Re: CATS 1981 some slides scanned

487 lost its wood beam plow in the winter of 1980-81. This was back in the "old days" when boiler flues got 5 years of life, then went on flue extension for as along as the FRA would allow. Getting a flue extension required removing the bottom two flues from the boiler. 487's 5 years was up and put on extension. That meant every winter, the bottom 2 flues in the boiler had to be pulled. To pull the flues, the smokebox front is opened, the petticoat pipe and cyclone removed and the flues removed. On 487, this also required removing the snowplow. Removing the plow itself is a two day project. The shop foreman decided he didn't want to mess with pulling the plow every winter, so he took the plow off. Seeing that it might be a good idea to have a locomotive with a plow, he installed it on 488. 487's wood pilot beam, plow and all the associated brackets, long shank coupler etc. went to 488. For reasons that escape me, 483 was stripped of it's pilot beam and installed on 487 along with 488's pilot cage. 488's steel beam was set out in the weeds.

488 only carried the wood beam plow for one season. In the winter of 81-82 it was removed, its old steel pilot beam installed and the pilot cage from 482 installed.


488 climbs the hill at Lobo Lodge July 5, 1981


487 Chama River Narrows, June 12, 1981
487 ran plowless for the rest of the 1980's



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2022 12:32PM by Earl.