Thank you to all who have noticed the significant amount of work that went into 734 since late February. In addition to a complete valve job on 734, we also completed several other repairs including new rod bearings, new deck plate, petticoat, some new cylinder and boiler shrouds, 20 new tubes, safety valves, and paint in just over eight weeks. You may also notice that #734's rods are quiet these days...
We are already seeing about a 40-50% reduction in fuel use from last year, as well as a significant restoration in power.
Mr. Kevin Rice led our shop during the rework of #734 and did a fantastic job of coordinating and completing all of the aforementioned work in a very short period of time. I'm quite proud of what our mechanical team accomplished and again, thank you for noticing.
We look forward to seeing you trackside for #734's final year (for at least a while).
Mike Gresham
General Superintendent
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
