Re: Sad, but True: No 483 in Our Lifetime, If Ever.

Dick Cowles Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know many still hope that 483 will one day be
> restored. But Roger's photos help show why that
> is a vain hope. And I say this as the leader of
> the Friends crew some years back that removed
> appliances, piping, stanchions, etc. in order to
> have an asbestos removal outfit do its job so that
> we could then coat the boiler with a preservative
> against further rusting.
>
> Even though we tagged all the removed parts and
> stored them in a boxcar, there are so many other
> parts that have been removed and used on other
> K-36's that, as the photos show, 483 is sadly
> bereft of so much running gear and other vital
> costly major parts.
>
> So the logical order of restoration and rebuilding
> remains, as it has for some years now, to finish
> 489, then turn to 463 as the fifth locomotive,
> which may be all the C&TS can justify for the
> forseeable future.
>
> If a sixth loco eventually makes economic sense,
> most experts have suggested either (a) doing the
> Part 230, Form 4 work on 497 (it's running gear
> was in pretty good shape when it was taken out of
> service due to the new FRA boiler regs), or (b) if
> the 497's boiler has underbelly problems as
> rumored, replace it with 492's boiler which the
> experts say has an excellent shell.
>
> As a result I see little hope for 483. Better to
> make sure there are sufficient funds for 463 and
> perhaps eventually for 497 or 497/492.


I hate to say it but you are probably right.