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  • Conway Scenic Railroad (CSRX) discussion thread

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

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 #1573108  by b&m 1566
 
100 year old locomotive equals 100 year old parts, you can't just order parts and have them delivered in a few weeks on something that old. There might be a spare bolster that would fit that tender but you have to know where to look and who to contact, all of that may take time. Maybe one could be manufactured, but going that route probably won't be cheap. If they go that route, would they be better off having two built, to replace the one that hasn't cracked? I won't be surprised if 7470 is out of service for a couple of years, I have to believe getting 252 back up and running will be a bigger priority.
 #1573253  by p42thedowneaster
 
Hope they are able to repair the current tender trucks. Those AAR-looking trucks are awesome.

I would think 7470 would be the priority over 252. 216 seems pretty solid, and 1751 and 4266 are usually available.

I think this is going to be a crazy busy summer by the looks of it and 7470 will make it spectacular.
 #1573323  by gokeefe
 
p42thedowneaster wrote:Hope they are able to repair the current tender trucks. Those AAR-looking trucks are awesome.

I would think 7470 would be the priority over 252. 216 seems pretty solid, and 1751 and 4266 are usually available.

I think this is going to be a crazy busy summer by the looks of it and 7470 will make it spectacular.
Seems unlikely to be the case to me as the diesel engines are what keep the wheels turning for the whole business.

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 #1573335  by p42thedowneaster
 
gokeefe wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:33 pm Seems unlikely to be the case to me as the diesel engines are what keep the wheels turning for the whole business.

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The 573/4266 combo or 1751 solo seems to run pretty well on the mountain if need be. Plus they have 4268 and 1741 joining the team in a relatively short time frame. Worst case scenario I'm sure they could rent out a locomotive from SLR or Pan Am for a bit. Personally from what I've heard the GP35 has been a better performer than the GP38. It might be nice to try out a different model like a GP40 or B40-8 or even cooler, a modified F40PH.

With the above engines at or above 3000HP, you could even downgrade 252 into a cab/slug which would look awesome. Even 216 could pair with it for added traction on wet rail days or just to provide the crew with better visibility.

Seems like the days of set in stone schedules are gone by the way...If nothing else steam and millie could run valley trains and whatever else is running could hit the mountain and then hit the valley later in the day.
 #1573370  by b&m 1566
 
7470 is a luxury, a nice to have but they don't need it. They do need 252 or another engine with dynamic brakes and considering its history with the Mountain Division and the fact the railroad already confirmed they will repair it, I'm willing to bet we will see 252 up and running before we see the 7470 return to service. The frustrating thing about these two major break downs, is that it will probably keep pushing out the start of 501's restoration.
 #1573396  by shadyjay
 
b&m 1566 wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 10:51 am 7470 is a luxury, a nice to have but they don't need it. They do need 252 or another engine with dynamic brakes and considering its history with the Mountain Division and the fact the railroad already confirmed they will repair it, I'm willing to bet we will see 252 up and running before we see the 7470 return to service. The frustrating thing about these two major break downs, is that it will probably keep pushing out the start of 501's restoration.
Agree 100%. Conway isn't known for running steam power regularly (unlike Essex). They have gone nearly 5 years in the past without steam running and it hasn't appeared to have hurt their business. 252 is needed, for sure. In the grand scheme of things, a bolster for the tender isn't the end of the world, but it does push things back in the queue, including 501.
 #1573403  by NHV 669
 
Jonathan wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:26 pm But you don't think that the new owner wouldn't want to get the steam engine running for this year? He has proved time and time again that he thinks about the railfans too.
As was pointed out above, it's not like this is a readily available part for a century-old locomotive. We're almost into mid-June already, shop space and priority are also a factor, as 4266/4268 seem close to operating as a pair again.

At the end of the day, CSRX is a for-profit business, whatever needs the least amount of cost and labor to be serviceable will come first, especially with power.
 #1573409  by b&m 1566
 
Jonathan wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:26 pm But you don't think that the new owner wouldn't want to get the steam engine running for this year? He has proved time and time again that he thinks about the railfans too.
A disappointment for sure, he's probably more disappointed than the rest of us, the time and money that they've invested into that engine, only to have this happen is a gut punch and to add salt to the wound the engine turned 100 and it can't be celebrated to it's full potential. But business, is business you have to leave your emotions at the door, they have other factors at play that makes this railroad move, spending time and money on an engine that is a pure joy and luxury for them, doesn't make sense when that have other pressing issues to address first.
 #1574297  by CSRR573
 
So again thanks to Facebook, it seems the Rhonda Lee is OOS as well due to the fact the the new owner tried to put her into the roundhouse the wrong way and damaged the dome. Also thanks to Facebook there seems to be a mass exodus of long time csrr employees leaving lately
 #1574453  by b&m 1566
 
Tomorrow is the inaugural run for regular train service to and from Sawyer River. While it is nice to see something new on their schedule, I'm noticing a big void in the afternoon as all departures are in the morning, with the Sawyer River Excursion being the last daily departure at 1230 in the afternoon (excluding July 6th). I am surprised by this schedule, there is a lot of foot and car traffic in N. Conway in the afternoons that they are missing out on. The Sawyer River excursion is two hours and 10/15 minutes long, that means the train is back by 2:40/2:45. You would think 1 or 2 departures to Conway in the late afternoon would be a given, especially since it appears there will not be a dinner train this year.
 #1574455  by NHV 669
 
With the fleet running short at the moment, perhaps lessening the workload on the high hoods? Definitely agree they're missing out on extra dollars, don't the Conway runs sell well?
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