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| Early Autumn 2005 -It's been a busy time for our heavy prairie-type! Following a move from the Stetler Steam Shops in Athol, the Princess is now at home in Whitefish. Following a very succesfull "Return to Steam" Excursion, she has been kept busy. With an expected drop in ridership due to the changing seasons, the 5473 has taken over the "Glacier by Steam" excursions from the 2716. It's quite a show as the engine struggles up the 1%+ grades leading to Belton. During this time, it was decided to reapint the locomotive. The bright paint job seen elsewhere on this site has given way to something more akin to a working locomotive. It was discovered that although attractive and and attention getting, the amount of time spent keeping the the engine in "pristine condition" was not economical and very labor intensive. And seeing the locomotive sees fairly heavy use, we decided she had best dress down. Following in the footsteps of one of the rail giants of the Northwest, the Northern Pacific, the green cab roof and graphite smokebox speak of the "Mainstreet of the Northwest". Of course some embelishments remain, such as the starred drivers and the white trim, but on the whole the engine is much more "work-a-day" as opposed to a museum static disply. It should be noted for special occasions, she will be dressed up again and shine for all. She also has a new voice! The original Southern Pacific 6-Chime whistle fitted (Her original whistle was stolen) although melodic and very sweet sounding, did not have the capacity needed for robust sound. The problem was solved by machining a dupicate of the steamboat type found on the NP 2661. Final tuning was done on the road and the 2-6-2 now has a voice that puts it her in leauge with the largest engines on the road today. We look forard to seeing all of you at Steamfest! James Maxwell CEO/Chief Engineer |