UP 844 under steam

Here we go in 3.......2........1........

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

That's good news, and I will admit that it comes as a bit of a surprise.   I wasn't sure just how serious the U.P. was in getting back to steam operation.

Paul Fischer

All the nay sayers and critics of the new steam crew now have to eat crow.  Ed does know what he is doing and it has a beautiful rebuild and it runs.  HA

I'm suprised there's no video of this. Certainly that would end the debate once and for all.

Without it , some may not be completely convinced.

There is video. It just isn't public- yet. Reputable people have seen it. Apparently much more has been accomplished behind the scenes. Tender?  Where and when was it repaired and repainted. It was nowhere in sight when I toured the steam shop and roundhouse with the NMRA a year ago.  At Depot days last month it was guarded behind the ropes conveniently wrapped in shrink wrap. Apparently the FRA inspectors have given their OK too. I'm sure Ed still has a lot to do before July 23. I wish them good luck. 

My dome seats on the Denver Post Dispatch Excursion from Denver to Cheyenne and back are looking sweeter by the day. Go UP 844!!!

Ugh...disturbing quote..." blowing out dirt and scale from the cylinder cocks." I hope that's just "journalist-ese" and not actual fact. As you were; resume popcorn consumption.

Firewood posted:

Ugh...disturbing quote..." blowing out dirt and scale from the cylinder cocks." I hope that's just "journalist-ese" and not actual fact. As you were; resume popcorn consumption.

Firewood

I also did a double take when I read that.  I certainly hope they had the cylinder heads off when they first opened the throttle.  The "red steam" doesn't make it out the cylinder cocks very well.

Official website link

http://www.up.com/aboutup/comm...team_update_june2016

Official Union Pacific Video

https://youtu.be/7bwzRBGPOdU

ironlake2 posted:

All the nay sayers and critics of the new steam crew now have to eat crow. 

Nah, they'll just say it wasn't done correctly...

Keep the sniping and childish comments out of this thread or I'll close this one, too.

Stick with the facts.

Ed Dickens, Union Pacific’s senior manager – Heritage Operations, said the locomotive reassembly is nearing completion. “We’ve gone from a boiler to an operating locomotive in a matter of weeks.”

With a successful hydrostatic inspection of No. 844 under their belt, the team confirmed the unit’s pressure vessel is sound. “There were no issues with the hydrostatic inspection,” Dickens said. “The inspectors present were very pleased with the professionalism and craftsmanship exhibited by the staff. It was a nice end to that part of the work.”

The team has moved on to testing No. 844 with steam. When the locomotive reached full pressure, Jimmy Thompson, boiler maker, was the first person to blow the whistle. “The whistle came to life,” Dickens said. “And at that moment the City of Cheyenne could hear – No. 844 is back.”

I'm hardly an expert on the legalities of modern steam operations, but my understanding was by the time a restoration got to this level, that usually means the boiler had already been signed off on. Is that correct?

Makes me wonder how long it'd take to get the jacketing back on and everything in place for road testing (which I assume they'd want to take her out a little just to make sure there are no bugs to resolve).

Odd there wasn't anything online on the day this happened as it couldn't possibly have been a secret (as the news story stated, the town of Cheyenne must have been aware that 844 was under steam when they blew the whistle).

We've got two threads about the 844 running right now.

To eliminate confusion, I'm going to close this one. Please make future posts about the 844 in THIS THREAD.