All,

This morning saw another significant milestone in our quest to burn coal once again in the 2100's firebox with the removal of the 7,000 gallon oil bunker. We also removed the hardwood cribbing and started assessing the coal bunker space in the radial buffer.

Many thanks to our landlord and partners in preservation, Midwest Railway Preservation Society, in the use of their crane to remove the bunker. We couldn't have done it without them.

(I will upload some photos later.)

Sincerely,

Rob Gardner
ASR VP and 2100 Project Manager

That's great news as real steam engines burn coal and it will be great to see the 2100 again join the ranks of America's mainline coal burners !!

Ross Rowland

Actually that's GRATE news!

Uh huh.... I guess SP 4449 & 18, ATSF 3751 & 2926, and SP&S 700 are 1:1 scale models; not to mention the UP Heritage fleet or the Mt Washington Cog. Honestly there is absolutely nothing wrong with firing a locomotive with other fuel sources, and it is ridiculous that people complain about fuel conversions when the locomotives are still able to run just fine.

Well now I feel a bit insulted. The Engines I work on were built as oil burning steam locomotives from Baldwin.

Plenty of "REAL" steam locomotives were built to burn oil from the factory. "Real" steam locomotives boiler water and run off the steam. How they make the steam isn't really an issue.

So what are ya gonna do with the oil tank? Seems like there's a tender in Cheyenne that might be able to use it.

That would be TOO easy if it fit. I doubt it would as the coal bunker from 4014 is a bit smaller that that of 2100. What type of oil did that tank contain while being used on 2100?

Folks, please.....it was said in jest. Of course an oil fired ( or wood or the new compressed wood/coal blend ) are "real" steam locomotives. My preference for the coal fired variety is now doubt because that's what I grew up with.

Sorry my failed attempt at humor was wrongly taken.

Ross Rowland

Actually, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway only every had 1 oil burning locomotive, at a time. There were several tries at liquid fuel over the years. Each time the test locomotive was converted back to a coal burner.

Both their currently operating steam locomotives burn coal.

Roger

I remember trying to agitate a bar full of people at a T.R.A.In. convention by saying, "You're not manly if your engine doesn't burn coal."

An operator of a big oil-burner said, "I'm GLAD our engine burns oil. Handling coal and ash in remote places gets old fast." Very true.

Aarne Frobom
Room 128, Manly Miles Building
Michigan State University

There was a saying in the live steam fraternity which I don't know if it is still used that, "He who has the dirtiest face at the end of the day (from being in the path of the coal smoke from the stack of a scale locomotive) had the most fun". Knowing or having known a couple of long-time members of the hobby who developed terminal lung diseases who were not tobacco smokers, gives me the preference at this point in my life, that if I were to ever own a live steam locomotive it would burn something other than coal or wood.

Ross what ever you do, don't try to buy Greenland, they won't get that one either! Been tried already. Regards, John.

Well John after all the ice melts covering that giant island known as Greenland ( 3 times the size of Texas) they'll need railroads to help settle the country and as there are large recoverable coal deposits it might as well be coal fired steam!!!

Just a thought. Ross Rowland

Knowing that the photo shows the oil tank going not coming makes that a happy picture indeed !!! Back to being a coal burner as God and the Reading Company intended !!

All is good in Cleveland.

Ross Rowland