Glad I read pretty far down the list, because my main reason for pulling up this forum was to see if anyone had current information on 1361.
Last October the bride and I visited the three holy places in Pennsylvania:Altoona (Heritage Museum and Horse Shoe Curve), Strasburg (RR and State Museum) and Scranton, Steamtown. While in Altoona we took the Three Rivers from Altoona over The Curve and overnighted in Johnstown, returning the following morning. The folks at the Heritage Museum were good enough to let us park in their lot which adjoins the Altoona station overnight. On our return I thanked the folks at the Museum and mentioned on our way home we'd stop in Scranton They asked me to let them know how things were comming on 1361; they had heard it was "progressing".
Well it is. What was just a fire box in 2003 is now a fire box with boiler attached. The drivers have been reworked off site and returned in readiness for mounting on the engine. The tender has been almost completely returned to operating condition. I understand the chap who had been in charge of the restoration had recently been replaced and it was thought the pace of restoration would pick up. I have a dozen or so stills I shot when we toured the shop, but alas, my equipment and expertise do not allow putting them on the web.
Surfice it to say, in my completely unskilled opinion we're talking 2011 at the earliest before 1361 fires up and heads west back home to Altoona.
If someone from the Heritage Museum reads this and has the expertise and equipment they may be able to put the photos on the web, as I sent them a set.
Hope springs eternal, but until then I guess I'll just have to watch Mark Balkin's recording of the original "restoration" and run bys.
Best regards,
Rodger