The Crunch: Rebuild or Bust.

Описание: It’s starting to feel like we just finished a marathon… and someone told us to turn around and run another.

Operations are ramping up fast, and the clock is ticking on finishing the rebuild of No. 5. We’re now just two months out from Polson 70 reaching the end of its federally mandated boiler time.
We’ve submitted a waiver request to the FRA asking for an extension through the end of the year. While it would buy us more time for gold-plating repairs and additional testing (increasing our safety factor), we’re not counting on it—there’s no obligation to grant waivers. If it is, we’ll have up to 62 more operating days, and Polson 70 will still be well under the 1472-service-day limit (with 668 days). The engine’s in great shape, thanks to consistent maintenance and oversight, as well as skilled operators.

Meanwhile, everyone is stretched thin and we’ll be honest, morale is low. We bit off more than we could chew in terms of scheduling, track and locomotive rebuilds, and an expanded We expected this part of the project to feel like a slog, and boy does it. Walk into the shop and you’ll see Chris at a machine, for hours upon hours (probably bobbing along to Sabrina Carpenter). Aric and Nate are covered in grime from cleanup and prep for painting. Adam’s still wrestling rivets—when he’s not in the cab of the 70.

Behind the scenes, our RailCycle and hospitality teams are keeping the frontlines moving, and bridge teardown and planning is underway.

More soon—including a look at our daily inspections, a bit of our compliance program, and (likely) a dissertation on the state of the steam industry. We’ve been around for a minute but we’re still on a steep learning curve!

Bethan will be back with a bridge update soon and we’re hoping to get some time with Eric Mencis (Hospitality Manager, Railroad Royalty) on camera soon.