A leak inside one of the many steel tubes (called boiler tubes) in Polson #2’s boiler necessitated the removal of the bad tube. It was decided to do a full 15-year boiler inspection due to the amount of work involved.

Several volunteers from ORHF, led by crews from owner Albany & Eastern Railroad, began the rebuild process this week. Their intention is to complete the overhaul by year’s end, in time for Holiday Express excursion runs.

The engine had just 15 months remaining on the boiler’s 15-year clock. Rather than repair the leak now, only to reopen the boiler in little more than a year, it was deemed more efficient to move forward with the boiler redo now.