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

[Mimbrogno]

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

[james saunders]

I'd buy an SD70ACe

 

really though, any steamer!

 

James

[james saunders]

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

[Anonymous]

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...

 

 

[Repairman87]

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

[UP #119]

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.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

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

 

 

 

 

[railfanespee4449]

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

I'd use the rest on \the Camelback

[Anonymous]

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.

[nssr9169]

DM&IR YELLOWSTONE 2-8-8-4........

[SteveC]

  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

[zugmann]

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....

[NYCfan]

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

[n012944]

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

[betaphile]

I would most like to do one from my local area Lakeville Avon Livonia,Lehigh Vally,Erie Lacawanna.

[railcar]

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.

[Snoq. Pass RR]

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.

[daveklepper]

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?

[Anonymous]

ATSF#3768, currently residing in Wichita KS. As far as I know everything is there except the gauges.

[FullParallel]

   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

[Bunn19]

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. 

[NYCfan]

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

Joe

[MopacBarrettTunnel]

This is a nice place to start with my first post!!

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!!

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.

[jamesedwbradley]

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.

[PBenham]

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"!

[k41361]

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

[Anonymous]

biggest, baddest beast ANYwhere!

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

[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.......

[PBenham]

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,

[espee]

Tough choices here but.....SP Cabforwards;  Rio Grande & SP Krauss-Maffei; any DSP&P locos.