Strasburg Railroad 475 Collides With Excavator

Pegasuspinto · **Joined:** Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:43 am **Posts:** 783

Repairs are proceeding at a phenomenal rate. Picture on Facebook shows the cover is pretty much stitched back together and probably by the time you read this, the welds are ground flush and the paint is drying.

No one was hurt, the engineer probably has a new nickname, and the locomotive will have a little more character then it did before. As a friend said, scars are just tattoos with better stories.

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

Txhighballer · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:49 am **Posts:** 773

Kelly Anderson wrote:

Pegasuspinto wrote:

No one was hurt, the engineer probably has a new nickname, and the locomotive will have a little more character then it did before. As a friend said, scars are just tattoos with better stories.

Puts her in the same club with #473 on the Durango & Silverton.

Attachment:

Sin City #473.JPG

The cause of this scar seems to be lost to history, but it reminds me of Bruce Willis in "Sin City".

Attachment:

Sin City.jpg

Some steam locomotives bear several scars. I know one that is currently wearing her THIRD cylinder saddle....

superheater · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:54 pm **Posts:** 2605

We know the cause of Bruce's scars. Demi.

QJdriver · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 12:13 am

Maybe I missed something in the nine pages of thread, but there's a couple things I'm curious about:

1) If the 475 doesn't have a petticoat, and she steams just fine, I'm "assuming she must have" a blower. Can somebody explain how it's set up, please ??

2) In the incident in question, where was the brakeman ??

mmi16 · **Joined:** Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:05 pm **Posts:** 198

QJdriver wrote:

Maybe I missed something in the nine pages of thread, but there's a couple things I'm curious about:

1) If the 475 doesn't have a petticoat, and she steams just fine, I'm "assuming she must have" a blower. Can somebody explain how it's set up, please ??

2) In the incident in question, where was the brakeman ??

2. He was on the cab of the engine

Boilermaker · **Joined:** Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:47 pm **Posts:** 219

mmi16 wrote:

QJdriver wrote:

Maybe I missed something in the nine pages of thread, but there's a couple things I'm curious about:

1) If the 475 doesn't have a petticoat, and she steams just fine, I'm "assuming she must have" a blower. Can somebody explain how it's set up, please ??

2) In the incident in question, where was the brakeman ??

2. He was on the cab of the engine

No, he wasn't. That is the fireman you see standing on the footplate.The Brakeman/men (At SRC it's usually Brakemen) remain by/on the consist for the engine cut away, recoupling, and brake test. The switches used for the runaround are spring switches, so no need for an extra person to work the ground during that move.

Sammy, the blower is mounted on top of the blast nozzle and aimed up and out the stack, just like any other engine.

QJdriver · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 11:56 am

Thanks to both you gentleman for your replies.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 2:38 pm

Already out the shop doors looking apparently ready to run:

https://www.facebook.com/christian.schl ... uy4xMtSt7l

Unknown if any internal repairs still need to be made to the likes of the cinder screen, or the long-range plans include replacing the smokebox door with a new one, but......

jayrod · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:25 pm

Wow. That was fast. Having to fit all those bits and pieces, hold them in position and braze it so it fit back up to the smoke box front - amazing.

bristolian · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:35 pm

Evening chaps,

A view from across the pond - instead of waving at the passengers in the carriages, perhaps from now-on in it would be prudent to keep an eye on the road ahead in future?...

Scranton Yard · **Joined:** Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:08 am **Posts:** 733

jayrod wrote:

Wow. That was fast. Having to fit all those bits and pieces, hold them in position and braze it so it fit back up to the smoke box front - amazing.

Yes they put Humpty back together very nicely. My take is that this is the most expedient way to get the locomotive back in service and would have had to be done anyway as the easiest way to provide a full-scale model in the event they want to cast a replacement.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

It was great to see the repair work done to the smokebox front of the Twelve-Wheeler. I wasn't sure if the headlight, headlight platform and number plate were damaged. Also, in addition to the smokebox door, it looked like the smoke box front also needed a bit of work. But the Strasburg shop did a fantastic job in the repairs. It brings to mind what the regular railroad shops would have done with a similar repair, and so this too is an example that shows railroad preservation. I wonder if the work was video recorded for future showings when the investigation is finished, and the event has "cooled down"?

Les

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:08 pm

jayrod wrote:

Wow. That was fast. Having to fit all those bits and pieces, hold them in position and braze it so it fit back up to the smoke box front - amazing.

Note that it also appears the actual smokebox front--not the door, the "wall" it bolts to--was also replaced, most likely with new metal stock. Sheet steel?

jayrod · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:06 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

jayrod wrote:

Wow. That was fast. Having to fit all those bits and pieces, hold them in position and braze it so it fit back up to the smoke box front - amazing.

Note that it also appears the actual smokebox front--not the door, the "wall" it bolts to--was also replaced, most likely with new metal stock. Sheet steel?

I do believe you’re correct. I had to go back to view the video. The front plate was broken, also. I can’t tell if the front plate was repaired or replaced as it looks like it has already had graphite applied. Either way, that was fast.