Sharrod Wrote:
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> Can one see evidence of the gauge change on Torch
> Lake today? Based on the photos, it was heavily
> rebuilt. Maybe that also explains its long life.
I came across this older thread today so I'll bring it back up to answer your question. The most easily noted evidence of the re-gauging are the overly thick drive wheel hubs, although you can also tell by some of the tight tolerances that need to be kept within the running gear compared to most locomotives (particularly the lateral clearance of the lead axle due to the close proximity to the crossheads). When working underneath you can definitely tell that the frames are still at their original "narrow" distances from each other. I'm not a large person and it's a bit of a squeeze for me to work down there.
It was severely damaged in a roundhouse fire in 1887 (its older sister "Calumet" was scrapped as a result of damage sustained in this fire). I'm not sure exactly when it or the others were rebuilt, however it was re-gauged somewhere in the early 1900s as the entire railroad was converted to standard gauge. Its restored appearance is more or less the look it received about 1915 and as it appeared through retirement to its shed in Ahmeek in the early 1930s. Its last tender tank bore resemblance to those built with the later and larger Mason's the C&H owned (Schoolcraft & St. Louis) and its cab is somewhat similar to the cabs of those locomotives as well. Much has changed since it was built, but there are still some components that very likely date to the original 1873 locomotive.
Since arriving at Greenfield Village it has received a new boiler (the boiler it replaced was not its original), several replacement cabs and a new tender tank built a few years back to replace the badly rusted 1915 tank. It also now sports an air compressor and associated components for controlling the air brakes on our cars ( which is also a feature the two big Masons were equipped with at C&H), although it retains its steam jam on the "tender" truck for light engine moves.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2021 07:23PM by santafe158.
