Wreck to rebuild to preservation locomotives???

SD70dude · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:37 pm

The Alberta Railway Museum's ex-CN 4-6-0 1392 ended up in the bottom of a ditch on her side in the 1950s, I believe while pushing a snowplow. She was hauled out and hastily slapped back together, and continued in service for at least another few months.

To this day her frame has a slight twist, which is compensated for by shims in a few of her leaf spring sets.

Dick_Morris · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:14 pm

Les -

Correction - The tender is from another design of WWII USATC Consolidation. ARR #403, USATC 7881, previously on the Claiborne and Polk military railroad as #10. It was destroyed in the same 1951 roundhouse fire so may have been donor of the tender. (The cab is dumped in a river about 40 miles north of Anchorage.) The ARR had six of these earlier Lima War Department Consolidations, about half of the total production. The attached photos are of ARR 556 in the park a few years ago and another of the 400 class Consolidations that gives a good view of the tender.

Locations of headlights, bells, generators, and lettering styles seemed to move a lot and were inconsistent between different S160 Consolidations. It's as if they were changed on a whim. The light was centered on the smoke box in a 1955 photo.

To add a bit on 556 - A May 1, 1953 boiler inspection report showed that a monthly inspection was done on 1-1-53 and a hydro was done on 7-18-52. that may suggest when she was returned to service after repairs.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Dick -

Thanks for the clarification, and the photos.

Les

BigBoy 4023 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:40 am **Posts:** 489

Good morning, Did any of the 30 UP 8500 turbines end up wrecked?

Robert

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1270

Deep River 2-4-4-2 #7 was flopped on her side in 1955 and returned to service in 2018.

Potlatch 2-6-6-2T #24 (later Weyerhaeuser #108) also fell over and is now under restoration at Black Hills Central.

LeoA · **Joined:** Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:30 am **Posts:** 312

BigBoy 4023 wrote:

Good morning, Did any of the 30 UP 8500 turbines end up wrecked?

Robert

If any did, retirement dates suggests they weren't career ending.

http://utahrails.net/up-diesel-roster/u ... php#gtel-1

All were strickened between August 1968 and February 1970.

Tom F · **Joined:** Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:04 pm **Posts:** 314

Richard Glueck wrote:

Here's a holiday challenge. In light of the extensive discussion surrounding GG1 4876, how about a listing of locomotives in preservation, parks included, which were involved in disastrous wrecks, crashes, fires, etc., but were rebuilt and returned to service, and eventually found their way to preservation?

I nominate Union Pacific's Big Boy #4005, at the Forney Museum. Overturned and thrown about under a freight during the 1950's. Rebuilt and ran for years afterward. Still bears a long dent down her tender.

Any others out there?

Here is a great article about that disaster. The tender still shows the scars from that day with a large dent on one side. Although not preserved, another huge locomotive (Allegheny 2-6-6-6 #1642) had a major boiler explosion just a few months later killing everyone in the locomotive.

http://forneymuseum.org/News_BigBoyWreck.html

Steamguy73 · **Joined:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:15 pm **Posts:** 635

Seems as if every D&RGW narrow gauge engine has been involved in a wreck, including some surviving engines. I linked a photo collection of many wrecks on the D&RGW narrow gauge (including predecessors).

https://www.cumbrestoltec.org/images/st ... atalog.pdf

John Risley · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:34 pm **Posts:** 965

Thanks for the link Steamguy73. Very interesting to see some pretty serious wrecks and the same locomotives still in operation. Never worked on any narrow gauge but I would imagine it takes some skill to tram some of these locomotives. My other thought is that the wrecking crews got very good at cleaning up out in the toolies in all kinds of weather. I would of been overwhelmed looking at a couple of those sites being very remote and very snowed in. Have helped re-rail a few cars/locomotives but never serious wrecks or derailments.

Knew a guy who was wrecker operator for the Soo Line and he had some very interesting stories of life working on a wrecker crew, using steam wreckers. It would of been interesting work that's for sure. Then looking at what the shop crew had to work with when the wreck delivery was made. Kept a small army employed. Thanks again, John.

larry123 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 5:56 pm **Posts:** 29

The Steam engine at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad at Abilene was over on it side during a flood when it was Santa Fe 3415. I have seen pictures of it but no more information in my head at this time.

EWrice · **Joined:** Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am **Posts:** 367

Steamguy73 wrote:

Seems as if every D&RGW narrow gauge engine has been involved in a wreck, including some surviving engines. I linked a photo collection of many wrecks on the D&RGW narrow gauge (including predecessors).

https://www.cumbrestoltec.org/images/st ... atalog.pdf

I would wager a bet that the Rio Grande narrow gauge would hold the record for the most wrecked and repaired locos, in relation to their fleet size, of any other major road. Even into the modern era, between 473's mishaps and the Durango roundhouse fire, it is incredible that 9 of 10 K-36s are still extant, and most still run. The D&RGW was like the frugal old farmer that wouldn't replace anything that could be fixed (even if not by choice).

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:46 pm

When Bob Richardson got D&RGW 346 from the Montezuma logging operation near Dolores on the RGS, it had round domes (the sheet metal) applied by C&S after they had wrecked it while it was leased from D&RGW.

The shoot for the movie "Denver and Rio Grande" included a head-on collision involving sister 345 and Bob got the as-built 1881 domes from 345 to go on 346.

https://crrm.oncell.com/en/346-denver-r ... 00175.html

Phil Mulligan