Santa Fe 2926 first steam is today.

Marker was kind enough to send me a phone photo.  What a fine day this is!

Great news Maybe MTH will get recordings to update their 2900-class Locomotives.

Number 90 posted:

Marker was kind enough to send me a phone photo.  What a fine day this is!

Hey I sent that photo to him  Sorry Tom I forgot to send it to you. Demerits?

She is off life support and now breathing on her own again after 63 years..... ATSF 2926

It lopks as it has roller bearings.  Was that original, or added latter.

Laidoffsick posted:

Number 90 posted:

Marker was kind enough to send me a phone photo.  What a fine day this is!

Hey I sent that photo to him  Sorry Tom I forgot to send it to you. Demerits?

None needed.  Thanks.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

It lopks as it has roller bearings.  Was that original, or added latter.

Added around 1948. Seems like a big expense, I doubt the Santa Fe ever got a full return on the investment. She was laid up in 1953. 

I thought the boiler was the biggest expense.  You restored the boiler and skipped the parts that would allow it to run?

When the roller bearing rods were applied some of the drive wheels had to be changed also.  They did not match after the rods were changed.

I think eldodroptop meant a big expense to Santa Fe while the engine was in service, not to the restoration group.  But the payback is speculative and subject to a different opinion.

Changing the drivers probably improved the balance--this motive was very common as steam technology matured.  Many older engines had their main drivers (at least) replaced with more modern, more balanced wheels in an effort to reduce dynamic augment.  The change was very probably worth the effort/expense because of reduced maintenance, improve fuel economy, and greater ability to apply tractive effort and horsepower to the train rather than the engine.

The resulting appearance was often striking but sometimes comical.