

**I came across this story, which allegedly came from an individual who was on the operating crew in 1988. 1361 derailed during one of the shuttle runs from York to Hanover Jct. on the NCRR. Unbeknownst to the crew, the derailment dislodged the grease cake in one of the DB cellars, causing minimal contact between it and the axle journal. No immediate issues were discovered once re railed, as the slow speeds of roughly 10 mph did not generate enough friction to cause overheating. When the engine saw mainline speeds during a ferry run back to Altoona(?) that dislodged greasecake didn't provide adequate lubrication and overheated the axle/DB somewhere near Lewisburg, PA halting the move. Water was used in an attempt to cool the overheated axle/DB that had also caught fire, but supposedly resulted in the axle and DB fracturing from thermal shock. The engine sat there for some time until repairs were made for it to be hauled dead in-tow.

*-Assumption

**Disclaimer** This is third or likely forth hand information so take it at face value. I cannot prove it's validity, but thought it worthy to share.

Best,
DC

Donald,

Happy New Year!

I was one of the original 1361 crew from when it came off the curve.
The events prior to the York trip prompted me to start to back away from 1361; I was asked in two private phone calls to go to the York trip and a call after the York trip to get it back to Altoona! I had to decline: newly married and expecting a child; I was again asked on a trip on what would've been my first "Father's Day"!

Don, that hub liner heated from Day One. The Man in Charge (Reason I left) said this was common and it would cool down; it progressively got worse.

Thanks,
Paul