Steam & Excursion > GSMR Announces Restoration of Southern 722

Saw on Facebook that the Great Smokey Mountains Railway has started on restoring Southern 2-8-0 722 and confirmed it'll be converted from coal to oil burning and that they plan to keep the engine in the green and gold paint. 

Excellent

That is very good news.  Conversion of coal burners to oil is the way of the future, sad is it may be.

TrackGuy

That is great news. On my fireplace mantel I have a small piicture of my sister and myself in the cab taken in 1997 when we visited the area. 

Now if we had great news on the future of the connecting line to the outside things would be great.

Out 

they plan to keep the engine
> in the green and gold paint. 

What’s the fascination with inaccurate paint schemes?

Posted from iPhone

Worthington_S_A Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> they plan to keep the engine
> > in the green and gold paint. 
>
> What’s the fascination with inaccurate paint
> schemes?
>
> Posted from iPhone

But is it really inaccurate given that it was painted green and gold while owned and operated by the Southern?

bmoore765 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Worthington_S_A Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > they plan to keep the engine
> > > in the green and gold paint. 
> >
> > What’s the fascination with inaccurate paint
> > schemes?
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> But is it really inaccurate given that it was
> painted green and gold while owned and operated by
> the Southern?

They never operated an excursion on the Murphy Branch. 722 did run in freight colors on said line for many years before being sold the the ET&WNC.

Worthington_S_A Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bmoore765 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Worthington_S_A Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > they plan to keep the engine
> > > > in the green and gold paint. 
> > >
> > > What’s the fascination with inaccurate
> paint
> > > schemes?
> > >
> > > Posted from iPhone
> >
> > But is it really inaccurate given that it was
> > painted green and gold while owned and operated
> by
> > the Southern?
>
> They never operated an excursion on the Murphy
> Branch. 722 did run in freight colors on said
> line for many years before being sold the the
> ET&WNC.

Very true if the goal is to re-create the appearance of 722’s Murphy Branch service. However, I’d still maintain that the green scheme is historically accurate for the locomotive itself.

Just thinking about this conversion issue, how is this Green Energy thing going to work for steam locos. While everyone is being told that they must give up their internal combustion engine for the latest unafordable EV, steam locos will be allowed to continue using fossil fuels? Now don't start flaming me I was just trying to point out what some segments of society and government are going too far too fast. Eventually somebody may/will bring this up if they truly want the Green agenda.
CR

Maybe we'll be rid of this lunatic administration by then and we can go out and buy a new gas stove to celebrate.
Worry about the paint later, look forward to her in service.
Volungteer or contract work?

Perhaps they will put solar panels on the locomotive and tender to create steam? I agree with you that the government in particular is pushing the "green" energy business too far and too fast. This technology is not "ready for prime time". For example if you want to power your home by only solar, you're going to need a bank of lithium batteries to get you through the night. Has anyone seen videos of lithium battery fires? I sure wouldn't
t want a bunch of those in my house!
WM1977 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just thinking about this conversion issue, how is
> this Green Energy thing going to work for steam
> locos. While everyone is being told that they must
> give up their internal combustion engine for the
> latest unafordable EV, steam locos will be allowed
> to continue using fossil fuels? Now don't start
> flaming me I was just trying to point out what
> some segments of society and government are going
> too far too fast. Eventually somebody may/will
> bring this up if they truly want the Green
> agenda.
> CR

As I've said:  The global energy-thing does not pivot on how
'Green' the US of A is:  our population in minescule, compared
to 3.5 Bilion people between China & India.

We could ALL be 100% "Green" consumers of energy...it would
be the veritable drop in the "ocean" of the rest of the world's population
numbers and their immense "ecological load" on the earth's bio-systems.

Also, the mere handful of operating steam locos is mathematically 
insignificant, compared to the Billions of internal-combustion engines 
operating at instant of time, world wide.

Parking all the steamers would not affect the critical areas needed
to allow the eath's ecosystem to re-balance back to sustainability.
Until the human race is reduced in numbers, not much is gong to
reduce the impending disaster, once we go over "the Edge"...

We've got under 40 years to complete the change-over and away from 
carbon fueled internal combustion engines.  Hydrogen fueled engines
only add H2O to the atmosphere.  Hydrogen cars simply burn hydrogen 
by chemically bonding to oxygen --- that's IT!
We can keep our car engines, etc.
Problem Solved.  

( However, Exxon/Mobil doesn't have a way to 
profit from it....so, change ain't gonna' happen, very quickly..)

If we convert to mainly hydrogen fueled engines.... you solve many 
problems simultaneously.  Diesel fuel will be needed for the heavier hauling.
But the numbers of diesel fueled engines is not a significant number.

The few carbon fueled steam locos stil remain as an insignificant factor
in earth's ecology... But, historically significant and educational.

Going to immense numbers of battery powered cars simply moves
the pollutants source to the increased outputs at fossil fueled 
power plants... keeping billions of batteries charged!

W.
 

Well the % of the world population point is a classic straw man argument. Yes, the US may only be whatever % of world population but look at what % of world resources, in this case energy, we consume! Far more than our mere % of world population.

I do not know what the best solution is; that’s way above my pay grade. But I do believe there is a problem and burying our head in the sand and pretending it doesn’t exist isn’t a solution.

I’m grateful they are restoring the locomotive to operation. I’ve seen the 4501 and 630 at the TVRR. I’d be curious to see 4501 in the green, but looking to seeing this engine in Southern Green. Let’s just be grateful it’s being restored.

Randy in PHX

Posted from iPhone