Branch Line News for 9/9/19 (3801, L&N Coach Restoration, "The King")
By Patrick Webb
Welcome to Branch Line News, your quick source of summarized news in the railroad world.
3801 Boiler Fired Up
Our first story takes us to the land down under. Transport Heritage New South Wales (NSW) an Australian non-profit who maintain a collection of railroad related equipment on behalf of the New South Wales Government, according to their website, recently announced the firing of the boiler for New South Wales 3801.
NSW 3801 was built in 1943 by Clyde Engineering, as one of 5 streamlined locomotives and was retired from active service in 1962, where she was preserved, according to NSW's website. 3801 has been called the "Flying Scotsman of Australia," a testament to how famous the engine is, which is partly due to her being the prototype of the C38 class and the only streamlined C38 to survive. NSW 3801 had an active excursion career until 2007, when she was withdrawn for overhaul.
A new boiler built in Germany was ordered and delivered in 2010. Unfortunately, the boiler failed to comply with Australian Standards and was returned to Germany in 2011. The German boiler was brought back in 2014, and the decision was made to repair 3801's original boiler, and use the german boiler as a back up.
That work has accumulated in a steaming test which happened on September 8th, 2019. Transport Heritage NSW released a video on social media and their website showing 3801's boiler being fired up. The famous engine is now closer to running back on the mainline.
You can watch the steaming video here: www.thnsw.com.au/post/locomotive-3801-steam-test
To learn more about 3801, check out this page on Australian Steam.com
www.australiansteam.com/3801.htm
TVRM Reveal Newly Restored Coach
Our next story is another restoration success story. On September 6th, 2019 the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, home of the famous excursion locomotive Southern 4501, unveiled a newly restored coach, former Louisville & Nashville No. 2728 "The Cross Keys Tavern." TVRM obtained the coach from the Indiana Transportation Museum in 2018 when the ITM was selling equipment during their eviction from Forest Park. (For more on this story you can read the article "The Future of the Indiana Transportation Museum."
According to the TVRM on Facebook, the restoration of The Cross Keys Tavern took 8 months. The dining car joins the TVRM's other coaches in their excursion fleet, back in home territory. "The Cross Keys Tavern" will allow the TVRM to host dinner trains, which wasn't possible earlier due to the limitations of other dining cars.
L&N No. 2728 "The Cross Keys Tavern" was built in 1930 at the American Car & Foundry Plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and delivered to the L&N the same year, according to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Rolling Stock Facebook page. "The Cross Keys Tavern" has been restored to her 1946 appearance in Boatswain Blue.
To see the change in appearance, look here for a before picture (www.facebook.com/tvrmpassengercars/photos/pcb.1547339492067409/1547334672067891/?type=3&theater) and after picture (https://www.facebook.com/tvrail/photos/pcb.2616849854994565/2616845744994976/?type=3&theater)
Age of Steam Purchase "The King"
A steam locomotive has finally found its forever home in Sugarcreek, Ohio. The Age of Steam Roundhouse, a nonprofit museum with over 22 steam locomotives in its collection, announced on August 5th, 2019 that they have purchased Bessemer & Lake Erie 643. No. 643, nicknamed "The King" by Age of Steam's founder, the late Jerry Jacobson, is a gargantuan 2-10-4 "Texas" steam locomotive.
The Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad ordered many 2-10-4 "Texas" locomotives, the first in 1929. No. 643 was built in 1944 as part of the H-1g class, according to Steam Locomotive.com. According to an article by Bill Strawn, the Chairman of the Age of Steam Board on TrainOrders.com, No. 643 was retired early in 1952 because of replacement by diesels.
No. 643 is the only B&LE Texas locomotive to be saved from scrapping. The B&LE preserved No. 643, along with two other smaller steam locomotives.
The late Jerry Jacobson tried to purchase No. 643 for his collection, but was unsuccessful. Now, his dream is coming to fruition, much to the relief of Rail-fans who feared for No. 643's future, where she has sat for a large portion of time outside unprotected. Mr. Strawn reported that Age of Steam purchase No. 643 from Glenn Campbell and The Steel City Railway Historical Society, who Age of Steam thanked for preserving the giant locomotive.
"The King" will be transported to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Ohio by truck, according to Bill Strawn on the Age of Steam "Roundhouse Reports" page. This will require specially designed mega transport trucks, and "The King's" boiler will be removed from the frame and wheels, so that it can fit within loading restrictions on US roads.
Age of Steam released a video showing No. 643 being towed slightly on the tracks she currently rests on, which you can watch here: www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/bessemer-lake-erie-no-643-update
Will "The King" be restored to operation? This appears to be unlikely, due to the engine's large size and weight. While larger engines are running in the US, such as Union Pacific No. 4014 "Big Boy," "The King" is not an articulated engine, so going around curves with its large frame will be hard. "the King" was also built for a specific line, and the Ohio Central Railroad, where Age of Steam used to run excursions, is not built with the engine in mind.
Nevertheless, "The King" will be restored cosmetically, and will sit safely in the Age of Steam Roundhouse, where visitors can see the engine up close and personally on specific tour dates, which can be found on Age of Steam Roundhouse's website www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org
Conclusion
That's all for this edition of Branch Line News. Is there a story we missed? Leave us a comment below.
What story are you most excited about from this edition of Branch Line News? Please let us know in the comments section below, and on Social Media (coming soon).
Sources:
"3801 Project." Transport Heritage NSW. www.thnsw.com.au/3801-project
"About us." Age of Steam Roundhouse. www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/about-us
"Bessemer & Lake Erie 2-10-4 'Texas' Locomotives in the USA." SteamLocomotive.com.
www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-10-4&railroad=ble
"Bessemer & Lake Erie 643 - September Update."
www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/bessemer-lake-erie-no-643-update
"Locomotive 3801 Steam Test." Transport Heritage NSW. 8 September, 2019.
www.thnsw.com.au/post/locomotive-3801-steam-test
"Our Newest Acquisition." Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Rolling Stock. 25 March, 2019.
www.facebook.com/tvrmpassengercars/photos/pcb.1547339492067409/1547334635401228/?type=3&theater
Strawn, Bill. "AOSRM Acquires Bessemer & Lake Erie 643." 5 September, 2019.
www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4842322
"What We Do." Transport Heritage NSW. www.thnsw.com.au/what-we-do
Welcome to Branch Line News, your quick source of summarized news in the railroad world.
3801 Boiler Fired Up
Our first story takes us to the land down under. Transport Heritage New South Wales (NSW) an Australian non-profit who maintain a collection of railroad related equipment on behalf of the New South Wales Government, according to their website, recently announced the firing of the boiler for New South Wales 3801.
NSW 3801 was built in 1943 by Clyde Engineering, as one of 5 streamlined locomotives and was retired from active service in 1962, where she was preserved, according to NSW's website. 3801 has been called the "Flying Scotsman of Australia," a testament to how famous the engine is, which is partly due to her being the prototype of the C38 class and the only streamlined C38 to survive. NSW 3801 had an active excursion career until 2007, when she was withdrawn for overhaul.
 |
| 3801 hauling The Newcastle Flyer in October, 2005. Image Credit: Wolf Web, used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Licence 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3801_with_Newcastle_Flyer.png |
A new boiler built in Germany was ordered and delivered in 2010. Unfortunately, the boiler failed to comply with Australian Standards and was returned to Germany in 2011. The German boiler was brought back in 2014, and the decision was made to repair 3801's original boiler, and use the german boiler as a back up.
That work has accumulated in a steaming test which happened on September 8th, 2019. Transport Heritage NSW released a video on social media and their website showing 3801's boiler being fired up. The famous engine is now closer to running back on the mainline.
You can watch the steaming video here: www.thnsw.com.au/post/locomotive-3801-steam-test
To learn more about 3801, check out this page on Australian Steam.com
www.australiansteam.com/3801.htm
TVRM Reveal Newly Restored Coach
Our next story is another restoration success story. On September 6th, 2019 the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, home of the famous excursion locomotive Southern 4501, unveiled a newly restored coach, former Louisville & Nashville No. 2728 "The Cross Keys Tavern." TVRM obtained the coach from the Indiana Transportation Museum in 2018 when the ITM was selling equipment during their eviction from Forest Park. (For more on this story you can read the article "The Future of the Indiana Transportation Museum."
According to the TVRM on Facebook, the restoration of The Cross Keys Tavern took 8 months. The dining car joins the TVRM's other coaches in their excursion fleet, back in home territory. "The Cross Keys Tavern" will allow the TVRM to host dinner trains, which wasn't possible earlier due to the limitations of other dining cars.
L&N No. 2728 "The Cross Keys Tavern" was built in 1930 at the American Car & Foundry Plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and delivered to the L&N the same year, according to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Rolling Stock Facebook page. "The Cross Keys Tavern" has been restored to her 1946 appearance in Boatswain Blue.
To see the change in appearance, look here for a before picture (www.facebook.com/tvrmpassengercars/photos/pcb.1547339492067409/1547334672067891/?type=3&theater) and after picture (https://www.facebook.com/tvrail/photos/pcb.2616849854994565/2616845744994976/?type=3&theater)
Age of Steam Purchase "The King"
A steam locomotive has finally found its forever home in Sugarcreek, Ohio. The Age of Steam Roundhouse, a nonprofit museum with over 22 steam locomotives in its collection, announced on August 5th, 2019 that they have purchased Bessemer & Lake Erie 643. No. 643, nicknamed "The King" by Age of Steam's founder, the late Jerry Jacobson, is a gargantuan 2-10-4 "Texas" steam locomotive.
The Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad ordered many 2-10-4 "Texas" locomotives, the first in 1929. No. 643 was built in 1944 as part of the H-1g class, according to Steam Locomotive.com. According to an article by Bill Strawn, the Chairman of the Age of Steam Board on TrainOrders.com, No. 643 was retired early in 1952 because of replacement by diesels.
No. 643 is the only B&LE Texas locomotive to be saved from scrapping. The B&LE preserved No. 643, along with two other smaller steam locomotives.
The late Jerry Jacobson tried to purchase No. 643 for his collection, but was unsuccessful. Now, his dream is coming to fruition, much to the relief of Rail-fans who feared for No. 643's future, where she has sat for a large portion of time outside unprotected. Mr. Strawn reported that Age of Steam purchase No. 643 from Glenn Campbell and The Steel City Railway Historical Society, who Age of Steam thanked for preserving the giant locomotive.
"The King" will be transported to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Ohio by truck, according to Bill Strawn on the Age of Steam "Roundhouse Reports" page. This will require specially designed mega transport trucks, and "The King's" boiler will be removed from the frame and wheels, so that it can fit within loading restrictions on US roads.
Age of Steam released a video showing No. 643 being towed slightly on the tracks she currently rests on, which you can watch here: www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/bessemer-lake-erie-no-643-update
Will "The King" be restored to operation? This appears to be unlikely, due to the engine's large size and weight. While larger engines are running in the US, such as Union Pacific No. 4014 "Big Boy," "The King" is not an articulated engine, so going around curves with its large frame will be hard. "the King" was also built for a specific line, and the Ohio Central Railroad, where Age of Steam used to run excursions, is not built with the engine in mind.
Nevertheless, "The King" will be restored cosmetically, and will sit safely in the Age of Steam Roundhouse, where visitors can see the engine up close and personally on specific tour dates, which can be found on Age of Steam Roundhouse's website www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org
Conclusion
That's all for this edition of Branch Line News. Is there a story we missed? Leave us a comment below.
What story are you most excited about from this edition of Branch Line News? Please let us know in the comments section below, and on Social Media (coming soon).
Sources:
"3801 Project." Transport Heritage NSW. www.thnsw.com.au/3801-project
"About us." Age of Steam Roundhouse. www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/about-us
"Bessemer & Lake Erie 2-10-4 'Texas' Locomotives in the USA." SteamLocomotive.com.
www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-10-4&railroad=ble
"Bessemer & Lake Erie 643 - September Update."
www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/bessemer-lake-erie-no-643-update
"Locomotive 3801 Steam Test." Transport Heritage NSW. 8 September, 2019.
www.thnsw.com.au/post/locomotive-3801-steam-test
"Our Newest Acquisition." Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Rolling Stock. 25 March, 2019.
www.facebook.com/tvrmpassengercars/photos/pcb.1547339492067409/1547334635401228/?type=3&theater
Strawn, Bill. "AOSRM Acquires Bessemer & Lake Erie 643." 5 September, 2019.
www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4842322
"What We Do." Transport Heritage NSW. www.thnsw.com.au/what-we-do
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