Re: Boilers

This is a great and worthy dicussion.
In the mid-70s, as a member of the PLA, we pulled a Sacramento built 2-6-2T Bay Area Commuter engine out of a Richmond park. Our plan was to restore and run it at Castro Point-- Later Niles Canyon RR. However, after a complete disassemble we learned it was a lap seem boiler. That engine, after all these years, is scheduled to be donated to the Calif RR Museum in Sacramento. We decided the cost for a new boiler could be better spent on the other steamers.
Now, if we replace a boiler, how is it done? Do we take the raw boiler, with firebox, smorkebox, and ship it to a boiler maker where they make an updated modern carbon copy of the original and hope when the new one arrives that all the holes, bolts, studs etc. all line up. How difficult is it to line-up the new boiler with all that fitted on to the old boiler? Does the old boiler have any trade-in value? Who makes RR locomotive boilers?
regards