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Santa Fe steam locomotive moved in Colorado
Sounds like no one involved had a clue about preparing the journals so the engine would roll easily. This is not unusual, with usually one engine per year having its bearings ruined when the rust on the lower side of the journals gets ground up into the soft brass or babbitt above, when the wheels roll. Most steam locomotives will roll easily if the grease/oil cellars are removed and the rust polished off the journals. with grease applied. It’s a cramped and nasty job, but moving an engine without doing so first is simply vandalism, no matter how well intentioned. The other common mistake is to lift a long-displayed locomotive with a sling around the smokebox. While that method was common in steam days and provides a good center of gravity, it doesn’t account for 50-plus years of water down the smokestack, rusting the bottom of the smokebox much thinner than original. It hasn’t happened yet, but since only a few bolts and gravity hold the boiler to the frame, one of these days a “let’s move the old train” project is likely to result in a two-piece locomotive. There are a number of persons who know how to properly move locomotives, but they seldom seem to get consulted in these projects, with unnecessary damage resulting.
I hope someone or some organization will paint thelocomotive in the correct paint and numbering. It looks as if a highschool painted it and lettered it in the style of NdeM
G Force is owned by Soni Honneger, a multi-talented, Swiss-trained mechanical engineer/ vehicle builder, formerly GM and hogger on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic ng line, where he was treated badly by inept management, now mercifully gone.
Looks good however the ATSF on the cab doesn’t look quite right. The Santa Fe steam power I’ve seen have A.T.& S.F. in a slightly smaller size.