My Epic Steam Adventure: Bonus Content -Bessemer and Lake Erie

[@maestromecanico597]

Thank you for saying “locomotive.” The “engine” is the bit with the pistons and the cylinders. Railfully, a retired railroad mechanic.

[@ehadder]

@@maestromecanico597 correct. I try to be careful with that.

[@SteamCrane]

Last time I saw this engine, it was in the B+LE Greenville roundhouse, along with the big 0-10-2 that's on display in Greenville, in 1961. Nice that it has a home now.

[@mshum538]

@@SteamCrane Do you remember by any chance the name of the fellow that owned it ?

[@SteamCrane]

​@@mshum538 Sorry, no. Pretty sure B+LE owned both at the time. The railroad park in Greenville, where the 0-10-2 is displayed is worth a look. Just east of the Sheetz. I should mention that at the time, the piston rods had been torched off for some reason.

[@mshum538]

@@SteamCrane ok

[@Band__geek]

If you were early enough, you could have visited the IRM, they run steam from spring to fall. Plus they have 3 ( 1 in rebuild ) working steam locomotives. Not to forget the numerous diesels and electric equipment.

[@ehadder]

I have been to the Illinois Railroad Museum for their employee appreciation weekend in September. It was a blast. So much equipment, and there was always something moving.

[@TheJm16601]

Fired up and under steam once for a test, I was there.

[@jamesmccann1097]

So was I!

[@ccrx6700]

Excellent presentation my friend ❤👍😎

[@Beechnut985]

Looks like the tender is facing backwards from where it should be. I also noticed it still has the little coal auger driver steam engine attached. Thanks for making this video!

[@ehadder]

@@Beechnut985 The tender does not appear in this video. It had already been moved to the Age of Steam Roundhouse and was sitting out back by the turntable. You can briefly see it in my Age of Steam video.

[@GrandCanyonStudios844]

2:04 I never would have guessed that the locomotive in that artistic logo was based on 643, wow! And let me get this straight, GCR tried and failed to acquire 643, 6325, some Chinese KD7’s, some Mexican 4-8-4’s, Frisco 1522 (lease only), Santa Fe 3759, and SP 2472 (again, lease only). Not to mention the ones already on the property but never restored, namely 19, 20, and 539. Am I missing anything?

[@PatrioticCoservativeAmerican]

It's probably going to be decades before it's restored. If they were to restore it to operation, where would they run it?

[@shopdog831]

Somewhere like the great smoky mountains railroad in north Carolina would be a good fit for a big slow engine like this.

[@paytongauthier6452]

You must had recorded this a long time ago, 643 is already in the shops and is pretty much halfway done with her cosmetic restoration.

[@ehadder]

June, 2023

[@Beechnut985]

Big Steam REF 24

[@mshum538]

Was this engine from Mckees Rocks pa.?

[@manga12]

yes that is where the shops were , but the ble loco took them long enough to get there, it was put off due to the time around covid era I think, and its just soo big they had trouble transporting it, its one of the biggest texas types to be made they say its huge

[@mshum538]

@@manga12 I remember when it was in the Glenwood Backshop and it being moved over to Mckees Rocks and next to it was an old Alco switch engine ….

[@timmoffat3182]

Getting it out of McKees rocks was the hard part

[@mshum538]

@@manga12 not true, that engine was moved to the glenwood backshop ( hazelwood ) from somewhere up north, I physically observed men working on its restoration and when the owner went bankrupt the engine was towed to the area showed in this video by csx sometime in the 90d’s and after, the p&le shops were not a part of this engine’s existence and I remember the P&LE very well being a retired locomotive engineer…

[@ChargerusPrime]

The fact of this engine is its big heavy and worst of all, slow. It can't keep up with modern traffic and it's so large that running it would be a logistical nightmare on steroids. I wish she could run again, but facts are what they are. A 4-8-4 is probably the biggest most places could run and rightfully so. Best do-all go anyplace machine.

[@randyedwards3244]

Don't forget "Big Boy!" Then again, she's essentially a pair of 4-8-4's closely coupled. Like, REALLY close!

[@ChargerusPrime]

@@randyedwards3244 eh.. more like a 4-8-4 combined with a 2-8-2 if we're gonna talk read world horsepower equivalents.