489's front end getting TLC

[Edwin Frey]

Throughout the morning, despite occasional flurries, there have been guys working on the front end of 489. Will she be the first one to get hot?

[Sharon Evans]

Had to zoom in to look, but the smoke box door is open and plow still off. There was earlier comment on work to be done on the front end which required the plow to be off, could have been over on the NGDF.

[Edwin Frey]

They pulled the flat car out of the roundhouse for a while this afternoon, which allowed the backhoe to go in and do whatever. The flat car was pushed back in later with nothing have been pulled off of it while it was out. According to the progress report post on the NGDF last week, it was noted that they hoped to move 487 out of the engine house this week so they could bring 484 in for some work.

[Sharon Evans]

The heavy folk lift is in front of 489 with men walking around so again doing something. Can't really see so don't know if putting the smoke box door back or what.

[Sharon Evans]

Hard to see, but the plow may be back on 489. I can see what looks like the support arm on the fireman's side.

[Edwin Frey]

It's Saturday morning, and by the dawn's early light, before shadows make it almost impossible to get a good view, it would appear that if, indeed, there is something mounted on the pilot beam, it's not a plow. The cylinder head covers are visible, something that would be obscured if there was a plow. Perhaps a boiler-tube pilot, or nothing, yet. It also appears that the smokebox has been repainted with a graphite color. I noticed, on Thursday, that for a while, there was a tarp thrown over the boiler which suggested that there was some painting going on. OMG, I sound like a foamer. ...or just an ardent fan who can't wait to see smoke again.

[Doug Frederick]

We were loading the driver/axle on my truck and trailer today, for the return trip to the Durango press machine, and it was explained to me that they were aligning things in the smokebox, that have to do with the stack.

It had a cool name.

I already forgot it.

[Tom Casper]

my guess is the pettycoat and the blast nozzel

Tom C.

[Doug Frederick]

That's it! And they were lining it with a plumb bob.