Southern Pacific GS-4 4449 is the queen of the steam fleet these days. There is N&W 611 a close second then the Yello Peril's 8444 Some views of the queen.
The 4449 is going back together following her 1472 day/15 year inspection/repair. A big piece of the throat sheet where the firebox transitions to the combustion chamber had to be cut out and replaced. That is finally complete, and all the tubes and flues are installed, superheater tubes going in now. I read on another forum that the boiler had some water put in to check for leaks, and soon the full hydro test will be run. The volunteers are confident that the locomotive will be up and running for this year's Holiday Express runs on the Oregon Pacific between Oaks Park and the ORHC center. She last ran an excursion in October 2012 on which I was a passenger, from Portland to Bend and return. The teardown started early in 2013. All the work is done by volunteers who are very dedicated, under the leadership of Doyle McCormack.
