Yesterday a couple of my buddies, with help from Backshop Enterprises and Uhrich Locomotive Works, unloaded Coronet Phosphate Porter 0-4-2T #6 in Strasburg, Colorado. She was delivered by Audra and Andrew Zimmerman of Hicksville, Ohio. Somehow or another we made it with no lost time injuries, accidents, arguments, or unforeseen expenses.

She was pretty thoroughly used up during her first 45 years, and she was orphaned several times over in the next 57 years, but we're convinced she still has some fight left in her. We're also convinced that she deserves to be treated like a lady, and we are mighty happy to have her here.

As always, thanks go out to everybody who has pitched in to save my ass. So far, we're managing OK.

Congratulations, Sammy! Take good care of the little lady and I hope to see her in steam someday.

Don C.

Is that the one from Tom Diehl?

No, she's not, she's a refugee from the Thompson Winery. Is Tom Diehl still around ???

A few years ago Tom finished his 6hp Russell so as far as I know he's still doing things.

I think I heard he sold his saddle tank and cars. That might have been to a museum though.

Wonderful, Sammy! She's a lucky girl, to have found a loving home.

Thanks, gentlemen. Even though poor little #6 needs an awful lot of work, we feel very lucky to get her. This is 2015, somebody like me with a fetish for Porter back truck engines doesn't have a whole lot of choices these days. In particular, Les Beckman of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum deserves credit for whatever good we end up doing for her.

Since I'm not EVER going steam locomotive shopping again, as long as I live, I'd like to reveal something I've been keeping to myself:

There is a gorgeous little 30" gauge Porter 0-6-2T, Sartola, Westfield Plantation RR #2, in Simsbury, CT. For years she was displayed as part of a railroad themed resturant called The One Way Fare. Last time I looked, they had closed, and the place looked to be just a regular burger joint. I'd hit them up in the dead of winter, when business is likely to be slow and heating bills high.

If you look her up on steamlocomotive.info, you can see what you'd be up against --- new woodwork, and a handfull of small appliances needed, but the basic locomotive is all there, and she'd fit in your garage. The old boiler shell looks like a lunar landscape, that is something I can tell you ahead of time.

One of the Porters that made Glovers get into the business! Cool....... there's room in my driveway.

Dave, Silk Road has a tilt bed rig with a winch on it, that looks like a giant tow truck. They told me it took ten minutes to load her, and they moved her in there for less than $1K. Of course that was a good 30 years ago.

If it was yours to give to me, I'd be tempted. I can probably get a gypsy to haul it cheaper. Or, disassemble it and drop the boiler off for replication on the way.

Go for it, my brother. Somebody really SHOULD do something.

Sammy. What's the long range plan for #6?

Are you going to do a full 1472 on her?
This would make her eligible to travel and do show and tells.

Tho my working days are over, I still have a huge file cabinet full of free advice. And remember it is FREE.

Off to Maine in a few months to the WW&F.

Ira Schreiber

Just wanna add something, but from my own research a few years, the current owners don't plan on ditching it... Doesn't mean that won't change for the right amount of coin, but who knows?

I had talked to the owner of The One Way Fare, who definitely was planning to keep Sartola. He was a nice fella, and I ended up sending him a giant photo of her from the office of the Westfield mill. But that was many years ago.

Of course it would be better to do the full FRA restoration, Ira, but I will need to see how much of the boiler is how rotten before even thinking about it. Today, I'm still recovering from intense muscle cramps and very sore bones !!! First order of real business is to pay off the trucking. Other than that, about all I can afford to do right now is cap her stack, clean her up, and slather on some paint. Gotta keep the weeds down and the trash picked up, too.

My long range plan is to solve one problem at a time. Things like pulling the firebrick and taking ultrasound readings will only cost me a little gas money, and I live six miles from my work site. You can be very sure that we're scheming of ways to fix #6's various problems without me spending too much, and that I'm sereptitiously scrounging around for the missing appliances she needs. But, I don't have everything all figured out in detail yet. I probably won't know everything until it's over.

It's taken a whole cluster of miracles for my scheme to hold together so far, and a bunch of good folks all doing their damnedest to cover my weaknesses.

Take Care & WORK SAFE

Some photos including a few taken by me at the Thompson Farm are in this thread. This before it went to the winery when the farm was sold.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36746&p=216647&hilit=thompson#p216647