@Dougklink posted:Interested in what exactly happened to it's "insides"? Saw it run in Chillicothe Ohio a while back and it was awesome.
Short version. In late 1991/early 1992, 1218 was torn down for an overhaul. Then plan (as of Spring 1994) was that 1218 would be back for the 1996 season. NS was planning for a flue extension for 611 in 1995, and then 1218 would return the following year. The engine was still in the torn down state when the plug was pulled on the steam program in the fall of 1994.
Here's the current state from what I've been told...
Running gear work is finished. Firebox was tack welded back in place. Would need finishing. Needs a front and/or rear tube sheet. This isn't a big deal--611 got a new rear sheet in 2014. Flues and tubes are gone. They would need replacing anyways. Less work to do. Superheaters are gone. This is probably the single most expensive thing to replace. A few appliances were sold at the auction. They can be replaced. The engine was reassembled to the point that it looked good cosmetically. A lot of extra parts were stored in a boxcar, which VMT has.
So if you want to run it. Finish the firebox work. Do your 1472. Cut and flange 2 sheets. Order tubes/flues and make new superheaters. Source a few appliances. There's probably a bit more, but it's not as bad as you think. The knowledge and people are out there to do the work. Oh...the biggest one...find some track where it can make enough money to justify doing the above work. Strasburg and Spencer are not viable options to justify the cost of rebuilding it.
In the meantime, it's protected. Visit the museum. Give a donation. Tomorrow may be a brighter day.
