Steam & Excursion > Reading T-1 2124

Steamtown has finally finished cosmetically restoring famous Reading T-1 2124 of Iron Horse Ramble fame. She looks great! Now if only they would install the rest of her rods.
Ed K.

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Ed K. cp Laurel Run

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So now we have two T-1's 2124 & 2102 on the Reading & Northern, if only they ran!
Ed K.

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I see she still has her jacket intact, which probably means she still has her asbestos lagging.

From what I've read, that's bad for a static display locomotive, as the lagging traps moisture and promotes
corrosion of the boiler shell.

I know she'll probably never steam again, but.........

I'm pretty sure asbestos removal was part of the restoration process.

Nice to see her looking good. Thanks for sharing Ed.

Yep, that's a new jacket, asbestos all gone!!
Ed K.

Great photos Ed; thank you so much for sharing them with all of us. Several years back in the late 1990's there was some talk about a complete restoration of this locomotive in Steamtown once the Boston & Main engine is finished. The reason why the 2124 was chosen is because it is the only T-1 left this is completely roller bearing and the fact that Steamtown does not have any engine to represent the Pennsylvania area (an engine that burned an Anthracite Coal mixture which is famous in that part of Pennsylvania). Have you heard anything about this?

Thanks.

John in White Marsh, Maryland

ClubCar Wrote:
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> Great photos Ed; thank you so much for sharing
> them with all of us. Several years back in the
> late 1990's there was some talk about a complete
> restoration of this locomotive in Steamtown once
> the Boston & Main engine is finished. The reason
> why the 2124 was chosen is because it is the only
> T-1 left this is completely roller bearing and the
> fact that Steamtown does not have any engine to
> represent the Pennsylvania area (an engine that
> burned an Anthracite Coal mixture which is famous
> in that part of Pennsylvania). Have you heard
> anything about this?
>
> Thanks.
>
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

Not a thing John.
Ed K.

She looks great. Will it be displayed outdoors or protected inside?

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

YG Wrote:
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> She looks great. Will it be displayed outdoors or
> protected inside?
>
> Steve Mitchell
> http://www.yardgoatimages.com


Ugh, she'll probably be left to sit in the parking
lot - again.

I don't get it - you drive to the Museum, get out of
your car and pay to get in the Museum only to discover
there's not much to see because it's all outside.

The plus side is you can actually SEE it when it's
outside but, really? - displayed in a parking lot?

I'd love to see everything inside in a stall AND -
AND, I say, occasionally brought outside on a
rotating schedule. Similar to what the IRM
does, so I've heard. Always a reason to come
back.

I thought the diesels with freight cars and caboose
looked nice in the parking lot. The main attractions
should not be relegated to the parking lot.

/Mitch


Oh - and nice pics, Ed! Thanks for sharing 'em!

Be grateful you can see anything. With the metal thieves out seeking targets 24/7, anything left outdoors is a sitting duck! Here at OERM we have to completely rethink what equipment CAN be left outdoors and what will be put indoors to offer some protection from the thieves. We have even had to limit access to the carbarns in some cases. It is a whole new ball game!

I think we should be fortunate that they even have actual trains outside on display...one day, I wouldn't be surprised to find that they're displaying holograms of the trains instead of the actual trains themselves... :(

Ed, is that your foamer mobile in the second photo?

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Just curious: I know that most things, steam trains included can be repaired with enough cash, but is there any Reasonable hope that this engine could run again?

Thanks in advance for any response,
Karl

From an official Steamtown NHS document from 2000:

Steamtown National Historic inquiries regarding the restoration of our Reading T-1 2124
locomotive, as well as other locomotives in the Steamtown NHS collection, that are similar
to the following:

“Since this locomotive is the only "Anthracite Roads" locomotive in your collection that can pull a train of any length up your hills, why isn't Reading No. 2124 being considered for restoration, and why is No. 759 being considered for restoration when it is reportedly in worse shape than 2124? PLEASE Respond. Thank You.”

In answer to these and other similar inquiries, we are posting our response on our Restoration web page. You are free to copy the following information but you may not distribute it without express written permission from Steamtown National Historic Site.

“September 24, 2000

It is our understanding that the locomotive (2124) was removed from service due to inspection (boiler interior) requirements and repairs. It, along with the other 2100s, were supposedly the best of the T-1's left, and the 2124 was the last T-1 to be out-shopped (a major shopping probably in 1955 or 1956, not the minor running repairs, inspections and paint before the Iron Horse Rambles) and the first to come out of “Rambles” service.< p> “Regarding your question about the condition of the RDG 2124 vs. NKP 759, the 2124 shows signs of high mileage, meaning that there are places where the machinery shows wear. Additionally, the Worthington feedwater heater presently on the locomotive was traded from another T-1 and is in poor shape. Lastly, the RDG 2124 has been stored outside for many years, and the degradation conditions are probably greater than the deterioration on the NKP 759’s flexible staybolts, caps & sleeves. This is a common condition on long-stored locomotive boilers. As the 2100s have an almost complete application of flexible staybolts, this would entail a very expensive change-out of the bolt, sleeve and cap. We generally estimate a 75% replacement of caps, sleeves and bolts when bringing a long-stored engine in for shopping. There are, of course, other unknowns (i.e., were the superheater units blown out thoroughly? etc.) It all amounts to time and money.
“As for the NKP 759, the mechanical condition is generally “good” with about 30,000 to 40,000 service miles of wear. The boiler has some problems, such as requiring a new set of superheater units, boiler tubes and a few other items. It is more of a known quantity than the RDG 2124.

“A mechanical engineering survey determined that the B&M 3713 can be restored with work well underway, and no other locomotive restoration will be undertaken until the B&M 3713 is completed. It does not mean that the RDG 2124 is not a candidate for possible operation. But in reality, it will be a number of years in the future, as there are no current plans for this restoration. The funding to both shop and maintain any restored locomotive “in-service” with the additional shop forces and materials that would be required to support the restored locomotive are unavailable at present. Our shop force is stretched tight to maintain and perform class repairs to the present power “in-service”. Additionally, no one has come forward to donate a few hundred thousand dollars to start the ball rolling, or sponsor a locomotive restoration as the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Chapter of the NRHS has done with the B&M 3713.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/12 09:44 by davew833.