so does anyone know the status of this locomotive? will it run again? i’ve heard from a few people now that UP is going to let it run on their track soon. anyone know anything more about this?
KCS is going to allow the 819 to run either laer this year or early 2008
I might try to see that
I am organizing and uploading photos from last saturday’s show… give me a hour or two.
The day UP lets this engine run on thier track is indeed the day the roll gets called for us up yonder…
EDIT uploading finished
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v651/fallsvalleyrr/SSW819/
I dont own a working still camera so I use the camcorder to “Sweep” the target and extract frames at home. I know the picture is not that great in quality but it’s the best I can do with what I have.
That would be neat to see. Having a piece of living, breathing past riding the rails is important!
From the looks of your pics its been overhauled or had some repairs made to the skin ? Which? I thot it was stored in running condition and maintained the years since last ran…Danny It would be neat if UP would let it run,espeally in Ark,La,and Tx…Danny |
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I have been visiting the Museum each april for the show and talked to some of the people. On my computer are photos of the engines in extremely poor lighting (Or none at all) of the engine in various stages of disrepair.
I understand that there were firebrick (Have seen several pallets) made availible to re do the fire box a few times.
External Paint was donated by a company (Du Pont?) in exchange for unknown, possibly a fan run or something.
All of the water tubes has been taken out of the boiler and tested out one by one. I think the word is hydrostatic. There were about a few hundred inside there.
The smoke box front was taken off the engine and set aside for a long time this is the second time Ive seen it on.
The rods and cylinders were worked on and look really good. I have no idea of the exact process.
At one point they had the tender taken off, I believe Pine Bluff makes used motor oil availible but it’s heresay, I cannot quote it. While they had the tender taken off, the back end of the cab and everything underneath was so being worked on.
The engine you see through the engineer window is a engine that was retired in the mid 60’s and will never run again, it is too bad of shape.
I cannot get to the right side for good pictures, it is basically the same as the left side.
The engine spent alot of it’s time running manifest Tyler Texas to St. Louis and everywhere in between. I understand that it carried enough potential power to handle 25 passenger cars or at least 60 loads.
Everyone seems to talk of if and when it will run again and then the talk turns to the railroads in the area. No one has provided precise information yet. If the thing does run again someone will certainly spread the word.
I have seen it run on the old videos in VCR and it is a brute. They call this engine a warbaby. I think Pine Bluff built it there during WW2 and restored it there (Or is restoring) over the years in the
oh wow. nice. so it sounds like 819 has been running for a while and may run on the UP some day.
That kinda depends of the management of UP, and their steam operations director, in years past an NRHS group out of Pennsylvannia wanted to run Blue Mountain & Reading’s 425 on UP’s CNW route from Elmhurst/proviso to Fremont Nebraska, UP Management said ABOSLUTELY NOT, only OUR STEAM ENGINES & OUR CREWS will roll on our tracks. Even when I e-mailed John Bromley [UP RR Public Relations] the corporate answer wa NO!, although John did say he was embarrased that would be so [these are his words] Persnickety!
That kinda depends of the management of UP, and their steam operations director, in years past an NRHS group out of Pennsylvannia wanted to run Blue Mountain & Reading’s 425 on UP’s CNW route from Elmhurst/Proviso to Fremont Nebraska, UP Management said ABOSLUTELY NOT, only OUR STEAM ENGINES & OUR CREWS will roll on our tracks. Even when I e-mailed John Bromley [UP RR Public Relations] the corporate answer wa NO!, although John did say he was embarrased that Management would be so [these are his words] Persnickety!
That kinda depends of the management of UP, and their steam operations director, in years past an NRHS group out of Pennsylvannia wanted to run Blue Mountain & Reading’s 425 on UP’s CNW route from Elmhurst/Proviso to Fremont Nebraska, UP Management said ABOSLUTELY NOT, only OUR STEAM ENGINES & OUR CREWS will roll on our tracks. Even when I e-mailed John Bromley [UP RR Public Relations] the corporate answer was NO!, although John did say he was embarrased that Management would be so [these are his words] Persnickety!
OOO triple post…
Sorry "bout that, haviong problems with editing!
Great Site for Cotton Belt - 819 photos:
I used to work for a company in Robstown Texas that did Hydrostatic Testing on every type of high pressure water lines. We were called to Round Rock Texas to do Remote Location Testing On the Mikado that Austin Northwestern runs on their tourist train “The Bluebonnet”. Doing this kind of testing is in 2 stages, out of the boiler, and in the boiler.
Crystal Oil Refining has an Ownership Interest in the 819 [Crystal Oil is a local refining company in Arkansas], however they supply #3-dfx12 fuel oil, motor oil -even the grade used in big rigs would foul up the firebox within 20 miles.
Last time I talked with the board of directors for the 819 Preservation Society I was told that the other engine was slated to be used for canabalization, many replacement parts are machined locally, some are sent out for. But this becomes too costly for them to endure, so [as much as Walter hated to admit] the only thing they are left with is to canabalize another locomotive!
This section of Pine Bluff you’re referring to [the one that the Challenger was parked in] WAS an active engine, and freight car maintenence facility, when SSW merged with SP these facilities were shut down in favor of spot maintenence at the freight yard, and major work being done either in St. Louis, or in Houston.
ah cool. thanks for the link
That is one impressive locomotive. I saw it when it was in town for the NRHS convention, I believe in 1990.
It’s a shame to let a great piece of machinery sit and rust.
VERY TRUE, both seeing, and hearing it in action reminds me of a ROLLING THUNDERSTORM! And maintenence that was contyinously done on that classification of Locomotive by SSW crews ensured they would hual MOST of the freight on the RR to and from St. Louis!
1990 it was with the 1218, 844, 819 and the 1522 all putting on a show.
I don’t think the 819 has been on the road since the early 1990s. It is being rebuilt in Pine Bluff for return to service in about two years. That is all relative because the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society needs about $150K to make all that happen. When the engine is back in shape the intention is to lease her out on a per trip operations basis.
In service the 819 will consume 8-12 gallons of fuel oil per mile. She also will use anywhere from 200 to 235 gallons of water per mile. She likes #4 fuel oil best.
We had Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society Vice President Bill Bailey at our Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium on Monday in Commerce, TEXAS. Bailey talked for over an hour on his role as Chief Mechanical Officer for the 819 project. He also spoke of how Rollin Breedenberg helped determine if her roller bearings were still good back in 1986. The big locomotive on test hit 72 mph near Camden, AR.
Also at the Symposium were retired Cotton Belt enginemen Smokey Boyd and Joe Hawkins. Hawkins let on that he had an L-1 up to 80 mph at Saltillo back in his day.
All I will say about 819’s future is don’t underestimate these men.
Ed Cooper
Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society