#19 work continues.

Well, I read where Mike O. stopped by the shop on Sunday afternoon. Mike, I apologize, I left the shop at about 12:30 PM Sunday for a drive up the Conejos Canyon. It was a beautiful trip.
Anyway, we did indeed fire up the #19 on Monday, but we encountered a difficulty with either the fuel pump or else the governor. The locomotive ran for about an hour, idling, and then the #1 prime mover began to race. I pulled the shutoff lever inside the cab and it didn't have any effect. George and I were both pretty bummed about that, because I had visions of a July 4th photo out on the line somewhere.
We'll be back down there this coming weekend. We left #19 outside the shop so that Marvin Casius or whoever needs to use that space inside the shop will be able to do that.
I had an email exchange with John West, and it seems that the finances on the railroad are not as rosy as hoped at one point. We all hope this changes soon. It may influence the ability to finish #19 in a complete fashion.
Oh, there still is an issue where one of the traction motors has an overload condition in one direction only. We may still have to lock out that motor for a temporary fix.
Jim Burrill