I just saw photos of the C&O H-6 2-6-6-2 painted up in Western Maryland livery. It looks quite nice, but knowing the WM and C&O quite well....??? I suppose to many it is a large steam locomotive and and exciting to watch. Will history buffs and purists reject this? Probably not enough to stay away. My feelings are that I offer great thanks to the efforts of so many to bring this thing back on to the rails..... even if were to be painted in a SP Daylight scheme. Ooops, I could be providing Bachmann, MTH, and BLI ideas.
Any thoughts.................
HZ
Howard, I thought I remembered reading somewhere a few years back that they were going to run the first year in service in the normal C&O livery and after that, a 'Western Maryland Scenic Railroad' livery. This would have given those C&O fans (and we know who we are) a chance to photograph their baby in the as delivered paint scheme. If what you say is true, I'm not thrilled, but it's the only game in town, so I will reluctantly get on board with the look. StanModeling the C&O in 1956 in HO scale
They pressure tested the boiler in early October and it didn't have wheels then. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpXDyRLHgYK/
Supposedly it might be ready for a test run in February, so it could be painted by now.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2018/12/12/20-questions-for-john-garner-at-western-maryland-scenic-railroad-about-the-restoration-of-2-6-6-2-no-1309.aspx
Doesn't sound like they have so much money that they can throw a bone to C&O fans with a temporary paint job.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Well, the last pictures I saw the tender and cab were painted as WM with the fireball and stripes and #1309.
It's so strange to me because I have a pair of PFM H-6's I planned on using on my layout as pushers. I planned originally to do them in WM paint as #1301 & 1309. That has been a project for me and they are held up while I get the courage to remotor and regear them with new NWSL gear sets.
Personally, as a WM fan, I'm happy to see the engine painted WM. As a C&O fan I'm quite disappointed it will not be painted as a C&O engine.
oldline1
There are locos at Chama, Strasburg, Durango and the PRR Museum that will never be restored. That's only a fraction of locos, and rail cars, on display all over the US, in outdoor museums slowly rusting away.
We cannot save all the historic ships, planes and trains. The battleships are are parked for the rest of eternity. Antique planes still fly but at some point, the warbirds from WW2 will be both too valuable, and too few, to risk flying again.
Locos are less risky. We figured out the "enough water in the boiler" thing and 5 or 10 or 20 miles of track can be maintained to assure there isn't a head-on or a derailment from bad track.
The economics hardly make sense. In the case of the 1309, it hasn't run in 60 years, it was badly damanged by asbestos abatement and a crooked employee who sold off parts of the loco. How much can you charge for a tourist ride of 10 or 20 miles to pay for the next Federal 15 year inspection/rebuild?
If the economics mean they have to paint it gold and call it Virgin Rail Road, that's fine with me.
BigDaddy There are locos at Chama, Strasburg, Durango and the PRR Museum that will never be restored. That's only a fraction of locos, and rail cars, on display all over the US, in outdoor museums slowly rusting away. We cannot save all the historic ships, planes and trains. The battleships are are parked for the rest of eternity. Antique planes still fly but at some point, the warbirds from WW2 will be both too valuable, and too few, to risk flying again. Locos are less risky. We figured out the "enough water in the boiler" thing and 5 or 10 or 20 miles of track can be maintained to assure there isn't a head-on or a derailment from bad track. The economics hardly make sense. In the case of the 1309, it hasn't run in 60 years, it was badly damanged by asbestos abatement and a crooked employee who sold off parts of the loco. How much can you charge for a tourist ride of 10 or 20 miles to pay for the next Federal 15 year inspection/rebuild? If the economics mean they have to paint it gold and call it Virgin Rail Road, that's fine with me. Henry, You are correct with much of what you say...but most locomotive restorations are done with volunteer labor and raised funds. The real killer costs are the insurance. Years back I had a chance to purchase either a IC 2-8-0 or a RI 0-8-0 with hopes of running it on Chessie System track which at the time was seldom used. Wow! What an awakening as to what was to be involved. We had raised enough with promises for more funding including a half million dollar restoration for just the loco. After pages and hours of cash flow figuring, the bottom line was we would have worked for the insurance company 50 weeks of the year and then conditions permittng... possibly would have two weeks to hopefully break even. My hat and any other kind of headgear is off to anyone or group that run steam excursions today, and even is if the loco is painted pink. I think I'll stay with my toy trains. HZ
Well, living near Harrisburg, PA, I'm ashamed to admit I haven't seen the WM Scenic yet...we've been waiting for 1309 to live again...have memories of seeing it rusting away in Baltimore, outside...
If they'd paint it Chessie System--now BLI could SELL that! lol.
My family hopes to see it...wonder what the charge to ride the cab will be?
John Mock
P.S. I was a financially strapped college student during N&W 1218's best reborn years, and never got to see it, or UP 3985, run. If I see 1309, it will be likely the first, maybe last, and only articulated I'll get to see run (I don't usually vacation near UP rails, and don't expect to see a Big Boy on Cajon when I get there again).