This locomotive has been under long-term restoration at the Minnesota Transportation Museum. Anyone familiar with the project know if it's still active?
If so, what progress has been made in recent years?

Frederick G. Bailey

I've been down to the museum a couple of times in the past five or six years with the idea of photographing the three locomotives to update steamlocomotive.info. Insofar as I can tell, nothing much has been done in the last five years. A "docent" (and I use the term loosely) explained at great length why it would be a terrible waste to restore any of the steam locomotives.

When my wife and I were there in the fall of 2007 the boiler was on blocks above the running gear and all the people in the shop were working on diesels. I asked about it and the docent said that is was worked on every now and then. I took a photo of it but I can not find it on my computer.

Steve

Kind of interesting that the only comments about NP #2156 and its current status is by two folks who quote what a couple of "docents" told them, and apparently not very recently. There has been NO comments from anyone at MTM. I too would liketo know about what is going on with the 2156. I also think that MTM acquired a sister engine too. What about it? And then there's NP 4-6-0 #328. Anyone out there from MTM who might actually be able to tell us what's going on?

Les

I think it's a money issue more than anything else. I was there last month, and 2156 is still being worked on from time to time. NP 328 is being put back together for static display (they're making good progress on this). While steam may be dead for the forseeable future, the museum has alot of freshly painted rolling stock (boxcars, a MILW reefer) that looks great, and just this weekend they took delivery of an ex-GN SDP40 that's been donated by the BNSF (fully operational). The SDP will eventually be restored in Big Sky Blue.

Jeff Terrry

I was there last week to move a set of Omaha Route trucks and NP car frame pieces to the Colfax Railroad Museum and prepare Soo sleeper Valhalla for a September move. I spoke to a staff member who mentioned that the part fabrication was proceeding. They ARE working on it, just at a slow pace. In depth info would need to come from MTM.

By the way, with the trucks from MTM, Omaha Route mail car #301 is now back on bolsters and trucks for the first time in almost 80 years. Still a lot to go but the windows and doors are ready to install and the replacement siding is ready to go.

Herb Sakalaucks
Colfax railroad Museum

Here is an update on the NP #2165 locomotive as well as a current status of the MTM steam program.

I am a current MTM member, Board of Directors member, have spent the last 3 plus years working on the #2156, and am directly involved with a team in refining the steam program for MTM.

A major loss for the steam program and the #2156 happened this year with the passing of Lee Tuskey. Lee has documented much of the current locomotive and its condition, as well as what is needed to bring it back to operation. He will be missed.

Current work on the #2156 includes rebuilding the lead truck, rebushing all of the spring rigging, driving box rebuilds, recast shoes and wedges, new studs for the entire boiler and firebox, and rerouting the high pressure steam out of the smokebox and into the top center of the steam chest valve body.

At some point in the past the steam chest froze while standing water was inside and the force broke out a significant portion of the steam passage. This is a very poor candidate for a weld repair for a number of reasons that I will not cover here. Suffice it to say that the steam crew, with much advice from experts, decided to take the path that many railroads did in rerouting the steam pipes to avoid a repeat of this problem.

In the near future as donations and workers, our two greatest needs, allow; we would like to start building the cab. We have drawings and the #2153 to work from so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get and accurate build.

The #2153 is inside awaiting cosmetic work. Someone occasionally adds a little something to bring her a little closer to presentable. Many of us steam dreamers see a day when both locomotives will be operational with their major overhauls staggered enough to always have one of them running and at times both of them. Imagine a double header pulling your passenger train.

The NP #328 locomotive doesn’t belong to the MTM. The ownership is still with the city of Stillwater Minnesota. There is steady work being done to bring her up to cosmetic display standards but a very major overhaul and transfer of ownership would be required before it would ever whistle its way up the river bluffs again.

Finally we have a 12 inch gauge, wood fired, steam engine #1 Red Cedar and Western that needs some work before it can run on rails at Jackson Street Roundhouse. There is a fund for the restoration of this unit and Moorhead Boiler, who built the boiler, is considering going thru it and bringing it up to code.

I hope this helps clarify the questions about our steam program.

Dave Miller
MTM

Dave,

Thanks for the update on the MTM steam program. #2156 is one of the lesser known steam restoration projects, and its refreshing to learn from an oficial source that its still active.

Frederick G. Bailey

This brings up an interesting point. While a formal steam program may be subject to periods of non-operation due to major rebuilds, should a museum maintain a live-steam miniature railway to give kids and families the excitement and understanding of steam dynamics? Does it add more to, or detract from, the overall goal of the museum? I can think of a half dozen museums that have or had a small-gauge train operating on their property. Sometimes it is the only rail operation they have.

In Chicago, this year, the opportunity to get an operational Wagner Hudson and MTC G-16 (EMD F-unit) with several trainsets is out there. The impending closure of Kiddieland is sad, but maybe it's an opportunity for IRM to think about.
http://www.kiddieland.com/history.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQXPviDzMEw

RE: Maintaining a live steam rr to illustrate the dynamics of steam

That's an interesting idea. Yes it'll take resources and money etc, etc, but I think of the first time I visited the Swanton Pacific Railroad in Davenport, CA. The live steam was large enough to convey the sense of scale and power that only a steam locomotive has, and yet small enough that I could still point things out easily to my wife (then girlfriend). For her, it was the first exposure to an active steam powered rail operation of any sort. Rest assurred, I've made sure she's seen plenty of active steam since then! While I don't think the idea would be appropriate for every operation, it does seem to have it's merits.