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PRR8157 — PRR D16sb no. 461
Published: 2012-08-15 18:19:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 892; Favourites: 17; Downloads: 18
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Description
Number 461 in the early 1920s era. Exposure tweaked 5/24/21.Related content
Comments: 4
The Pennsylvania Railroad was the pinnacle of all American railroading to my mind, and was once a source of pride of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, my home, once a cornerstone of America's industrial powerhouses. The wealth and spending of the railroad once exceeded that of the budget of the US federal government, it had four track mainlines utilizing the heaviest available rail, it built many of its own steam locomotives at its own works, and employed on many of them the Belpaire firebox, a rarity in North America. I should love to see them get out 1223 again and send her on former Pennsy metals to run excursions.
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Very good! But I'd rather see a REPLICA built, perhaps of one of the 80" drivered engines. It would be a shame to use up the 1223.
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Replica? Nonsense. The neighboring Strasburg Railroad is "using up" its roster of surviving steam veterans, and no one's making complaints of "desecrating history". Surviving steam locomotives should prolong their existence doing what they were meant to do, but perhaps I'm just a Bostonian Puritan equivalent of preservation practice. I don't believe in replicas as I firmly believe there are far too many steam locomotives awaiting any sort of care, overhauls or even cosmetic restoration, (just look at Steamtown, Scranton), but if they did make a new build, I would prefer an example of a defunct class of PRR 4-4-0 such as a D13, or even the one-of-a-kind D15 No. 1515.
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Strasburg Railroad is not a museum, it is a business. In their course of business, they use vintage equipment daily. If something breaks or wears out, it is replaced. While they take good care of their assets, totally authentic appearance is not their first priority. Operation is. The passenger car fleet consists of historic cars, all heavily modified. Their historic fabric and design features have been sacrificed for reliable daily operation. A business decision. Their criteria is to have cars that look old. John White calls this facadism. It gives people an experience, but it does not preserve an artifact.
A locomotive 'stuffed and mounted' safely inside a museum has the best chance of prolonging its existence (like the John Bull - you wouldn't want to keep running that!) Everything doesn't have to run.
The NPS Jupiter and 110, and the two Kloke engines are beautiful replicas that can be run without undue concern over using them up.
You're right about too many engines needing care. As for choice of engine to replicate, it is unlimited, and everybody's got favorites. Many well known, significant and once common locomotives are extinct. Like: Winans Camel, Baldwin flexible beam engine, Millholland Gunboat, any engine from a Cincinnatti builder, USRA heavy 2-8-2, USRA heavy 2-10-2, NYC Hudson. The list goes on and on. Replication of the T1 is a very expensive and complicated attempt to rectify a mistaken decision made in the '50s. But it will be something that can run and run as long as some railroad will host it, and it is not a historic relic that will get used up.
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