I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

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dorin
Posts: 606
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2002 5:24 am

I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by dorin »

I have not heard much since this article:
https://www.up.com/media/releases/chall ... 220428.htm

(I admit, I have not looked much either!)

-Mike
www.chaski.com
thej611
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Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:26 am

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by thej611 »

I heard they have already started on 3985
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Harold_V
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Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by Harold_V »

Hmmm. I'd not heard about UP giving that equipment away, so thanks for posting, Mike.

It's encouraging to see that there's an effort to keep these old treasures operational for us to enjoy. I'm "young" enough to remember steam when it was in full use, and can remember when diesels were first introduced. I figured they'd work together infinitely. The optimism of youth, eh?

How I wish I'd have taken some photos. I figured they'd be around for ever, so why bother? We lived about a block from the D&RG mainline through the Salt Lake Valley, with UP less than a mile away.

Those were the days. A ton of coal cost $50!

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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Steamer Al
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Location: Comox, BC

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by Steamer Al »

https://rrhma.com/2023-winter-update/

Looks like they are hard at work!
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Fender
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Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by Fender »

Harold_V wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 2:09 am
Those were the days. A ton of coal cost $50!

H
Not sure about the time period (perhaps the 1930s) but a shortline in Mississippi (a state not known for having coal deposits) would buy coal from a mine in Illinois for only $1.00 per ton! But, the freight on the coal from Illinois to Mississippi was $10.00 per ton! So the Mississippi RR would have the coal delivered to a station on their line in the middle of nowhere, then haul it back to where it was needed (which happened to be in a town served by the Illinois Central, which delivered it to them). The reason for doing this is that it would allow them to split the freight revenue with the IC (since they were hauling the coal part of the way to its “destination”). So, they got back half of the freight costs, and thereby only paid $6/ton for coal, delivered.
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
Rob Gardner
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Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:27 am
Location: Newbury, OH

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by Rob Gardner »

Cab has been removed and tubes, flues and superheaters are also out of the engine now. They are making good progress so far.

Rob Gardner
bobnsteam
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Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2023 11:14 am

Re: I wonder what the progress on the challenger rebuild is

Post by bobnsteam »

In the April 2023 issue of Trains magazine there is a brief report on 3985's progress on page46.
Bob
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