In the current Sunday Photo Fun thread there is a nice series of shots of the Baltimore and Ohio RR Museum and environs by lionroar88 (Brent). Included is a dismaying shot of GG1 number 4876 rusting away in the outer yard. Several years ago when I asked about it a spokesperson for the museum indicated that they had neither the money nor the inclination to restore it -- ever!
This isn't just any ol' GG1 -- as if there were such a thing. 4876 is the one that, while carrying a crowd of well-wishers to the Eisenhower inauguration, lost its brakes on the morning of January 15, 1953, and crashed head-first into Washington's Union Station, ending up in the lower-level baggage area. It was then taken apart, carried back to Altoona where it was rebuilt and saw many more years of service, being one of the last to be retired.
Seeing it rotting away is enough to make a grown man weep, but I'm afraid it is a lost cause.
Later in the same thread, jefelectric (John) notes that GG1 #4859, which is currently on display in Harrisburg, PA, must find a new home. One might think that the powers that be could get together and arrange for 4859 to be moved to the B&O museum -- on condition that they take better care of it then they have done with 4876. Otherwise, we may lose both of them.
I too have seen the GG1 at the B&0 muesuem, the main issue about not being able to restore it , I think is funding. Since the Roof colopsed the muesuem has most likely almost exusted it's funds on restoraration of destroyed pieces.
Fellas the B&O Museum has very many engines and rolling stock in dire need of restoration. In my thread I have pics of many of the 'historic' engines that have either been restored or are in waiting to be restored. You have to remember that the B&O Museum does not only have B&O Engines and rolling stock, they also have Western Maryland, C&O, PRR, Pere Marquette, and a few other roadnames.When the roundhouse roof collapsed in 2003 it damaged a HUGE portion of their previously restored collection. Insurance did not cover most of the expense to rebuild the roundhouse and re-restore the damaged pieces.In 2005 the B&O Museum finished construction on a state-of-the-art restoration facility. But they are still in need of funding as well as volunteers to assist with restoration efforts. In the repair shop, the only restored engine is the 1604 Allegheny. The President Washington 5300 F-19 Pacific, B&O Mikado, C&O 491 Streamlined Hudson, and the F7 (I think that is what it is), all are in need of restoration, as do many of the engines in the engine display yard (near the parking lot). Restoring an engine costs MEGA dollars and years of hard labor.My goal is to one day become a member of the 'Society of the Iron Horse' and volunteer at the museum as both restorer as well as tour guide.For more information check out their website: http://www.borail.org/
Also, the Baltimore Museum (Mt Claire Shops), is not the only B&O Museum in the area, there is another in Ellicott City, MD - about 10 minutes West of the Mt Claire Shops Museum.
I agree that funding is a constant problem for the B&O RR museum's restoration projects, and invite anyone who wants to contribute to do so. The need is ongoing.
As others have stated above, the collapse of the great roundhouse roof due to the snowstorm was an enormous setback. (For those of you who haven't seen it, the roundhouse, now restored to its former glory, is HUGE.
I guess I failed to make my point, however. Here we have a GG1 in Harrisburg that needs a home, and a home in Baltimore that needs a GG1 -- in good enough condition to be displayed. To me it looks like an opportunity for one hand to wash the other, so to say. Here's hoping that someone who reads this might have some influence directly, or know somebody who knows somebody, or might put a flea in the ear of someone at York who might think this is a viable plan.
If I have my facts* correct, PA currently has two GG1's the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg (4800 "Rivets" and 4935), another (4913) at Altoona, in addition to #4859 at Harrisburg. The GG1's performed long and distinguished service in the area served by the B&O museum and would be a real attraction here. Presumably, the one currently in Harrisburg wouldn't require an ultra-costly restoration and might prove to be a net money-maker. Perhaps we could borrow it for a spell...?
*Source: http://www.spikesys.com/GG1/survive.html#4935
I would love to see a GG1 restored but it is a very expensive undertaking to toally restore a GG1 electric locomotive. Maybe the GG1 can got a cosmetic restoration but a total restore or rebuild would be financially out of the question for most railroad museums as the GG1 uses an outdated electrical system that would have to be brought up to modern day electrical specs and transformers inside the GG1 would have to all be replaced as they are of an outdated transformer construction. The cores in the transformers used chemicals that today are banned by the U.S. Government, so you would have to strip out all the electrical and redo it with new. I can only wish any one well who undertakes the rebuilding of a GG1!
Got the info about the GG1 from the Classic Trains forum a few months ago.
Lee F.
The GG1 at Harrisburg has been cleaned of PCB contamination at, I am told, a cost of $100,000.
I also understand it has a bad wheel bearing the restricts it being moved via rail to a new location. This means that bearing must be repaired or it must be trucked or loaded on a HD flat car. Since it belongs to the Harrisburg Chapter of NRHS, I doubt it will be moved out of state, although that is just my opinion. Since just moving it involves big bucks, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Besides the bearing being replaced they would also have to have the air breaks working. That could be a huge project, though it wouldn't need to have an engine in it running. It would just work like a regular car in a train. Don't know what they may run into with those breaks sitting all these years, rusted out piping, frozen rods & break rigging. Hope it doesn't get scrapped. Wonder if one has ever been moved by a trailer & Semi-truck ?
Thanks, John
Certainly no one was suggesting restoring 4876 to OPERATING condition! But having one restored to display standards would be nice. If you know where to look you can get a pretty good peek at 4876 any time you wish from public roads in Baltimore. Binoculars help. But it is virtually disintegrating and it looks like the only thing holding the shell together is the infernal graffiti that has been sprayed all over it. I think it's a goner.
Frankly, I don't think PA would part with 4859 which as been dubbed at the official "State of Pennsylvania locomotive" or something like that. But if they do have to move it to get it out of Amtrak's hair; and if it can't roll, they will either have to fix the bearings and tow it, or pick it up and move it. If the latter, and they don't have anywhere to set it down, Baltimore isn't that far away. Do I think it will happen? Not if nobody tries, for sure. But one can dream....
The Environmental Protection Agency could consider it a hazard and remove the hazardous waste, at taxpayer expense.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Having been a life long resident of Baltimore until 3 years ago I took my relatives from England to the B+O Museum last Christmas and they were not impressed by most of the displays. They were dirty and in very poor condition and many of the larger pieces seemed ready for the scrap heap. In contrast they were very impressed with Strasburg RR and the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum and even I have to admit they were right. The B+O's peices looked like crap long before the roof collapsed so that is not the issue, Baltimore always has done things second rate compared to the rest of the country and this is just another example of the lack of foresight on part of anyone in the city or its PR people. The B+O Museum unfortunately isn't really what you would call an A list attraction and the city has never really promoted it as such nor even really made an effort to improve it.
It's a shame because in other parts of the country you'll find many railroad museums and organizations that actively promote their railroad heritage and fund their restoration projects but Baltimore in its rush to be a hip and trendy city tends to push aside such "old timey" kind of things. They need to get people in there that know how to drive fundraising efforts and push these things along instead of just saying "We don't have the money", where do the other groups around the country get their funding from? Why not follow their examples to generate money and get people in there that take it seriously and not just pencil and broom pushers who while their hearts may be in the right place really aren't cut out to manage a large railroad museum.
Sounds like they need more volunteers to get in there & get things going in the right direction is all. By what Brent & a few others said, they enjoyed it !! Maybe in its present condition it reflects how a real RR place is or was years ago, messy & not a great place. The B&O RR was referred to as a real railroaders railroad, unlike some of the other railroads at that time with all their high paid lawyers.
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
baltimoretrainworks - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I'll agree with you that Strasburg's PRR Museum is extremely clean and modern, and the inside conveys the canopy of a huge train shed. Not too long ago, that collection was rusting away aroound the turntable pit. They are lucky due to their location, that ties into the Strasburg RR, Choo-Choo Barn, Amish attractions, and now the Mega-Outlets that have littered that whole area.
Baltimore's B&O museum has what surrounding it---blight. The roundhouse collapse was devastating to its shoestring budget. The association with Smithsonian hasn't really brought anything new to the grounds. But, there has been marked improvement. The reconstruction of the roof has brought a newness to the complex. Work has been returned to getting the collection restored.
The only thing I thought was tacky on the museum's part, was bringing TICKETMASTER in to sell tickets at the door. Where are those profits going....?
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
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