Cedar point and lake erie railroad

Just an FYI, the water tower hasn't held water in over 30 years. When I worked there in 1982 and 1983, the water tower did not hold water.

In this video you can see Jennie K around the 9:23 mark, still sitting at Knotts appearing to be in a state of disrepair

Yeah, it has been there since 2010. When Jack Falfas was still around, he sent it out to Knott's in February 2010 to be refurbished as it has been out of service for quite some time (even sitting behind the Cedar Point engine house under a tarp). With Falfas terminated and both Judy K. and Myron H. running well, there hasn't been any desire for Cedar Fair to spend the money on Jennie's refurbishment, so there she sits awaiting the word from Cedar Fair management to start working on her. They may regret that decision as both Judy and Myron will need a rebuild soon. Had Jack remained as COO and eventually taking over as CEO, all of the engines on the CP & LE RR would have been sent to Knott's for refurbishment. Now, one can only hope Cedar Fair will see the value in Jennie's rebuild.

Are you arguing there is value in refurbishing engines that aren't needed today? That sounds like a poor business decision to me.

Jeff, Bill is right we do need to be getting another engine rebuilt soon. Jennie is the obvious choice because of her size compared to the two vulcans. Both of which will be due for major rebuilds soon. The best way to do this is to have another engine that is not in service done first. That way the railroad can keep running. It will take more than just the off season to complete just one rebuild. Yes we have the Davenmonster and George but they are both hard on the track and we try not to run them unless we have too. Back in the day the railroad had six operable engines so they could maintain 3 train service. It would be nice to get Jennie and Albert both back so the vulcans aren't doing all the work. Going around in circles all day will eventually cause problems just like on the standard gauge lines.

That doesn't really answer the question I asked though. Is there some mechanical risk to the railroad not operating today? I'm guessing that if there was, the park would be proactive given the ride's overall capacity chunk. Having a fleet of functional engines might be neat, but I don't think it's a requirement.

Something I have always wondered; has the train ever run counterclockwise? Seems like if there is a wear issue from running in circles switching it up every now and then might be beneficial.

Is there some mechanical risk, as in not enough power to cover daily operation? Currently, no. However, as has been pointed out, the two locomotives that are the mainstay of the operation are rapidly approaching a time when they are going to have to have a major overhaul.They were last rebuilt about twenty five years ago. This work has to be sent out, and the number of shops in the country that do this kind of work can be counted on one hand, fewer if new boilers are needed (which is a possibility). Most if not all of these shops have at least a two year backlog of work. Ideally, they should be sent out for work before they get to a point where they are no longer functional. Now the two reserve locomotives are considerably heavier than the two main ones, and their increased weight creates problems with maintaining the track and trestles. This is the reason why they are only used a couple times a month while the other locomotives are undergoing their scheduled mandatory boiler washing and inspections.
From an operational standpoint it's best to have a suitable locomotive available to slot into the roster when you send at least one of the others out for work. How about upgrading the track to better handle the other two locomotives you say? Well, if done by a commercial railroad contractor it would cost more than rebuilding at least one of the locomotives, if not both.

We-o-we-oooo said:
Something I have always wondered; has the train ever run counterclockwise? Seems like if there is a wear issue from running in circles switching it up every now and then might be beneficial.

There is no way to turn the locomotives around to run counterclockwise. Plus the handicap accessible ramps would all be out of place.

We-o-we-oooo said:
Something I have always wondered; has the train ever run counterclockwise? Seems like if there is a wear issue from running in circles switching it up every now and then might be beneficial.

I got it, that's what's happening to Mantis!

The trains themselves have never run counter-clockwise. However, several locomotives have ran tender first (backwards) while still pulling the train clock wise. Opening day in 1963 Maud and Albert were parked pilot to pilot for the golden spike ceremony. Jennie spent some time running backwards while the crossover switch was being repaired. There are no turning facilities. Turning engines around was done with the use of the crossover. Before the station was moved to its current location, the outbound and inbound tracks paralleled each other along the shop. An engine could pull on to the outbound track from the shop, back through the crossover to the inbound track and then run backwards through the station. When it came back around on the outbound track it would be facing the other direction. I have been told this was done to do various work on the engines.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8125962044_0106b69f0e_b.jpg

Looks like the front wheel of the engine is derailed in that picture. Also, is that building on the right behind the trees Cedars?

Yes the pilot wheel is off the track. I have been told Maud could only run backwards at the time due to the valve gear being reassembled wrong during restoration. At some point during the ceremony it found a spot that was out of gauge and dropped off. You can see the marina and Cedars through the trees. The water tower is just out of frame to the left and you can see the concrete for the platform.

Sorry for bringing this topic back, but are there 2 trains on the track now? I was at the park on Sunday, and I had to wait for a train to pass at the Gemini crossing and then there was another one over by Mean Streak. One of my friends stopped at Freestyle for about 2 minutes, but that was really quick for a train to go around the entire circuit.

Yes there were two trains.

Haven't there been two trains for quite some time? If I recall correctly, Judy K and Myron H.

Yes, as far as I recall they've been running 2 trains on most days since late June/early July

There was a time when we ran three trains starting in mid June through most of August. This was when it was the major way to get to Frontiertown. There are several ways to get back there now and the need for the third train became moot

I was reading back in this topic a few pages ago that running two trains were few and far between due to staffing shortage. Has that issue been resolved this year? How rare are engineers certified to operate a steam engine?

Seems that they only run two trains when the crowds would warrant running two, Friday Saturday Sunday. Last year, the train would close at 8 at times because of the lack of certified engineers. Glad to see that isnt an issue or so it seems, this year.

Loving the whistle on Judy K!