When our tour found its way to 1361, my initial impression was, "Wow, this is nothing more than a skeleton of its former self." No under-carriage, just the support frame, the boiler, and the Belpaire, no skin whatsoever, and no cab! It is nothing more than a cylinder with its trailing firebox. The once-proud ‘people mover’ is reduced to a form barely recognizable as an honored member of the PRR fleet. My second thought was, "They expect to have this back under steam by July?" I hasten to add that the comment is not intended to be an indictment of the efforts of those who are dutifully providing the labor and expertise, it just seemed to me that there is still a significant amount of effort required to meet the objective. I lay no claim to knowing what is involved as a master machinist, or boiler maker, or steam-fitter; it just seemed to me that an extraordinary amount of effort still lies ahead to bring this mechanical marvel back ‘to life’. Ranger McCarthy admitted that, like many projects, this one turned out to be much more than what ‘met the eye’ when the project commenced. He admitted that it will be difficult to meet the July date, and that the staff recognizes the challenge.

Forward Boiler Support Plate

A majority of our tour time was spent at the 1361 berth, thus affording an ample amount of time for discussion, observation, and picture-taking. Though my initial impression was one of surprise, it was most evident that the work is energetic and ongoing. During our time at the 1361 there was one machinist who was grinding the inside of the Belpaire. The guts of 1361 reveal the many marks of the restoration efforts. One form of evidence is the newly-fabricated boiler support plates. Another sign is the beautifully re-bored cylinders.

One question that arose was: Where is all of the hardware? Where are all of the parts? Ranger McCarthy led us back into the roundhouse and pointed out the stacks and the bins of parts. I sure hope that the person who cataloged the parts knows where to find everything- seems like a real challenge for anyone. There were just rows upon rows of bins and parts. One part that I quickly recognized was the freshly-fabricated coal auger housing (above right).

One could only wonder if this was really 1361. The evidence was found lying amidst all of the hardware, there lay the convincing artifact- the headlamp cowling! There in all of its glory, revealing itself for all to see with its irrefutable moniker, leaving no question that: "I am 1361, the K4s!"

I plan to re-visit 1361 in July, just to see how the project has progressed. The chapter’s planned excursion this summer will provide that opportunity.