It's true.

We worked very hard to achieve our goal of operating the 315 at Railfest, but we were overwhelmed by a number of problems. First, the 315 was among the most stripped park engines anywhere. Everything was broken, worn out , gone or useless. Even the engine brake cylinders were crushed from all the hoisting around the engine experienced. Even the firebox door was stripped off of the locmotive. Second,when we proceeded to cast some of these parts, we received some great castings- that need a lot of machining. Ultimately, the tremendous amount of machining needed killed our goal of getting the engine operable this summer.
The good news is that the spring rigging is finished, and the 315 sits down on the rail with the springs in line. The new ash cab is now attached to the floor. We found a lot of damage on the right side, and a new valve stem, a sleeved cylinder,new pistons, boring (left side)and other work is being done. We did not expect theze serious problems, but it is safe to say the locomotive was thoroughly worn out when it was retired in 1949. One standard we all agree upon in the 315 group is that the locomotive will get a first classs restoration That includes a historically-correct paint job ,which Yours Truly will execute.
We had lots of appliances to aquire as well. Some these were incedibly expensive to fix. We aquired a bulls-eye lubricator that was on D&RGW 1709. It cost $1100- and $12,000 to fix. We now have all of the parts we need, and we believe almost enought to finish the project. At this time we are certain that the 315 will be ready to test run late this winter or early spring. We have some great plans for this historic Colorado locomotive. Stay tuned! BTW, these projects inhale money... please consider a donation.
www.drhs315.org