Re: Winter Work

In short, yes.
Only 488 is receiving boiler work this winter - the other locomotives will continue to operate under the 1978 rules (487 with flues installed in 1999, the rest under flue extension) in 2001. 488 will comply with the new Part 230 rules when it noses out of the shop. 463, 484, 489, and 497 got approval for flue extensions, and 497 actually operated under her new extension for the Christmas trains (the previous extensions expired Nov. 22).
The real Part 230 work will begin after the states' appropriations are available to us in July 2001. Plans are to cycle the three K36s through a rebuild program first, to have all four available for Opening Day 2002. There is also money in the appropriation for 497. 463 will be the last engine to get attention.
Finally, there is an ambiguity in the new Part 230. The deadline is written as January 18, 2002, but another section states that flue extensions will continue to be considered up to that date, so conceivably an operator could run on extensions as late as January 17, 2003. FRA hasn't really made up its mind on how to deal with this conflict yet, I'm told - the original intent was to cut off extensions in January 2001. And we surely aren't planning on the extra latitude. But if we get it, it might be nice to have.
JAC