J&L 58 First Fireup 2023

[@ErinFowler02]

I had a great time love, I cant wait to go again whether its for a work session or one of the public days :) Great video too as well, you are doing an amazing job

[@austinstrains2001]

I'm so happy to have my special someone into the stuff I love ♥♥♥

[@michaelnaisbitt7926]

What gauge is it and how long I s the track what was it originally used for overseas query

[@mortified776]

I love these little industrial engines. Funny to think so many of them would have gone their entire working lives often heard by the public but never seen.

[@austinstrains2001]

They truly were the unsung heroes of the steel industry!

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

Wow, big whistle for such a small engine! Beautiful job restoring this little Porter.

[@austinstrains2001]

We are all very proud of what we have accomplished at the J&L, and of course we are all very grateful for Rick Rowland's guidance and commitment to the railroad!

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

@@austinstrains2001 Wait, wait, wait... THE Rick Rowland?! You guys are extremely lucky to have him. That guy is famous for his restoration work!

[@ArturoRailProductions]

There is no more off beat exhaust! It sounds fantastic!

[@austinstrains2001]

It's definitely a lot better than it was! Still offbeat in reverse though. You can definitely tell a slight positive difference in performance at the throttle!

[@williamsquires3070]

(@1:44) That’s a good view of the backhead, there! 😊

[@austinstrains2001]

You can thank my friend Josh Cohen for the footage of me running 58! I tried to get my own shots of the backhead as best as I could too, though. Thanks for watching!

[@kenharbin3440]

Alco the Railroad Dog approves of this video and he says this looks like more fun than anything in Bangor. He wants a ride. Have fun, be safe.

[@austinstrains2001]

Hope you can make it out this way sometime, it is definitely worth it!

[@johnalder6028]

Very nice ! Thanx for documenting it.

[@AjSmit1]

omg what a cute engine!!

[@dillibabu3521]

Good work Railway familey

[@austinstrains2001]

Thanks

[@51pogo]

All the steam-smoked fun of running a Big Boy, but with a compact 0-4-0T. Very cool and sounds like it’s running as smooth as can be. Congrats to all who were part of this restoration and a great little railroad!

[@austinstrains2001]

She's got the power equivalent of a Big Boy if it were narrow gauge, I'm sure! She's running as good as she has since her J&L days!

[@peterridgway7355]

Nice looking tender you have built. It would be great to see it run on a longer railway. Brilliant work keeping 58 going

[@austinstrains2001]

The tender fits the locomotive perfectly! We're gonna try to extend the railroad in the future, but at least she's running!

[@brandonharris7516]

That’s a new looking

[@mightymanntor8333]

I think this locomotive would be the best training locomotive for any future operator engineers and fireman

[@austinstrains2001]

It actually does make a great locomotive to learn on, and the guys at American Steam Railroad (restoring Reading T1 #2100 in Cleveland, OH) came out at the end of the season last year to get some time in with a locomotive to learn on it! 58's not too small - like a Cagney - to where you will still need to learn a ton more about bigger power, but not too big to where you feel overwhelmed. We do have a program at the J&L where, for $258, you can come out and be part of the crew for the day in a small class of 1-3 people. We provide breakfast and lunch, and it covers everything from firing up in the morning, learning how to fire the engine, checking water level, and even getting to take the locomotive up our 6% grade at the throttle! Truly the best bang for your buck with steam locomotive experiences in the area, if not the U.S.

[@chriswalford4161]

She really runs smoothly!

[@austinstrains2001]

For sure!

[@railroad9000]

Love that throaty whistle!

[@austinstrains2001]

It sounds great!

[@christopherstory2136]

Way cool Porter Loco.... Such unique steam sound and horn! Awesome!

[@austinstrains2001]

She definitely is quite unique!

[@henryostrander6282]

You meant whistle

[@GrnArrow092]

That's a really cool narrow gauge locomotive and it looks like fun to drive. I love the sound of the whistle it has.

[@austinstrains2001]

It really is a blast to run this thing! It does get pretty hot in there, but if you can handle the heat, it is well worth it!

[@coalandsteelrailroadvideos1342]

Great job on your video

[@austinstrains2001]

Thanks!

[@garysprandel1817]

The ol gal doesn't have a lot of room to stretch her legs yet but oh does she sound sweet when she starts to bite into the grade and really starts to talk.

[@austinstrains2001]

Yeah sadly we don't have a lot of room to really open her up yet, but that 6% grade sure gives her a bit of a load!

[@matthewjames4334]

I remember when it was a basically just a rolling chassis referred to as the rolling ingot And they only had about 50 feet of track or so these guys rebuilt that shunter pretty much by hand. Over a span of around 7-10 years I think.

[@wetcardie66]

i really hope narrow gauge pioneers/ from this side of the pond whether they hail from wales or portugal get to see this

[@JungleYT]

*Much better than it was, last time I visited here a couple of years ago... Back then, the run was really, really short - back and forth... Now it's running out thru the woods, etc. Guess they need permission from surrounding property owners to lay more track, a loop, etc.?*

[@thomaspickles9058]

number 58 looks beautiful with that tender :)

[@austinstrains2001]

The tender looks absolutely perfect with 58, doesn't it?

[@stevemellin5806]

Looks great.

[@princessofthecape2078]

Wish they had more track to run on. The engine looks like it's in great shape.

[@austinstrains2001]

From my experience of being around the locomotive and being part of the crew, 58 is one of the best kept operating locomotives in the U.S. as far as I'm concerned! We're hoping to add more track in the future.

[@coalandsteelrailroadvideos1342]

I second that when I first started had a couple inches of track too every year there’s more and more track and more features sometimes it’s not all about how much track you have sometimes it how much cool scenes and interesting operations.

[@simonmcowan6874]

The 'chuff' sounds like a 3 cylinder engine!😢 Love the whistle 👍

[@austinstrains2001]

Her exhaust rhythm is still a little bit off, we retimed it over this past offseason, but it's certainly better than it was! I really like this whistle too!

[@ЛЬВИНИ]

Very good video, like .

[@austinstrains2001]

Thank you!

[@krwd]

Did you know that J&L Steel started in Aliquippa PA B F Jones of J& L built a library in Aliquippa and you might find information on the railroad in that library. The library is an historic landmark, there is nothing left of the old Mill there from one end to the other is was 7miles My father and uncles and grandfather worked there for decades

[@austinstrains2001]

It truly is a shame that there is absolutely nothing left of J&L South Side, or really most of the area's steel mills for that matter. I live near Steubenville, OH, where there used to be steel mills from there all the way down the Ohio River. It's tragic to think that we lost all of those. Despite this loss, the place where 58 was built, H.K. Porter, is indeed still standing, albeit repurposed. I think Rick Rowlands posted a video about it on the J&L Narrow Gauge KZbin channel a while back. Thank you for the history and info, and that is really cool that your family worked there! Hope you pay us a visit in Youngstown sometime!

[@JungleYT]

*My cup of Tea ready? LOL*

[@austinstrains2001]

LOL! We have actually cooked food on a shovel in the firebox and it has come out really good!

[@richardbause2453]

Great job!!! Hope to bed back out soon!Richard Bause Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley RR

[@austinstrains2001]

We hope to see you back out here!

[@richardbause2453]

@@austinstrains2001 Trying, building track and wrangling ties while dodging Railbikes. Still have 800 140 pound DS tie plates to trade for 80/90 pound plates.

[@bobo327]

Nice video 👍 friend 🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃

[@austinstrains2001]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@benfletcher7100]

Where in Pennsylvania is this tourist railroad located

[@austinstrains2001]

The J&L Narrow Gauge is located in Youngstown, Ohio. Go to youngstownsteel.org for more information!

[@ElementalcraftStudios]

Square Betsy

[@wazza33racer]

that is slick, for a steam train........

[@LegendaryCollektor]

I want 7 of these on a railroad that spans 300 acres and its actually a theme park and this is just a ridr

[@austinstrains2001]

That would be cool!

[@SuperAWaC]

Do you have a DXF or something for those rad angled Safety First stencils? Also what kind of whistle does that thing have on it?

[@austinstrains2001]

That would be a question for Rick Rowlands, the owner. I believe our friend Nick Hovey did those and I'd imagine he used a stencil. The small whistle that you hear in the beginning is the original J&L whistle, the larger whistle I thought was a Lunkenheimer 3 chime but there's a lot that are saying it's a Hancock 3 chime. I'm not too entirely sure, but it sounds nice!

[@johnalder6028]

I have just subscribed to keep up with this. I also subscribe to Roman's Milwaukee Roads , he follows Wisconsin and Southern. Greetings from Port Saint Lucie, Florida!

[@austinstrains2001]

Thanks for subscribing! Hope you enjoy the future content! I'll have to check that out

[@vettebecker1]

Awesome as always! How much track will you guys have to run on when completed, will you be making a loop of the property??

[@austinstrains2001]

We currently have maybe about a thousand feet, we're gonna be making the straight run up the hill a little longer this summer, but future track additions are mostly going to depend on whether or not we can get more property.

[@paytongauthier6452]

What whistle do they put on 58 today?

[@austinstrains2001]

Don't quote me for sure but I think it's a Lunkenheimer 3 chime. I could be wrong

[@paytongauthier6452]

To me it sounds like a Hancock 3 chime also judging by the look of the whistle

[@austinstrains2001]

Very well could be. I do know we have had a Lunkenheimer 3 on it before

[@ArturoRailProductions]

The big whistle is a Lunkenheimer 3 chime. The small one I think is a Crosby.

[@ToritheGSMR1702-mz3rc]

Has the track been extended?

[@austinstrains2001]

Depends on when you last saw it! We're working on extending our straight run to the property line, as well as adding a passing siding at the top of the hill to potentially allow two trains to run at the same time

[@ElajahHere]

I never met this steam engine before

[@josephtrogolino]

What set gauge do you run on?

[@austinstrains2001]

24" gauge; 58 and her sisters were originally 23" gauge, but the drive wheel tires were moved out slightly.

[@railroadenthusiast6246]

Hey it has #611's whistle

[@austinstrains2001]

At first I thought it might have been a Lunkenheimer 3 chime but - as others have said - I think this is a Hancock 3 chime

[@Flymochairman1]

Fantastic to see and to hear. Good on you both, for getting involved and thanks for posting the video. Nice. I'm in the UK so it's one I haven't seen before. Is it a compound loco, with that exhaust beat? Keep safe now. Cheers!

[@austinstrains2001]

Thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed! It is not a compound, however the valve timing isn't 100% perfect on it. It used to be a lot worse, where we'd have two good exhaust beats, a really strong one, and one that was hardly anything at all. We retimed the valves over this past offseason and while it's a lot better than it was, it still needs a bit of refinement, which I'm sure as time goes on we'll have figured out.

[@Flymochairman1]

@@austinstrains2001 All the best in getting things tuned up and lapped in but it was nice to see. Thanks!

[@armick57]

Where are you located?

[@austinstrains2001]

Northeast Ohio, about an hour south of the J&L Narrow Gauge Railroad in a town called Bergholz.

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

I think this is my new favorite narrow gauge engine. Absolutely beastly looking and can you believe that whistle??? And on what, 2 foot gauge at most by the looks of it?

[@austinstrains2001]

She's definitely grown on me too! All 46 tons and 12,000 lbs of tractive effort of it! For a two foot gauge locomotive (built to 23" gauge originally) built in 1937, Porter really did a great job!

[@woobyvr9654]

blow torch hahaha, try a few kerosene or diesel soaked rags then you don't have to stand there with the torch for however long

[@austinstrains2001]

It got the job done!

[@donotwantahandle1111]

Gee you couldn't cram a bigger tank on if you tried!

[@austinstrains2001]

She's got pretty decent water capacity for her size!

[@lokomo41]

To the eye of a Central European (Czech Republic), the locomotive is strange, as angular as a motor locomotive. Mainly the water tank located on the boiler, most of the locomotives here have the tank located between the axles under the boiler for stability. I really miss where the front of the locomotive with the chimney, the middle of the boiler and the booth is. But I like any interesting locomotives that are different from the others.

[@austinstrains2001]

The J&L Porters were certainly unique and quite chunky little locomotives. I used to think the same thing - "Man, these things are just strange!" - but as I've been around 58 and her sisters more, I've come to really like them. The design has its ups and downs. Originally, for example, the saddletank was mounted on brackets that were attached to the boiler. This could limit the natural expansion of the boiler. So, when 58 was restored, the saddletank brackets on the boiler were removed and now no part of the saddletank is actually supported by or contacts the boiler, letting it expand and contract freely as it needs to. That is an interesting thought, having the water tank mounted low like that. It probably helps with tractive effort a little bit as well, having the weight centered like that!

[@Truck-Train-Ship-Car-Bikelover]

it runs good for a 2 axle loco, after all that years sitting.

[@austinstrains2001]

It's been a labor of love to restore it!

[@paullangford8179]

Valve gear desperately needs adjustment! The chuffing should sound abut the same on all phases, but this is very irregular.

[@austinstrains2001]

Well, it is definitely better than it was! If you go back and look at older videos, you'll hear she used to have a really offbeat exhaust. We retimed it over this past offseason, and in forward it's almost perfect, but in reverse it is still about as bad as it was. Retiming the valve gear is not an easy process, but we'll have it figured out sooner or later.