It might be interesting to compare 148 with the power that was historically used on the line in both freight and passenger service. Anybody have that data?

dave

She may not do as badly as it seems. We can't forget that she's basically a larger and heavier 10-wheeler, and the profile of that line is pretty flat. I can remember my first railroad, Illinois Central, using 4-4-2 Atlantics on many branch lines hauling freight. Many railroads hauled freight with Pacifics, too. I can't remember what the Grande used on the Creede Branch, but don't think they were all that big. The skill of the engineer will be a big factor, IMHO.

We must also remember that steam locomotives in decent shape are getting hard to find. It's not so "pick-and-choose."

Skip
Switchman, Grand Canyon Ry
Former Engineer, GTL

Here is the profile for the Alamosa to Creede Branch from the "Ghost Depot" site (Thanks Bob for finding this site a couple of years ago!):

http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/maps/profiles/drgw%20profile%2018.gif

Well, it's nearly five years later, but whatever happened to the "Wagon Wheel Gap Route"?

Creede won a lawsuit basically keeping the railroad from running passenger trains into town. The residents claimed they didn't want to become the "next Silverton". Once that happened it seems the outside interest on the discussion boards waned.

The 148 is still sitting in Monte Vista as far as I know. I wanted to visit it this past July but wound up going south through Cumbres Pass and up again to Alamosa so we missed it by a few miles. The SL&RG has operated the #18 to Monte Vista on occasion, but these are two separate operations that lie closely together on the same former railroad.

Alright, so my next question would be if this company still exists? Considering they failed in there plans, do they still own the 148, or does a different group have ownership of this railroad's assets?

So, what is the story on the 148? Is she being overhaulled or ready to roll? If she is under repair, what sort of work is needed. Thanks - David Notarius, London UK

From what I've read on NGDF - operations are proceeding with a modified track car that holds approx a dozen riders. They are still rebuilding track for heavier operations. 148 is stored in a partially restored status. There was a big war of words on the 'net a few years back about the condition of the boiler. Some claim that it is too thin, others say still in spec. Long way off, even if the shell is still repairable.

Mike Stillwell
Buena Vista, VA.

Those that rode 148 should be thankful for their good luck. When the 148 came to Essex Ct besides welds into the firebox corners, serious thinning in the exterior of the boiler shell the main turret valve hold down studs were eroded from 3/4 inch to about 3/8 inch. Thank god we now have a 1472! The mudring was so eroded you could see the rivet sides , how nothing failed is by sheer luck. 148 would be a fine locomotive with cubic dollars added. As HP said its a good template for a boiler. We did a casual form 4 and figured it good for about 160 psi without an ultrasound survey. The nylon shoes and wedges were self destructing due to the square corners of the driving boxes and that was only from being towed.

Hi Guys; So is the 148 getting much needed boiler work? There was some talk in the late 1970's when on the M&E, of the 148 having a new firebox made. Thanks - David Notarius, London UK

I agree that the 1472 may have indirectly saved lives. It scared me just reading the post above.
It sounds like it would be cheaper to just build a new boiler than to try and repair all of that and still have a marginal vessel. Whew!
Maybe God does really watch over drunks and dingbats.

If you think the boiler is bad on the 148, check out the tender: basically a piece of rust on wheels.

If they really want to use this engine, I would propose building a new boiler and tender from scratch and re-using the wheels, trucks, and a few other appliances - I think they would come up with a cheaper and better alternative than rebuilding this engine.

When it was still in Michigan, I always thought it would be a good candidate to be sectioned and used as a display at the SRI museum in Owosso.

Chris.