Hello everyone,
I have a lot to talk about today regarding Reading 2100.
First off, we resumed work sessions this past Saturday after the state of Ohio's stay-at-home order was lifted. We made great progress on the engine, so here's a quick rundown of what we got done that day!
All photos are mine unless otherwise noted, and may not be reproduced without permission from the owner.
A major task that was accomplished yesterday was the removal of the cab floor. It will eventually be replaced with new steel to accommodate the stoker feed trough and grate shaker bars, as we convert the engine back to coal.
We also continued to peel the reflective tape off of the running board skirting. The tape was required when the locomotive operated in Canada.
Photographer unknown.
At a separate facility, we also began to cut the material for the 560 staybolts that will go in the firebox, which leads into my next announcement.
As you may have heard a couple of weeks ago, thanks to a generous donation from Louis Schillinger of United Shortline Insurance Services, the fundraising for the machining and forging of the 560 staybolts has been completed!
Now that the process of machining has begun, we're launching a new fundraising campaign to hire professionals to weld them into the firebox. For just $9, you can sponsor the welding of one of these staybolts, and you can contribute as many as you want! Visit fireup2100.org/product/weld-in-a-staybolt and make your donation!
You can also still own a piece of the 2100 herself with a stamped and serialized staybolt that we removed from the firebox when the old side sheets were taken out. You can order it polished up or with the original boiler patina as we removed it!
Photo by Brian Smith.
We also on Saturday pulled the winner of our raffle. Congratulations to Jerry Feicht for winning either the custom painted Broadway Limited T1 or the $500 prize! Round two of the raffles is ongoing right now, and over 100 tickets have already been sold! Check out our gift store at fireup2100.org/shop for your chance to win!
Now, moving on to our sister locomotive to the east. The Reading and Northern Railroad has for the past few weeks been putting out updates on the 2102's restoration, which is getting very close to completion! In the past few weeks, the railroad announced it installed the last of the 724 new staybolts in the locomotive's firebox in February, and pressurized water to the operating pressure of the boiler in March.
In mid-March, the first newly cast pieces came in from Preservation Pattern, including the firedoor frame, stoker trough and steam dome lid, among many other items.
Currently, work on the 2102 includes beading the new tubes and flues, finishing repairs to the feedwater heater and pump, machining new tri-cocks and water glass valves and plugs, and plumbing various appliances. Fall of this year is still the goal, to my understanding.
For more information on the state of the restoration, check out the Reading and Northern's 2102 updates page on their website!
Thanks again for your support of the Reading T1 restoration projects. With your help, we can get these magnificent anthracite giants breathing fire once again!
