ATSF 2926 gets help from an octogenarian

I don't think you have to worry about the knowledge being lost. There may just be less people who possess the knowledge.

There will always be small groups of people who keep ancient or obsolete technology alive. There are still people who know how to make chain mail or tan leather with deer brains or blacksmith iron. Maybe not too many people know how to do these things, but the knowlege is still being passed down--just as it's being passed down in the world of steam locomotives.

Steve,

Yes, the knowledge might still exist in pockets spread around the world, but if it is not readily available when needed it is just as if it had been forgotten.  This is a case where it just walked in off the street.  Most fortuitous!  In either case the rods would have been put back on, and a few backs and knuckles were saved.

Jan

Jan, since I don't get the newsletter mentioned, I have no understanding of your specific case. I guess you're referring to wedges on the drive rods? Lots of knowledge about steam locomotives can be gleaned just by working on the stuff--just how kids in the 50s figured out how to soup up their cars by opening the hood and just seeing how stuff worked.

Steve,

My apologies.  I had thought that I had uploaded the newsletter.

In the fifties every kid worked on cars and knew someone with specific knowledge.  How many really work on cars today?  The community of knowledgeable steam locomotive mechanics is getting smaller.    Their knowledge will be lost unless it can be documented.

The wedges were used to make very small adjustments to the alignment of the drivers.

Jan