boatsmate wrote:Does Booth bay have the facilities to rework something that size?? or would they look to someone like Dave Conrad at the Valley do the work in their shop where they have the experience rebuilding steam engines... (See the 3025)
Boothbay has the equipment, the knowledge base and the expertise to do the job, as well as the experience. They can definitely accomplish the task, it's more a question of "where."
[DISCLAIMER! What follows is SPECULATION AND GUESSWORK on the part of this poster! DO NOT TAKE FOR NOSTRADAMUS!]
Regarding the
size of the engine as well as it's location, I would not foresee the thing being trucked all the way to Damariscota, although it's certainly not impossible. I wold think it more likely the locomotive would be housed somewhere closer to the G&U (do they have warehouse-sized space on-line? ) My guess is they would set up a temporary facility at such a place and do the tear-down work there, possibly, but not necessarily transporting the boiler itself and any smaller components to Damariscota as necessary.
While The Valley, Dave, et all have the experience, knowledge etc, as well as a spacious facility to do the work in, their shop, (as spacious as it is,) is just barely big enough for the Valley do do everything it wants to do in it for the foreseeable future. Their own projects have, or will have the floor space "booked" well into the future. Again, not "impossible," but far less likely.
That does not, however, mean that some Valley guys wouldn't be called in to help on the project, or that some parts wouldn't go there for refurb, but keep in mind that The Valley sends things like drive wheels and other parts out to either Scranton or Strasburg or other places often enough. Wouldn't make much sense to send something to the Valley that they would normally send out themselves. Again, this is all speculation. We'll just have to wait and see what actually transpires, if anything.
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