Steam & Excursion > Fillmore & Western steam other than Sespe

On the F&W web site there were photos of a steam engine being restored, but with no information. I wondered if they were going to have two operating, or just replace the one they were using at the time. Then, after "Seabiscuit," they got rid of the one they were using...
What's their future plan? Seems like movie companies would like something available other than "that funny red one" and diesels.

The engine used in Seabiscuit is owned by Boulder Scientific in Colo. They decided to take the engine and other cars back home after some financial fallings out with FW. The engine on the website was purchased by the FW prior to the 51 leaving, it came from a field somewhere in Kansas. It was dragged around dry, which ruined the brass and axles, has some boiler problems, a coal burner which they want to convert to fuel oil, the tender is scrap, the tender frame is in the shape of an S. Other than that, it's in great shape. By now some parts that wre taken off and left on the ground are most likely gone, having been thrown out in a yard cleaning frenzy. How do I know all this, I used to work there and shook my head many a time when I heard this thing would be running in 6 months.

cs16 Wrote:
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> The engine used in Seabiscuit is owned by Boulder
> Scientific in Colo.

Great Western #51 is the locomotive, stored at Mead CO at this time.

I always heard it was owned by Dr. John Birmingham, who apparently owns Boulder Scientific.

tolland Wrote:
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> cs16 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The engine used in Seabiscuit is owned by
> Boulder
> > Scientific in Colo.
>
> Great Western #51 is the locomotive, stored at
> Mead CO at this time.
>
> I always heard it was owned by Dr. John
> Birmingham, who apparently owns Boulder
> Scientific.
>
>
>You are correct.
I always enjoyed being around this engine, especially 1 particular Santa Claus train we ran down to the mainline at Montalvo, called an amtrak surfliner leaving Oxnard, they slowed way down going by the west leg of the wye and all you saw was faces plastered against the windows. Steamjocky and myself made her sound off real good a couple of times, just as a steam engine is supposed to sound, in the corner and throttle out.

When I was up at the F & W earlier this summer, their other steamer (non-Sespe) was still in pieces with the wheel set (2-8-0 ?) sitting separate from the frame/boiler. Can't find my pictures right now. I vaguely remember one of the workers saying it's been sitting like that for a few years. Kinda sad, but at least there's still hope !!!

Mike

mikel Wrote:
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> When I was up at the F & W earlier this
> summer, their other steamer (non-Sespe) was still
> in pieces with the wheel set (2-8-0 ?) sitting
> separate from the frame/boiler. Can't find my
> pictures right now. I vaguely remember one of the
> workers saying it's been sitting like that for a
> few years. Kinda sad, but at least there's still
> hope !!!
>
> Mike


Well like so many other 'projects' at the FW, seems like there is always time to tear somenting apart, or should I say, start to tear something apart, but there is no time to complete anything. They have a lot of unique equipment, just not managed very well.
Oh Well...

This was taken on July 4, 1994 at Fillmore. I think this is the engine that was transported to Colorado.

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nycman Wrote:
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> This was taken on July 4, 1994 at Fillmore. I
> think this is the engine that was transported to
> Colorado.


It is. (sigh) I kinda miss the old 51.


steamjocky