I recently had the chance to see Southern 1401 in the Smithsonian (it's terribly hard to photograph - this is one of the best I got). I sounded to me like the air compressors were running - could it be that they were using compressed air to run them? It made the engine sound very "alive", and I don't think it was simply a recording. Nice effect, although if they're running day-in and day-out I wonder if it's worth wearing them out for no reason other than to sound cool.
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I would guess it was an audio track. Too much maintainence otherwise.
It would make no sense to run the air pumps, a good part if not all of the airbrake system would have to be tight and leak free, plus the air pumps need constant lubrication from the lubricator via the supply line.
Rusty
That's what I thought, but if that's the case they sure had me fooled. The compressor sound was coming from the correct location, and it sounded like there were air leaks coming from a source other than the compressor sound, but you can't get to the fireman's side to see if they were actually working.
It is a recording. Just for sh*ts and giggles, I've always wondered what kind of shape it in in mechanically.
It is a carefully placed recording with a variety of sounds. I have not seen the engine in over 20 years and noticed the barrier and other small changes in the photos above.
If I remember correctly, they made the engine 100%, drove it to a spot and then trucked it into the wall itself before jacking it into place on the rail inside the room. I would reckon it will take very little (Relatively...) to get it running. A big concern will be the axles and frame. It has been sitting still so long I don't know if unfreezing them will be possible.
It is a difficult engine to photograph. The space it is in is rather large, but not big enough for regular lens. But what do I know?
I have enjoyed that Museum you should also be able to see the engine from the outside through the large windows on the building at the street.
Thanks for the info. Believe me, I tried to get photos from outside. The UV-protective glass makes it impossible to see in.
It is a carefully placed recording with a variety of sounds. I have not seen the engine in over 20 years and noticed the barrier and other small changes in the photos above.
If I remember correctly, they made the engine 100%, drove it to a spot and then trucked it into the wall itself before jacking it into place on the rail inside the room. I would reckon it will take very little (Relatively...) to get it running. A big concern will be the axles and frame. It has been sitting still so long I don't know if unfreezing them will be possible.
It is a difficult engine to photograph. The space it is in is rather large, but not big enough for regular lens. But what do I know?
I have enjoyed that Museum you should also be able to see the engine from the outside through the large windows on the building at the street.
There's pictures on page 38 in the Winter 2009 Classic Trains magazine showing parts of the move.
The 1401 was towed/shoved to it's trucking location. Locomotive and tender were moved separately.
Bill Withun's article is fascinating reading. I'm summarizing from the article.
The 1393 was originally chosen, but the 1401 was found to be in slightly better shape. The 1401 was towed to a siding in Southern's Henry Street yard in Alexandria, VA February 1953 and sat.
The 1401 deteriorated, sitting on the siding with paint fading and rust beginning to show. It was later towed into a nearby wharehouse for protection.
Ground breaking for the museum's Railroad Hall occured in 1959.
Exterior restoration of the 1401 began in 1961, on a siding next to a truck repair and body shop. The Southern provided advisers and foot the entire bill.
The tender was completed on October 30, 1961 and was moved to the museum by rail and flatbed truck. It was in place by November 13. The locomotive was finished on November 8, 1961, but didn't make it into the museum until December 8. It took 10 hours at night to move the locomotive 2 miles using a heavy-duty 50 wheeled tractor-trailer.
The 1401 was officially dedicated at the museum June 1962. It rests on a pre-stressed concrete bridge built into the museum basement and floor, rather than just a track on the floor.
Rusty
Spencer Shops anticipated that Ps-4 #1393 would be selected for the Smithsonian and since they already had put it in top notch shape mechanically and cosmetically for the Rowan County Centennial, it was in the Yard at Spencer dressed up and ready to go to D.C.when the word came down that #1401 would be the choice.
Many Historians, including those in the SRHA, believe that because #1401 was the only lead Locomotive in President Roosevelt's Funeral Train to fly the American Flag enroute to Washington it was considered more "historic".
The trailer hauling #1401 at night broke an axle under the Engine's load and that was just one of the difficulties along with the ornery Washington City officials who balked at the first route and made the rigger place steel plates on the streets.
Interestingly, it was a Banker, not a Historian or Railway Official, that suggested saving a Southern steam engine.
So what beacame of the 1393?
Ed Mullan
So what beacame of the 1393?
Ed Mullan
Ash trays for airplanes!
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