I noticed that as well, and I assume that it was aimed at my former employer. Does anyone know what boiler we allegedly did this on? It was widely known that this was something done on the PRR, specifically to use a cup of fine cast iron chips, fire up the boiler and make a trip so the high circulation would deliver the chips throughout the boiler, plugging leaks as it went. That is exactly how radiator stop leak works today. When is comes to riveted boilers, rust is your friend. However, I am not aware that we ever had the need to do it ourselves, though I wasn't super hands on where it came to boiler work.

Regarding some chalk graffiti on a boiler, so what? We were always joking around in the shop, it's what helps make it a fun place to work. "Don't ask when" is a famous version of this that was written on #475's boiler.

Regarding RGS #20, those of you who know Jeff Taylor at CRRM know that he is a stickler and can be pretty hard to please as shows in his work. I received this text from him on September 1st, 2021, following #20's first ever long distance trip, "20 ran from Antonito to Osier yesterday. No mechanical issues. Tell the team well done and thank you."

https://youtu.be/giPtR04MoCI

The question is valid. I would like to see a list as well.

Regarding my former employer, here is an off the top of my head list of engines heavily overhauled and/or returned to service during my tenure:

PRR #7002 in 1983
EBT #14 in 1988
CN #89 in 1988
GW #90 in 1991
NH&I #40 in 1991
N&W #475 in 1993
B&O "William Mason" in 1998
Steam Thomas in 1998
D&RGW #346 circa 2003
EBT #15 circa 2005
Anonymous 2-6-0 including a new boiler in 2016
Anonymous 4-6-0 including a new boiler, 3 new driving wheel sets, 6 new driving boxes in 2019.
RGS #20 in 2019

I may have missed some...

In between are dozens of new and overhauled injectors, hundreds of new and overhauled pop valves, over one hundred new and overhauled driving boxes, dozens of new flanged sheets, etc.

Of those, I would dismiss "7002," 89, 90, and 475, and even "Thomas," as being for their own purposes/incentive, not as outside work. This is not to denigrate the quality of the work, simply to point out that in those instances they don't have to be held accountable to anyone else but the FRA and boiler/insurance/etc. inspectors..........

The major point worth mentioning is that the Strasburg RR has been and is today THE Gold Standard for the entire railroad tourist industry on both the mechanical and operations sides.

Very few in our industry come anywhere near to the quality of work they consistently do, year in, year out.

We are very fortunate to have them as the example we need to work hard to emulate.

IMHO-Ross Rowland

It really doesn't matter whether it is customer work or work for their own purposes. Their work has spoken for itself in the degree of success the engines achieved.
If you satisfy the FRA and the other inspectors you have done a lot.
If a client does not do due diligence before hiring a contractor then he is treading on thin ice. This may come as a shock but there are charlatans out there. Yes its true.
Do research with former customers, check their success rate and know who you are dealing with.
Would you call a contractor in the yellow pages and tell him to build you a house without researching their former work? I doubt it.

Before you knock someone else's standards maybe you should take a look at yours, while you hide behind a screen name like that one.

John

Based on my extremely limited shop experience I'd say this sort of non-permanent shop graffiti is pretty common. There was some funny stuff on the K4 at one time. I can't recall the loco but my favorite was "Ring the bell" on the petticoat of an engine while work was being done in the smoke box. Just a way for the people in the shop to have some fun and blow off some steam.

Hard to say which is more laughable, his moniker or his posting???

Sad but true. Takes all kinds. Ross Rowland

My all time favorite off topic very temporary graffiti (though I'm sure that I'll get in trouble with some over this) was on the news covering our air raid on Gaddafi's compound in Libya back in the '80's. Written on one of the bombs was, "This one's for Muammar's mom!"

Poll

Do I start the popcorn:

A. Now.

B. Wait until things heat up a bit.

shouldn't we just be excited that 152 has some budget behind it and is receiving work that will hopefully bring it back to operation?

That changes the original question that you quoted though. Contract work or not, what engines are running on a regular basis?

Strasburg probably wins that since Strasburg and Disney World operate so many daily steam trains.

I'm not aware of which engines Jason has led to completion - if there is such a list it would be good to know.

I'm all for the 152 being brought back to the living - it was always a locomotive that was on my list to see and just never got around to it.

Usually, any thread about the UP steam program will cause an uproar.
Something new has arrived.

I would like to expand on the potential origins of "Dynahammer" concept cobbled together by the previous UP steam crew. The MO-6 turbo-generator employs an exhaust screen after the steam inlet to the turbine. Over time and largely depending on the quality of your makeup water, scale and impurities will gradually fill in the openings in said screen. This leads to increased back pressure on the turbine which slows it to the point it cannot overcome the resistance imparted by the field windings under full load and thus, it stops. The position of the "Dynahammer" is such that it would impact the casing near where the screen resides. When barreling down the road @ 60 pers and you suddenly lose your headlight/radio because the screen clogs, you see how something like this materialized.
It is obvious that inspection/cleaning of this screen should be done at every 31-day inspection (or sooner) and responsibly managing boiler chemistry to mitigate hard deposit formation should have been the proper remedy. Even if both generators were shipped to Backshop Enterprises routinely, it is unlikely it would have made any difference.

*Disclaimer* I am in no way arguing for or against this, I just wanted to explore a likely reason for why it was installed in the first place.

Jeff