Huckleberry Railroad No. 152 Now Operational!

[NS3322]

It's an exciting day at the Huckleberry Railroad Shop, even though it is 90 degrees. Engine 152, after a long rebuild process that started in 2016, has finally been pulled out of the Railroad Shop for a test fire. The project included dismantling the entire locomotive. The boiler was removed from the frame and sent out for testing and repair. Shop staff tested valves, re-profiled the drive wheels, replaced wear parts, rebuilt the tender car and gave the jacket a fresh coat of paint complete with hand painted numbering. Later this summer the beautiful restored engine 152 will be able to make its way down the Huckleberry Railroad tracks thanks to a large grant from the Mott Foundation that funded the project. There is even an impressive new lubrication system that includes 214 fittings! Once test firing is complete, staff will inspect the operating systems and begin doing test runs and fine tuning the locomotive before putting it back into service.

[AARR]

Looks like a 4-6-0? Nice to have another operating steam engine .

[O Scale Railfanner]

Looks like a 4-6-0? Nice to have another operating steam engine .

Built for the Alaska Railroad before they converted the railroad to Standard Gauge, the first steam locomotive the Village and Railroad acquired and a favorite. For me, it was the first steam locomotive I had ever seen in real life. The paint scheme its wearing now I think gets some inspiration from the first scheme it wore when it was first returned to operation on the Huck.

The rebuild is supposed to coincide with the end of the 464's fluetime. Railfest this year (per the rumor mill) is supposed to focus heavily on the return of 152 and dual operation of both engines simultaneously. My understanding is that 464's time is up this year and it will go down for a heavy rebuild very similar to what just occurred on 152.