Being a native of Traverse City, I thought I would give an "up-date" of the 148 from the time she arrived.
The ex-FEC #148 was brought to Traverse City, Michigan in 1994. She was going to be restored in the engine shed in the remains of the Traverse City rail yard and be ready to pull a dinner train in 1995. The original plan was to have a round trip between Traverse City and Interlochen (they had the rights to re-lay 3 miles of track to reach Interlochen). (to a 10-year-old kid, this was great!)
So the engine was pulled into the engine house, and not much was said for a couple of years. (The Grand Traverse Dinner Train started operations in 1996 and ran to Williamsburg in the west for lunch and to Walton Junction in the south for dinner. This is a diesel train, not steam)Around 1997, then engine was pulled out of the engine house and stored outside. It appeared that nothing had been done to her. She was put out on the abandoned ex-main line spur that used to go throught Traverse City and go north to Northport.
Work on restoring her did not start until 2000. She was then moved onto another siding, and men went to work on her. They removed the tubes and did an ultrasound on the boiler. Some places were 0.312" thick while other places got as thin as 0.192" thick! Part of the Mudring had been removed and a new part had been tack-welded into place, but that would have to be replaced due to new boiler codes since the last repair work had been completed. Most of the bottom of the barrel would have to be replaced and the smokebox would multiple repairs to replace thin/rotted metal. They said it would be less expensive in the long run to get an new boiler and smokebox.
The pistons and valves were removed. The piston rings on the valves had been lined up so splits of both rings were perfectly lined up, and the valve liners had a depression of about 0.125" where the split of the rings were. (Due to water collecting there I think) And there was a lot of junk/waste in the exhaust ports also.
The tires would have to be re-machined and/or be replaced. Apparently when she was brought up here, the engineer of the diesel had the brakes applied on the steamer to keep her from bouncing into the diesel, and the friction caused by the breaks caused the tires on the drivers to expand and slide on the cast wheel center.
Also they said that it would be best if a new frame could be made as this one was crystalizing. They could use this frame, but sooner or later it would need to be replaced.
Here is work that I believe was completed.
They ground off all the zinc covering on the driving rods. The power reverse was rebuilt. I think the tender tank is now water tight as well as the oil tank. They have I think at least 2 working injectors in storage in T.C. as well as many valves and other pipe fittings and a steam generator.
Unfortunatly the restoration work stopped in 2001. There had been a few fundraisers in T.C. but I do not think that amounted to much. So unfortunatly, she is still sitting there.
Here is a website of an article that was in the Grand Traverse Herald on July 12, 2000.
http://www.record-eagle.com/herald/2000/12train.htm