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

[New Haven I-5]

For me would be. The Aerotrain.

Welcome to the forums Ken A!

[Ken A]

For me would be. The Aerotrain.

[New Haven I-5]

 Southern 4501, NKP 759, & C&O 614.

[daveklepper]

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.

[Dr Leonard]

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.

[nc32940]

 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.

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

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 steamer - 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...

[cnwfan51]

      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 

[JanOlov]

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

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

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.

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

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.

[wjstix]

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??

[batterymule7]

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'.

[JanOlov]

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.

[Semper Vaporo]

Who Cares?! This posting is from 28 Feb 2006!!

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

[nutmeg1]

Who Cares?! This posting is from 28 Feb 2006!!

[traintownofcowee]

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!

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!??!?!?!

Have 4460 restored!

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

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...

 

[trainboy414]

I would restore old rivits the 1st gg1 stored at strasburg in PA.

[Semper Vaporo]

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.

 

[snagletooth]

 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. 

[Andrew Falconer]

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

[newsmac]

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.

[MopacBarrettTunnel]

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.}

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

Now, there's an idea! 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... There could be preliminaries like, say NKP 765 vs. PM 1225, UP 844 vs. ATSF 2906,

<> 

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

<>

[mmartian22]

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.

[mmartian22]

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.

[JanOlov]

  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?

[daveklepper]

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.

[ChooChooMike]

  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

[sansouci]

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.

 

[tsgtbob]

<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!