What a difference a year makes.... You are looking at the inside of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association's (MSRLHA) Killoran Restoration Shop at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. The locomotive you see before you is Moore-Keppel Climax #6, a 70-ton, 3-trucker built in 1919. Under restoration for more than 10 years now, the project is entering the final stages, which basically involve putting the locomotive back together. In the year since I last saw her, the boiler and water tank have both been mounted, and other major elements such as the cab, fuel bunker, and drive train are all arrayed neatly in various parts of the shop, awaiting installation. With a full-time crew, this project might be months from completion, but given that most of the work on this engine is done by volunteers during organized weekend work sessions, about the earliest you might see her run is sometime in 2016 or 2017. Still, this project has really come a long way. The locomotive kit is slowly starting to look like a locomotive, and I am really looking forward to seeing my first 3-trucker Climax in action.
The MSRLHA folks can always use some help with this project. Whether you have time or money to donate, I'm sure either will be welcome. Visit their website at http://www.msrlha.org/climaxLoco.shtml for more information.
For aficianados of geared steam engines, it's "almost heaven." Here are some scenes from the park's annual Railfan Weekends, as well as some private charters.
