Re: 490 picture, tender mercies

There weren't any real difficulties. The rear end sill was bent down and inward. To make the coupler hang straight, a large steel wedge was machined up to fit between the end sill and coupler pocket. Even with that the coupler was just barely legal height. The 483's tank had a large band aid patch in the right front corner and the whole tank was noticeable twisted with the right front corner lower than the rest of the tender. Once a rivet in the seam between the floor and side popped out creating a major leak. It was fixed by tapping the hole and threading a bolt with a nice rubber washer to seal it. The 483 tank ran behind 482 for several years, complete with the bolt and washer.