I Am Now...(the Official 4449 Thread)

[AndrewFields]

An official volunteer for Friends of SP 4449 and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF). This means I get to see the old girl twice a week , help work on her and get to go along for the ride when they take her to events. Today was my first day of volunteer work and while we didn't work on the locomotive (she's put away for the winter), we did spend the day taking Christmas lights off the passenger cars from Holiday Express. SP 4449 just got her official invitation to Cruisin' Sherwood, an annual classic car show to which 4449 is always invited. We have to wait for approval from Union Pacific and the Portland & Western before we can say for sure that we'll be there. The P&W has always been very easy to work with although I wish I could say the same about UP....

This whole experience has so far been very exciting and I'll post some photos of what we're up to at a later date.

[cabman701]

Congrats Dude!

Two good things have happened to members this week. Who's next??

[AndrewFields]

Thanks, man.

4449 is an incredible machine in every way and just being around her makes you feel like you are in the presence of royalty. She exudes class from every inch and sometimes it gets to the point where you feel almost unworthy; looking at her just never gets old. Seeing her with a ton of other people is one thing; being with her completely alone in the roundhouse is a totally different ball game. She just never gets tiring to look at, to touch, and just be near. She is nothing short of a magical machine. Doyle McCormack is the proprietor of the 4449 and a super nice, laid-back guy. He is also a household name with railfans around here.

[AndyWS]

Good to hear at least one spectacular 4-8-4 is still in good hands...

http://www.fuzzyworld3.com/3um/viewtopi ... 78&start=0

[wigwags4ever]

Two good things have happened to members this week. Who's next??

I was railfanning at Waterbeach today, and I got 3 VERY LOUD blasts on the horn from an Aggregates train!

[AndrewFields]

Good to hear at least one spectacular 4-8-4 is still in good hands...

http://www.fuzzyworld3.com/3um/viewtopi ... 78&start=0

I heard about that...railfans are PISSED at the NRM for this and I don't blame them one bit. The loss of 261 to static display is a real shame. This is what happens when preservation of history takes a back seat to money and greed. Well since we can't get the price we want for it we'll just take it back and charge people to see it. Some railfans are promoting to boycott the NRM...whether it will work or not remains to be seen until it actually occurs which I just don't see happening.

[AndyWS]

I haven't been back to the NRM since 1993, when I was 7, even though I lived in Green Bay while attending UWGB from 2004-2008. Something smelled rotten there to me even then, I guess.

I saw 4449 twice this past summer when it ran to/from the festival in Michigan. It is a beautiful locomotive, although I'm REALLY glad now I went out to see 261 on its excursions the previous summer.

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1680050

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1699260

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1278814

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1281904

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1281914

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1283222

[AndrewFields]

You know what's funny about 4449 is that when you take off the side skirts and the decorative shrouds around the top of the boiler it looks just like any other steamer. It's amazing what a little decor can do. Great photos but I also noticed that the front coupler is hidden on 261. Does it come out of that flap on the cow catcher?

[AndyWS]

Great photos but I also noticed that the front coupler is hidden on 261. Does it come out of that flap on the cow catcher?

Thanks!

It actually folds down, you can see it just above the flap. Here's a closer shot:

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=1190310

[illinoistrains]

Here is #4460 at the Transportation Museum in St.Louis. It has no decorative sides or nothing, but still very cool.