Is it Likely that the UP 9000 will ever be restored? That would be pretty cool to see plying the rails of today. Could the Sacramento Train Museum restore it? If not, will ORHF up here in Portland, Oregon, home of the SP 4449 Restore it?
Who has the time? Who has the skills? Who has the MONEY ???
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I feel like it likely wontât be restored, at least for the years to come, as UP has 4014 and 844, and while it is not in UPâs possesion as of 2022 (donated to RRHMA), UP 3985 is still around, being restored, so as 9000 is the last of itâs kind, as far as Iâm aware, I am inclined to believe that it more than likely wonât be restored until later in the future, at least for now.
Iâd certainly rather see 9000 restored before 5511, but I doubt for a variety of reasons that would be likely. We already have a relatively unsung example of mid-Twenties three-cylinder power at the Franklin Institute that is well-preserved and at least in theory restorable to operation with far less work.
I do think that if 9000 has had the late âbeauty treatmentâ (disc mains, lighter rods, perhaps multiple valve gear) she would be capable of any practical PSR road speed insurance would permit.
I remain reasonably certain that some of the long-term concern with lost motion in âleverâ Gresley conjugating gear can be addressed. Of course equipping it with rolling-element caged bearings is the wrong approach (as I think Bulleid recognized) because the wear occurs over limited repeated arc of rotation â the same problem seen in preserved engines with roller bearings that move very little. I would suspect that proper Multirol needle bearings are a better alternative; you could also ratchet a roller-bearing cage to allow the rolls to slip when unloaded and distribute wear and tribology.
Amusingly the Australians âfixedâ progressive whip by using rotating shafts instead of levers⌠then lost the advantage by making those shafts so thin in relative section that they got torsional whip anyway. The fix for that is to use thin-wall larger-diameter shafts⌠for the reasons that gun-drilled or centrifugally-cast axles are better.
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Would her long, rigid wheelbase, even with blind drivers, preclude her from operation on most of todayâs track? I think that in todayâs climate, unless a restoration in sponsored or supported by a Class One, a cosmetic restoration is all that is needed, as it might have problems finding a place to run.
One issue is that brought up regarding Glazeâs use of stiff lateral compliance on the N&W J class: that some details of line and surface, notably around crossovers, have been âoptimizedâ around the characteristics of diesel-electric 6-wheel trucks, and this increases the risk of derailment. If anything this would be worse if the trucks involve radial steering, particularly without levers. There are now many locations (the east approaches to the Mississippi bridges in Memphis audibly illustrative) where short stretches have sharper curvature that would cause trouble for a long rigid wheelbase.
There is also the issue of self-guiding frogs with blind drivers, particularly with long rigid wheelbase and absence of modern lateral-motion devices.
I do not remember the critical curvature required for the early Nines, but I remember the curve through Ames mentioned as the tightest in practice that the engines would accommodate at road speed.
It probably wonât because ten driving wheels is enough for the rails to deal with that. Twelve driving wheels could risk it derailing.
It also probably might not happen after hearing about the failed SZD Class AA20, or as Train of Thought likes to call it âIgorâ.
Perhaps. I could see it being at least possible if UP ever decides to retire 844.
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UP probably wonât retire 844. Since theyâre trying to keep history of making sure 844 is the only steam locomotive to never be retired.
Thought both 844 and 3985 were sent to Silvas from UPâs Cheyenne steam shop.
It was 5511, a 2-10-2, that went to Silvis.
I remember reading a discussion somewhere years ago about restoring the 4-12-2. It was brought up that the territory it could run would be limited due to track realignments done after steam was gone.
It might be something nice to see in steam, but I doubt it would ever happen.
Jeff
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