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If you were given $5,000,000 to restore a train it would be....

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Posted by TomDiehl on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 1:15 PM
It would be a tough choice, between steam and classic diesels.

On the steam side, I'd like to see the NKP 759 restored. If not possible, one of the Reading T-1's that could stay in NE Pennsylvania

On the diesel side, I'd like to take a trip to Michigan and see if I could get hold of the last two Baldwin RF-16's, my favorite of the early diesels, and I understand, the last two of them in existance.
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Posted by trolleyboy on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 10:05 PM
Wow tough choice. that's years of operating money for oue museum,however our first two cars in the collection have not operated regularly in years,both need complete top to bottom rebuilds,bout $1m of it would do, and 1326, a double trucked deck roofed TR car from 1915 and 55 a single trucked arch foofed 1917 car from the Toronto Civic railway would be back up and going, the rest of the money would be used for mainline and storage building repairs, construction and upgrades,heck i bet we could make two or three other cars operational as well. www.hcry.org

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Posted by Gunns on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 7:55 AM
LOL half a mill would fin***he 2926... we should have the tender back together tis year (maby as soon as next month)
Gunns
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Posted by GN-Rick on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 1:19 PM
GN 2584, GN 3059, GN 2523, GN2507, GN 1147, GN 1246
Rick Bolger Great Northern Railway Cascade Division-Lines West
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Posted by PBenham on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 4:11 PM
The N&W A class 1218, but I wonder if $5 extra large would do it.[:(] BTW Digital Griffin, If $5 extra large could get an H-8 out on the road, I'll be there, if only to experience the earthquake that puppy would start as it rolled by me at, say, 60 per![:p]
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Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 4:21 PM
How about this...

exSP #3025 4-4-2 Atlantic w/ 81" drivers and 3 or 4 restored coaches, this engine is rusting in peace here in L.A. at Traveltown Museum in Griffith Park[:p]

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Posted by PBenham on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 4:23 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

How about this...

exSP #3025 4-4-2 Atlantic w/ 81" drivers and 3 or 4 restored coaches, this engine is rusting in peace here in L.A. at Traveltown Museum in Griffith Park[:p]
I may be a died in the wool easterner, but this girl does look very nice! Well, now I know why it appealed to me! Erie had a group of high wheel 4-4-2s from Baldwin in classes E3 and E4, built as compounds and simpled when they were superheated, if not before! See them in Fred Westing and Alvin Staufer's "Erie Power" Pg.232-245.
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 8:35 PM
A Big Boy!
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 2, 2006 2:43 PM
I don´t know if 5 mills would be enough, but if I could restore a whole complete train, then it would be SP´s 1950 15 car Sunset Limited complete with Mail/Baggage car, Baggage Dormitory, Sleepy Hollow Coaches, Pride of Texas Coffee Shop, Audubon Diner, French Quarter Lounge and the 10-6 Sleepers with the Blunt End Sleeper too. And the probably best feature would be the 4449 deskirted and painted black pulling the train!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 2, 2006 2:46 PM
I don´t know if 5 mills would be enough, but if I could restore a whole complete train, then it would be SP´s 1950 15 car Sunset Limited complete with Mail/Baggage car, Baggage Dormitory, Sleepy Hollow Coaches, Pride of Texas Coffee Shop, Audubon Diner, French Quarter Lounge and the 10-6 Sleepers with the Blunt End Sleeper too. And the probably best feature would be the 4449 deskirted and painted black pulling the train!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 3, 2006 1:18 AM
the V&T in carson city nevada is being resurrected to travel to virginia city. think of it: a 1:1 scale toy train using most of it's original equipment.

the five mil would go a long way toward finishing this one that has already begun. if not the five mil, at least send them what you can (the nevada state railroad museum in carson city, nevada).
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Posted by JanOlov on Friday, March 3, 2006 4:29 PM
Without any doubt I'd get this train back among the living.
As Stevie Wonder sings......Isn't she lovely........?

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Posted by PBenham on Friday, March 3, 2006 4:58 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by DeLuxe

I don´t know if 5 mills would be enough, but if I could restore a whole complete train, then it would be SP´s 1950 15 car Sunset Limited complete with Mail/Baggage car, Baggage Dormitory, Sleepy Hollow Coaches, Pride of Texas Coffee Shop, Audubon Diner, French Quarter Lounge and the 10-6 Sleepers with the Blunt End Sleeper too. And the probably best feature would be the 4449 deskirted and painted black pulling the train!!!
$5 extra large would get you started. Another $45 extra large would get you home!! And I'd think twice about going west to photograph and ride that consist! Since, I ain't rich, and live in a Soviet Republic that taxes the[banghead][censored][censored][censored][X-)][X-)][banghead][*^_^*] out of single folks like me,well If they have a sale for when I would need to go out there on a budget Airline of some fame[:p] then, I'm going!
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Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Saturday, March 4, 2006 12:57 AM
I'd restore CP 5935 to active service, yes the 2-10-4, not the SD40-2! And if there was enough left over, I'd tackle a CP 2900 4-4-4!

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Posted by West Coast S on Saturday, March 4, 2006 1:38 PM
SP GS-6 4460 or the AC12 4294, both are the only existing examples, oh' i'd also, locate or produce the correct whistle for 4449 while I was at it. The remaining funds would be allocated for operating cost and manitaince and to purchase a sixteen car excursion fleet.

Nuff said!!

Dave
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 4, 2006 4:20 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by GN-Rick

GN 2584, GN 3059, GN 2523, GN2507, GN 1147, GN 1246

1147 all the way
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 9, 2006 11:31 PM
Note: the C&O Allegheny has been moved indoors at the B&O Museum, which seems to have all kinds of money lately. Cross your fingers.

My choice is the last mainline camelback, CNJ 592, a 4-4-2. I'd like to see this oddball suck the ditch lights out of an Amtrak train at 100 mph.
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, March 10, 2006 10:07 AM
Since my tastes tend to to run to the offbeat, it would be the original Budd-built "Prospector" on the Rio Grande.
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Posted by PBenham on Saturday, March 11, 2006 4:07 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by davedaddykh1

Note: the C&O Allegheny has been moved indoors at the B&O Museum, which seems to have all kinds of money lately. Cross your fingers.

My choice is the last mainline camelback, CNJ 592, a 4-4-2. I'd like to see this oddball suck the ditch lights out of an Amtrak train at 100 mph.
So would I!![8D] And she ought to burn Anthracite, as intended by her designers.[;)]
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Posted by LL675 on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 7:48 AM
PRR M16755,PRR I1sa4483,(and I get to be the first to blow the Banshee!),
C&O K4 2700,one of the two surviving NYC Mowhawks. Or maybe the $ would be better spent to "grease aome palms" so that some of what has already been restored could run.......

Dave

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Posted by PBenham on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 4:34 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by LL675

PRR M16755,PRR I1sa4483,(and I get to be the first to blow the Banshee!),
C&O K4 2700,one of the two surviving NYC Mowhawks. Or maybe the $ would be better spent to "grease aome palms" so that some of what has already been restored could run.......

Dave
The Western New York Railway Historical Society would love to have $5 extra large to fix up 4483, but we'll take what we can get. Stop by: www.wnyrhs.com to see how she is doing! BTW one of our founders has the right to let the banshee blast first,LL765, but $ talks. But I doubt Tom S. will give up the whistle cord. We have let it loose, using compressed air and that whistle is sorta LOUD!!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 16, 2006 6:11 PM
Personally it would have to be that "Little Joe" loco sitting in front of a depot somewhere in Montana. However to travel anywhere without wires it would have to have a covered wagon behind it to supply power.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 10:40 AM
I would help restore the Flying Yankee in Lincoln NH. Would really like to see this train hit the rails again.
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Posted by coborn35 on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 10:53 AM
At the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, we have two pieces that I would restore. First:
Milwaukee Road Electric Locomotive No. 10200;Boxcab, one of only 1 or 2 left in the world.

Then:
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Steam Locomotive No. 227: The Mallet

Then, if we had enough money left, I would resotre this beast:Minnesota Steel Steam Locomotive No. 7

I encourage you to look at them on the LSRM's website.
The Boxcab:http://www.lsrm.org/Education/ElectricLoco.asp

Steamers:http://www.lsrm.org/Education/steam.asp

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 6:18 PM
A shay of any kind
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 8:40 PM
Here in Dallas, at the Age of Steam Museum, we have a GG-1 and UP Big Boy I'd love to see restored. What beauties they must have been in their day!
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Posted by monkeyman2 on Friday, March 24, 2006 8:57 PM




One of these ol' gals, or maybe one of the roanoak engines... I Can't decide :(
And maybe a Real B&O Switcher for the B&O Museum to use on the excursions instead of the ex RBMN One there using now.
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Posted by jlampke on Sunday, March 26, 2006 2:44 AM
I'd like to see the GS-6 4460 restored to perfect operating condition, plus about 12 or 16 cars; parlor, observation, dining, etc., etc., running regularly with 4449 from Sacramento to Portland.
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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:00 AM
How about a complete California Zephyr running from Newark to Emeryville, CA with a GG-1 pulling it Newark Philadelphia and the E-5 from Union heading the consist the rest of the way.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:06 AM
How about NKP Hudson 170

Scott R. Conforto
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 1:13 PM
Great Northern Railway 2523, no contest.


1964 in Willmar, MN several years after retirement and before she was cleaned up and put on display.


2001 on display at Willmar, now has a new shelter over it.
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Posted by csmith9474 on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 3:14 PM
The late '50s consolidated El Capitan/Super Chief, as it ran in one section. It would be a real pain to come up with the F7s, though. The rest of the equipment is available, although the Hi Level diners are scarce.
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Posted by CSX FAN on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 6:59 PM
Since were at the B&O meusum how about the Yellow Belly 490.

One thing I heard that really made sense would be to run track so you could run the trains. That was a hot topic back when Steamtown was done. Other areas have trains but no rails to run on. Steam town has tracks but limited engines to run on them. Extend the rails at Strausburg.

I would love to see a GG-1 moderized and run on the NE corridor. Have a real race with an Acela.Or a rat to run around Union Station.

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 8, 2006 12:00 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by the feed

A shay of any kind

Here in washington the mount rainer sceneic is restoring 2 shays, hopefully by 2009
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 10, 2006 9:31 PM
With 5,000,000 I would have to make this really count. Where would this money be best spent. What would be the largest crowd drawer. Could a certain locomotive be restored under circumstances to rise money for additional restorations and maintance. My choose a BIG BOY.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 10, 2006 10:50 PM
I'd restore CGW FP7 #116A to operation



shouldn't take much $$, the controls are missing and so are the Traction Motors. Other than that...
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Posted by marthastrainyard on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 1:54 PM
If you really mean a train then it would have to be the UP Streamliner that had "Little Nugget" in it.

If you mean an engine I'd go for either a Big Boy or an SP Cab Forward, just pick any of them, I'm not picky [:D]
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 13, 2006 11:42 PM
Pull Alice the Goon out of the park she sits in and re-clad her in stainless so she can pull the Zepher at IRM, other wise lets do the N&W 2050, the Y3 we have.
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Posted by Train 284 on Friday, April 14, 2006 8:59 PM
I would restore a couple Big Boys.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 20, 2006 11:04 AM
You probably couldn't operate big boys everywhere though due to the size.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 20, 2006 12:19 PM
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Posted by youngengineer on Sunday, April 23, 2006 5:41 PM
personally i would like to see Denver and Rio Grande Western #683 at colorado railroad museum, last surviving D&RGW steam locomotive, although a the cab forward at california would be pretty awesome
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Posted by VAPEURCHAPELON on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 3:11 PM
Since I don't have any real idea how steam excursions and rebuildings and museum business in US works I cannot say for sure what I would have in mind:

-I think that much money should be enough to build an engine new! Perhaps not ordered by a certain Co., but organized by a handful of guys with real knowledge, and parts being made in several backshops.

With that money I would start to build the second of the awesome PRR S-1 6-4-4-6! Not only in my eyes the most spectecular thing ever on rails! And very likely the fastest of all steamers. But of course I would build it with newer technologies:
- Lempor draft
- star-shaped tubes and flues
- GPCS
- poppet valves
- roller bearings also on rods
- and especially some improvements on its running mechanism that it wouldn't have the same problems with curves as its original had.

These improvements are very few considering what would be possible today, but I have in mind that the engine should LOOK almost the same as the original 6100.

Once completed and ready to run I think there would come some matching cars around very quickly.

And since I am steam locomotive fireman and engineer by myself I would try to get the project leader interested to allow me also to run this beast from time to time.

I have no idea where to get so much money from. Or even to get interested these fellows having it to give it for such a project. But I am amazed that in UK a project of a new built mainline steamer (built using blueprints from an old prototype) is nearly completed - prove that all is possible!

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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Thursday, June 22, 2006 12:09 AM
I'd love to see a Big Boy under steam!

More realistically, I'd use the dough to get some steam power into running condition at the San Diego Railroad Museum again, and then put the rest into a trust to pay for the upkeep on it so they'd be able to run on a regular basis.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 22, 2006 11:59 PM
This is the one that I'd fix up. It's a Queensland Railways 1720 class GL18C (EMD 8-645E engine) built in 1966.


QR 1722 at Redbank Workshops

She's currently at Redbank workshops after a level crossing crash, however as QR are starting to retire the class, she may never be repaired. Some of the later members of her class have been re-conditioned and upgraded and will see a few more years.

I'd spend a few dollars on her bringing her up to the same condition/status as her younger sisters (except for their new yellow and red paint job-repaint her in the old blue and white). She would then be passed to a local historical group with mainline access (there's only one that I know of in Queensland) to be used for regular running days.

Any remaining funds would be spent on acquiring/upgrading some old timber long distance passenger cars. The intention would be to then go touring on a regular basis with selected groups of people around Queenslands' various underutilized outback branch lines.

...and US $5,000,000 is more like $6,800,000 Australian dollars so I'll keep the $1.8 for me!
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Posted by trainguy21 on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 7:44 AM
I would love to see the old NP engine displayed in the city park in Auburn, Wa. restored and running again. I've watched this unit slowly rotting away for over forty years.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 29, 2006 5:21 AM
Wow so many different but great answeres. Hmmmm, if iI had to choose an engine to restore I would have to pick the Pennsy's J-1 if I would be able to find any.

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Posted by VAPEURCHAPELON on Thursday, June 29, 2006 8:26 AM
georei,

I am sorry to report that PRR didn't preserve one single member of its J-1 class 2-10-4s.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 29, 2006 1:17 PM
No contest. I'd restore either N&W's 1218 or the 611. They are the finest steam locomotives in the East, and they deserve to be running. It might not take much ca***o restore them either; both are in excellent condition. It's time for them to come out of retirement.
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 30, 2006 12:09 PM
The PRR GG1 would be my choice. to see that Engine under the wires of the NEC would be awesome.
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Posted by Texas Zepher on Friday, June 30, 2006 1:25 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Sancho1
You probably couldn't operate big boys everywhere though due to the size.

[#ditto] There is no probably to it. The Union Pacific has been asked this many times. The answer is that they could and would restore a Big Boy if there was any place (practical) it could be operated. There isn't, so they won't. It would be pointless and a waste of money to restore a Big Boy only to have it run forward and backward down a few miles of track in the middle of nowhere. If one has seen the 3985 under full steam, there would not be that much difference.

QUOTE: Originally posted by daveklepper
How about a complete California Zephyr running from Newark to Emeryville, CA with a GG-1 pulling it Newark Philadelphia and the E-5 from Union heading the consist the rest of the way.

I don't know if that counts as "restoring" or not.... And I think It would take a whole lot more than $5M.

I think I would have to agree with eric1987. The NW 1216 and 611 could probably be done cheap. One would only have to remanufacture the parts that the NS destroyed on purpose to get them going again. With the left over money I would have liked to restore a AT&SF Baldwin 2-6-2 sitting in Lamar CO., and save the WS SD45 fleet.
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Posted by BurlingtonJohn on Friday, June 30, 2006 1:36 PM
This is such a no brainer.

I would restore the Mark Twain Zephyr, currently languishing in anonimity in Illinois.

Regards,
Burlington John

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Posted by METRO on Friday, June 30, 2006 1:45 PM
Probably an Alco RS2 (there's probably still one of those sitting around somewhere) and a couple of heavyweight coaches to go behind it. I'd have to put that engine into the Boston And Maine maroon and harvest gold Minuteman scheme.

As for steam, there's a beautiful Rock Island 4-6-2 rusting out at the IRM. I'd take that and a couple old Chicago commuter coaches too.

Cheers!
~METRO
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 1, 2006 7:59 PM
Am I allowed to build a brand new PRR T-1 since there are none to restore??
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:36 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by RaymondLowey

The PRR GG1 would be my choice. to see that Engine under the wires of the NEC would be awesome.


Unless you put in a brand new generator or transformer, you could never do that due to environmental concerns. The GG1's used a coolant that gave off PCB's.
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Posted by clash on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 9:25 PM
I'd pull one of the CB&Q, S-4 Hudson or 05 Northerns out of the park and restore it. Then I'd try to get a small fleet of heavyweight passenger cars restored if there was any money left over.
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Posted by ChooChooMike on Monday, July 10, 2006 1:07 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Ray Dunakin

I'd love to see a Big Boy under steam!

More realistically, I'd use the dough to get some steam power into running condition at the San Diego Railroad Museum again, and then put the rest into a trust to pay for the upkeep on it so they'd be able to run on a regular basis.



Ray - I've been volunteering on the steam team at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum for that last couple of years. We would LOVE to get steam running again, that would certainly bring even more folks out. Last time the our 2353 (4-6-0) ran was around year 2000 just after it was used in the Pearl Harbor movie. We're trying to get an accurate estimate on the boiler/firebox repair.

We're also partially diassembling our Coos Bay 2-8-2T little Mikado. We removed the superheaters tubes this past weekend so we can start removing the flues and start checking out the boiler condition. We looking at possibly restoring that one instead of the much larger 2353. The smaller engine would be much less expensize to run/maintain.

All it takes is $$$ [:D]

Mike
I model steam in 12" - 1' scale :D
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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:52 AM

My candidates would include a GG-1 and a string of "clocker" Budd coaches restored to their orgiinal deluxe Senator/Congressional interiors, operable still in the NY-Washington corridor (but not north to Boston, different power now., one of Amtrak's still-operating Heritage diners could be added.)

or the Pennsylvanina State K-4 with a string of classic P-70's, a heavywieght diner and a heavywieght 6-wheel parlor-obs.

or the E-33/EF-5 in Connecticut with modern electricals to operate in the corredor

or the Flying Yankee or the Nebraska Zephyr and the E-5

 

I would have chosen the California Zephyr, but isn't the Canadian as operated now a pretty good stand-in?

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:43 AM
Prorably a entire California Zephyr Train Set or the NW 611.
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Posted by Mimbrogno on Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:20 PM

 TomDiehl wrote:
On the diesel side, I'd like to take a trip to Michigan and see if I could get hold of the last two Baldwin RF-16's, my favorite of the early diesels, and I understand, the last two of them in existance.

I'm afraid you can forget about seeing the sharks. The owner, John Larson, used to be very gratious towards railfans (he is one himself), however, there were some that were not so kind to him. After the Sharks had been vandalized (the airhorns, builder's plates, and I believe the bell also were stolen and never seen again. Airhorns and builder's plates were stolen from other Baldwin locos as well), he has locked them away in a shed. This is not the first time he was robbed either. After this kind of treatment he refuses to let any railfans on his property what so ever, and will personally arrest on the first site of one. He will change his mind if the property is returned and an appology made, but until then he refuses to let himself get burned again. I personally keep an eye out for anything that was taken, if I ever find any evidence of it, I will do everything in my power to return the property. I would appreciate it if others would do the same. The c/ns on the builder's plates are 75361 and 75372. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of these items, please contact me. If you youself have them, please don't be afraid to return them. If you contact me, I will not press charges and will not even tell John your name if you so desire (you don't even have to tell me). All I want is for those sharks to be whole again. I'll tell you one thing though, if ANYONE vandalizes "MY" Baldwin DRS 6-6-1500 (actually the AZ RR museum's; I assist in maintaining her), I will run you over with the old girl!

Baldwins are the best!
Matthew Imbrongo
Mechanical Vollenteer, Arizona Railway Museum

Helping to keep Baldwins alive in the 21st century!
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Posted by james saunders on Friday, July 14, 2006 7:23 AM

I'd buy an SD70ACe Tongue [:P]

 

really though, any steamer!

 

James

James, Brisbane Australia

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Posted by james saunders on Friday, July 14, 2006 7:24 AM

 Dunko27 wrote:
This is the one that I'd fix up. It's a Queensland Railways 1720 class GL18C (EMD 8-645E engine) built in 1966.


QR 1722 at Redbank Workshops

She's currently at Redbank workshops after a level crossing crash, however as QR are starting to retire the class, she may never be repaired. Some of the later members of her class have been re-conditioned and upgraded and will see a few more years.

I'd spend a few dollars on her bringing her up to the same condition/status as her younger sisters (except for their new yellow and red paint job-repaint her in the old blue and white). She would then be passed to a local historical group with mainline access (there's only one that I know of in Queensland) to be used for regular running days.

Any remaining funds would be spent on acquiring/upgrading some old timber long distance passenger cars. The intention would be to then go touring on a regular basis with selected groups of people around Queenslands' various underutilized outback branch lines.

...and US $5,000,000 is more like $6,800,000 Australian dollars so I'll keep the $1.8 for me!

 

I'm gonna miss those 1720's when they are gone, I hope they keep a few for Kuranda Sad [:(]

James, Brisbane Australia

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 14, 2006 12:49 PM

If I had that money to invest, I'd spend it on restoring a couple of RS3's.  Alco diesels are fast becoming an endangered species, so I think restoring and maintaining them is an important part of railroad history. 

Plus, I happen to know of an RS3 (no engine or genset) up for sale in the Miami area...

 

 

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Posted by Repairman87 on Friday, July 14, 2006 9:39 PM

 BurlingtonJohn wrote:
This is such a no brainer.

I would restore the Mark Twain Zephyr, currently languishing in anonimity in Illinois.

Regards,
Burlington John

 

I totally agree here is a website for it.

http://www.railmerchants.net/mt-zephyr.htm

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Posted by UP #119 on Saturday, July 15, 2006 8:46 PM
I am not sure if this fits the description, but I think I would find the most decrepid looking steam locomotive in any place, and restore that.
Never was there such a tranportation as railroading.
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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, July 16, 2006 3:04 PM

If I were given a sum of money this large, I would use it to restore to operating condition #5629, a Burlington Route O-5B class 4-8-4. And if it were possible to build from the ground up a CB&Q M-4 class 2-10-4, using the original blue prints from Baldwin, then that is what I might use the money for.

And if I had a few million dollars to spare, I would donate it all to keep certain big steam locomotives in operation and to cover their maintenance expenses, locomotives such as Milwaukee Road 261, SP 4449, SP&S 700, just to name a few.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

 

 

 

 

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Posted by railfanespee4449 on Monday, July 17, 2006 2:26 PM

I'd use 1 million to restore the Boone & Scenic's 2-8-0

I'd use the rest on \the Camelback

Call me crazy, but I LIKE Zito yellow. RAILFANESPEE4449
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 10:52 AM
Many of the ones I like to see up and running have already been mentioned.

1. PRR K4s 1361....Oh right it has been in the 2nd rebuild process for the last 10 plus years!

2. PRR K4s 3750....Just in case the 1361 takes another 10 years. And the possibilty of double heading with the 1361.

3. Baldwin Sharks....Either rebuild the 2 RF-16's in Michigan or an all new set of A-B-A PRR BP-20 Passenger Sharks in the as delivered paint scheme so it can operate between Pgh and Philly....daily!

4. Aerotrain....It is possible with all new technolgy built in.
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Posted by nssr9169 on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:08 PM
DM&IR YELLOWSTONE 2-8-8-4........
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Posted by SteveC on Monday, July 24, 2006 8:51 AM

  This is a perfect world dream... and a lot more than 5 mil.   What I would like build would be a LARGE fully equiped restoration/training facility somewhere in the mid-west where museums and operators could send their personel to learn the process of steam locomotive restorations.  The shop would be equiped well enough to be able to build locomotives from scratch if necessary, but the focus would be on restorations.  Museums and tourist lines could not only send their workers there at no cost, but also their locomotives for full restoration.  The ideal thing would for it to be backed financially so that the education could be done for free while the trainees were housed and paid while they learned their trade.  Museums would be able to submit their locomotives for restoration and they would be chosen from a list of needs and worthyness.  There would be a staff of "Subject Matter Experts" in each scope of repair where they could mentor the trainees in the process of a full scope of possible repairs.  It of course would also have to have an operations/maintainence program in place where operators could learn best practices and safe operations.  The facility would also have staff available and equipment that could be used to transport hulks inbound and the complete restorations outbound to wherever they are needed.   Museums could then spend their funds on providing covered storage space and regular maintainence instead of funding the restorations.  The end result would be a yearly output of qualified steam mechanics and a steady flow of operational locomotives for them to maintain. 

Steve

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, July 30, 2006 3:45 PM
Wasn't Steamtown at Scranton supposed to be set up to do something similar to what Mr. SteveC wrote about?

Anyhow, I do like that idea.  But I don't know who could financially back an operation like that.  Maybe if it were set up by a co-op of historical societies, colleges, and museums?

It could also be used to teach general skills such as machining, welding, pipefitting, carpentry, electronics, etc, etc....

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by NYCfan on Monday, July 31, 2006 9:33 AM

Not sure if it's been said or not, (no time to read all the posts yet), but I'd love to try to find, (if possible), an old 4-6-4 Hudson and re-streamline it as the 20th Century. There's something sad knowing that the New York Central was so efficient and confident that the Company would be around forever, that they cut them all up. It would be nice to think that somewhere in the world is an old J1 sitting and waiting for re-discovery.

 

Joe

Joe Tis better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
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Posted by n012944 on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 6:04 PM

 clash wrote:
I'd pull one of the CB&Q, S-4 Hudson  out of the park and restore it.

 

YESS!!! That would be the one that I would want also.

 

Bert

An "expensive model collector"

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Posted by betaphile on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 6:55 PM
I would most like to do one from my local area Lakeville Avon Livonia,Lehigh Vally,Erie Lacawanna.
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Posted by railcar on Saturday, August 5, 2006 11:25 PM

So you spend a bunch of this money to buy a steam engine then you

have to spend a bunch more to rebuild it.Then comes the testing and FRA

inspections,then if it passes where are you going to run it.Most of the big railways

wont even let you on the lines.Well gents your 5,000,000 is gone now

what are you going to do.I worked on many steam loco's in the last few years

as a contactor you need very deep pockets to make this work.Do you realy

think that you are going to make any money from this,you would have it for sale

very soon and you just wasted a bunch of money.

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Posted by Snoq. Pass RR on Sunday, August 6, 2006 12:02 AM
I would restore the S.A. Agnew Lumber Company #1.  #1 is a 3-Truck Shay built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1904.  The main reseason is that it is the second oldest surviving 3-Truck Shay.  It would be great to see it up and running again.
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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, August 6, 2006 10:40 AM
I am sorry to report to NYCfan that no NYC Hudson, neither a J3 or J1, not even a Boston and Albany J2, was saved.  ALL were scrapped.   Would five million be enought to build one from scratch?
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 6, 2006 11:49 AM
ATSF#3768, currently residing in Wichita KS. As far as I know everything is there except the gauges.
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Posted by FullParallel on Sunday, August 6, 2006 7:32 PM

   Hmm, this is a tough one....I guess it would be to restore a 4 car North Shore Line interurban train. It would of course have to have the  dining car (Car #415 would work as it still survives today) as well as the brass railed observation car (#420 would fit this as it too survives) a coach (many to choose from) and a combination coach baggage on the point. The remaining $$ could be used to have a long enough manline to let these beasts strut thier stuff at over 60mph. Then again a train of Montreal & Southern Counties wood interurbans would work pretty good too......

   On a more realistic note, I would most likely donate it to the museum I currently volunteer at..Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine. That $$ would go a long way to protect the present collection(more barns) , give us a better shop to work in and possibly restore a car or two 

 

Steve Loitsch

"Ship the Electrified Way"
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Posted by Bunn19 on Monday, August 7, 2006 2:47 PM

 eric1987 wrote:
No contest. I'd restore either N&W's 1218 or the 611. They are the finest steam locomotives in the East, and they deserve to be running. It might not take much ca***o restore them either; both are in excellent condition. It's time for them to come out of retirement.

Exactly! I would love to see the 611 and 1218 run again. Hopefully someday NS will change their minds or  get some Steam fans in high places that will be more friendly to running steam. 

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Posted by NYCfan on Monday, August 7, 2006 9:13 PM

I like to dream. I think there is a Hudson out there, but Bigfoot needs it to haul the Loch Ness Monster around!!!!

Joe

Joe Tis better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
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Posted by MopacBarrettTunnel on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 12:59 AM
This is a nice place to start with my first post!!Shy [8)]

Let's see, on the steam side I'd like to see either Santa Fe 2-10-4 5011, or Bessemer 643 come alive again.  With apologies  to T&P 610, I've always wanted to see the biggest existing non-articulated strut its' stuff, and these two seem to qualify.  On the articulated side, I'd have to go with Big Boy - his little sister Challenger has already turned my head, the shameless flirt!!Wink [;)]

On the diesel side, I'd go with fixing up B&O #50 - KEEPING the Winton 201-A's (Don't get me started about the "Flying Yankee" situation; it's a sore spot)!!!  The historical / ancestral value is obvious, plus it would be nifty to see the biggest surviving American boxcab come to life again.

Now, if I can go off the board Alex, I'd invest my $5 mil. until it grew into $50 mil (or so), then I'd search for original blueprints and scratch-build the following:

STEAM - Either an L&N "Big Emma" 2-8-4, or a MoPac 2101-class 4-8-4; it's a crime that neither of them were saved (like the NYC Hudsons, among many others).  Sexiest steamers ever, IMHO.

DIESEL - An Alco DL-109, or Union Pacific M10002; both because of the unique styling.

Eagle Expidited Merchandise Service - 'cos DHL, FedEx, and UPS are ignorant of their history..........
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Posted by jamesedwbradley on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 9:00 PM

First I would ask around, if encouraged would do feasability study to see if a NYC Hudson operating replica could be built for $5 million !   That was one of the biggest steam tragedies - two 4-8-2 Mohawks were saved, but no Hudsons !

James E. Bradley  Hawk Mountain Chapter N.R.H.S.

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Posted by PBenham on Friday, August 11, 2006 4:44 PM
I think $5 extra large would get you started, but not get you home. A steamer built new would be a $20,000,000.00 proposition, with little chance for any return on the investment. However, for an additional $20 million, you could build or rebuild trackage to run it on. And $20 million more for the shop to maintain your engine and the cars it would pull. That is if you could overcome the NIMBYs thay would fly out of the woodwork like locusts in August! Then, there are the day to day expenses, which must be dealt with. People need so much in salaries and benefits that to employ even one person can run you $100 large, with your employee seeing less than 20% of it in the end! AND please DO NOT get me started on that! I coulda retired next month, but we got sold. Now, I cannot retire without having to get a new full time job so I can eat after I "retire"!
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Posted by k41361 on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 1:50 PM

I think the greatest sight in railroading would be to see a Big Boy tearing along at about 60 with a nice size freight.A DM&IR 2-8-8-4 with an 18000 ton freight working hard at 35 mph would be impressive too.Consider too the ATSF 2-10-4's,PRR T-1,B&LE 2-10-4 and a P&WV 2-6-6-4.Iknow some of these don't exist.So maybe with a few more million you can build one of these new from the ground up.I f every railfan donated their annual salary-----maybe we should forget it.

 

Terry

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 17, 2006 8:29 PM

biggest, baddest beast ANYwhere!

i'm with you. let's get 1604 back on the rails.

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Posted by MopacBarrettTunnel on Monday, August 21, 2006 11:24 PM
How about something a little different - restore a Big Boy AND an Allegheny, and put them in a tug-of-war!!!!  It would either settle or start anew many debates, believe me!!  {We'd have to hire Ed King as the color-commentator, of course.}Wink [;)]

Make it a PPV-Webcast event, to recoup a little bit of the cost, and donate any excess to the NKP #190 Fund.......Big Smile [:D]

Eagle Expidited Merchandise Service - 'cos DHL, FedEx, and UPS are ignorant of their history..........
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Posted by PBenham on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 4:19 PM
 MopacBarrettTunnel wrote:
How about something a little different - restore a Big Boy AND an Allegheny, and put them in a tug-of-war!!!!  It would either settle or start anew many debates, believe me!!  {We'd have to hire Ed King as the color-commentator, of course.}Wink [;)]

Make it a PPV-Webcast event, to recoup a little bit of the cost, and donate any excess to the NKP #190 Fund.......Big Smile [:D]

Now, there's an idea!Cool [8D] Why not have one of the surviving DM&IR Yellowstones, versus a Big Boy then N&W 1218 versus an Alleghany.With the first round winners going for the glory! And then we'll put it on PPV(Pay Per View) on regular TV. Hey! THAT would get me to get up and buy the cable box and HDTV, and the speakers and the beer and more beer and...Yeah!! [yeah]Laugh [(-D] There could be preliminaries like, say NKP 765 vs. PM 1225, UP 844 vs. ATSF 2906, Wow!! [wow]Yeah!! [yeah]
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Posted by espee on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 11:17 PM
Tough choices here but.....SP Cabforwards;  Rio Grande & SP Krauss-Maffei; any DSP&P locos.
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Posted by Tommy0218 on Monday, August 28, 2006 8:18 AM

A Baldwin 2-6-0 (class 8 20 D-117) 

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Posted by CMSTPP on Friday, September 1, 2006 4:05 PM

 JanOlov wrote:
Without any doubt I'd get this train back among the living.
As Stevie Wonder sings......Isn't she lovely........?

 

You're on the same page as I am. But I would have restored the stream lined hiawatha set 1 from 1950 with the Super dome and the skytop lounge with a set of FP7s hauling it along. That would be wounderful. The stream lined hiawathas with the Atlantics and Baltics would have been quite a sight. If you can still find one of the steam engines still around.

 

James

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Posted by BUDBOG on Friday, September 1, 2006 5:15 PM
It would have to be that old Climax at the LA Fair grounds. I'd sure like to see her run again.
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Posted by railroadboy on Thursday, September 7, 2006 3:03 PM
The Fabulous 4449 Sothern Pacific Daylight
Death to Diesel!
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Posted by blade on Friday, September 8, 2006 10:13 AM
a 4-8-4 northern she is a real beauty,or an fp7
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Posted by StellingSun on Saturday, September 9, 2006 4:19 PM
I would restore the #4006 Big Boy, , the PRR #460 Atlantic, and the T&P 610. It would be great to see even the Atlantic return to the  rails.
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Posted by freddok on Monday, September 11, 2006 7:59 PM

Easy, since I live in the Philadelphia area with roots in Northeastern PA, with $5,000,000 I'd want to restore either RDG T-1 2102 or T-1 2124. Both of those are gorgeous engines that would look great running again.

 

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 4:56 PM
This is a good place for me to start, first off lets start from the ground up and build a new steamer with todays technology, with a steam tube boiler instead of flue tubes, computer firing controls, self lubing everything, dynamic braking on the drive axles using the heat to preheat the water. Should be a lot easier to build being we don't have to roll a shell, boiler made up of wall tubes in the shape of a old steamer and covered with lagging. Lets build a 4-6-6-4 that looks something like N&W 1218. When we get her built lets challenge GE to a tug of war with one of their newest biggest Diesels
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Posted by S&G Rute of the Silver River on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 6:17 PM
I would say ither a milwalkee road joe, most of the locos and cars at snoqualmie (we're working on it...                                .very......                 .very.......           .very slowly) or rebuilding the old milwalkee's track over snoqualmie pass.        Yes I live in snoqualmieAlien [alien]
"I'm as alive and awake as the dead without it" Patrick, Snoqualmie WA. Member of North West Railway Museum Caffinallics Anomus (Me)
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Posted by gregrudd on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 5:34 AM
In the US scene I would question that one for a number of reasons.

1.  Strength of the plate frames.  British domestic engines are really quite weak in that area compared to US or British export engines.

2. Limited haulage capacity with US built stock of any era.

3. Will have to be converted to use Air brakes.

4. As an A4 has hook and buffer drawgear special transition wagons would have to used.


Let me reiterate, what I was saying to you previously -Rex Mossop
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Posted by tsgtbob on Friday, November 24, 2006 5:30 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE><table class="quoteOuterTable"><tr><td class="txt4"><img src="/trccs/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif">&nbsp;<strong>idseer1 wrote:</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="quoteTable"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4"><P>biggest, baddest beast ANYwhere!</P>
<P>i'm with you. let's get 1604 back on the rails.</P></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>
1604 has a BIG problem
Her frame is cracked.
(rear if memory serve me correct, between the main and rear driver.)
For those who want to re-create locomotives lost to history, the biggest problem is ther is no foundry that can cast in one piece, the main frames and cylinders.
(well there is one, but it's busy. It's the Army Tank Plant at Warren Mi.)
Five million sounds like a lot, but, when you start talking about locomotives, well, let's just call them money pits!
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Posted by sansouci on Monday, November 27, 2006 5:31 PM

In Savannah GA there is a Southern Railway backshop and roundhouse that is the home of the local "Coastal Society." About 2 years ago, I went to a Jazz Festival there and they steamed up a restored loco and a started up ((I think it was an F-7) a diesel that they owned. It is adjacent to the old Savannah railway station, but it needs to have a bridge and some trackage laid to connect the two. Savannah is also home to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) that bootstrapped itself into existence and uses restore old houses as classrooms and offices.

I don't know where the tools and machinery went after NS auctioned them off, but they could be found.

Alternatively, wouldn't it be cheaper to send our old stuff to China for repair and restoration as they are winding down their steam program and have a lot of experienced boiler makers and machinists? That would stretch the $5 mil or whatever.

 

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Posted by ChooChooMike on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 7:29 PM
 SteveC wrote:
  This is a perfect world dream... and a lot more than 5 mil.   What I would like build would be a LARGE fully equiped restoration/training facility somewhere in the mid-west where museums and operators could send their personel to learn the process of steam locomotive restorations.  The shop would be equiped well enough to be able to build locomotives from scratch if necessary, but the focus would be on restorations.  Museums and tourist lines could not only send their workers there at no cost, but also their locomotives for full restoration.  The ideal thing would for it to be backed financially so that the education could be done for free while the trainees were housed and paid while they learned their trade.  Museums would be able to submit their locomotives for restoration and they would be chosen from a list of needs and worthyness.  There would be a staff of "Subject Matter Experts" in each scope of repair where they could mentor the trainees in the process of a full scope of possible repairs.  It of course would also have to have an operations/maintainence program in place where operators could learn best practices and safe operations.  The facility would also have staff available and equipment that could be used to transport hulks inbound and the complete restorations outbound to wherever they are needed.   Museums could then spend their funds on providing covered storage space and regular maintainence instead of funding the restorations.  The end result would be a yearly output of qualified steam mechanics and a steady flow of operational locomotives for them to maintain. 

Steve

SteveC - I like the way you think in terms of the bigger picture. I would love to see your ideas played out anywhere in the States.  Someone else mentioned pulling in the displaced Chinese steam workers as living examples and mentors of the lost skills.  How cool would that be ? If we could find a benefactor ($$$) I'd quit my current job in a nanosecond and work at this mythical/mystical place full time !!

Dreaming .........

Mike

I model steam in 12" - 1' scale :D
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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:45 AM
A GG-1 could be restored because the coolant in the transformers CAN be replaced by modern coolants equally effective and not harmful.   It could be run in the Corridor Penn Station or Sunnyside Yard and south to Washington, but not northeast.   But the parts would be expensive.
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Posted by JanOlov on Friday, February 23, 2007 12:58 PM
 SteveC wrote:

  This is a perfect world dream... and a lot more than 5 mil.   What I would like build would be a LARGE fully equiped restoration/training facility somewhere in the mid-west where museums and operators could send their personel to learn the process of steam locomotive restorations.  The shop would be equiped well enough to be able to build locomotives from scratch if necessary, but the focus would be on restorations.  Museums and tourist lines could not only send their workers there at no cost, but also their locomotives for full restoration.  The ideal thing would for it to be backed financially so that the education could be done for free while the trainees were housed and paid while they learned their trade.  Museums would be able to submit their locomotives for restoration and they would be chosen from a list of needs and worthyness.  There would be a staff of "Subject Matter Experts" in each scope of repair where they could mentor the trainees in the process of a full scope of possible repairs.  It of course would also have to have an operations/maintainence program in place where operators could learn best practices and safe operations.  The facility would also have staff available and equipment that could be used to transport hulks inbound and the complete restorations outbound to wherever they are needed.   Museums could then spend their funds on providing covered storage space and regular maintainence instead of funding the restorations.  The end result would be a yearly output of qualified steam mechanics and a steady flow of operational locomotives for them to maintain. 


Steve

I like this idea too, believe you me. I was going to ask if we have the knowledge, tools, material etc today to build a NEW steamlocomotive like the NYC Hudson, NYNH&H I-5, any of the trains etc. etc. Not to forget a COMPLETE train like the UP M10004-6....is the blueprints still in existence?

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Posted by mmartian22 on Friday, February 23, 2007 11:05 PM

i have agree with tomdeihl i seen both of them and it would be a fantastic just to restore one of them to their oringnal configurations  be able see them run again.

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Posted by mmartian22 on Friday, February 23, 2007 11:05 PM

i have agree with tomdeihl i seen both of them and it would be a fantastic just to restore one of them to their oringnal configurations  be able see them run again.

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Posted by MopacBarrettTunnel on Monday, February 26, 2007 4:43 PM

 PBenham wrote:
 MopacBarrettTunnel wrote:
How about something a little different - restore a Big Boy AND an Allegheny, and put them in a tug-of-war!!!!  It would either settle or start anew many debates, believe me!!  {We'd have to hire Ed King as the color-commentator, of course.}Wink [;)]

Make it a PPV-Webcast event, to recoup a little bit of the cost, and donate any excess to the NKP #190 Fund.......Big Smile [:D]

Now, there's an idea!Cool [8D] Why not have one of the surviving DM&IR Yellowstones, versus a Big Boy then N&W 1218 versus an Alleghany.With the first round winners going for the glory! And then we'll put it on PPV(Pay Per View) on regular TV. Hey! THAT would get me to get up and buy the cable box and HDTV, and the speakers and the beer and more beer and...Yeah!! [yeah]Laugh [(-D] There could be preliminaries like, say NKP 765 vs. PM 1225, UP 844 vs. ATSF 2906, Wow!! [wow]Yeah!! [yeah]

<> 

<>Resurrecting this thread, how about something like an SD-90mac {6,000 hp version, please} / AC6000W -vs - Big Boy / Alleghany / Yellowstone?

<>
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Posted by newsmac on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 9:40 PM

Fun question! My choice would be the Texas Zephyr (1936 Denver Zephyr) By the way, anyone know who bought several cars of one of the TZ sets offered for sale on e-bay in late '06??

Hope it sold - hope it went to someone with the dollars to bring it back, even as a static piece. I rode it many times as a boy. It is part of a rich collection of summer vacation memories.

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Posted by Andrew Falconer on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 1:06 AM

I would restore an actual train something like this:

Soo Line or Grand Trunk GP7 or GP9

Grand Trunk Flat Car

Norfolk & Western Steel Coal Hopper

1950's or 1960's era Boxcar setting somewhere.

1950's or 1960's era Covered Hopper

Pacific Car & Foundry Refrigerator Car, If not scrapped yet.

Soo Line or Grand Trunk Caboose

That would be a full train.

If I could rent it out for special events or video productions, then i might be able to make some type of money for operating expenses.

Andrew

Andrew

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Posted by snagletooth on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 2:39 AM

 I'd give it to IRM under the exception they rebuilt, umm, well, oh geez, well, they got SO MUCH.

Seriously, I'd love to see the little joe or the centennial. But I'd have to say the CB&Q steamer from Lincoln Park (west side pool) in Aurora. Tops on my list, being from there and crawling over it many, many times. plus it'd make the perfect sized steamer for their ops. 

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 1:07 PM

How about the "General" (4-4-0) at the Big Shanty Museum (recently(?) renamed to "The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History) in Kennesaw, GA?  It has been in a nice building and well cared for (at least cosmetically) since it was run to the museum under its own power.  Granted it would require the latest FRA mandated updates and a full boiler inspection (and possibly major repairs since it has sat for so long), but $5M should be enough to get it running.

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by trainboy414 on Thursday, May 31, 2007 4:09 PM
I would restore old rivits the 1st gg1 stored at strasburg in PA.
__________ !_o_ !_ o _! !____!____! o OO = OO o
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Posted by traintownofcowee on Thursday, June 7, 2007 9:11 AM

 DeLuxe wrote:
I don´t know if 5 mills would be enough, but if I could restore a whole complete train, then it would be SP´s 1950 15 car Sunset Limited complete with Mail/Baggage car, Baggage Dormitory, Sleepy Hollow Coaches, Pride of Texas Coffee Shop, Audubon Diner, French Quarter Lounge and the 10-6 Sleepers with the Blunt End Sleeper too. And the probably best feature would be the 4449 deskirted and painted black pulling the train!!!

4449 deskirted! Shock [:O]

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!??!?!?! Angry [:(!]

Have 4460 restored! Approve [^]

NEVER and I mean NEVER should 4449 be deskirted! Or repainted to anything BUT the Daylight! SoapBox [soapbox]

I myself would FINISH restoring Great Smoky Mountains Railroad #1702 & Southern #722.

The rest of the cash goes to help the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad with other problems...

 

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Posted by nutmeg1 on Thursday, June 7, 2007 11:16 AM
Who Cares?! This posting is from 28 Feb 2006!!
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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, June 7, 2007 2:58 PM

 nutmeg1 wrote:
Who Cares?! This posting is from 28 Feb 2006!!

Those that have an opinion, that might or might not differ from those already expressed.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by JanOlov on Sunday, June 17, 2007 6:00 PM
A complete Daylight, Sunset and a Lark is high up on the list..... So is the 20th Century Limited, Broadway, Empire Builder......the list goes on.
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Posted by batterymule7 on Saturday, September 15, 2007 9:40 PM
Well it would be one of two engines, either I'd have to pull the 1401 out of the Smithsonian and steam her up or, I would have westinghouse build me an LC-2 Jackshaft electric just like the ole' N&Ws'.
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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 4:50 PM
What about starting from scratch?? In the UK they're building a new steam engine based on a c.1930 design. How about building a new NYC J1e Hudson, or Milwaukee streamlined 4-4-2??
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Posted by VAPEURCHAPELON on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 7:26 AM

 wjstix wrote:
What about starting from scratch??...

That's what I had in mind with the PRR S1 6-4-4-6 some pages earlier. Yes: the "A-1 Trust" in Great Britain is the proof that it works. And in Swiss manufacturer (DLM) produced some steam engines as late as in the 1990s! Completely newly designed steam engines! The takers of these are VERY satisfied with them, but up to date none has interest to do the same with a large mainline engine.Disapprove [V]

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Posted by VAPEURCHAPELON on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 7:39 AM

 wjstix wrote:
What about starting from scratch??...

That's what I had in mind with the PRR S1 6-4-4-6 some pages earlier. Yes: the "A-1 Trust" in Great Britain is the proof that it works. And in Swiss manufacturer (DLM) produced some steam engines as late as in the 1990s! Completely newly designed steam engines! The takers of these are VERY satisfied with them, but up to date none has interest to do the same with a large mainline engine.Disapprove [V]

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Posted by JanOlov on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 8:42 AM
What about that engine facility in old East Germany, could they do it?
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Posted by cnwfan51 on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 9:27 AM
      Id like to see the Texas Zepher 4 car train set sitting in Deadwood South Dakota that is currently in pieces restored and on the road again   Ive told my wife if we had the money Id buy it and do it myself  for our use   Just a thought   Larry 
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Posted by VAPEURCHAPELON on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 9:56 AM

 JanOlov wrote:
What about that engine facility in old East Germany, could they do it?

I worked there for 3 1/2 years. In general they can do everything you would ask them to do concerning steam engines (and some other equipment, too), but a problem VERY DIFFICULT TO SOLVE - if it ever could at all - is the SIZE of modern North American steam engines. Although they have the same guage, it is BY FAR IMPOSSIBLE to get a boiler or main frame into these facilities, or out of them for the case of being built new, of - say - a medium size North American engine like a 4-8-4. In my time there we had many large European engines like 03 and 01 class 4-6-2s, and many 2-10-0s and 2-8-2s, and the famous 18 201, and this ALWAYS is a VERY close thing to handle them. The problem isn't the height but the length of the assembly line tracks. Even the large Europen engines sometimes lean into the field of the transfer table...

By the way: the Meiningen shops built the boiler for the British A-1.

Perhaps they would build a new large stand on their open-air ground if they ever would get any order to do something bigger... By the way: in my eyes it's not out of place to think so: when I see or read the costs of a rebuilding of a US steamerShock [:O] - one would get this for a fraction of the costs in Europe - and this done by workers with DAILY ROUTINE of working on steam engines. But then, of course, one would have to look what the costs are to ship the parts...

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Posted by nc32940 on Sunday, February 3, 2008 6:44 PM
 I would invest in restoring the NC &St.L Ry ALco 4-8-4 In Centennial Park in Nashville and the NC Passenger Coaches at the Tenn Valley RR Museum in Chattanooga.
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Posted by Dr Leonard on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 10:24 PM
If we're talking about restoring a preserved engine it would be the New York Central L3 Mohawk No. 3001 that's at the National NYC Museum. It's the only surviving modern NYC steam locomotive. (The cars to go with it wouldn't matter that much.) If we're talking reconstructing a locomotive no longer existing, I'm for the NYC J3 Hudson.
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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:33 AM
The cars would not be a problem, because in the postwar era the NYC's fleet of Budd stainless reclining seat long-distance 52 and 54 passenger coaches were pretty typical, and similar to what some tourist and dinner trains operate today.   The Mowhaks were used in passenger service, and I do remember riding behind them.   There were even a few with small tenders that ran in passenger service on the Boston and Albany.  (Niagras were too long to fit on B&A turntables.)  Typically, the NYC Budds had stainless sides, fluted of course, a grey letterboard with New York Central in white, not extending the length of the car but only moderately beyond the lettering, and a smilar but smaller number panel centered half way up to the windows,  Grey roofs, at least that is what I remember.  Vestibules at one end only.   Not hard to find equipment that can meet that discription.
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Posted by New Haven I-5 on Sunday, February 17, 2008 12:26 PM
 Southern 4501, NKP 759, & C&O 614.

- Luke

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Posted by Ken A on Saturday, March 1, 2008 10:08 AM
For me would be. The Aerotrain.
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Posted by New Haven I-5 on Saturday, March 1, 2008 8:26 PM
 Ken A wrote:
For me would be. The Aerotrain.
Welcome to the forums Ken A!Sign - Welcome [#welcome]

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Posted by superheat on Saturday, December 6, 2008 7:59 AM
One fact frequently overlooked by those of us who dream of restoring a steam locomotive and train to run, is that the lines are all privately owned. Nowadays, the good news is that freight railroading in the US is alive and well. The down side to that is that the big lines aren't inclined to let steam groups run their toys anymore. If we're on the line, we're in the way. Not only that, but the potential for an accident, break down or derailment is always there, with the resultant interruption in the owning line's revenue operations. While we'd all love to see the Daylight or the Broadway Limited running again in all it's glory, a more realistic goal would be to have a small locomotive; say the SMV100, a 1925 2-8-2 Baldwin, properly restored along with a baggage car, a heavyweight coach (nice big windows, air conditioning) and a heavyweight snack / parlor type car on the end. This small 40-45 mph train could run once a day, say from LA to Santa Barbara, or Portland to Eugene, or Seattle to Portland on Weekends and Holidays only. If it were done right, people would take that train for the trip, not the destination. An engine like the SMV100 could be properly restored for about a half a mil, I would think. In today's world, that would be about the only way such an operation could reasonably be expected to survive. And it would be a lot of fun.
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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, December 7, 2008 9:41 AM

I think the above posting is quite correct, and so we should all thank the UP and CP for continuing to give us a taste of what modern steam operations are really like.   I hope their steam programs will continue indefinitely.  They are truly of tremendous value to North American history and culture.   Both railroads are doing a tremendous job with these two programs.

But with the right parts and asbstos eliminations and new transformers, a reliable GG-1 could be possible and could be reliable enough to run regularly on the Corridor south of Sunnyside Yard, NYC to Washington, as long as Amtrak retains the current 25HZ electrification on this part of of the Corridor.  I understand this electrification is still in good shape (except that much of the catenary is overdue for replacement) and there are no current plans to convert it to 60Hz, as was done by Metro North and used for the New Haven - Boston electrification.   Amtrak might even appreciate the addition of one very reliable locmotive.   Rewinding old armatures and field coils with  new wire with modern insulation could make the old quill-drive motors more reliable even than modern motors!

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Posted by henry6 on Sunday, December 7, 2008 9:57 AM

There is only one train worth the five million dollar restoration: THE PHOEBE SNOW!  And I would run it anywhere and everywhere!!!!

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Posted by upjake on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 9:27 PM
Sancho1
Great Northern Railway 2523, no contest.


1964 in Willmar, MN several years after retirement and before she was cleaned up and put on display.


2001 on display at Willmar, now has a new shelter over it.
Wow this steamer looks like a gem, literally.
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Posted by The Commodore on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:48 AM

Two choices both from my childhood and early train riding days.  Southern's Crescent Ltd. big green Pacific powered.   Atlantic Coast Line's East Coast Champion with those purple and silver E units.  I road the Crescent as a child and the Champion as a teenager and later as a serviceman in the Coast Guard traveling on the East Coast.

 

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Posted by BHirschi on Sunday, January 4, 2009 7:58 PM

I would do one of two things:

(1) Have Atlantic Coast Line P-5a Pacific No. 1504 restored to operational service. She currently sits in front of the Prime Osborn Convention Center (Old Jacksonville Union Terminal) in Jacksonville, Fla. The beauty of this idea is that it probably wouldn't cost $5 million. ACL did a complete operational overhaul of the 1504 before putting her on display in front of their Jax headquarters. Since she hasn't been run since (meaning no wear and tear on the moving parts), it would probably take very little work to make her fully operational again.

Failing that, I would love to have a shop which specializes in locomotive restoration, fabrication and replicating build a full-sized, operational replica of an Atlantic Coast R-1 4-8-4 Northern. But that would probably cost more than $5 million!

SCL black, ACL purple, SAL green or cream, FEC yellow and red, Southern green... and that's what I like about the south!
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Posted by Road Fan on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 9:08 AM

This would be my choice too, only the whole consist, from nose to toes.CoolThumbs UpThumbs Up.

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Posted by The Commodore on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 10:09 AM

Great choice, the Atlantic Coast Line Pacific #1504, along with all the other fine trains that operated out of Jacksonville's Union Station.  Ah well, now all we have to do is win the large power ball.  Mind you, I'm partial to those green pacific engines that Southern ran.

All the best,

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Posted by Redwood Chopper on Thursday, January 8, 2009 12:09 PM

Mine has to be a layered answer because of different historic interests.

I'd probably rather see $5M spent on recreating a vanished New York Central J3a in full 20th Century Limited Raymond Lowey streamlining (though I'd bet $10M wouldn't even get the project halfway done).

If it were for an operating restoration of something captive in a museum, it might be the SP 4294 AC-12 cab forward at CSRM, though finding a place to run it wouldn't be easy these days. You'd have to have a $1M endowment just to keep it in good shape and fueled, too.

I wouldn't mind seeing a complete 5-unit brace of as-built Black Widow SP SD-9s, but I'd also want to see (and smell) a long train of lumber products behind them...

I'd love to have $5M to use toward replicating a complete pair of historically correct circa 1868-69 passenger and official cars and the miscellaneous clutch of freight cars that were at Promontory Summit in and around the scene of the great Last Spike driving ceremonies. The excellent replica 4-4-0s at Promontory NHS look too lonely...

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Posted by blade on Friday, January 9, 2009 9:54 AM

sd40-2

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Posted by ACF1001 on Sunday, January 11, 2009 6:43 AM

My first choice would be the ERIE's last doodlebug #5012. Number two is Susquehanna S-2 #206. Number three, which would probably eat up all 5 million would be UP's Big Boy currently residing at Steamtown.

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Posted by ACF1001 on Friday, January 16, 2009 3:29 AM

How about CNJ Boxcab #1000 with it's Reading inspired lettering. Then, have it team up with the CNJ Camelback #592 for a tour between Baltimore and Jersey City.Big Smile Find a permanent home for equipment currently residing on the former Lackawanna Boonton Line. Disapprove

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Posted by Buildy on Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:25 PM

  PRR K-4s 1361. I`ve been cranky ever since it has been unservicable. I got to see her run in 1988,and I wonder if I ever will again?

 

Any money left over would go to getting another Pennsy steamer going or the LIRR 35.

 

Another wish is that I had enough money to make sure the East Broad Top is kept intact and even improved(restored).

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Posted by Mrmicro100 on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:54 PM

 It would have to be a UP Big Boy 4-8-8-4 to all its former coal burning glory ..

 

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 2:40 PM

I'd restore CNW's 1385, currently sitting in pieces at Mid Continent Railway Museum.  Any left-over funds would be used to purchase CNW's 8601 (the first C44-9W IIRC) and donate that to IRM. 

Dan

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Posted by twhite on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 9:11 PM

Well, I'd restore SP's AC-12 4-8-8-2 cab forward #4294 to operating condition, but it would probably be a bit of a problem with UP, since they'd say, "Oh, we don't have Insurance to cover operation of that locomotive over OUR (their ex-SP) lines."   That's what they keep saying about #4449, the only operational SP GS-4, currently residing in Portland (WAY out of its ex SP territory, BTW, but an always welcome guest steamer on BNSF). 

But it would be kinda fun the next time UP sends their much-touted 4-6-6-4 out here to Sacramento to just grin and say:  "Send the Baby back to Cheyenne and change it's diapers, we've got a REAL articulated, now." 

Hee-Hee. 

Tom  

 

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Posted by Texas Zepher on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:15 PM

daveklepper
so we should all thank the UP and CP for continuing to give us a taste of what modern steam operations are really like.   I hope their steam programs will continue indefinitely.  They are truly of tremendous value to North American history and culture.   Both railroads are doing a tremendous job with these two programs.

Yeah but, the UP won't let anyone else's steam on their rails.?!  Go figure. 

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Posted by K4sPRR on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:17 AM

K4s #1361, and if any money was left, restore some of the Broadway Limited cars that are still around to go with it.

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Posted by spikejones52002 on Monday, June 29, 2009 8:55 PM

 If I was handed $5XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.

I would own a Big Boy. I know everyone would give me  all the money to run it.

They would throw all the money I needed as I passed them by.

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Posted by CNW 43 on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 3:46 PM

by all means a BIG BOY

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Posted by Redwood Chopper on Sunday, July 5, 2009 2:22 PM

That's a toughie...sometimes my mood dictates different answers. I love big steam, but $5M would typically just get the job done, and not cover long-term care or preservation. I think an endowment of a worthy rail preservation institution might be the better approach, so more could benefit, not just one "artifact" locomotive, car or structure.

That said, if I had to pick a steam locomotive today, and even tho' I'm a diehard Westerner I'd go for that New York Central "Mohawk" just because it's as close to an NYC J-class as we'll get unless someone springs for $50M to replicate a Hudson.  I'd love to see an SP Cab Forward run before I die, but seeing as how there's only one and not enough money obviously available for its operational restoration and long-term fueling, and a semi-unfriendly UP to running anything other than their own steam power on former SP routes, I have a feeling that will go unsatisfied.

 Someone has already beaten me to restoring the last Milwaukee Road 'Skytop' Olympian Hiawatha sleeper-lounge-obs, "Coffee Creek." That's my ultimate dream private car. 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by De Luxe on Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:47 AM

 I would try to restore the T&P 2-10-4 # 610 back to operational condition. But the question was to restore a whole train, not just a loco. I don´t know how many T&P "Eagle" streamliner cars have survived, but it would be great to restore a complete consist, that could be pulled by the 610. I think that for an Eagle consist you need a baggage, a RPO, a coach, a "Planetarium" dome, a diner, a sleeper, and an lounge observation. So at least 7 cars are needed for this project. It would be great if excursion trips could be organized across whole Texas from New Orleans over Dallas / Fort Worth to El Paso over the old T&P line. But I don´t know if 5 Million $ would be enough for a complete operational Eagle restoration together with the 610.

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Posted by tstage on Friday, July 17, 2009 6:53 AM

As a New York Central fan, it would have to be the L-3a #3001 that is now sitting at the National New York Central Railway museum.  It's rather sad that no Hudsons or Niagaras even survived the cutting torches for us to enjoy looking at.

Tom

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Posted by zzzzzz on Saturday, July 9, 2011 2:49 AM

Hello, My name is Andy and I live up in the PNW. I just thought you would like to know that this thread of yours is an outstanding place to engage in interesting, fun and light-hearted dialog and read what others think. This thread’s actually fun (not tedious) to read through. It’s not loaded with page after page of material that has been copied and pasted from other threads in an attempt to “stay on top”. Or worse yet, material that has already been posted to the same thread, then copied and repeated! Very interested in hearing what others would like to see restored and operating again. Very impressed with the knowledge that thrives here, from all over the country! I am one of those "silent types" who does a lot of browsing, but very little talking. So, just let me congratulate all of you for the material that has kept me interested for the last several years.

 

For my part, I think that a person would have a greater likelihood of being able to afford to run something not too big, small enough to venture off the mainline, but big enough to pull a few restored heavyweight cars.

There are a number of 2-8-2’s sitting around the country rusting away. Maybe a 2-8-2 able to run around 45 or 50 mph, pulling restored 1920’s era baggage car, heavyweight coach and lounge car with an open platform. Being able to venture off the mainline would afford the opportunity to operate on some of the country’s short line railroads if permission could be obtained.   

 

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    April 2003
  • From: US
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Posted by AltonFan on Saturday, July 9, 2011 9:23 AM

There's this tendency among those contemplating projects like this to want to restore the huge engines of steam's latter days.  The problem is, many of these engines were HUGE, and often were limited to certain territories.  A lot of times the "latest and greatest" got early retirement, because they were unsuitable for anything but mainline service.

My thinking has been that restoration projects should center around moderately-sized engines that can be used on secondary lines.  2-8-2s and 4-6-2s would be better choices than 4-8-4s, 2-10-4s, or a Big Boy.

Dan

  • Member since
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  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Monday, July 11, 2011 6:16 AM

I don't know how much it would cost and whether $5M would cover it, but definitely the Santa Fe Super Chief including an ABBA consist.  Then, Amtrak would run it from Chicago to LA.  Since the trackage from Dearborn Station is no longer there, I'd settle for a departure out of LaSalle Street Station.

Rich

Alton Junction

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    September 2007
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Posted by Phoebe Vet on Monday, July 11, 2011 7:34 AM

I tend to think forward rather than back.  I have no desire to return to "the good old days".  I would use the money to put together a modern train that would address the needs of today and tomorrow.

Dave

Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 3:05 AM

But some of us have good reason to believe that 50-year old Budd domeliner equipment meets the needs of the tourist and other long-distance traveler better than anything since.   The equipment on the California Zephyr and the Super Chief and the El Cap was as pleasant to ride for several days as Horizon and Superliner equipment today if not better.   The Canadian still gets good reviews.

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 11:33 PM

AltonFan

There's this tendency among those contemplating projects like this to want to restore the huge engines of steam's latter days.  The problem is, many of these engines were HUGE, and often were limited to certain territories.  A lot of times the "latest and greatest" got early retirement, because they were unsuitable for anything but mainline service.

...

Dan, you are right.  I had not looked in this thread for quite some time, and don't even know if I have offered an opinion earlier...probably, but can no longer recall.  But, it's funny you should say what you did because when I saw the 'rejuvenated' thread from the welcome observation preceding yours, I thought that $5M is not pocket change, and not even for refurbishing a steamer.  So, I was in La-la Land thinking about some of my favourites, and what came to mind was the mighty Allegheny.  I know there is at least one, and I would walk ten miles barefoot over broken glass just to get close enough to hear it lift a 7000 ton coal drag, let alone see it.  I don't know what it would do to modern Class 1 rails in the eastern hills at 40 mph working near to capacity.  It probably wouldn't be good.

Got any tweezers?

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