southern 4501 last therad for weekend

[dpfan1]

dear all trainz fans i am posting my last theard for the weekend i wont post untill sunday night. anyway my thread is about the sourthern 4501. about its apperence on tv and passenger runs. this is my last theard for the weekend. thanks for being so kind and happy easter. DANNY PHANTOM FAN 1.

 

[SR6900]

She's real sad right now...

This is how she's been for nearly half a year now, occasionally moved to make room for something else. I, and others at TVRM, wish we'd at least put the jacket and stuff back on her...

I've seen her running several times as a young child, but her last year of service was when I was 5, so I do have some limited memories of her in service. She's the locomotive that started my fascination, the locomotive that got me into the hobby, and the locomotive that inspired the dream that I'm living now, a steam locomotive fireman at TVRM. Though, I'm firing 610 and soon 630, it's still the one of the best decisions that I've made in my life, and one of the most fun things I can do (yes, shoveling coal can be quite fun).

My oldest memories are of her in the Virginia green and gold trim paint scheme, my most fond memory of her, was the first time I saw her dressed in black. She was to pull the Autumn Leaf Special to Trion, GA, and back, in, I guess, 1996. For a 3 year old kid who always remembered her as the "Green Engine" (and at the time, completely unaware of the significance), the change didn't quite go over well...

 

[jadebullet]

Man, that thing, and four and a quarter are two of the most beautiful steamers still running. (425 is the Blue R&N pacific.)

 

[SR6900]

I wish she was still running, that top pic shows how she looks now.

 

[dpfan1]

i wish that NS wont not cut their steam program. then the 4501,1218 and 611 would be still runining.

 

[joneau]

i wish that NS wont not cut their steam program. then the 4501,1218 and 611 would be still runining.

So you're saying you wished they did?

In seriousness, it's hard to say how the steam program would have gone had they not pulled the plug on it in 1994. Heck, with Gettysburg the following year and the new steam regulations in 2001, plus increasing insurance rates would have made them squeeze back on something. My bet would be that it would become like Union Pacific does with running their engines all around their trackage, but not for the general public (and railfans) to ride behind. As the Great Dismal Swamp accident resulted in NS imposing a 45mph speed restriction on all steam engines, it's hard to say if they could justify keeping all three engines around well below their full potential. As the program went through engines like nobody's business, one has to wonder what would happen.

Though the 45mph limit wouldn't really affect 4501 as that is its top speed. Someone bring that up to NS...

 

[brian1993]

She's real sad right now...
I, and others at TVRM, wish we'd at least put the jacket and stuff back on her...

You wish? What's preventing/delaying that from happening?

 

[jadebullet]

Probably because some work still needs to be done on the boiler or something. I love how they painted it red underneath the jacket.

 

[SR6900]

You wish? What's preventing/delaying that from happening?

Permission, shop space, etc.
A lot of work is being done on the passenger fleet (5 or 6 cars currently getting work), so much that several cars aren't even inside the shop. Main focus is on SOU 630 (by paid employees) and SOU 6914 (by volunteers).

Probably because some work still needs to be done on the boiler or something. I love how they painted it red underneath the jacket.

Boiler survey was completed end of summer 2009, results not horrible so I hear, even if it was perfect, she's just not a financially smart move. It wouldn't even have happened had someone not donated the money for it.

Just the standard industrial strength primer so we could free up space in the shop without the boiler rusting.


I'd love to see a restoration to operation, but that's IMHO very unlikely in the near future. Maybe when 630's out, we'll throw her back together for display, but you never know... they (the administration) won't tell us a thing regarding what's planned for her... (if there even is a plan)

I think she'll be reassembled at least for her 100th (and museum's 50th) birthday next year. (that's an opinion, not fact) I just wish she was to relieve herself of the tons of false rumors I've heard about her. (If you hear one, it's more than likely false, don't help spread them)

 

[Klinger]

It all takes money....

 

[D9007_Pinza]

Too right Klinger. It all takes money.... along with time, materials, manpower and space, but money is what it all seems to come down to in the end...

SR6900, I must say she does look somewhat sad, but it could be all the more worse.

 

[Klinger]

I actually disagree.

The cab has a fresh glossy paint. The Boiler has a good coat of bright primer. The Smokebox has no rust, there is a cover over the stack. If you ask me, she looks great for a restoration project!!

Far better then what 318 looks like. I can't wait until we get a cosmetic restoration going on her. But we have too many projects ahead of her right now.

 

[SR6900]

Well, she looked great until we stripped her down for the boiler survey in Fall 2008.

This is how she was before...

 

[simulatortrain]

It is true that NS was there though, is it not? I was told that by someone who heard directly from a NS employee.

 

[SR6900]

The thing that stirred the NS involvement rumors was a brief absence of view of the 611 at VMT, around the same time we started the survey on the '01. People put two and two together and dreamed up this big scheme that the steam program was coming back. Nothing was proven to be true. The donor for the survey was completely anonymous, more than likely it will remain that way.

Note for the future, a buddy of a buddy isn't usually the most reliable source in the world...

 

[simulatortrain]

The thing that stirred the NS involvement rumors was a brief absence of view of the 611 at VMT, around the same time we started the survey on the '01. People put two and two together and dreamed up this big scheme that the steam program was coming back. Nothing was proven to be true. The donor for the survey was completely anonymous, more than likely it will remain that way.

Note for the future, a buddy of a buddy isn't usually the most reliable source in the world...

I've heard this from several reliable sources (organizations/news) in various forms. I know the 611 rumours came from the absence of the surveys. The 4501 I read on many of these places was confirmed and by NS that someone had visited.

 

[RooRocz]

What the hell is a therad?

 

[simulatortrain]

What the hell is a therad?

Actually in his post he says it's a theard.

 

[SR6900]

I've heard this from several reliable sources (organizations/news) in various forms. I know the 611 rumours came from the absence of the surveys. The 4501 I read on many of these places was confirmed and by NS that someone had visited.

One may wonder if NS was curious (after all, they say if anyone would start the steam program back up, it'd be Wick), I give you high doubts that they were there, it's not a one day process, nor a one week process. She was in the shop for nearly a year.

Well, actually we have several people around that work for NS, but that doesn't mean they did anything... There's also a major yard a few blocks away, but they're too worried about what's going on there. What I'm saying is just because someone is around works for a major railroad doesn't mean they're doing anything related to our projects or inspecting our stuff unless we plan on sending it off (i.e. one long-time member of NS management has a private car he works on quite often at the shop...).

 

[dpfan1]

One may wonder if NS was curious (after all, they say if anyone would start the steam program back up, it'd be Wick), I give you high doubts that they were there, it's not a one day process, nor a one week process. She was in the shop for nearly a year.

Well, actually we have several people around that work for NS, but that doesn't mean they did anything... There's also a major yard a few blocks away, but they're too worried about what's going on there. What I'm saying is just because someone is around works for a major railroad doesn't mean they're doing anything related to our projects or inspecting our stuff unless we plan on sending it off (i.e. one long-time member of NS management has a private car he works on quite often at the shop...).

yea if NS did revive there steam program they can restore 1361 to steam and run on the horseshoe curve route. because the ex PRR line is part of ns.