The volunteers at Friends of the 4449 have attacked a problem with the No. 2 driver bearings overheating. They recently ran the locomotive to Albany where they dropped the No. 2 driver set and replaced the left bearing. On the doubleheader trip in May, both bearings on No. 2 suddenly gained about 100 degrees. Doyle McCormack suspects that something has changed in the composition of the oil that they have used for years to lube these bearings. Anyway, the crew jacked the entire engine up at Brooklyn, after disconnecting the tender. They removed all the side rods and partially dropped the No. 2. Both bearings were removed and showed signs of wear. The following photos were taken in the Brooklyn roundhouse on July 13. The entire locomotive is jacked up, the pony truck has been removed for maintenance, and the No. 2 driver set is removed from the frame. The No. 2 set of drivers down on the pit. Here are the bearing housing and they are huge. Doyle said that he will be pretty much occupied with correcting this situation for the next couple of months. I thought you might like to know what the volunteer crews go through to provide these wonderful steam excursions. It isn't just a matter of "kick the tires and light the fires." There is serious maintenance to be done to keep these great ladies running for our entertainment.
[/QUOTE]I thought you might like to know what the volunteer crews go through to provide these wonderful steam excursions. It isn't just a matter of "kick the tires and light the fires." There is serious maintenance to be done to keep these great ladies running for our entertainment.[/QUOTE] I am glad you mentioned this. Too often we don't realize how much work people do for us for the things we enjoy! Thanks for the pics!
I do understand the amount of work that is involved being that I am a member of the TVRM and have been around now for a few years. There is alot of work that goes on just be a fireman and doing all that grease work before the loco rolls out for the day. Really like these kid of pics. Keep us posted.
