Hi All;

Last Sunday I rode on an old Swedish 2-8-0 that had been exported to Canada about a decade ago. The Engineer of the day was an old friend from my days firing ex. CPR 1201 on those same tracks, so I got to ride in the cab.

It was a great ride; the locomotive was steaming well, and the ruling grade was no match for it. I can remember (well!) squeaking over the top of the grade with 1201; the 2-8-0 walked up it like a piece of cake.

Do Sweden still export locomotives? Are they scrapping those that were left? How many of the 100 or so that were there are still there? Any known links to sites for these locomotives?

BTW - I did not take notes, but from memory, the Canadian operators replaced the injectors with Penberthy ones, new whistle, generator (it came with acetelyne lights) and got the seller in Sweden to convert her to oil firing. I *think* that's it.


Swedish steam train operator.
john.stewart@crc.ca

There was a group that was actively soliciting buyers for the engines that used to be in strategic reserves; they even had a website.

The Railway Museum of Grangesberg has several engines listed for sale. (These may be the engines the above group is trying to sell.) There is another engine I have listed as stored awaiting scrap.

The remainder I assume were farmed out to various museums or put on display. I currently have 257 engines listed in Sweden, plus seventeen ex-Swedish Railways engines exported out of the country.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> Hi All;

> Last Sunday I rode on an old Swedish 2-8-0
> that had been exported to Canada about a
> decade ago. The Engineer of the day was an
> old friend from my days firing ex. CPR 1201
> on those same tracks, so I got to ride in
> the cab.

> It was a great ride; the locomotive was
> steaming well, and the ruling grade was no
> match for it. I can remember (well!)
> squeaking over the top of the grade with
> 1201; the 2-8-0 walked up it like a piece of
> cake.

> Do Sweden still export locomotives? Are they
> scrapping those that were left? How many of
> the 100 or so that were there are still
> there? Any known links to sites for these
> locomotives?

> BTW - I did not take notes, but from memory,
> the Canadian operators replaced the
> injectors with Penberthy ones, new whistle,
> generator (it came with acetelyne lights)
> and got the seller in Sweden to convert her
> to oil firing. I *think* that's it.


Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

> There was a group that was actively
> soliciting buyers for the engines that used
> to be in strategic reserves; they even had a
> website

I recall the North American broker advised the Swedish locomotives in strategic reserve had been "mothballed", in effect stored sealed in plastic to prevent deterioration. The Belfast & Moosehead Lake's steamer is also one of the Swedish engines, along with most of the dinner train.

hi-plains@juno.com

I am sorry about the delay in responding; my ISP was taken over by another firm, and I have been off the net for several days now. (You still may not be able to get to my website; hopefully, you will in the next day or two.)

Your comments about the Swedish Strategic Reserve is correct; most of the engines were indeed overhauled and then wrapped in plastic to preserve them. That was indeed the selling point of the group: by the time you removed "Ole 97" from a local park and did what it took to restore it to operating condition; you would have paid as much as as you would have for one of their engines.

Not mentioned, but there is still the possibly that undocumented damage occured to engine at some point in it's life, such as occurred with the Hill Country Flyer's ex-SP Mikado, something that will need to be fixed correctly now. That has been the selling points for groups such as DLM (formerly SLM) in Switzerland that has tried to drum up interest in new locomotives for tourist railways, along with new materials and better emissions controls.

The Belfast and Moosehead engine is indeed another example of a former Swedish Railways locomotive; there are also other engines scattered around the UK and Europe. I have pictures of one or two of the UK examples in my database to date, but not one of the Canadian examples.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> I recall the North American broker advised
> the Swedish locomotives in strategic reserve
> had been "mothballed", in effect
> stored sealed in plastic to prevent
> deterioration. The Belfast & Moosehead
> Lake's steamer is also one of the Swedish
> engines, along with most of the dinner
> train.


Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net