Matt, do you predict that outcome for dating as well?

Kelly,

Absolutely. It's already happening. First you will be able to date/have a relationship anyone in the world and soon you will be able to customize an intelligence and aesthetic to your exact desires which is more real than the real thing. Not long after we will be speaking of these entity's rights and later we will struggle to justify our existence to them.

While the movie wasn't great, I would recommend the book "Ready Player 1" by Ernest Cline and also "the Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzwell.

Sincerely,

Matt

Very well said Matt. Sometimes the truth makes me laugh, other times cry.

Austin Powers had a gal like this and was referred to as a Fembot.

Back on subject. I like the part of "If people hiring steam locomotive contractors were less price sensitive more mechanically educated and involved, there would be less problems". Many volunteer outfits fall into this trap as money is very tight. The final OK comes from people who have very little mechanical knowledge but are on the BOD and they make the final call. Throwing money at a project does not constitute it crossing the finish line as desired. If you figure in rework and paying for the repair twice the original higher price doesn't look so bad. Not always the case but it happens often enough. When I worked in industry my bosses had conniptions when rework came into play. The bosses took it personally as they had to answer to a equally upset higher ups. I have said this before about many repairs that if it wasn't for repairing other contractors or museums screw ups most of the good contractors would be getting part time jobs. Personally I am a cheap SOB too so I do understand falling into the trap of going with the cheapest bid. But not so sure it is really cost effective when it comes to building boilers or repair? If we learn from our mistakes all is not lost. But our industry does not seem to catch on much of the time.

Am watching the trend to build new boilers again with interest. If we as an industry can learn to do this successfully it might be a possible alternative for many locomotives. But we sure need a better success ratio than in previous years. This is all way over my head but I still like to watch with interest. Just like past failed restorations seems nobody ever thinks it will happen to them? With the track record of rework and failures one would think we as an industry could learn from our mistakes and mistakes of others? I think it has gotten better but I think Matt brings up many good points. Regards, John.

Puffing Billy in Australia was accustomed to replacing boilers every decade when they were built with riveted technology. After going to welded boilers, they fond that only the fireboxes needed replacement after the first decade. Not sure how they have held out subsequently, but certainly notable in any case, and hopeful...... at the same time I've recently heard from people in the industrial boiler business about how modern boiler steel isn't as good as old steel in terms of making boilers that will last. Not having built a new boiler ever, much less recently, I'm interested in any comments from those in the industry about this as a design and specification issue.

Anybody else find the concept of a new design for a K4 boiler being valuable intellectual property amusing? How many K4s are there that will need them to go back into service as the basis for the market?

I imagine they want to keep the rights to the design with the locomotive, rather than be locked into one boiler shop for repair/replacement over time.

I wonder if they'll fabricate a new Belpaire boiler, or just go with conventional radial stays and "falsies" in the jacket?

A noticeable percentage of our contract income comes from being hired to repair other contractor's shoddy or "price inflated after they were hired" work. My concern is for the operations that can't afford to do the job twice, and may be driven out of business from the cost of a bungled repair.

In my experience, a boiler needs to be really really bad to make outright replacement more economical than repair. We have talked (or in some cases tried to talk) operations down from replacing their boilers due to pervious person's approaching the strength calculations from a needlessly conservative direction, either due to paranoia, inexperience, or greed (hoping for a larger contract in building a new boiler). Also, there have been some truely unusable abortions turned out at massive cost and labeled as new locomotive boilers, when their true use is to be gutted and used as culverts.

Ah good ol 1361 - poor thing. Excellent points Re fix v new. This boiler has had a bunch of patches done before during and after the revisions to the FRA regs. I suspect that one could replace the entire firebox course and re use the rest. Would want some serious testing around the steam dome to verify that work is "grade A". Given that the firebox section (wrapper, back head, and box itself) is likely the most expensive and complex, the rest of the tube may come in cheep by comparison.

I'm thinking the replacement of the entire boiler is not with respects to spending too much money, or has anything to do with the integrity and worthiness of the current boiler. My personal opinion/thought is that it's a PR move. It's an expensive PR move, but PR nonetheless. With all of the issues that the past K4 restoration attempts have had, they could surely fix up the existing boiler - but for the general public, or "Johnny Trainlover" who doesn't know any better, they could still look at the locomotive as a potential basket case - due to all of its' past issues. However, if you put a new boiler on there - brand new, new construction - the biggest visual part of the locomotive, and say that's brand new...then in the public's eyes, the restoration seems to be that much more sound. Regardless of all the other work that has been done, or will have to be done, whether it be on the running gear, the firebox, etc etc...besides the driving wheels, the boiler is one of the biggest eye-catchers on a locomotive. Make that brand new, emphasize it's brand new, and the public could have a brand new outlook on the K4's restoration.

Mr. Levin refers to “old metallurgy” as a kind of shadow of doubt that hangs over an old boiler even though it has been rebuilt to all regulations. Do the regulations say anything about old metallurgy? Do the regulations limit the age of metal in boilers?

No.

[NOTE: prior to this post there had been a post showing a photo of a derailed PRR train with 2 E8's and multiple P70's. It has been removed]

Is this the 1961 Race Train wreck at Bowie? CSS/ATC was in service and did not prevent the accident. CSS/ACSES would have imposed a progressive speed reduction approaching the turnout and probably would have prevented the accident.

I don't see what this has to do with a K4s in Altoona, though.

Phil Mulligan

Well, if this article was a trial balloon to see if it was safe to say anything about the engine who shall not be named, I would conclude it would be best to keep my trap shut.

Honestly I read the article early on and had no problem whatsoever. It saddens me to see that folks read the same thing I did and managed to find a reason to be offended.

Brian

I believe there are contractors in the US as well as Meiningen who could turn out a great boiler for this locomotive if it was economically or politically justified. I think that metrics other than cost need to be put up-front so that it is a comparison of a "premium" new boiler vs. the best repair and alteration that can be done of the existing boiler.

On Trains.com, I saw that the Railroaders memorial Museum received a donation for 1361’s tender project. What is this project? I thought most of the tender was finished? Is this to paint it??