A Form 4 is a crucial document used by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to record detailed information about the boiler of a steam locomotive. The form includes data on the boiler’s construction, materials, and condition, as well as the results of various tests and inspections to demonstrate compliance with safety regulations.

The Form 4 has been completed and submitted to the FRA in Washington for the #1385. The FRA gave us approval to proceed with the FRA witnessed Hydrostatic test. This was done on October 10^th, 2024. All went as planned with no issues.  The engine passed the test and FRA Inspector Dave S’s final comment on the test was “Good work!”

Now we are waiting for Washington for the final approval of the Form 4. We have compiled a complete list of all the work to be done on the engine and have assessed who is doing each task. We will bring in the following labor to work on the completing the engine: volunteer museum members, paid staff, and third-party contractors including Spec Machine and FMW. This winter will be a very busy season for us. Some of the larger tasks left to complete are installing the air and steam lines, adding insulation and the sheet metal jacketing, installing the cab, ashpan installation, smokestack installation, and installing the pistons and rings. There are many other smaller items that need to be completed as well.

The #1385 Task Group and Management Committee are still meeting weekly and the items to get completed are getting smaller in number. Our plan is still to have the engine back at the museum in 2025 and at least begin testing. I want to thank our friends and supporters of this project. We could not have gotten to this point without your help, support and understanding. If you would like to give a gift to #1385, please click the button below to donate online. Your gift will ensure this work is completed in a timely manner and help with transportation costs to ship the engine back to the museum.

Thank you in advance for your positive help and support!

Andy S.

President

Mid-Continent Railway Museum