Does anyone know when the boiler flue time expires on CN 3254? We just returned from SteamTown and the park staff mentioned 'saving days' so as to extend the life of her. Also, does anyone know of the future of CPR 2317? Would it be less work to rebuild 2317 as compared to B&M Pacific 3713?
Many thanks
A group of my friends and I visited SteamTown two weekends ago. I hate to criticize the effort the staff there is making but it is becoming very obvious that the place simply needs to be more adequately funded! Much of the equipment stored out of doors is in an advanced state of decay and the ride, pulled by a pair of F7s, barely made it out of the yard before ending and turning back. One engine was under steam in the roundhouse but couldn't make it out because the turntable refused to work. Since the federal budget is very tight these days it looks like a robust source of alternate funding needs to be developed. Anyone got some ideas?
Possibly to raise funds Steamtown should sell off some of the equipment that's not in use, nor is ever likely to be used. Locomotives, rolling stock, you name it. Better to have it find a good home than deteriorate to junk status. A one-time solution to be sure, but it would raise some money so they could take better care of what they have. Do they charge admission? I would assume they do, but if they don't, well, they should start. The thing is, some NPS sites charge admission, some don't, there doesn't seem to be any set policy.
Yes Steam Town does charge addmission. Don't remember how much. An auction might be a good idea, but the state of the econ. might restrict the bidders to scrap dealers. Scrap prices are high right now and most tourist railroads are strapped for money .
To Rikers Yard: Good thought, I never thought about scrap dealers. A good way to keep them away would be to set a reserve ( A bottom limit) on the bidding below which the auctioneer cannot go. So, if the equipment sells, fine. If it doesn't, then no harm done.
Yes , that might work. Might work with the auctioneer to disallow scrap dealers, just not allow them to bid. There is alot of "stuff" at Steam town to sell, things that they may never get to and deserve a better fate than rusting away in Scranton.
To Rikers Yard: Like most museums, I suspect Steamtown has a lot more stuff on hand than they can actually use, not just rolling stock, but other railroad items like tools, assorted hardware, oilcans, lanterns, switch and marker lamps, you name it. Auctioning the above or holding a "garage sale", or maybe I should say "roundhouse sale" would raise quite a bit of money. Museums call the process "de- asessioning", and I hope I spelled it right!
Looked right to me! Wow, does that put visions of "sugar plums" in a persons head. I wonder if it being a National Park would afect such an effort. Dont know if the law would prohibit the sale of artifacts.
To Rikers Yard: I don't THINK the law would prohibit a surplus sale at Steamtown. I know some museums have gotten into a bit of hot water concerning de-acession sales, but as Steamtown is a Federal agency and the articles are government property selling them off shouldn't be any more problematic than say a military surplus sale or government land sale. I could be wrong though, I admit it.
CN 3254's last major teardown was finished in May of 2001 and so is due for her next inspection in five years. The plan is to finish the 3713 before the 3254 comes out of service. The amount of work necessary to finish the 3713 or teardown the 2317 is probably a wash. Meanwhile there is still a Baldwin 0-6-0 to finish.
As for funding, remember this is a government outfit. Steamtown received funds this year to remove asbestos from the collection. These were funds requested ten years ago. And so it goes...
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
Yeah, I think your right, didn't think of it that way.
Thanks, I wondered when it's time was up. What we were told on our last vist was it wold be less time to finnish 3713 than to compleatly redo 2317. They also wanted to get an "American" locomotive in service, instead of a Canadian one.
During my time in Scranton I wondered why they wouldn't begin a teardown of the 2317 to the same stage as the 3713 and then work on them both in tandem. The mechanical forces have enough on their plate just keeping what they have running. The volunteers are a great help and come from all over the place: New York City area, Philadelphia area, upstate New York, etc., with drive times in excess of two hours. I asked a park superintendent about scheduling the volunteers. He said they tried that but the logistics didn't quite pan out. Rail preservation is a thankless task and even the smallest victories are huge. Anyone who has been involved in restoration knows what I mean.
It may seem thankless, but if you look at the faces and numbers of fans,famlies and just plain folks who come to events like Trainfest or the Fall Spectaclular at the East Broad Top, there is a lot of thanks for the work. Most people just don't know who to tell. I saw my WW2 vet Father, a retired engineer for the B&O, get misty eyed watching EBT no. 15 tip toe past at Rock Hill Furnace. I think that counts as a "thank you". Most non fans don't have any( maybe some fans too) idea how much work it takes to keep even a small operation going, most of witch is never seen. Track work is a good sample.
It might be a good Work. I thing Stream town does not take any charge for admission .Its good for all.
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Steamtown Peterborough
Steam Town does charge a reasonable admission as does the streetcar museum just to the north. A lot of the rolling stock we see between the roundhouse and the mall actually belongs to individuals who have not removed it. I know the CPR Jubilee class engines were purchased about 15 years ago and never picked up. There is a group in Ontario that has made overtures to the museum about them and have not had a positive response. Basically no one knows what happened to the new owner.mYes, it is unfortuante that a lot of really neat equipment lays about outside rusting away, some of it in very prominent positions.As someone previously mentioned, it takes a LOT of hours to run a small operation let alone one of Steam Town's size. We should do what we can to help outfits like this out whether it be by volunteering time to help out or by money. If we want to preserve this equipment (wherever it may be) we need to step up to the plate and help out. They don't fix themselves and wishful thinking for a philanthropist or free spending government to help out is unlikely to happen especially in these down economic times.
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