It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! I took this image of the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad train as it headed out for a run this past October. The locomotive, former Santa Fe 3415, is now out of service for a while as it is undergoing it's FRA inspection. I will miss seeing it run this year.
Do the inspections require a tear down? Is that why they take so long?
ReplyDeleteUsually it's because it is very expensive and they have to raise money to complete work. They are required to replace the flues (tubes) in the boiler and the boiler has to be inspected so it will most likely have an ultra sound where you would have to take the jacket off. Plus, since it is down for these types of things, they usually want to repair anything else that may not be where they want it to be. Apparently just the flues. of which there are 147, cost $250 each. Yikes.
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