I was wondering, how many preserved and running engines are out there today, steam, diesel, electric, anything, that have been through fires and lived to run again? Or at least make it to preservation? Also, when it comes to fires, how do they determine if equipment is still good after the fire, or if the steel has been weakened? What would happen if one tried to take an engine that was weakened by a fire and restore it to run again? I am just curious about the logistics of it, and how locomotives hold up against such extreme heat. It's always interesting to hear stories of engines that have been through such trials and are still around today after wrecks and fires, etc.

About everything on the Durango & Silverton was burned in the roundhouse and rebuilt.

One fire related disaster that comes to mind is the burning of the Knox & Kane Railroad's main storage building in Kane, Pennsylvania, on March 16th, 2008. I believe that the report stated that the cause of the fire was arson.

Multiple railroad artifacts were burned including Huntington & Broad Top Railroad #38 and a Chinese locomotive numbered #58. I believe that a few pieces of rolling stock were completely lost including a 1890's vintage luxury dining car.

A former Western Maryland Railway GP9 was also burned and I believe is now owned by the George's Creek Railway in Maryland.

#38 is now owned by the Everett Railroad while #58 is owned by the Valley Railroad.

Nick Jobe
Centreville, VA

Reading 2101

Alaska Railroad 557's sister, ARR-556 went through the Anchorage round house fire in 1951. She was reported as destroyed in one railroad report from shortly after the fire. However, she was later returned to service, showing up in a report of locomotives in service dated July, 1952 and is now on display in a park in Anchorage. Her last days were with a tender from a War Department Consolidation of another design and this is what is displayed in the park with her. The locomotive that went with that tender was lost in the roundhouse fire. 556 had more than her share of bad luck in 1951. This is what she looked like on January 1, 1951. Repairs from this mishap may be why she was in the roundhouse when it burned.

I believe Moore-Kepel Co. Climax 9 (Cass Climax) was burned in the shop fire they had a few decades ago. It was recently returned to service. There was a shay or two burned in the fire as well.

Eureka and Palisade 4 was burned in a fire before Dan Markoff bought and restored her.

On a related note, how much damage can be done to a steam locomotive in a roundhouse fire? I was watching an old video on 2101 on the Chessie and it spoke of the roundhouse fire. What kind of damage was done to the 2101? I assume Ross would be best to speak on this.

With regards to 2101, the "official party line" was that the various parties involved were fearful of spending money to repair/restore 2101 only to have some inspector condemn the frame, boiler, or whatnot for "fire damage."

However, it was allegedly common knowledge "on the street" that the various parties involved--including Chessie VP-Casualty Prevention William Howes and 2101 owner Ross Rowland--simply seized the opportunity to swap out a plain-bearing kitbashed 4-8-4 with some problems for the thoroughly more modern, roller-bearing, relatively low-mileage "Lima Superpower" C&O 614, in part to gain a recent "national celebrity" 4-8-4 for the B&O Railroad Museum (American Freedom Train 1).

No one I've ever spoken to in any position to know the "real story" ever "bought" the "party line" explanation.

Eureka, Baldwin 4-4-0, 1875 was in an engine house fire at "Old Las Vegas" in the late 1970's... Dan purchased it with a badly charred cab and no tender paint.

He restored her finishing for Railfair 1980 at Sacramento...

She will be at the Round up of Victorian Iron Horses on the Cumbres & Toltec in August.

All three surviving Great Western 2-8-0s plus 90 survived an enginehouse fire at some point. 90 was the only locomotive under steam at the time and was used to pull the other locomotives out of the burning enginehouse.

Weyerhaeuser 2-6-6-2 #6 survived a shop fire, was rebuilt and made it ti preservation.

Reading 2101's tender held coal which ignited during the fire, warping the tender. That tender was exchanged with 2100's. 2100 got the damaged unit and it has since seen complete repaired.

Canadian Pacific #29, a truly historic 4-4-0, was badly burned when an arsonist set fire to the building protecting it and other irreplaceable railroad equipment. The arsonist had a collection of automobiles and wanted to collect insurance, not giving a damn about the other items belonging to the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad. The 29 was towed out of the embers, but was deemed too damaged for continued operation. CPR cosmetically refinished the locomotive for plinth display, but its operational life was terminated, as was the railroad's greatest claim to fame.

Hi All
Here is another one that survived an engine house fire, and is now on display at the Canadia Pacific headwaters in Calgary, Alberta.
The photo was taken off the internet, Pat

Pickering #11
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3982681 ... 0723578130

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WW&F #9, when operating on the Sandy River as locomotive #6 survived an engine house fire - being pulled from the building by another locomotive. When #9's cab was restored as part of the locomotive's rebuilding, evidence of that fire was found.