> I would like to know a little information on Reading Railroad T-1 2100 Who in past years ran the ''Reading Rambles''. It was also owned by the owner of the O27 scale Lionel!The unit was later purchased and shipped to Canada by a Conrail SD-38.There it's future was to be over hauled and made to burn oil!I guess that don't make it a true T-1 , but I guess it wasn't scraped like almost all the other T-1's.The only other T-1's from the Reading Railroad are 2102 owned by the Beading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad in Port Clinton , Pa.The other one is the 2124 owned by Steam Town in Scranton,Pa.

> My Question is how is it's restoration coming.

winston_40@hotmail.com

Reading T-1's 2100, 2101, 2102, and 2124, are all still in existence. A fifth T-1, 2123, was used for spare parts for the Reading locomotives while still in the possession of the railroad. Having been cannibalized for it's parts, the engine was cut up as scrap.
It is interesting to note that given similar circumstances today, the hulk of the 2123 would likely have been preserved as a static display. The U.P. has a second 4-8-4, #838 which is used to supply parts for the 844. People working on the Challenger train told me that the 838 is actually in better operating shape than the 844, but it is unlikely she'll be revived for service, using the 844 to rebuild her.
There are always exceptions to the rules however, an losses like the 5629 and 5632 could still happen. I am particularly concerned about the Chessie Kanawha's displayed around Virginia and the three N&W locos in the Roanoke scrapyard.


aurora7@juno.com

If you go to the included link of the Elgin County Railway Museum, then click on "Museum Guests", you will find the most recent details on 2100.

Elgin County Railway Museum

Richard ,

I have never herd about 2101!Where is it's location?Is it operational?Who owns it?Is it restored?Do you know where there are any web sites on it , pictures?!?


winston_40@hotmail.com

> Richard ,

> I have never herd about 2101!Where is it's
> location?Is it operational?Who owns it?Is it
> restored?Do you know where there are any web
> sites on it , pictures?!?

You will find photographs of all the surviving T-1's on Brian Wowak's site.



Wowak's Images of Railroading

> If you go to the included link of the Elgin
> County Railway Museum, then click on
> "Museum Guests", you will find the
> most recent details on 2100.

OK, I am asking again for technical details about the oil conversion and how it is proving itself in revenue service. Conversion of the Wootten firebox to liquid fuel has never been tried before and is of interest to us techies.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> Richard ,

> I have never herd about 2101!Where is it's
> location?Is it operational?Who owns it?Is it
> restored?Do you know where there are any web
> sites on it , pictures?!?

The 2101 (a.k.a American Freedom Train #1) resides in the B&O RR Museum in Baltimore as AFT#1 the last time I saw her around 1997. She was caught in a roundhouse fire in 1979 in Kentucky(?) I believe. She was operational at the time as Chessie's Safety Express locomotive. The fire badly damaged her bearings, etc. and it is very doubtful that anyone will come forward to restore and run her, if even possible. Baltimore would not be a steam-friendly environment anyhow. Hope this helps. She is still a fine looking engine in spite of the AFT paint and rust.


hubbard5004@msn.com

> OK, I am asking again for technical details
> about the oil conversion and how it is
> proving itself in revenue service.
> Conversion of the Wootten firebox to liquid
> fuel has never been tried before and is of
> interest to us techies.

As the site says, plans for 2100 have not been finalized. In other words, it is not in revenue service yet.

As for technical details, you will have to ask the new owner, Tom Payne, about that.

> The U.P. has a second 4-8-4, #838
> which is used to supply parts for the 844.
> People working on the Challenger train told
> me that the 838 is actually in better
> operating shape than the 844, but it is
> unlikely she'll be revived for service,
> using the 844 to rebuild her.

That's ridiculous. I saw that "engine" during the shop/roundhouse tour that was given as part of the 2000 UPHS convention. I put the word engine in quotes because the 838 is nothing more than a boiler, a frame, and some wheels. It has been slowly stripped of usable parts since the late 1960's or early 1970's, the parts being used on 844 and 3985.

From what I could see, it was missing all of the cab hardware and appliances, all flues, tubes and superheaters, the superheater header and throttle, exhaust stand, all rods, motion work, pistons, valves, brake rigging, and a pair of engine truck wheel and trailer truck wheels. And several holes had been cut in the firebox wrapper sheets to apparently remove washout plugs and sleeves. The tourguide told us 838 was retired in the late 1950's due to cracks in the frame.

We were told that 844 got a complete and thorough running gear and appliance overhaul in 1995, including all new tires, springs, spring and brake rigging on engine and tender, new shoes and wedges, crankpins turned and trued, new superheater units complete rewiring and many other things (he was talking faster than could take notes legibly) and would get a completely new firebox, combustion chamber, front and rear tube sheets and all new staybolts over the next couple of years.

In view of that, 838 is a junkpile in comparison.

I have to agree that 2101 presents an ugly sight in that stupid AFT paint scheme, faded and streaked as it is. My thought would be that she given to the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum as a gift, repainted in Reading colors and displayed indoors. If she is never going to run again, she will only deteriorate further in the outdoor environs of Baltimore.
I would question if she is unrepairable however. I think it would be pretty difficult to damage a steam locomotive beyond repair using fire. Sure, there is warpage and loss of hardness under some circumstances, but these engines were designed for extreme heat and difficult operation. She may run again. It's something to work for and build on.


glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

I am merely reporting what I was told by the U.P. crew aboard the steam special. I have not been privileged to inspect the locomotive myself. They also mentioned that the 2-10-2 in the roundhouse can't be moved due to changes in the yard trackage, and eventually, they expect a temporary track will be built to pull her out of the roundhouse and mount the engine at the station across the street.
Do you have any information about the future of the 838?

glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

> I am merely reporting what I was told by the
> U.P. crew aboard the steam special. I have
> not been privileged to inspect the
> locomotive myself. They also mentioned that
> the 2-10-2 in the roundhouse can't be moved
> due to changes in the yard trackage, and
> eventually, they expect a temporary track
> will be built to pull her out of the
> roundhouse and mount the engine at the
> station across the street.
> Do you have any information about the future
> of the 838?

All I know is what I saw personally and what we were told by our tour guides. It is very obvious by it's current appearance and condition that 838's future is to continue as a parts source as long as there are still usable parts on it; it probably won't be scrapped but it will never operate without literally tons of bucks being spent on it. IMO, it will sit in the roundhouse, occasionally contributing parts to the oeprating engines, from now until doomsday or the end of UP's steam program, whichever comes first.

The 2-10-2, 5511, sits right beside it. I have seen claims that this engine has "blind" main drivers and that it is restorable or will be restored. Having walked all around it, it has no blind drivers, but it, too, is missing a lot of parts and pieces. The tourguides told us it was last used as a stationary boiler sometime in the 1950's, and that such use is always hard on a locomotive. There are no plans to restore it and I don't recall any mention of any inability to move it. The trackage around and leading to the roundhouse has been unchanged for at least 40 years (per one of the convention seminars), so I don't see why that would be an issue, but maybe it is. For the 1992 UPHS convention, they pulled the 5511 out of the roundhouse for photos.

(BTW, we also learned during the convention that the plans to make a railroad museum out of the Cheyenne depot have been abandoned in favor of building a tacky wild west theme park instead.)

On the bright side, both of these locomotives sit safely inside the roundhouse, and both have had all asbestos removed.

Another point that should be made is that that not all the people one might encounter on a steam train who claim to be part of the crew actually are part of the crew, and what they say sometimes needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I have personally run into "wannabees" with a number of different steam operations around the country, and I've learned to suspect what they say absent confirmation from someone whom I know to actually be in a position to know the facts. Some of the "wannabees" will say anything just so they can appear to be authoritative and appear to "belong."

OTOH, I also know of a few actual steam crew people who will say some weird things just to see how far those things will get spread.

> In view of that, 838 is a junkpile in
> comparison.

But that won't stop people who have little knowlege in steam from spreading these kinds of rumors. The misinformation out there is downright staggering.


rickrailrd@aol.com

> If I can find them I believe I have pictures of all 4 remaining T-1's. The 2100 in Hagerstown, the 2101 in Baltimore, the 2102 in Jim Thorpe, PA and the 2124 at Steamtown in Vermont (in red primer) and at Steamtown in Scranton. I'm a hacker when it comes to taking pictures so they are nothing great. If you're interested in these Aaron (or anyone else) let me know and I may be able to scan them.


jay@clarityconnect.com

Sure I would like to see those photo's.I live near all of them and always see 2102, 2124.

winston_40@hotmail.com