EX Reading 2100
Has anyone else heard that the 2100 is heading to Washington State.
How about you Ross Rowland what have you heard.
Can you keep us up to speed.
I have recieved word from usually very reliable West Coast sources that a contract was signed several weeks ago covering the 2100 pulling a tourist train over a publically owned branchline railroad in the Tacoma area. Service is supposed to commence this summer, with a public announcement anytime.
My gut is that there’s fire where this smoke is and it will probably happen.
As I understand it there is a 3.3% grade on the line so I hope they have her in tip top shape before they tackle that!!
I have not yet learned how 2100 is going to get from Ontario to Tacoma. Maybe she’ll double-head west with the 2816 when she’s done with this months trasnscontinental run???
I’ll post anything new I learn. Ross Rowland
Wow!!! I certainly hope it’s true.
We need a T-1 steaming again. What a shame those “people” screwed her up with circus paint and conversion to oil. Wonder if there are plans to put her back as a coal burner. Looks like another trip back to the Seattle area is in my plans! Not a bad thing anyway.
Roger
Hmmm, 3.3% ? What was the grade off the Tamaqua wye toward Pottsville Junction via New Philadelphia. Was that the '58 0r '59 Ramble and was it double-headed with 2100 or 2103 behind 2124? Remember laundry on the lines in the very near backyards when we blasted out of town with the usual 16-19 heavyweights, and going about six miles per.
Wish more RDG engines had been saved. Loved the santa fe’s. Would sacricfice a lot to have been with photographer Malinowski and engineer Kaufman in Pennypacker’s book!!!
I was about to take a little nap dreaming of the chocolate and cream station with blocky white on blue lettering that is always close at hand. But I suddendly remembered that my ex- wife’s family has a travel agency with a Seattle office. Have to make a call now.
See Ya, Rixflix
Huber25
Im the one who changed it over to burn oil and for the paint that s the colour the owner wanted it.
I guess if you owned it you can paint it any colour you would like.So it all boils down
to who is paying my bill.
And it will stay a oil burner ( good luck getting the old parts back.)
Who the hell wants to burn coal when you can use oil.( coal is dirty crap )
Maybe you should work on a steam locomotive and then tell me what you would rather use.You have to think of the cost the right coal does not fall into lap when
you need it, oil you can get any where.
Hope to meet you in Seattle soon.
Cancelling Seattle. Engine’s been neutered and gussied up.
Gonna go to Horseshoe Curve instead.
Mourning time for me.
Rix
bigedd
Hey…don’t be so defensive! Yes, if you were paid to do that to the engine and the owner wanted it that way that’s between you two…but don’t be so sensitive if most of us loyal Reading T-1 lovers don’t happen to be excited by what the pair of you have done though. It was bad enough what happened to the 2101 during the Freedom Train modifications and then to make it worse the Chessie paint and that horrible whistle. YUCK!!!
If she were home (Pennsylvania) where she truly belongs then coal wouldn’t be such a bad choice for fuel. If the grates and other coal burning necessities were thrown away or butchered in your conversion then shame on you for wasting something that could become useful for another T-1 or possibly some other engine. Remember there are 3 other T-1s still around and it isn’t totally impossible that they could use those parts some day.
AND…yes, I’ve worked on steam before and it’s a very dirty job no matter what kind of fuel is used to generate the steam.
Maybe I will se you in Seattle when the 2100 gets running. I’d really love to see her again no matter what kind of hideous things have happened to her.
Roger
Although I enjoy riding behind coal fired steam, I enjoy riding behind oil fired even more, especially when it comes time to clean up and clean the cameras from hanging out the door, etc. There is nothing like that coal smell, but for me oil is a nicer rail fan ride with easier operations and perhaps even lower costs, especially in the west.
The main point is that perhaps someone will have a Reading T-1 operating again and we’ll all have a chance to see her once again. And there is no telling whether the leasor or owner will re-paint her. Even if not, red-striped steam is to be preferred over no steam
I have it on what is normally very good authority that the 2100 is scheduled for a joint Transport Canada/FRA inspection on June2-4 and subject to its passing that inspection will be moving to the West Coast with a 10 car passenger train(deadhead) sometime in late June.
I do not have any info yet on its planned routing.
As posted earlier it will be running on a publically owned line in the Tacoma area.
Ross Rowland
Update? Was the move made & the '2100 brought back to life at the mercy of OPEC? Or were there political snags along the way?
Nothing from nothing, but when a conversion is made from one fuel to another, a smart move would be to hang on to the parts removed so if the loco is sold & the new owner wants to put it back to its “historically correct” condition, it could be done, maybe not easily, but nonetheless, could be done.
To say “good luck” in getting the 2100’s old parts back is arrogant, & might have international implications in this case!
I’m sure UP probably still has the parts they removed from the '3985 when they changed her over from coal to oil! Those parts probably went back into the Challenger in the museum they transferred the oil burning appliances to the '3985 from. That might be worth investigating.
There’s a long period of silence here. What’s the current status of the '2100?
I wi***hey would put ATSF #3768 running, and on the move…
There’s 3 other T1’s that are coal fired sitting cold. If the Tacoma people would
have wanted one , they could have had one of those, assumong mechanical
condition was close.Huber , what would you have, a coal fired 2100 sitting cold
and for the sake of purity having no T1 to run, and having them pick a different
oil fired steamer ? RR’s everywhere converted coal/oil back and forth . UP, SP,
ATS&F , CPR and CN to name a handful. Time for the likes of you to put your money where your mouth is and get a coal fired T1 up and running . Ron Aboussafy
FYI
This is the web page for the 2100
Golden Pacific Railroad
What has the mention of Canada in a couple of comments have to do with moving this loco to the west coast?? information please.
If oil firing ‘neuters’ a locomotive, then I guess 3985 and 844 are eunuchs to you?
Whether or not it’s “historically correct” – for heaven’s sake, here’s a railroad running one of the largest, most modern 4-8-4s in fairly regular service… and there are people BADMOUTHING their efforts??? I find that fairly pathetic.
Converting 2100 back to coal wouldn’t be a terrific technical difficulty; if you need patterns or even parts, there are three donors that don’t need them for anything but display. No question in my mind that it’s more flexible, cleaner, and generally easier to manage a light-oil-fired locomotive on dinner trains, in a world where diesel fuel is relatively easy to come by and to handle. Where’s the coal going to come from in the Pacific Northwest? Who would be dumping and handling the ash, and the inevitable sparks? When 2102 ran in New Jersey in the early '70s, I was combing little black crumbs out of my hair for a week, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that at least some of those specks could be incandescent long enough to start fires. Don’t think that’s as much of a problem with oil. Why would a line interested in running a locomotive for business voluntarily assume a whole bunch of cost to use coal – when I have very, very little doubt that Reading used coal for no other reason than it was cheap and readily available, and the economics worked at the time. (Heck, they went to liquid fuel pretty quickly when they got the chance in the '50s, albeit not in steam locomotives!)
I consider myself a T1 fan, and I don’t see anything wrong with red stripes or oil firing: not only is the locomotive alive, they seem to be set up to work a considerable amount of traffic with her. I think that should be commended, with enthusiasm, not derided. Perhaps if some of these armchair critics want to volunteer on GPRR, and bring their own paint and tools, they can put the appearance back to full Reading prototype… perhaps even defray the cost and trouble of c
It’s in St Thomas Ontario. Would likely be simpler to have it run across Canada (one
railway & then BNSF through either Sumas or Blaine. I notice one of the threads
mentioned a 10 car passenger train and doubleheading. Maybe with CP’s
4-6-4 (oilfired) 2816 with it’s Royal Canadian fleet. Background: Tom Payne was/is
the the owner. He bought it from a musuem in the States (I can’t recall which one) a few
years ago. It was in good condition then , but he spent considrable $ bringing it up to snuff, with the intention of using it in excursions in Alberta I believe. Tom founded the
Central Western Railway out of Stettler Alberta in the '80’s on an X-Canadian Northern
X Candian National line , which eventually ended up in the RailAmerica empire. He’s
been trying to force “open access” on the CN to no avail, which is another story. On the
Central Western he brought up an X-Mississipian X Frisco 2-8-0 to power a dinner
train which still runs.He has had the 2100 up for sale for a few years , don’t know
why his excursion plans fall through, but suspect the timing was bad due to skyrocketing insurance premiums. Be interesting to know if he still owns it or is leasing it out.
Ron
Thanks for the info, I finally got a photo of the 2100, what a great looking locomotive. Did this loco ever make it to Alberta?? It seems a lot of the Canadian steam locomotives ended up in the U.S. Strange how this engine ended up in Canada. Is it really moving or is this speculation, should I go down by the tracks and wait for it to go by just yet???
wish it would sneak down through ohio on its way west. the reason why it was switched to oil is that california and other western states enacted laws for steam locos to be oil burners to prevent forest fires. i saw that on an rfd tv show about up steamers.
stay safe
Joe
While we are on the subject, Can someone explain just what is involved in a coal / oil conversion. Thanks.
It is supposed to leave St Thomas on or about June 7. Sorry Joe-it will probably stay in Canada all the way to Vancouver. It looks like it will operate on Tacoma Rail’s former Milwaukee Road Track. This September it will be 60 years since it was rebuilt from 2-8-0 2045.