So step one would be see if the owner would consider selling, two find out what needs to be abated, three find a company to do the lifting, four find a form of transportation (rail, barge, truck), five find a shop to do the restoration work, six get final destination to be suitable and accessible by rail, seven figure out financial budget, eight begin the process of buying.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
One more consideration with these old electrics is hazardous materials such as PCBs in the transformers and asbestos. Local laws may preclude moving the locomotive until these issues are addressed. If its an interstate move, every jurisdiction on the route of travel must be satisfied the movement meets their requirements for ensuring public safety. That is probably why these motors are still sitting there rusting away which is a darn shame.
I would get permission from the correct autorities first before going to the locos.
cascadenorthernrr Yes of course I would visit it.
Yes of course I would visit it.
Also as to visiting the locomotives, the powerplant would likely take a dim view of tresspassers on their property (no the locomotives are not on powerplant property), but you may have to cross it to get there. At least its not a nuclear plant (they take a really dim view of tresspassers).
Rich, get your own thread!!! Just kidding, just kidding. That would be either a equal or greater undertaking than the T-Motor noble just the same.
cascadenorthernrr By the by, my family is planning to go to NYC to see Billy Joel live at MSG so we would probably go to see my aunt and go to see the loco in person.
By the by, my family is planning to go to NYC to see Billy Joel live at MSG so we would probably go to see my aunt and go to see the loco in person.
Dont forget to visit the museum!
At the risk of straying off topic, and I stress that this is strictly theoretical, I live a mere 22 miles from Dearborn Station in downtown Chicago.
What would it cost to move the main building to an open field near my house?
I know for a fact that this can be done.
https://www.wolfehousebuildingmovers.com/
I welcome your comments.
Rich
Alton Junction
Also getting a crane in there will be difficult, as the locomotives are located just north of some of the transmission lines leaving the power plant. Track would likely have to be re-layed to re-connect with the rail spur that used to serve the power plant. The locomotives would then have to be rolled out to a location where cranes capable of lifting the locomotives could pick them up. The S motor weights 228,000lbs. The T motor weighs 285,000lbs. Not a trivial lift to transport in 1 piece. Transporting in several pieces is problematic, depending on the level of overall deterioration. 6000 is quite a historic piece.
I did not know they existed, thank you for calling my attention to this.
My suggestion: find out who actually owns them (what museum, historical society, etc), and what plans they have for them (ie restoration, movement etc).
Offer to donate money to that restoration/movement project.
But I wouldn't just scrap the innards of the loco I would reuse them somehow.
And that's because it's smaller. The reason I like the T-motor is because it's: A; closest thing to a P-Motor (my favorite NYC loco) in existance to my knowledge, B; I am originally from NY, C; I think it would be a fun project to convert it into a livable space like the GN loco at the Izaac Walton Inn.
cascadenorthernrrTwo I actually have an aunt in Danbury.
Next time you visit her, go to the museum?
The S Motor parked behind the T motor would be easier to move.
One yes that sat view is outdated they have since reinstalled the crossing signals and replaced the grade crossing itself (I'm not 100% sure they have replaced it but if not they are preparing to) and replaced many ties along the line to the point where they have begun using a small three track yard to store tank cars and covered hoppers. Two I actually have an aunt in Danbury.
According to what I read on the Ogauge Railroading forum, the S motor and T motor have been acquired by the Danbury Railroad Museum of Danbury, CT as of some time in 2015. They are looking into the costs of moving them onto the railroads property.
I have no idea as to the accuracy of this statement. Their website has not been updated with any info about the locomotives.
Moving the Glenmont locomotives has been hashed and rehashed in this railroad.net thread - Private Equipment collection at Colonie and Glenmont. The consensus is that its not really feasible without outragous amounts of money.Also, according to Google Earth view that crossing (Rt 964?) you posted seems to have been paved over - have they done other work on the line?
I see, hardy har har.
Kalmbach has done the work for you. Check out their "Moving a Prototype Locomotive From the Middle of Nowhere to the Middle of Nowhere" by R.U. Gullabell. Very inciteful resource...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
But the point would be owning the only surviving T-Motor (I got that from Wiki so I could be wrong) I will contact a heavy haul company to get an idea. And far as funding I could start a crowdfunding campaign to pay for it because after all it is quite a noble cause to preserve a nearly one hundred year old piece of railroading history.
In the mid 1990's a friend of mine looked into purchasing a caboose and having it shipped by rail. The railroad wanted $7 per mile to ship it. What is the distance by rail between where the equipment currently sits and your property?
And I just did a search for "moving a locomotive", and also found some interesting stuff.
Look for a heavy rigging and hauling co. either in your area, or where the loco is at, to find out what it would take.
Museums have done this. Read some interesting stuff on a move in Chicago.
Tell dad he'll have to get out the check book!
Mike.
My You Tube
Acquiring, repairing enough for dead in tow, and moving that motor would be a multimillion dollar project.
For one, it is completely isolated. The spur it is on isn't connected to anything. For second, the NRHS chapter that owns it doesn't seem to exist anymore, so lawyering is required to even figure out who you're tendering an offer to. Third, there's not even a road to it. Fourth, the safety appliances are going to run into the hundreds of thousands. Fifth, it hasn't turned a wheel in 30 years, so you've got a lot of work to do with all those wheels.
You'd have an easier time building a sheet metal clone.
cascadenorthernrr I see, in all of your expert opinions how much would it cost to bring it to code so it could be moved dead in train?
I see, in all of your expert opinions how much would it cost to bring it to code so it could be moved dead in train?
I think you will get more accurate answers over on one of the Trains forums. I know that when I had some technical questions, a person kindly answered them and taught me more than I ever knew there was to learn.
There have been similar moves before. I'm thinking of maybe a big E8, or something like that. You might track down someone who did one and see what they went through. I just did a search for "diesel locomotive restoration" and found some interesting sites.
Ed
The toughest part would be the last 5 to 10 miles from the nearest railline to my house but thats trough the country so that would require truck(s) transport.
I see, in all of your expert opinions how much would it cost to bring it to code so it could be moved dead in train? And far as the covered journal boxes that could've been done by a train enthusiast.
Perhaps - but someone is taking care of it by covering the journal covers with plastic to keep water out and rusting the axles in place. SO someone wants it in as best a condition as they can keep it, for now.
Even if they did sell it to you, transport costs would far exceed whatever you paid for the loco. It's too big to transport in one piece, so there would eb work removing the trucks and probably dropping all the wheels - this is a couple of oversize loads already. Then the main body. Long distance trucking or train haul of an oversize load is NOT cheap, EVERY jurisdiction it passes through needs clearance checks and permits. Then the crews, with fuel costs, heavy equipment (cranes) to get it loaded, and the required escorts ahead and behind the trucks. I don't know if they published their costs, but an idea could be gotten from how much it cost the Fire Up 2100 organization to move Reading 2100 from Washington State to Ohio. And that loco HAS roller bearings and could be pulled in a regular train, however they did have to put it on a flat car because one of the main rods looked bent and ANY defects are enough for a Class 1 to say "no way".
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Ed answered your question, in his last post. Why don't you just call them and see?
Ok so the caboose would need a big rig to move not just a big pickup with a gooseneck, right? And far as the electric I believe its owned by Beacon Harbor LLC at least the land its on is so a big company would probably want to get rid of a rusting heap (to them its that not me) as easily as possible, correct?
Frank (z-stripe) is a trucker. I recommend you contact him, if he doesn't show up here. That's what I'd do for a quick guess on road transport. Distance is important, so have that info ready.
I think buying the equipment without a rock solid plan on moving it would be a mistake. Which the current owner may not even allow.
Suppose you give the owner of the electric $50,000 to buy it. Now YOU own it. On HIS land. So he can charge you rent/storage. OR. He can give you a 30 day notice to remove it. At any time. He MAY let you keep it sitting there for 5 years for free. After all, he has his money. When it becomes an irritant--30 days. Unless the owner is, uh, mentally absent, he will only sign a contract that doesn't damage him. Which I would also recommend you do.
As far as "how much for the big pile of rust?", it could be anything. If the owner has been yearning to get rid of it but can't afford to move it, you coming along with maybe even $10,000 and a contract to remove will make him THRILLED. On the other hand, he may not have given up plans to fully restore it and run it back and forth for fun. THEN he may not have a price at all. There's a story that a cereal company offered Irv Athearn MANY dollars for his company. He refused it, saying his life was good just the way it was. That's the story, anyway.
The caboose is light enough to flatbed, but that big electric...I very much doubt it would be street legal without being in bits and pieces.
As for cost? The caboose could be anywhere from the proverbial $1 to $10k or more. When cabooses were coming off freight trains, you could find them for $1,000 and up pretty easily. Not so much anymore unless one finds someone that needs a caboose removed...
The big electric likely has historical value which makes it worth far more than the scarp value. Sort of one of those "they'll name the price and if you flinch, it's likely your wallet isn't fat enough." Often in such cases, a historical society or museum already has an interest in it, but haven't raised the bucks to move it to a place that can protect and restore it.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL